Spunk

February 11, 2007 3:25 PM

Long un-updated, but still chalk full of anarchist theory, The Spunk Library (catalog indexes on upper right). Of possible interest to metafilter users: Maybe a "group" discussion dominated by two or three people ISN'T.
posted by serazin (57 comments total)

Oops. "Chock full". Feel free to flay me alive now.
posted by serazin at 3:39 PM on February 11, 2007

Nah, we anarchists don't believe in coercive orthography. Interesting links, thanks!
posted by languagehat at 3:46 PM on February 11, 2007

I was just saying how much I wanted to read incoherent babble from a stoned 15-year-old's notebook. And lo and behold, here it is.
posted by jonmc at 3:47 PM on February 11, 2007 [4 favorites]

*flays serazin alive*

But really, thanks, serazin. "FOR RIOTEOUS LAUGHS TRY SUBSTITUTING 'QUEER' OR 'NON-WHITE' FOR GIRL, HET OR WHITE FOR BOYS" reminds me of Barry Deutch's male-privilege checklist.
posted by cgc373 at 3:49 PM on February 11, 2007

Nah, we anarchists don't believe in coercive orthography

I'd probably find this funny if I had even the vaguest idea what the hell you're talking about.
posted by jonmc at 3:55 PM on February 11, 2007

"Organisation, far from creating authority, is the only cure for it and the only means whereby each of us will get used to taking an active and conscious part in collective work, and cease being passive instruments in the hands of
leaders."

What a fine thinker and polemicist Malatesta was.
posted by Abiezer at 3:58 PM on February 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

And I bet he never stuffed up c&ping pre-formatted text either.
posted by Abiezer at 3:59 PM on February 11, 2007

FREE THE YOUTH WITH POISONED MINDS!
posted by breezeway at 4:03 PM on February 11, 2007

The phrase 'coercive orthography' has no Google results. jonmc, you are not alone.
posted by matthewr at 4:07 PM on February 11, 2007

orthography has a clear wikipedia entry though. And 'coercive' is pretty familiar to me. That's how I decoded it anyway.
posted by serazin at 4:10 PM on February 11, 2007

Can anarchists even, by definition, have a group or a club? I'm confused.
posted by maxwelton at 4:15 PM on February 11, 2007

*reads wikipedia*

oh, you're being coerced by the alphabet? or is it your AlphaBits? are they demanding unmarked bills?

That's how I decoded it anyway.

Did you use your Super Secret Captain Anarchy Decoder Ring?
posted by jonmc at 4:15 PM on February 11, 2007

I sure did! It came in the box of ANARCHO'S I had for breakfast.
posted by serazin at 4:19 PM on February 11, 2007

Breakfast cereal's in jeopardy 'round these parts lately, so watch your back, serazin.
posted by cgc373 at 4:21 PM on February 11, 2007

It came in the box of ANARCHO'S

Anarchos? Confined in a box?? This is a crime against nature! I demand action! or at least an incoherent vaguely hostile website!
posted by jonmc at 4:22 PM on February 11, 2007

And jonmc:
I was just saying how much I wanted to read incoherent babble from a stoned 15-year-old's notebook. And lo and behold, here it is.

Which 15 year old are you talking about: Kropotkin? Tolstoy? If you mean the author of "What it is to be a girl in an online anarchist boys club", I'm sure she'd say something like "Why don't you wonder about girls not getting involved, or leaving, or sitting in silence?" or "I'm putting less and less energy into heated discussions and reacting to/educating people with stupid behavior. I'm tired of correcting sexism." "You are not the boss. Get over yourself."
posted by serazin at 4:27 PM on February 11, 2007

libcom.org's library presents a lot of similar material in a much sexier format. I'm most partial to Colin Ward's Anarchy in Milton Keynes, which goes some way to addressing maxwelton's question, and talks about brass bands.
posted by Abiezer at 4:27 PM on February 11, 2007

Can anarchists even, by definition, have a group or a club? I'm confused.

Yes they can.
posted by Divine_Wino at 4:28 PM on February 11, 2007 [2 favorites]

maxwelton:

Sure anarchists can have a club. Just a club with no president or presiding council. Which makes it really hard to figure out what kind of treehouse to build.
posted by Samizdata at 4:29 PM on February 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

Nice one, Divine...
posted by Samizdata at 4:30 PM on February 11, 2007

Which 15 year old are you talking about:

whoever wrote that silly 'Boy's Club List' crapola.

I'm sure she'd say something like "Why don't you wonder about girls not getting involved, or leaving, or sitting in silence?"

and I'd answer 'Because I honestly don't care what you do."

"You are not the boss. Get over yourself."

and I'd say "Neither are you. I am under no obligation whatsoever to take seriously a single thing you say. Go peddle your papers."

