Nelson Lowhim's Blog, page 82

There is No Morality in the West

It's being strangled as we speak (assuming you think it ever existed). So the part of the world that created Guernica has no right to ever say "free speech" or something about Charlie Hebdo. Or about Venezuela or anywhere else. It (and by that I mean we) is morally bankrupt to the point of boggling the mind. 
You see I wrote about a piece of street art in Rome that was dedicated to the drowning of thousands of refugees. Women and children fleeing war zones. Of course it was fucking defaced. And as the right continued to make up stories that it was all men and terrorists and what have you, Europe closed its borders because it really is close to impossible to counter the noise machine of fascism[1]. 
Well now, just as we have concentration camps to our south, we now know that European governments have the deaths of thousands (if not more) on their hands and are turning another sea into a graveyard. I'm not even sure about how we will talk about this state terrorism when another smaller act of brown terrorism happens, but I'm sure it will not be in the same shrill voice. 
Apes. All of us. But damn is it depressing.

[1] the LRB writes about this new fascism and how it doesn't control all of the methods of communication like it's most infamous iteration. But that ignores what propaganda is and how it works. It works best on the ideas of fear and protecting one's family and if you lie and lie and lie then it fucking works, people. The mode of transmission, then, for this virus is simply fear and mass media-esque tools.

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I know you like the Art, Johnny boy, and them Photojoiners

Well, since you like the art, I'll link this photo-joiner that Cold Mountain Review just published. I'm looking at it now and thinking that perhaps it's not as indicative of an experience as I would like to think. Perhaps it's the need to "join" them all together (making it a little more aesthetically pleasing than other forms of multi-perspective—like cubism) that makes it less than an experience? [1]

I know trying to turn photos of a singular object is not easy. The last piece of art that I did, my mug, it was something like multi-perspectives for one face. Does that alone speak to this experience? Maybe, IMO, better than a normal selfie, but not so much. [2] In the above image you can see that I added text about me, about my life. Would images work better? Would there be a better way of having a representative visual of me in a single frame?
I don't know, tell you the truth. 
I do know it's going to be hard finding out.

You see, I'm also thinking about narrative (non-linear) ways to present aspects of that memory/experience in a single frame (unmoving, allowing the viewer to come up with a narrative). Below is a work in progress of something like that. It's a photojoiner of a library I visited. Then some other thoughts and going-ons that led me to the library. Does that matter? Does it make more sense to you? [3]

 You see, the thing is that perhaps I'm a little too married to the photo joiner. Perhaps it's able to expand on the eye (paralyzed cyclops as Hockney said) of the camera, but it's little more than bedridden. So, perhaps I have to take a photo of more things that are there in the moment.

That they're joined should not matter.

Why?

Because during the eye movements (saccades) that help us take in more of a given place, we're not really seeing. Yeah, it's an illusion.



So, for visual things the below is a little more accurate (see the above). And indeed it can be aesthetic, but what's being perfectly seen is not my point. I mean would the above be better with a whole bunch of ideas (going through my head at the time and now)?

You tell me. Me, I'm on this train until it runs out of track. So go check out CMR and show them some love.


[1] btw my IG is back up. You can get prints through it and see some of my other work. 

[2] Yeah, I think I have a whole new level of respect for the likes of Picasso who were able to make themselves see in this manner.

[3] Another issue with photo joiners is the globe to 2-D issue that means there's either some optical (think 360 lens or wide lens) issues with that transmission of a globe to a flat film/frame.

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If the internet is the world,

Then me moving here (retreating, really) and writing here and not on Twitter or Medium or elsewhere, is me living in the woods. Maybe it's one of those ancient Chinese moments where the artist hits the woods so that they may create something better, or maybe it's a matter of me being some disgruntled vet moving to a cabin in Montana. Well, it does mean I'll keep writing here. Have a great weekend people!
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Welp, What's a War When Profits Stand Taller Than Prophets?

I'm not really sure, actually. Reading the left and right on this and you would think that we really don't do proper analysis anymore, just screaming one way or another, just beating one's chest and that's it. 

