Radical media, politics and culture.

hydrarchist writes

"This is part III, go back to Part 1".

SHOPLIFTING - Very Generalisable…

Time and again research has shown that shoplifters and shoppers are one and the same. See the incredible 200% rise in offences known to the Police in America from 1973 (349,283) to 1989 (1,059,765) And remember that this is the tip of the iceberg - most shoplifting offences are not detected by the private security, and then again not all cases they detect are passed onto the police. Whilst nobody knows how many people security let go either side of the Atlantic there are similarities in the process, stereotypes and prejudices. Whilst it is acknowledged that because of the private nature of the ownership of stores the

"Police involvement in the detection and apprehension of
shoplifters, however, is minimal." [34]

We should not discount the amount of shoplifters who are let go annually. Some idea of the scale of this issue can be gained from Segrave

"Police in [the whole of] New York City arrested 3,177 shoplifters
in 1963; in 1962 they arrested 3,061… [security] personnel picked up 6,200 pilferers in its two Bronx stores in 1963, against 4,900 in 1962." [35]

hydrarchist writes

This is Part 1 of a three-part essay. Part 2 is to be found here, and the final Part 3 here."

"Crime Becomes Custom, Custom Becomes Crime"

Trevor Bark

Paper presented at the 'Making Social Movements:
The British Marxist Historians and Protest Movements' conference
, June 26-28 2002 Edge Hill College of Higher Education.

Abstract

The British Marxist Historians (BMH) were involved in the study not only of protest and social movements, but of what was and was becoming crime. The enclosures, the change from wages in kind (perquisites) to the wage form itself (Linebaugh 1991), wood gathering, nutting and so on that were previously peoples custom were criminalized and fought politically by the disposessed. Thompsons 'moral economy' theses was based upon the study of bread riots, and this in turn became part of what is known as the social crime debate (Douglas Hay et al, 1975)

Rather than economic crime and protest being central to the poors' lives, crime became marginalized and left to the professionals or a marginalized lumpen element in the Fordist era. Into the late modern era we have seen the growth of crime often linked to high unemployment and 'flexibility', and the growth of social movement protest.

The themes of the BMH about a militant participation in the present, a political Marxism, and reconstructing theory are important ones. To that end we involve ourselves in the social movements, whether that is a rediscovery of the mass tobacco and alcohol smuggler, other informal economic activity in the city, or the emerging anti-capitalist movement.

I am presenting a case for the development of the social crime concept by testing whether the key characteristics can be found today, and also politically reassessing the nature of crime itself. Originally (Hay et al, 1975) said it wasn't possible to distinguish between 'good' criminals here and 'bad' criminals there, and this all blurred into the labouring poor; Linebaugh (1991) notes payment of wages was often years behind. The distinction between the respectable/unrespectable, non-deserving and deserving poor manifested itself in the political development of the Labour movement and Marxism, and can be found within the anti-capitalist movement.

Following "No Logo" and its emphasis on the trademark brand names in the shops I will present analysis about shoplifting and whether the politics of part of the anti-capitalist movement has had any effect on shoplifters choices. I will ask the question about how you go about destroying the brand most effectively, and outline the liberalism found within "No Logo". 'Crime' is now a central feature of the social movements large manifestations and also for a significant section of the general public.

Jacques Depelchin jdtutashinda writes:

Campaign for a Sustained Peace

In the Democratic Republic of Congo

Introduction

Our country was born out of a series of conquests, i.e. through warfare and subjugation of its inhabitants through brutal force. The massacre of millions of people was justified, ironically, under the label of pacification and civilization. The lives and thoughts of people were despised. "Might is right" was not only the best principle, but considered to be the only valid one. The consciousness of radical impotence and shaking fear in front of the ruler/leader was thus firmly implanted.

hydrarchist writes:


"Taking Instead of Buying:

Towards an Economics of Free Software"

Stefan Merten

What is free software?

There are other ways of acquiring software than just buying the commercial software that's available on the free market like any other goods. There are, for example, the so-called Shareware models whereby customers wanting to use the software pay a fee to the producer. There is also the possibility of bootleg copies, an illegal means of acquiring software.


This article doesn't deal with any of these but is about free software, which is not only almost cost-free; it also, more significantly, incorporates regulations that guarantee freedom for the user. Besides the right to use the software, the user also has the right to study the sources of the software, modify them, and pass the original or modified version on.

