Re: <nettime> made for TV, made for social media

On Fri, Jan 8, 2021 at 2:21 PM Molly Hankwitz <[email protected]> wrote:

Hello Geert, Tara, others...

Well, that's it, right? They did not have an idea, besides petty vandalism, what to do (being leaderless and likely to be followers rather than leaders)

Actually, I heard, but have not confirmed, that they were trying to get the actual paper votes of the electoral college...to burn them so as to eliminate the election results. But, I need to fact check...

Molly

molly hankwitz - she/her
http://bivoulab.org

On Fri, Jan 8, 2021 at 11:39 AM Geert Lovink <[email protected]> wrote:
Hi Molly and Tara!

A leader, yes… but what were they supposed to do there? Stay? Take over, but what exactly? It’s all about staging. Now they were primarily staging for social media, for themselves, individually, roaming around in a building, looking for what? In the end they were not one will, one social body. And this is required for a revolution or coup to succeed. Most likely they were after some other experience, some other type of change, perhaps.

Best, Geert

On 8 Jan 2021, at 7:52 pm, Molly Hankwitz <[email protected]> wrote:

not to nitpick, but they had a command and that was from Trump...to "storm the capitol"
after that they had no serious intent to occupy the Capitol or, for instance, to issue demands...
they were there to disrupt the electoral college vote confirmation by Congress - on behalf of their leader (Trump)

your points about 'whiteness' are well-taken
we should not obscure 'reach' of whiteness trope, although one could argue, I think that those caught up in the swirl of 'whiteness' may think to themselves that they are a 'class' of some importance...

peace
molly

molly hankwitz - she/her
http://bivoulab.org

On Fri, Jan 8, 2021 at 9:58 AM Tara Mcpherson <[email protected]> wrote:

It was definitely a mob, and I think Geert is right that this particular event had no clear command.

But I would caution against assuming these rioters were all poor white folk or that this was primarily about class. Many in the mob have now been identified, and there were plenty of white collar hooligans in the mix, some flying in on their private jets. The formation and legacies of whiteness in the US are a key animating factor here in a way that crosses class lines. It also fuels the way the mob claimed the title “patriot” and invoked 1776.

Tara

(Sent by pneumatic tube.)

From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of Geert Lovink <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, January 8, 2021 8:13:54 AM
To: a moderated mailing list for net criticism <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: <nettime> made for TV, made for social media

Good question, Keith.

Was it a putch without a purpose of a mob without a cause? For sure they were all revved up, dazed by meme magick and shit, looking for the best selfie opportunity.

Once we enter the heart of the power, and roam around there, we do not face power as such. No need to repeat here what Foucault and many other after him have written about power. We know, but what if one has to experience this at first hand, as riot tourists?

The warriors were running through corridors, without a plan, needless to say, without their leader, as he was sitting in front of his TV set, around the corner, enjoying the images, watching the spectacle unfold, yet remaining silent at the decisive moment.

There was no command, no plan, not even a serious counterforce. At best it was a ‘disruption’ such as promoted by Silicon Valley venture capitalists.

Geert

> On 8 Jan 2021, at 4:39 pm, Keith Sanborn <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Put another way, was it the burning of the Reichstag or the storming of the Winter Palace? or neither?

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