on a personal note

Hello it's me, i just had a breakfast for 32.000 HUF. I am planning to move to Tokyo but for the moment I am just glad to be alive here. I don't have any plans to quit my dayjob, i keep on smoking tobacco and sometimes weed (if our dealer has any), and i am still afraid of genetic engineering, or more blunt, I am afraid of plain engineering. oh yeah, and flying saucer attacks.



yours
Mihai

social political theatre: Nocturne

Mona Chirila, my professor of stage directing from Cluj, started a project at the local puppet theatre Puck. It is an adult social-political theatre, with an emphasis on feminism and Balkan women for 2009 performances. Tonight they have a new premiere with a play by Visniec that she directed: "The woman like a battlefield". It might look like a small project but considering the limited representations of conscious political performances in Romania, it can bring only admiration for the simple fact that it exists. I hope that it lives long and that I can be more of an active help for it.

This is their fresh webpage, only in Romanian.

Peter Brook's Salome

In 1949, Brook was the director of productions at the Opera House, Covent Garden. From this privileged position, he started to work on Richard Strauss' Salome, with Oscar Wilde's libretto. He picked as stage designer a controversial figure at that time, Salvador Dali. Brook went to Spain not to work with Dali on a set, but on a "hallucinatory fantasy".

Before the production opening, Brook was writing: "Strauss' music is the hallucination-producing drug which induces the same emotional reaction as the highly stylised, artificial, rhetorical and elaborate visual imagery of Wilde's original... The task of the producer and designer is to find the same approach in "theatre style" which Wilde supplies in his dialogue."

Brook connected to Dali plagiaristically, he returned to London with an amazing portfolio. He remembers awkwardly Gala running after him to get a receipt for it. He did not understand why was she afraid of plagiarism or unauthorised sales. I guess seeing them working together was enough to understand the hysterical identification of Brook with Dali's ideas.

But the story is not over: on his way back, Brook experienced what his biographer, Michael Kustow, calls "an encounter that might have figured in a Dali nightmare." Brook was held and robbed in a forest by what the English press called "Spanish bandits" (some underground Republican militias), armed with rifles, machine guns and grenades. They took the car and all their belongings. Brook asked them if he can keep Dali's drawings in exchange of his silk pyjamas. The bandits tied everyone up and threw the designs at Brook's feet.

"I was as close to death a young life being extinguished as one could think - I know that I was terrified. But ten minutes later, I was only aware of the comic side of it" remembers Brook. His identification with Dali's work went so further that it denied the materiality of his own life, the only material connection to reality was given by the Salome drawings.

But the real attack came in London, where critics were unmerciful with Salome: one of them, Ernest Newman, wrote "Of the production in general, it is difficult to speak in the restrained language appropriate to a Sunday paper. One absurdity followed fast on the heels of another..."

Brook wrote an answer to his virulent critics containing "The critics all decided that Dali and I were only out to annoy them. There, at least, I might claim that they underestimated us; if that have been our intention I think that between us we might have done much worse..." This "us" reminds me a lot of Freud-Fliess connection and the long letters about another "us".

The first result was that Brook lost his job, his contract as Director of Productions at Covent Garden was not renewed in 1950. Musical Opinion's comment is remarkable: "his meteoric rise to such an exalted post at the age of twenty-seven was an artistic mistake on the part of authorities who should have had more respect for tradition than to permit it to be the plaything of a young experimentalist. "

backlash in US academia: no funds for queer theory classes

Republican Georgia state Representatives Charlice Byrd and Calvin Hill started a well-mediatized campaign to cut funds for professors who teach college-level courses on queer theory, reproduction, and sexuality. Hill, the Republican vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee in Georgia, said he alerted his constituents about some faculty whose research interests he considered questionable in hopes that they would voice any complaints to the state Board of Regents. He argued that in a time of budget cuts universities should not offer classes that do not help students get jobs.

“Do you know that your tax dollars are being used at our state universities to pay professors to teach your children classes like ‘Male Prostitution’ and ‘Queer Theory’? Yes, even in tight economic times like we are facing today, our Board of Regents is wasting your tax dollars to teach these totally unnecessary and ridiculous classes.” Hill says his only goal is to tell taxpayers how their dollars are being spent, and encourage them to contact the regents if they have concerns. Of course, the economic crisis is a good moment to promote some conservative discourses and to return to some good-old retun to „seriousness and sobriety” in terms of knowldge production. “I would assume someone that has those credentials can teach something else that is more worthwhile,” he said. What is that exactly? Charlice Byrd explains: "This is not considered higher education," Byrd said. "If legislators are going to dole out the dollars, we should have a say-so in where they go." Hill continues "Our job is to educate our people in sciences, business, math," and of course, professors aren't going to meet those needs "by teaching a class in queer theory."