Anonymous Comrade writes:

"But He IS A Moron!”

By John Chuckman, YellowTimes.org (Canada)

Printed on Monday, November 25, 2002

(YellowTimes.org) – Françoise Ducros, director of communications for Canada's Prime Minister Jean Chretien, said in a private conversation that Mr. Bush was a moron for the way he pushed his obsession over Iraq at a NATO meeting in Prague that had other, important issues to treat. Most informed people on the planet would classify her observation in about the same category as "sugary cereal makes a terrible breakfast," but it is so rare to hear even the slightest truth expressed regarding America's pathetic chief executive that a bit of a flap has arisen.

hydrarchist writes Prior to the publication of "Art of Deception", the publishers Wiley and Sons received a letter threatening legal action on the part of John Markoff, the New York Times hack (sic) who played a key role in Mitnick's demonisation. As a result this chapter was pulled from the book. Fortunately the lost lines appeared miraculously in a yahoo group earlier this month, and it is provided below for your edification.


The account is interesting in several respects. First it demonstrates the shortsightedness of security through obscurity, or a reliance on smart technical fixes for the provision of assurance and safety. Given the continuing tendency towards security culture in political circles the sections on social engineering should act as reminder that most vulnerabilities are human. Secondly it demonstrates the connivance in the criminalization process between respected media mouthpieces and the state. Mitnick's case, along with those of LaMachia and Morris, were seminal from this point of view and established the trend for the decade. Third, he is candid about the very superficial nature of hacker rebellion, which often morphs into betrayal and collaboration with the state and businness without skipping a beat.

Enjoy.

"Chapter 1: Kevin's Story"

by Kevin Mitnick

I was reluctant to write this section because I was sure it would sound self-serving. Well, okay,
it is self-serving. But I've been contacted by literally hundreds of people who want to know
"who is Kevin Mitnick. "
For those who don't give a damn, please turn to Chapter 2. For everybody else, here, for what it's
worth, is my story.

Anonymous Comrade writes

Economic Migrants

Jess Whyte

A man - a worker - risks death by machine gun to escape what he is told is a 'workers' state'. He flees East Berlin through a tunnel, dug beneath a cemetery.

A woman risks death by stoning to escape persecution and poverty under a regime installed by the CIA. She sells all she owns and leaves by boat.

In West Berlin a museum has been built to commemorate 'the Wall', and to honour those who have made 'great escapes' to the West. Their stories have become mythology. They are heroes.

In Australia concentration camps have been built to intern those who arrive from the global south. Their stories remain unheard. They ask if we know they are human.

"Orchestrating Health Crises:

Forced Vaccinations and

the Totalitarian State"

Mitch Cohen

Under legislation submitted to states throughout the US, medical providers
will be required to administer smallpox vaccines to the population whether
people want it or not. The doctors will also fill out forms enabling the
federal government to track those inoculated with smallpox vaccines.

nomadlab writes "This just makes my head spin:

USIA Electronic Journal, Vol. 2, No. 4, October 1997

KEEP BIG BROTHER'S HANDS OFF THE INTERNET

By Senator John Ashcroft

"The [Clinton] administration's interest in all e-mail is a wholly unhealthy precedent, especially given this administration's track record on FBI files and IRS snooping. Every medium by which people communicate can be subject to exploitation by those with illegal intentions. Nevertheless, this is no reason to hand Big Brother the keys to unlock our e-mail diaries, open our ATM records, read our medical records, or translate our international communications""

Bureau of Public Secrets writes "Gary Snyder's article "Buddhist Anarchism" -- one of the first expressions
of what later became known as "socially engaged Buddhism" -- is now online
at Snyder.


"Although Mahayana Buddhism has a grand vision of universal salvation, the
actual achievement of Buddhism has been the development of practical systems
of meditation toward the end of liberating a few dedicated individuals from
psychological hangups and cultural conditionings. Institutional Buddhism has
been conspicuously ready to accept or ignore the inequalities and tyrannies
of whatever political system it found itself under. This can be death to
Buddhism, because it is death to any meaningful function of compassion....


"The mercy of the West has been social revolution; the mercy of the East has
been individual insight into the basic self/void. We need both.""

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