I'm of the mind that perhaps it's good that there's a small part of Trump's brain that thinks in terms of some sort of business or ledger manner and says "this quagmire will be stupid and costly". Then there's the bellicose part of him (the part many white supremacists and other jingoists enjoy, and could probably switch out for a blue pill, you know?) and those two are having a cell on cell knock-down drag out fight. 
Obviously we have KSA and Israel (Bibi, and the crazies there) all itching for some kind of fight with Shiites, but never forget how many people in our "Deep State"[1] probably still want to teach Iran a lesson for not towing the line of Empire. 
As it was so shall it be. And ever be. 
But, of course, one doesn't have to love a country (see Russia) to see that there are better ways to diffuse the situation. Much of this is a result of Trump's (and other crazies in the GOP) desire to pull out of a treaty (which means we were in violation of it) and basically jump into an act of war with his sanctions (while making sure that other countries also tow the line with respect to these sanctions). 
Note, we're in violation of a treaty (probably undermining the moderate in Tehran) and are making sure other people are also in violation of it. Note, also, that such acts of war are not allowed by any UN charter that we're signed on to (if idiots who claim we're a nation of laws are to be convinced). Sure, might makes right, but then don't cover it with some bullshit facade of anything else. [2]
Of course in any of the center left's analysis of this, you don't hear about this aspect of our belligerence. Just Trump and his stupidity. I mean it's easy to get at that diaper wearing fool, but it really doesn't make for good analysis. 
I spoke right before and after the election about how Trump really knew how to play the media and that most of the media (Times etc) was really just a kind of entertainment. In the end they would care more about palace intrigue rather than substance because that's their bread and butter. Indeed, it probably sells more to make some sort of palace intrigue, what was Trump thinking? piece some he said she said bullshit than to break down what exactly is going on. 
Read some Hersh on this matter and you can see why even he is no longer allowed on this side of the ocean because he's willing to dig deep rather than just cultivate some relationships and get to go to WhiteHouse dinners. [3]
 We're getting there. But now with something like Iran we have no clarity from the media, no cooler heads that will prevail and what happens when an American civilian dies? I'm guessing then the jingoists will try to call anyone not looking for revenge "guilty of treason" and we'll be back on the stupid train. This would most likely have happened with or without Trump. He's just a really stupid facade on this all. 
Any thoughts worth considering out there?
[1] Like many things, from the term Fake News to, well, any other word of value, Trump and the MAGAts make hay of making them useless. Indeed, it's a function of language to consider mass use of a term, but it's definitely taken to the next level (or playground level) when Trump claims one word is what it isn't. Therefore I think of the Deep state as the memory of institutions carrying out foreign policy. This can include the government workers as well as the powers that benefit directly from some confrontations etc etc. 
[2] I know the might makes right crowd will also claim that this right includes making up whatever shit they want, but I'm trying to bring some less crazy to this world, not trying to add to it.
[3] See, the thing is that there is a troubling trend that even the likes of me cannot deny. Corporate media is destroying actual insight into world events and this has been getting worse since media consolidation as well as 24hour media forced quantity over quality (and social media has not made things better). Of course, reading Hersh, you can see issues from the get go. Local media isn't always a panacea since we have him in Chicago in the 60s not allowed to show any news on Black people dying because of crooked cops or white supremacy and other insidious powers at work in journalism. 
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What are the odds?

This should seriously be something everyone has to do (and I need to start doing as well) because, ultimately, when it comes to making statements about the world, far too many people will say something like "oh, if we do X then Y will happen." If you call them on it, you might get the words "likely" or "not likely" which doesn't really help. One must ask: so what are the chances that if we do the other thing that you claim will happen will happen.




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Seattle and Homeless People.

It's hard to look at any space on the internet that seems to have recently changed opinions or harping on one thing, and not think "trolls paid by someone powerful is pushing for this change in the air."
That's why my beloved subreddit r/seattlewa seems to have gone to all hell (see the list).