The most quoted response is this: "Certainly the mission of higher education is to broaden the field of knowledge and research," said spokesman John Millsaps. "That covers a lot of topics. Some may be considered to some as controversial, but to others it could be considered needed." And another spokeperson ads: "Teaching courses in criminal justice, for example, does not mean that our students are being prepared to become criminals. Quite the opposite," said Jones. "Legitimate research and teaching are central to the development of relevant and effective policy."

Hill is quite radical in his obssession with queer theory courses: “Now that we need to cut the state budget, I think I know where we can eliminate a few highly paid professors and get rid of these classes.”

In most of the articles that I've read on the subject, it is shown that there are no classes titled “male prostitution” in Georgia, according to university officials. What the republicans found is a sociology professor at Georgia State University who is listed in a media guide as an expert on the subject of male prostitution. The professor in question, Kirk Elifson, studies risk factors involved in the spread of HIV/AIDS, among other public health issues. As for courses on queer theory, there is at least one offered at the University of Georgia, according to a Board of Regents spokesman.

Another area of cutting up the budget is environmental studies. In Alaska, at least one lawmaker has voiced a general objection to environmentalist faculty views at the University of Alaska. Fairclough, an Eagle River Republican, used a committee meeting last week to complain to Mark Hamilton, the university’s president, about soft faculty support for oil and mining industries in the state.

“If I ask university staff, the people who are educating our future leaders, if they support the Chukchi Sea development, the Red Dog Mine or the Pebble Mine or any type of industry along those lines, a stereotypical response is they are in opposition,” Fairclough said.

Carl Shepro, who heads a union that represents faculty members in Alaska, said Fairclough speaks about lawmakers looking for targets in tight budget times: “As long as you have legislators in other states that are making similar kinds of comments, it may be that it encourages or supports people in the Alaska Legislature. It’s kind of a shift in political culture, if you will.”

The academic backlash is US just started: in relation to the economic crisis, the bigger concern from conservatives is that public universities do not present ‘all viewpoints.’ Hill, who was present but did not question the experts from Georgia State University, said “We’re not backing off.” Byrd said there will be a hearing on the issue next week in the Senate Higher Education Committee. Hill and Byrd will continue to look for university courses that are a questionable use of taxpayer money, Hill said.

“Those are the ones we first found,” he said of the sex- and gender-related experts and courses the two legislators criticized.

Keep your eyes open, the storm just started in US. How are things in Europe?

Frontier Psychiatrist

the boy needs therapy

Becoming Barbie-doll politicians

Manufacturer Mattel celebrates its 50s aniversary with a new Barbie doll: Angela Merkel. As you can see in the photo above, it has her suit and blonde haircut. That's it in regards to any resemblance. The affirmative element of representing a strong female political leader is washed out by the plastic depiction: with its anatomical features and the necessary pink it destroys any subversion. The innocent smiling face makes you think that there is no difference between making politics and having a doll party.
Guardian's article on this subject mentions:

A spokeswoman for Mattel said that like Barbie, Merkel embodied the dreams of many girls who want to get on in the world. "She's simply a good role model for girls around the world," she said.

Is it so simple? I don't think so. By using a real strong model for girls, any potential affirmativity of agency is killed here: you first have to look like a Barbie doll in order to be her, you have to be nice, smiley, skinny, to have a small waist and big breasts. Then you can imagine yourself in the sober suit and decision making processes. So, there is a strong message under this plastic representation: no hope for not-alike-Barbie doll politicians.

reaction to Hate Crime Law

This is amazing stuff: Christians are letting everyone know what the game is all about. Here is what Christian Anti-defamation Commission asks in order to sign an import petition:
“Within moments of Barack Hussein Obama, the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate, being sworn in as the President of the United States, the White House's website was updated. It showed that President Obama is strongly in favor of hate crimes legislation and will work to see it passed. Hate Crimes will silence Christians and keep them from fulfilling their duty to God to proclaim the truth! On his White House website Obama shows that he is determined to pass the most pro-homosexual, free-speech destroying legislation ever to come before Congress, including expanded hate crime laws, and legal "support for the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender) community." The only reason that we do not already have Federal Hate Crime Law is because of President George W. Bush's veto. President Obama has pledged to sign Hate Crime Legislation if it reaches his desk. We must stop the legislation before President Obama can sign it!”
and it continues: “If passed, Anti-Christian agencies will be funded by the government to the tune of $10 Million dollars specifically to teach things contrary to traditional Christian beliefs. Hate Crime Laws have already been enacted in many states like Pennsylvania. There they have resulted in the arrest of peaceful Christians, one who was a grandmother, for simply exercising their 1st Amendment right to speak the truth about homosexuality in the public square.”

