Violence & Protest
Antifa All Stars, Philosophy, Feminist Politics, Internationalism, Food & Cocktails
Morning Comrades! I know, this drop is coming out of nowhere but similar to every year, by the time December comes I start losing my grip on time and here we are. Obviously, a new design from me but to be sure, versions of this have been kicking around the European Antifa/ra scenes since the early 90s. As with every brandalism piece, for those who don’t know this logo, this is from Converse, I am donating all profits to my local homeless shelter as I do every winter. Irrespective of the fact that my state is run by Red / Green coalition Senate, budgets are nowhere near where they need to be in regardless to Social Work and once again, it’s a cold winter with people dying on the street. This shirt is available till the end of Sunday and all you have to do is to click on the above or below image.
Again, if buying clothing isn’t on your cards this season I would like to direct you to the option of giving a Gift Subscription to this newsletter. Not only do these patreon style subscription at 10USD a month keep the lights on in my apartment but subscribers get an extra “philosophical” email per week, discount codes and early bird links to everything that I do under the Black Lodges Moniker.
We are going to start with the latest Philosophy Tube video. I do have to say that this episode might well be one of my absolute favourites as it most clearly deals with Violence & Protest. By now, you will be fully aware of where I stand and have stood on the subject for the past 25 years. Clearly I have no intention nor will I ever put down in words what my own involvement has been, but for the sake of this newsletter I am fully aware with the reality that the level of “activism” I partake in and support isn’t for anyone, whilst it should be, but we are working on that.
What’s really good about this episode is not only the fact that Abigail kicks off the episode with a group of activists here in Germany that I hold in high regard (Ende Gelände, essentially, ER without the bullshit and much more Direct Action ) but then perfectly bridges the discussion from Andreas Malm ( How to Blow Up a Pipeline: Learning to Fight in a World on Fire ) to Kant and the Social Contract School, upon which so much of our understanding in regards to state violence and non-violent reactionary forces comes from. Genuinely, in a world on fire, this episode and the above linked book is mandatory viewing.
ESSENTIAL READING
One of the most informative, well-written and enjoyable essays I read this week comes from Zamalotshwa Sefatsa over on Tri-Continental. It specifically deals with the impact Paulo Freire consequently had on a “range of struggles in South Africa, and that Freire’s ideas have been an important influence in the Black Consciousness Movement, the trade union movement, and some of the organisations associated with the United Democratic Front (UDF).” This history is in Western Pop Culture probably best remembered by activists such as Steve Biko and obviously by a farther reach Nelson Mandela.
Now, for those who do not know who Paulo Freire is: He was a Brazilian educator and philosopher who was a leading advocate of critical pedagogy. His influential work Pedagogy of the Oppressed is generally considered one of the foundational texts of the critical pedagogy movement and I cannot stress how valuable, influential and important his work was and remains in actual Marxist Struggles for the betterment of all. By all means, get yourself acquainted and do start with the above text. It’s brilliantly done.
FEMINIST POLITICS - PAST & PRESENT
Ideally, I should have written a long introduction as to why I continue to push and promote Silvia Federici’s work, however, I hope you can take my word for it for now, that as a Marxist Materialist her work remains absolutely vital for our time and time to come. No Marxist study is complete without her contribution and whilst I realize that the below talk is a little long, by all that is interesting in understanding what the enemy is up to and how to move forward, sit down, get yourself a drink and listen.
Obviously, I am going to share a few other programs for you to take into your weekend that might be more beneficial than what the US propaganda machines have on offer. Presented without comment, because they’re all good and worthy of your time.
Back again, not due to them but me for once being actually prepared are both Ana and Tatjana with their “Let’s Cook and Drink” columns here.
Actually, for this week I would like to take the opportunity to plug Ana’s TikTok Channel on which you can actually see her make all this outrageously amazing food, rather than just reading about it. Personally, I find adding the film content to recipes hugely helpful and I watch her channel almost daily for inspiration. I reckon you should too and hence the plug instead of a recipe this time around.
Two weeks ago we did the 20th Century, and this week we're moving on the the next one in this trilogy: the 19TH CENTURY.