(seriously, I can scribble a list of vague complaints and post the to the web, too. Does that mean they should be taken as gospel or something?)
posted by jonmc at 4:34 PM on February 11, 2007

Abiezer - thanks for the great link!
posted by serazin at 4:38 PM on February 11, 2007

Why am I the only one who knows how to nurture?

here, have some wood and some oil, joan ...
posted by pyramid termite at 4:39 PM on February 11, 2007

Hey, she clearly said she was 25 in that list. There aren't any TV cameras here, are there?

TO THE BARRICADES!
posted by breezeway at 4:44 PM on February 11, 2007

Hey, she clearly said she was 25 in that list.

then she's old enough to tell people to fuck off and find others that she'll be happier with
posted by pyramid termite at 4:52 PM on February 11, 2007

Flaying with a chock.
posted by The Deej at 5:02 PM on February 11, 2007

Thy hand, great Anarch! lets the curtain fall;
And universal Darkness buries All.
posted by breezeway at 5:04 PM on February 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

> "Why don't you wonder about girls not getting involved, or leaving, or sitting in silence?"

and I'd answer 'Because I honestly don't care what you do."

> "You are not the boss. Get over yourself."

and I'd say "Neither are you. I am under no obligation whatsoever to take seriously a single thing you say. Go peddle your papers."

Anarchism is not "ha ha I'm ignoring you because I can." Also, you failed to respond to the second half of that last quote. Sexist dismissal of female opinions is pretty fucking widespread, still. Maybe more than it was ten or fifteen or twenty years ago, I don't know.

But it's cool, no one cares what you think either, let's just all masturbate ourselves into bubblespheres of noncommunication.
posted by blacklite at 5:24 PM on February 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

Sexist dismissal of female opinions is pretty fucking widespread, still.

I don't dismiss her because she's female. I dismiss her because she's a dolt.
posted by jonmc at 5:33 PM on February 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

Let me put it this way: is it reasonable to guess that the majority of prominent metafilter users (prominent meaning, they comment often, in a majority of posts) are men? Or put another way, would you be willing to agree with the theory that there are more comments and posts on metafilter authored by men than by women?

If so, here are a few questions:
1) Why is this so? Does the tone and 'culture' of metafilter threads contribute to this lopsided gender representation?
2) Are you concerned about it? Are you happy to be part of a community that women for whatever reasons do not feel comfortable in? (Or, to be more specific, that from a statistical point of view is more utilized by men than women)
3) If you're not satisfied with being a member of a community that women feel uncomfortable in, what are you willing to do to change that dynamic?

The FPP link is a challenge to participants in a group that the author was a part of who were ostensibly feminist, yet who left the author feeling frustrated with the groups overall lack of commitment to inclusion of women and respect for women. It is written simply and with emotion, yet is quite clear in my view, and raises specific points that I believe are important to consider in other small group settings (such as this one).
posted by serazin at 5:37 PM on February 11, 2007

1) Why is this so? Does the tone and 'culture' of metafilter threads contribute to this lopsided gender representation?

Women have better things to do than listen to a bunch of drunken geeks babble

2) Are you concerned about it? Are you happy to be part of a community that women for whatever reasons do not feel comfortable in? (Or, to be more specific, that from a statistical point of view is more utilized by men than women)

Not really. I am not responsible for anyone in this community besides myself, so I am under no obligation to.
posted by jonmc at 5:42 PM on February 11, 2007

POST LESS, MEN! POST MORE, WOMEN!
UP WITH ANARCHY! DOWN WITH -ISMS!

MAKE LIKE GYGAX AND DIE, DIE, DIE!
posted by breezeway at 5:48 PM on February 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

Hm. Including that second link may not have been the best idea.
posted by languagehat at 5:50 PM on February 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

I am not responsible for anyone in this community besides myself, so I am under no obligation to.

I'd disagree there jonmc, inasmuch as what distinguishes a set of individuals from a community is precisely that obligations arise in the latter relationship. Managing those obligations and determining their extent would be where anarchy comes in (or any other of a number of quite patently inferior *ahem* political theories)
posted by Abiezer at 5:54 PM on February 11, 2007

It is written simply and with emotion, yet is quite clear in my view, and raises specific points that I believe are important to consider in other small group settings (such as this one).

It's written like a five year old on Nyquil. And it basically takes a 'if you disagree with anything I say or do anything I dislike you are a misogynist,' stand. Next please.
posted by jonmc at 5:56 PM on February 11, 2007

I'm with you, languagehat. The Spunk Library is indeed chock full of interesting reading on an easily and commonly misunderstood subject, as are the links Abiezer posted. The list of grievances and the bone-picking tone with which it was presented seem more appropriate for MetaTalk, where I doubt things would end particualarly well, either.