And so on and so on. I am still amazed by their bluntness, their naïveté, their nonchalance and also their pure evilness. To say it out loud that Christian truth is hate crime sounds to me more like an insult. Apparently not for these Christians. The right to speak the truth does not include the right to spread violence first of all and to say that hate speech is a traditional Christian belief is simply cute. I know it is.

Sex education from feminists

after reading an old post on All About My Vagina, little sparkles started to light in my mind: who can better teach sexuality to children if not feminists and queers? Let me explain: nowadays sex education is in the hands of high but limited-in-understanding authorities like parents, teachers, doctors, priests, eugenists (see Marie Stopes for example), media and celebrities. We should pay attention where Western anti-authoritarian and anti-oppressive sexuality information comes from: anti-oppression movements like feminism, civil rights and LGBTQ. But on the other hand, who controls sexuality controls the whole game - why should sexuality be empowering, why should someone not think for you and tell you what to do exactly? And this a-la-Foucault control is the key element in spreading bigotism. Anti-oppression movements were not so good in dealing with children in the sense that the topic was avoided in practical terms not to mention the fundamentalist attack based on slogans like protecting our children from perverts and Marxist feminists. I think that sex education for children can be a nice start for spreading some valuable and useful information that was kept secret. The image of the child has to be transformed because so far it is manipulated by bigots at their own will. I am glad to see that there are people working on it and there are methods involved: a collection of tools for learning about sexuality, drawn from do-it-yourself philosophies, unschooling, anti-oppression and pro-equality movements, nonviolence, a lot of sex activism and education, and some network mathematics for good measure.

Marie Stopes’ Legacy

Fotie Photenhauer wrote a cooking book called “Natural Harvest - A Collection of Semen-Based Recipes”. In its presentation you can get some “true facts”: Semen is not only nutritious, but it also has a wonderful texture and amazing cooking properties. Like fine wine and cheeses, the taste of semen is complex and dynamic. Semen is inexpensive to produce and is commonly available in many, if not most, homes and restaurants. Despite all of these positive qualities, semen remains neglected as a food. This book hopes to change that. Once you overcome any initial hesitation, you will be surprised to learn how wonderful semen is in the kitchen. Semen is an exciting ingredient that can give every dish you make an interesting twist.

What it might sound funny, wacky or just a disgusting joke has some damn serious discourse behind: this is where Marie Stopes comes on stage. She was a famous Scottish eugenicist, campaigner for women's rights, reproductive rights and she basically invented the field of family planning. The huge and respected family planning organization that bears her name, Marie Stopes International, works in 38 countries across the world - ranging from the UK, Bolivia, and the Philippines through to Pakistan, Kenya and Papua New Guinea. Acording to their website, Marie Stopes International is the UK's leading provider of sexual and reproductive healthcare services. Our nationwide network of sexual health clinics see over 100,000 men and women each year who come to us for information, advice and professional care, they say.

Stopes was a hectic campaigner for the implementation of policies inspired by eugenics. In her Radiant Motherhood (1920) she called for the “sterilisation of those totally unfit for parenthood (to) be made an immediate possibility, indeed made compulsory." Stopes even cut her son Harry out of her will after he married a near-sighted woman - Mary Eyre Wallis. Stopes considered that her prospective grandchildren might inherit the affliction.

Thanks to Feminist Philosophers I got the connection Semen-Based Recipes – Marie Stopes. Apparently Stopes was also campaigning for the healthy ingestion of semen. She was explaining how crucial it is for a woman’s sexual health. If you are a woman and you don’t get enough semen in your body from your male partner you are exposed to some extreme risks: your sex will run wild, you might become a lesbian or you might masturbate excessively. Marie says: Can anything be done? Of course, self-stimulus, or masturbation, is extremely common… Masturbation is always unsatisfactory… Another practical solution which some deprived women find is in Lesbian love with their own sex…

The scientific explanations and solutions come with rigor: …homosexual excitement does not really meet their need for the physiological fact (I have never yet seen it clearly stated anywhere, but it is of the greatest importance in a consideration of this problem) is that… a woman’s need and hunger for nourishment in sex union is a true physiological hunger to be satisfied by the supplying of the actual molecular substances lacked by her system… the chemical molecules produced by the glandular systems of the male…It has been found possible to prepare some at least of the very molecular compounds really nourishing to the woman’s system, and which she lacks and requires.

Her solution is the next step to our starting point, the semen in food: artificial semen in capsule form.
And one last thing: in 1999, Marie Stopes came first in the Guardian's "Women of the Millennium" poll.