A lot of the recent arguments here over editing comments boxes and so on have focussed upon two related claims: Firstly, that one cannot build a kollektive if one edits comments; secondly, that the blogosphere itself is a kollektive, so consequently joint authorship of K-Punk is not required in order to create one. I think that both of these stem from a misunderstanding of what a kollektive is.
The distinction to be drawn is between a kollektive and a community. The blogosphere is a series of interrelated communities in which people respond to each other about their respective interests. A Kollektive, on the other hand, entails a deliberate attempt in forging a tightly linked commonality between individuals as an experiment in joint thought. Whilst disavowing its nature as a project (at least in this case), it would operate within a fairly restrictive set of parameters. These parameters were initially proscribed by Mark, but people invited to join are well aware of what they are. Consequently, it should be no surprise that people should be expected to remain within them.
Stalinism? Good manners really. As has been pointed out, people are free to disagree in whatever manner they like elsewhere within the community. Anyway, I guess Mark is already censoring all the porn out of the comments boxes; what about all the poor visitors who are missing out on this interesting material due to his repressive action?
Before I get hauled before the non-K-P thought police and accused of nauseating sycophancy, I’ll just point out that there are lots of points with which I disagree with Mark (in fact I suspect I might be a K-Hippie, or at least a K-Prog…), but it would not be interesting or useful to bang on about them on this site which has a defined purpose. That doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t tell them to him elsewhere. It also doesn’t mean that discussion on relevant topics should be stymied on K-P. There is a difference between saying 'I don’t understand that', or 'I think that works this way' and ‘Get thee to an analyst, fool; you have delusions of grandeur’.
Thanks john
as ever you are,as Nina says, 'the voice of reason'...ironically given your professed irrationalism lol
It's precisely because of impersons like yourself engaging in the production of machinically consistent arguments that it has been essential to transform k-p into a kollektive.
Given the vibrancy of the pre non-thought PC comments boxes, it already _was_ a kollektive.
Rooting/ routing everything through me was just unjustifiable transcendence.
The danger to avoid is it turning into an ILM-style one-upManship subjectovo-fest.
Raging Subject 1: that bassline was nimble
Raging Subject 2: that bassline was NOT nimble
RS1: If RS2 thinks that bassline was nimble, he knows nothing about pop music
RS2: RS2, was your father a big man?
etc etc
That would make it Entertainment rather than an affectively productive kulture -- which I think it is now. (That's why the forces of reaction have started to swarm in now, like the USR NS-5's at the end of I, Robot).
Comedy David Brent Carlin --- easily despatched by future-shock troops of cold reason. 'We used his own power - rage - against him. He just combusted, leaving only a blank space. Sad, really.'
Trigg --- iced by a number of well-aimed vibragun shots
twitching shell revived only to be crushed like the NS5's head under the wheel of the onrushing juggernaut.... POP....
a horrible fate, worthy of Poe, he's dead, he's always been dead, but he doesn't know he is...
Then they send in the psychocops, like in Total Recall... 'Don't you know that this 'anger' of yours is all about YOU, not about academic corruption and Really Existing Capitalism?'
Therapy-monger despatched with the same Ruthless, sorry ruthless, efficiency as Arnie takes out the oedipeddlar... or leon takes out the blade runner... 'let me tell you about my mother....'
Anti-Kollektive comments by American Imperialist apologist and humourless pay-by-the-minute bourgeois individualist oedi-peddlar deleted.
Apologies to Cold Rationalist Kollektivites who made valuable counter-arguments to these bores/ boors. Leaving your comments up without context would be counter-productive since it would give a platform to their decadent inanities.
Could all Kollektivites with comment-deleting privileges ensure that they are vigilant for any more interjections from these TMHs? They should be deleted immediately, without compunction.
The interests of the Kollektive must come first. These individuals have demonstrated that they are hostile, not only to this particular Kollektive, but to collectivity in general. As such, they should be treated as the enemies they are.
There is plenty of space on the internet for subjectivist opionist whining INCLUDING YOUR OWN BLOGS. Don't come here. You are not welcome. Any future comments you make will be deleted as a matter of course.
Debate is idiot distraction.
Posted by: mark at September 8, 2004 05:51 PMAnother inane ILM-style sarcastic comment deleted.
This poor individual, who obviously being a bourgeois individualist -as Marx said - literally is NOT ABLE to understand collectivity or what it entails, and therefore can be excused his stupidity.
He was concerned, poor lamb, about my leadership abilities and my allegedly having alienated most of my readership with the comments above.
If most of k-punk's readership are bourgeois indvididualist resentocrats from ILM, I hope I have alienated them and I hope that they cease to come to the site.
If the k-punk kollektive was interested in getting the biggest possible audience no matter what, its drones would debase themselves by subordinating themselves to the vacuous regimes of those editing the mass media and seek to establish their name as bourgeois authors, or they would court the claret-swilling gatekeepers of the publishing industry.
k-punk does not need passive-consumerist 'readers'. It needs participants. If those participants are whittled down to ten or fifteen people, very well. ('There are twelve people in the world --- the rest are paste.' - The Fall)
As Spinoza says, human-OS defaults against freedom through collectivist break-out. Lowest common denominator pandering populism ensures that such break-outs cannot happen.
Things happen when you have reduced the collective to a core of committed impersons, not expanded to the widest possible aggregation of reactive subjectivities.
It really is this simple, if you don't want to participate, go away. We certainly don't need nor want your attention.
If you feel alienated by this, goodbye. Don't comment. It really is becoming a bore having to delete your comment and ban your IP address.
But if you must, so be it, it will be done. You will have succeeded in doing what you want, and wasted the energy of the kollektive which could otherwise have been spent on productive culture-building.
Now run along and argue about nimble basslines, there's a good boy.
Posted by: mark at September 8, 2004 08:09 PM