Please pardon my all-caps exhortations to do strange things. What can I say? I'm neither man nor woman, just an airy architectural feature most often found in schools and public buildings.

But I meant every word of the Pope quote.
posted by breezeway at 6:00 PM on February 11, 2007

Serazin, that list of call-outs is specific to certain kinds of groups, and I really don't think Metafilter is one of them. We don't know who each other are, we aren't coming together around a common cause (other than, maybe, interwebs wankery), we don't share (or suppose we share) common political beliefs. I agree that those criticisms can be levied against certain people at certain times, but they really can't be applied to Metafilter in general.

If two or three people get into it in a thread and you no longer want to comment, you can find lots of other threads to enjoy. And while two or three people may end up monopolizing a thread, they never actually prevent you from posting and putting your voice into the mix, unlike at a meeting, say.

And, finally, levying vague accusations of sexist (or other) behavior against groups that don't self-identify as such (male Mefites, in this case) is the beginning of a losing battle. There are plenty of things to call-out and work against—here and in most every community—but this is not a particularly productive way to do it.

That said, +1 Anarchism!
posted by wemayfreeze at 6:01 PM on February 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

Let's see, +1 Anarchism brings your THAC0 down to an even 12, but if you add the bonus you get for missile attacks from the Molotov...

Nevermind, sorry. Time to turn off the Test Dept. and find another thread.
posted by breezeway at 6:10 PM on February 11, 2007

jonmc, you're kind of coming across like you've been drinking.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 6:13 PM on February 11, 2007

for the record, I've been drinking and this is how i noticed it.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 6:14 PM on February 11, 2007

i just started drinking ... i will continue to drink until the green ghost of germaine greer goes gaga and gripes at my grievous grip on gender
posted by pyramid termite at 6:20 PM on February 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

an awesome anabaptist always absolves an anarchist after appropriating all available alcohol.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 6:24 PM on February 11, 2007 [2 favorites]

i will continue to drink until the green ghost of germaine greer goes gaga and gripes at my grievous grip on gender

give up the ghost, g.
posted by jonmc at 6:28 PM on February 11, 2007

jonmc, you're kind of coming across like you've been drinking.

I, uh, had the same thought.
posted by languagehat at 6:29 PM on February 11, 2007

(also, I just ate this. It's a hot dof INSIDE a knish. I think civilization may be peaking here.)
posted by jonmc at 6:29 PM on February 11, 2007

(a hot dog. I would never eat a hot dof. or even a cold one. and I've been drinking a little.)
posted by jonmc at 6:30 PM on February 11, 2007

I love how two or three people have monopolized this discussion.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 6:33 PM on February 11, 2007

this isn't a discussion, it's a party!
posted by pyramid termite at 6:39 PM on February 11, 2007

johnmc keep on keepin' on and doing whatever it is you are doing because that food you have linked to is truly the best of both the inter- AND the outer-net. Thank you!
posted by wemayfreeze at 6:41 PM on February 11, 2007

that food you have linked to is truly the best of both the inter- AND the outer-net.

remind me never to look down upon our english cousins for toad-in-the-hole
posted by pyramid termite at 6:44 PM on February 11, 2007

Damn, jonmc. That thing kinda looks like the Eye of Sauron. You okay over there?
posted by breezeway at 6:51 PM on February 11, 2007

I'd comment, but, being a man, do not wish to monopolize the conversation with my testosterone.
posted by Astro Zombie at 7:19 PM on February 11, 2007

Please help me turn my manhood into a sweet fort.
Then I can learn how to deal with my anarchist neighbors.
posted by Dizzy at 7:32 PM on February 11, 2007

A site called The Spunk Report promotes feminist values? Hmmmm.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:51 PM on February 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

You know what? You got Spunk. I HATE Spunk!
posted by Snyder at 8:20 PM on February 11, 2007

I read the list of little rants and it seems pretty obvious to me: The author was involved in a group that had one or two of those overbearing alpha anarcho-hippy ego trip people. I've met more than a few of them in my wanderings through the fringe, and for the most part they're the same assholes you encounter outside of alternative culture. In fact, if anything, they're bigger assholes than the garden variety mainstream type.

Taken as a whole it's certainly not an effective indictment of every male or every group, or every male in every group. It's just one young woman who had to deal with an asshole of the first water. The experience generalizes only in that many alternative lifestyle groups contain one or more people who are dicks.
posted by majick at 6:34 AM on February 12, 2007

Please help me turn my manhood into a sweet fort.

This cannot be done. You can, however, turn your manhood into a sweet fart. Use the farce, Luke!

Yeah, I'm really pretty sure including that second link was a bad idea. I hope it wasn't stuck in to appease the haters of single-link posts, because those people are idiots.
posted by languagehat at 6:48 AM on February 12, 2007