Every single other post seems to be a hit on homeless people. Again, it's not that homelessness is a problem, but just the reaction to it seems some concerted effort to vilify an especially abused subsection of our population (name a more iconic duo, beating down on the poor and those who loudly consider themselves Xtians).
So when a person on the subreddit said they were leaving you can imagine the range of replies. Thing is, it seems that people have been equating being uncomfortable (seeing feces everywhere) with their right to overreact and use that overreaction as power to slam on poor people (as usual). 
Funny thing is that there are a whole bunch of ways that people coach these terms. No one can come right out and ask for the poors to be crushed, made to go away (where?) without a handful of "I used to be liberal" or some other form of "I'd love to help them but it's out of towners all these homeless people [1] and it's Freeattle that's causing this issue. And then "oh the crime" and "oh we must destroy where they live and kick them out. 
It's like their presence is made to seem an affront, then a danger, then we destroy them.
Of course if you're a MAGAt and believe this, then no one really cares except for fellow psycho-travelers and so the people coach all this with "I'm not pro trump" or what have you. [2] 
Thing is, in the same time that I heard all these complaints (assuming they're real), I was almost run over by distracted or idiot drivers at least three times. I had the walk signal or they were at a stop sign (one deigned to roll down their window and say "make sure you have eye contact before you walk in front of any car" right, sweetie, I can't see your eyes through the windshield, should I wait for written permission).
Plenty of people die from getting hit by cars, cars are a general nuisance and yet we don't hear the same thing about them. In fact, if I post this point up, people will make a whole bunch of excuses for cars and not restricting them (let alone destroying them).... okay, let me post up and see the reaction. 
Note that I'm of the mind that cars are currently being used as a vehicle for democide (minorities are hit more than others). Not only was one used as a weapon by a Nazi against an anti-Nazi protestor but the right has been thinking hard about passing laws making running over protestors. But no one seems at all outraged. Why is that? It will never get the same "woe is me" BS that homeless people inspire in my fellow Seattlites. 
to be continued



[1] Survey after survey seems to come out and say that most of the homeless people are from King County, (84%). That some have only stayed here for a couple of years seems besides the fucking point to me. The only issue I have with this, is that suburbs tend to send their people downtown (or people come here because, you know, resources) via violent policies of making their lives hard and so they too should pay for the solution (but we know how that works with regards to who pays for what, the suburbs tend not to pay their fair share, as is the American custom, apparently). 
[2] Not to say that there aren't people in #theresistance who would think this way.

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I'm a start transferring work from Medium

So you'll be seeing some older works here. 
Whatever Medium is, it's not a place for me anymore. Damn shame, that. I mean I still get more views there than here, but given that they have odd spikes (they cannot explain) and other shenanigans I'm moving away from it all. 

I think the way it worked, as a proper blogging platform that was easy to use was also interesting. But the moment it shifted to becoming something that needed to make money, it just immediately worsened. 
And note that they went to a paywall instead of advertising. So this should have worked on some level. 
But it didn't. 
I mean, I was all caught up in their hype and hoped to get paid (so this is partially a blog post about sour grapes), but man I did not expect them to change so much. [1] They even claimed to have editors who would pick the best stories. But no one told us what those metrics were. We were just to assume it would be "good" stuff not clickbait. 
And still clickbait or worse got picked and shoved into the front. Seriously. There would be ten straight stories on "blockchain" then on some other topic du jour. No real insight, just cleaver headlines followed by tripe. But over and over.
So people you followed were harder to find. 
Conversations were dwindling and worthless.
And I already mentioned the odd stats which told me that they were juicing them in some fashion. 
Oh, and the diversity, of course, dropped. It became 90+% all white and for no real reason other than this is what they thought was good.
But, OFC, it wasn't good.
Then they said no more to poetry and fiction.
As far as my own writing, it seemed to me that if I wrote an deep thoughtful piece or travel essay, I would get 1 (yes 1) view. If I spat out some unthinking piece of tripe (Quitting Facebook!) then I would see some real numbers. 
If ever there were a need to show how the move to purely monetizing "thoughts" etc were a vile force, this medium experience has shown it to me (or that techies are just the opposite of Midas).
But, you might say, Nelson, this is why you're not rich. You can't think "write the truth", but think how will you shill for those with power and $$... right?
Maybe.
But I'm off it and will be transferring my work here and maybe elsewhere. Stay tuned.



[1] And as I'm writing this on a Google platform that will possibly do something worse to a platform, I'm aware of coming across as naive or foolish.
 
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The grift that keeps on grifting.

Having seen many aspects of American Ivy League life, I will have to say this isn't a surprise though the level still seems pretty high up. Read the article/threads here. It's an overview of how Yale professors (Tiger Mom being front and center with her full on call for eugenics by book a few years ago) use op eds to carnival bark for potential SCOTUS justices and then get their daughter a clerkship with that same Justice. 
You know, what we would call bribery in any other country. 
Again, this is a all hands on deck moment, and yet with such corruption in judges in our law schools, in everything, how do we fix our country and the world? (Climate change is a thing and when elites talk about the peasants or rubes  not being able to science they should look at themselves first because they are near the handles of power and are to blame more than anyone). 
Everything is a grift and a game for these people. How come? What would you do? 