In this one, the gin is substituted for bourbon and the Lillet Blanc is substituted for Lillet Rouge. The 19th Century was made by bartender Brian Miller at the legendary Pegu Club in 2016. Back in the early 2000's New York was going through some changes in the general public's intake of liquids – a new 'golden age of cocktails' had begun and the people were thirsty. A lot of what is considered the modern heavy weights of the bartending industry now, we're all young bartenders at this point and many of them working in New York City. This is just one reason that we have so many great cocktail bars in NYC today. Some opened back in the early 2000's, or were started later on by the very same bartenders, who had worked their way through the new cocktail craze in its beginning. Pegu Club was opened by Audrey Saunders in 2005 during this cocktail renaissance and it went on to become one of the most influential bars since. The inspiration and name came Victorian style men's club located in Myanmar during the late 19th century. The original buildings has since undergone restorations, and was named a historical and heritage site in 2018. Unfortunately due to covid-19 and the financial havoc brought with it, Pegu Club in NYC closed it's doors for good in end 2020. However the standards they/it set, the ideas and bartenders still live on.
Last week I said there were two main recipes out there in the internet-sphere for the 20th Century. For 19TH CENTURY there's the 'original twist' (sounds stupid I know) by Brian Miller, but I'll offer an equal parts here. If you're interested in the original version or want to compare the two, it's fairly easy to look up online.
WHAT YOU NEED:
- Bourbon
- White crème de cacao
- Lillet Rouge
- Fresh lemon juice (with no pulp)
- Lemon peel + peeler
- Shaker
- Hawthorne strainer and fine mesh strainer - Jigger
- Ice
- Coupe glass
HOW YOU DO IT:
- Put the glass in the fridge/freezer.
- Pour 2 cl of bourbon, 2 cl crème de cacao, 2 cl Lillet Rouge and 2 cl lemon juice into your strainer.
- Make a nice lemon peel and leave it be until needed as garnish.
- Take the glass out of the fridge/freezer.
- Put ice into your shaker and shake for 6-8 seconds. Take your strainers and double-strain the liquid into your glass.
- Use the lemon peel you prepped to spray the oil onto the rim and stem of the glass. Place it nicely on the edge on the glass.
- Drink!
ON A PERSONAL SIDENOTE:
This drink does not have as rich a history as the one it is based on, but the place where it got made first does. Pegu Club played an important part in the renaissance of cocktails, but it also had a lot of bartenders through it's time, who has since went on to do great things in our industry. Places and
Bars can cultivate this and inspire others, which is something that's important to remember. Even amazing bars with world renown has had a rough fucking time the past 2 years. If you go out, throw money at the local ones you enjoy drinking in that you wanna support. The ones who actually care about the neighbourhood, their guests and staff.
Now to the ingredients. The gin has been swapped for bourbon, so go with one that is good in cocktails. The white crème de cacao is the same as last, but note this: even though one of the ingredients is dark (Lillet Rouge) we have kept the white version. As I said last time, the ingredients' colour are to be kept in mind, so we can steer clear of a muddy end result. Here though, we might have gotten away with a darker/more brown crème de cacao, but it was chosen to be kept the white. Flavour and balance is of course the ultimate reason. For the 20th Century I listed a few brands that I can recommend using for their white crème de cacao. Brian Miller's version specifically calls for Dutch Cacao (brand), just like Joerg Meyers version of the 20th Century does. For the Lillet Rouge, you can also you a red vermouth. If you do use a sweet vermouth, be careful with the caramel-vanilla-sweetness notes. You ideally want to keep it dry, slightly bitter and with some tannins in flavour. Lillet Rouge is however not hard to get a hold of, and chances are you can buy the red/Rouge, where you buy the white/Blanc.
Extra sidenote: Pegu Club is also a delicious fucking cocktail named after it's place of invention; Pegu Club in Myanmar. It's not uncommon for a drink to be named after the men's club it first got served in/got famous for serving it. This is how the Clover Club and Royal Bermuda Yacht Club both got their names.
Next week is gonna be the final one in this trilogy, so until then enjoy the 19TH CENTURY