Normally, this would be sent out to the paying supporters of this newsletter but they are getting something different this week in addition to their discount and early access to any and all drops. If this is interesting and doable for you, please hit the button below.
For the last few weeks an idea called “Zero Covid” has been making the rounds here in Germany and Europe and after a year of Covid-19 and the avoidable 100’000s of deaths, at the very least, we can all agree that whatever the fuck our respective governments have “tried” it simply doesn’t work.
I don’t actually remember if Germany ever had an official plan in regards to beating this pandemic, possibly, but like most people I have spent the majority of last year and specifically the last three months of this brutal second wave semi-shell shocked. One line keeps popping into my mind though, “Flatten The Curve” - obviously referring to flattening the rate of infections per 100`000 people, and with that being able to control the infection rates through our respective virus detectives. The second wave this fall, after having nearly reduced the number of cases this summer to nothing shows how wrong this approach was. More poignantly, I never asked myself why we wanted to “flatten” the curve and “we” never spoke about actually ending this pandemic?
Now, for clarity, I do not believe in any conspiracy theories that have been floated this past year, however, what I do know is that our governments are nothing but extensions of global capital, our economies are built upon ever increasing consumption and that doesn’t work with actually stopping a viral pandemic. When you close restaurants and bars, but not offices, factories, logistic centers ( hi bezos, looking at you, yes, you ) and schools what is the actual point, or rather, the logical conclusion is that you and I were made disposable to maintain growth. To be clear, whatever measures were taken within the “flatten the curve” plan, none worked and specifically, working class people and furthermore, non-white working class people ( this is especially relevant in the US more so than in Germany but it applies here just as well ) were, are and will be sacrificed, literally exposed to a deadly, contagious virus, for production and consumption to exist. If this doesn’t radicalize you, please unsubscribe immediately.
Now, again, I am not floating a global plan that instigated this, I am merely offering a realistic narrative of the last year. This is where ZERO COVID comes in. It calls for a radical shut down of everything to actually beat this pandemic. I URGE you to read this manifesto, see if you agree or disagree with it and then take this discussion forward. I am done with these half measures that exist to protect stock prices, I am done with people dying like flies, I am done with billion dollar corporations receiving unlimited bailouts while we are all stressed beyond comprehension about even being able to pay rent. I am fucking done with it all. Our governments have all failed in their most basic duty. Our economies have finally been unmasked in their purpose. Our role as sacrificial goats to the alter of profit has been unmasked. There is another way.
The new Black Lodges Drop is live now. It includes a new long sleeve shirt with a chest, sleeve and back print, a white shirt sleeve t-shirt with chest print as well as a limited edition screen print that has nothing to do with the shirts but everything with my disdain for valentines day and the commodification of, well, fucking everything. I am donating all profits from this to my local homeless shelter, I’ll explain why after these images. This drop is available until end of day Friday.
I am donating all profits, apart from the print - as much as I hate it, I do have rent to pay - to my local homeless shelter ALIMAUS for all the obvious reasons but there is a brutal back and current story to it all that has left with shaking with rage.
I live in Hamburg, Germany as most of you know. This is one of Europe’s richest city, back in 2017 we counted over 42`000 millionaires in this city of just over 1 million people with a huge industry sector to boot, Airbus, the 2nd largest port in Europe, the biggest advertising agencies in Europe are all headquartered here, as well as Google, Facebook HQ’s and so forth. According to a 2019 census Hamburg has over 72`000 hotel rooms on offer that for the last few months have been empty, covid lockdown rules.
In the last week alone, 10 homeless people have frozen to death in this city. It’s been brutally cold here this last week and will continue to be so. Our local state government is run by a two party coalition between our Social Democrat and Green Party who last week refused a call from all opposition parties to mandate hotel rooms for homeless people. That’s all I can say before I run down to the town hall with a torch.
This is what this drop is for. The shelter I mentioned above is in my neighborhood, St. Pauli, that due to its location and history has a high proportion of homeless people with little to no official support. Shelters like the above do what they can to provide food, clothes, shelter and mental support, all of which is privately funded, again, in a city whose wealth can buy small countries. With that, thank you for your support.
With that, here is your dose of hot shots from the interweb. Kind of trying to stay away from some of the performative hot topics but most of these should make sense today.
For politicians to do a hard switch towards "Zero Covid" they first need to acknowledge that their plan to "Flatten the curve" didn't work and that they were wrong with the plans they made. And to acknowledge a mistake means their ego has to take a knock, and they really, REALLY don't want to do that. Maintaining face seems to be more important than to switch to a plan that will actually work.
Can we all please move to New Zealand in the meantime?