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Do you know your fellow Americans? Of love and war.

Apparently, I fucking don't.
Not when it some idiots get voted in despite their fascist overtones or how when many don't seem to understand how economics work (though to be fair there are plenty of grifters with the job title
Looked over at 538 and this overview of a poll of what wars Americans think were justified. And holy shit do the numbers surprise me. I mean a solid 22%-28% just didn't know about any war and admitted as much. Yet I find that alone to be an interesting number. I mean, one could easily picture some overly pedantic scholarly type saying they have read everything and don't truly know (and if I thought about some wars a lot I know I have much to read and might answer that way) as easily as they could be people who really don't know what a war is or heard of these wars (I'm guessing there are few of those, but I don't know). [1]
Because even for those who haven't studied the subject and ignored the history lessons in school, just by normal osmosis they should have learned that certain wars were good while others were bad, you know? Take Vietnam (still the most unpopular war), there's plenty of propaganda trying to show how the liberal media and hippies (and Ali, if you go deep enough into the right wing nuttery) were what really lost that war. (Vietnam stands at 22% for 55% against).
Yet despite all that, the American people seem to have their wits about them. Better than I used to at least.
For example, how the hell is it possible that there are 14%are against WWII & the Revolutionary war. That alone shocks me. If you had asked me I would have thought 5% tops. And for those wars? 66% and 62% despite all the talking heads and magazines in the world talking them both up as good wars. I would have easily have bet money on 90% approving them—or saying they were justified. 
But even as we get closer to today we can see that more modern wars are definitely on the less loved side of things. 
The first Gulf War, also claimed to be a "needed" war by all those with the loudspeakers of punditry stands at 36%vs 36%. Again, from what I've heard from many people, even in pacifist circles, is that the war was needed. But look at this. People have not been duped. 
Look at the Afghan war. Note I was for it at the start and polls being pushed at the time (who knows how accurate they were, it was propaganda, wasn't it?) were at 90% approval of starting the war. And maybe people have come down from that initial bloodlust (I know I have), but 35% justified vs 42% justified is not a number I would have come up with. Just absolutely shocking stuff to me. 
So there's hope for a rethink. Let's hope the elites hear this one.


 [1] Fun fact: I had one job interview by a historian and I asked the infamous Simpsons question: "What's a battle?" Of course I wanted to know the parameters of how long an engagement goes from being just some small ambush etc to a battle.... but the moment I said it I knew they thought I was Ralph fucking Wigam.
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Buy this Book Today (or reserve it at your local public library)

So I got this book through a random search on my library catalogue (keyword: Warsaw). I'm not sure what I expected, but I'm sure I didn't expect to be completely blown away. It's written by a German soldier who hated the Nazis but was drafted into the war. He had spent some time in Warsaw beforehand and so loved the city as a civilian and was shocked at what happened to it. 

Of course, you can tell his guilt is there. He sees the family once and talks to them but he can't do much to save them. He wonders, of course, should he have shot a guard? What would that have done? It's a valid question we should all ask of ourselves as children are thrown into cages and separated from their parents and placed into veritable concentration camps where, like the initial stages of the Warsaw Ghetto, overcrowding was part of the punishment.
I know this, and besides a few instances here and there I do nothing.
Like I said, he asks himself the same question. He also makes it clear that the whole bit about Germans not knowing what was happening was a lie (from the early stages of death by starvation to the, quicker, mass murder). Everyone in the Army knew it. Everyone talked about it. People took pictures and even those in diplomatic circles talked about it. 
No one did anything. 
The question, then, is how are we as a country not doing more?
Why haven't I done more?
Am I a moral coward?
Are you?
I ask this question of myself a lot. 
Am I right to?
But there's another aspect of this story I want to discuss: 
That of the discovery of this book. You see I linked it above but to do so I had to do a lot of digging. First there was the fact that typing in the title and author's name gets you nothing on Amazon (see screenshot below). 
I mean, JFC.
I typed in Warsaw Ghetto and only after scrolling for  a bit did I get this book. Why is that? I don't doubt there are good books on the subject out there, but this bug annoys me. Nevertheless, it means that discovery along the normal channels are still broken. Nothing beats old school just yet. Not for breaking out of your bubble and finding true gems of imagination or, as in this case, of truth. 





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