Field Notes
Editor's Note
By Paul MattickAs the Last Days of Mankind—already diagnosed by Karl Kraus while the First World War was underway—march on, apparently endlessly (despite the dispiriting hints of a Final Last Day suggested by the weather), they seem to have brought with them an increasing flabbiness of discourse.
If Syriza is the answer, then the question was wrong.
By Pavlos RoufosPredictions are often problematic. The complexity of the issues, the variety of important factors, and the unpredictability of social subjects forbid such attempts, and usually discredit those who make them.
Negation of the Diaspora
By Jacob BlumenfeldClowders of cats wander the streets of Tel Aviv like stranger kings to whom all must pay their respect. Lying under chairs, sitting on top of cars, relaxing in cafes, they settle on other people’s property without regard for anyone or anything. A friend tells me a story: When the British ruled over Palestine, there was a massive rat infestation.
THE FIRST BITTER FRUITS OF NATIONAL UNITY
Wars, Fears, Humiliations, Surveillance
By Said Bouamama
The great demonstration Je suis Charlie on January 11, 2015 was celebrated by the media, the government, and the near-majority of the political class as a symbol of “national unity” in the face of the “terrorist threat.”
Notes from the Anthropocene #2: Infrastructure
By Glenn Dyer and Stephanie WakefieldIn November 2014, after grand juries in Missouri and New York refused to indict police officers for the killings of Mike Brown and Eric Garner, over 170 cities across America exploded with nightly demonstrations that blocked major highways, bridges, and even commuter rail and subway lines.
