There are small things in life that seem inappropriate at first to blog about. The intimacy of your private shower for instance seems as such and once again I am led to believe this derives from some false sense of decency, which concepts probably stem from a cultural heritage of bigotry.
Putting this away I feel more free if silly a bit writing about showering with kids. There is an age limit of course for showering together which, having put that heritage aside, does come from the practicality of space. With toddlers it is still fairly easy to fit under the shower. A supportive argument for showering with your toddler is time management as far as I am concerned. With babies it slows the process down, older ones are more autonomous so it does not take up so much time to send them shower.
There was a time when I shared showers with Liliom and now it is time for Ernest. So far it seems that this blogpost is rather boring and pointless. I know but I will come to a punhcline eventually. I promise, and it will be a rather spiritual one.
Kids love playing with water and they don’t stop loving so when showering. We have several vessels for filling up and tipping out and so on in our shower just for Liliom’s and Ernest’s entertainment. Of course they look for most effective ways to quickly fill them with water before tipping them out. Both my children have developed the same strategy. Most conveniently there is a certain way water runs down from one’s upper buddy, especially if one is a male. Of course I move around but Ernest is quick to push me back to my place in order to exploit me as a water tap. Liliom used to do the same.
I believe that all children would come to the same utilisation of human body when it comes to collecting water effectively in the shower. It is most amazing to imagine that this is an experience all men who ever took showers with their little children share. Wherever we are on this globe very possible that we all had the experience of children collecting water running down our penis…
Wednesday 26 October 2011
Wednesday 9 March 2011
existentialist
I got through reading much of the introduction of a book collection of existentialist writings. The book was published in 1966 in 'communist' Hungary. It eagerly provides a Marxist analysis and critique of existentialism explaining in detail how it is nothing but another example of the crisis of capitalist societies and a half-hearted reaction to the imperialist expansionism of capitalist states, to the fight for hegemony in the international system.
The critique however seems to forget to maintain its own Marxist analysis and critique. But of course in '66 free speech was even more an issue in Hungary than nowadays. Or actually less an issue as there was not much to go around. Anyways, the Marxist criticism of the so called Marxist reality of the revolution would be that the personal cults were not the only immoral, damaging, unnecessary and false aspects of these regimes. After all 60s Hungary was also playing, and playing big time on nationalism, proto-fascist militarism and bourgeois greed. Besides, the so called communist countries while had a degree of barter system at the end they were also integrated within the international state system, an inherently capitalist system and they were also engaged in the same game of hegemony and imperialist expansionism as those evil capitalists.
Funnily the editor of the book, writing the introductory analysis seemed to have difficulties placing some French fellows, Camus and Sartre who happened to be more or less Marxist themselves, Sartre convicted that existentialism was merely a critical development of Marxism, arguing similarly to Guevara (yes, that guy with the same first name as Hemingway) that drinking milk these days doesn't require one to declare himself to be a Pasteurian
, it's just simply how it is now, thus Marxist analysis isn't 'an' alternative to capitalism for instance, just this is how it is and would be foolish and inconsistent to think otherwise. (or something like that, can be googled). Camus was probably a syndicalist and few get more communist than them.
The critique however seems to forget to maintain its own Marxist analysis and critique. But of course in '66 free speech was even more an issue in Hungary than nowadays. Or actually less an issue as there was not much to go around. Anyways, the Marxist criticism of the so called Marxist reality of the revolution would be that the personal cults were not the only immoral, damaging, unnecessary and false aspects of these regimes. After all 60s Hungary was also playing, and playing big time on nationalism, proto-fascist militarism and bourgeois greed. Besides, the so called communist countries while had a degree of barter system at the end they were also integrated within the international state system, an inherently capitalist system and they were also engaged in the same game of hegemony and imperialist expansionism as those evil capitalists.
Funnily the editor of the book, writing the introductory analysis seemed to have difficulties placing some French fellows, Camus and Sartre who happened to be more or less Marxist themselves, Sartre convicted that existentialism was merely a critical development of Marxism, arguing similarly to Guevara (yes, that guy with the same first name as Hemingway) that drinking milk these days doesn't require one to declare himself to be a Pasteurian
, it's just simply how it is now, thus Marxist analysis isn't 'an' alternative to capitalism for instance, just this is how it is and would be foolish and inconsistent to think otherwise. (or something like that, can be googled). Camus was probably a syndicalist and few get more communist than them.
Monday 10 January 2011
Portugal and EU loans
I run through the paper briefly in the morning. There was an article about Portugal. The government there is reluctant – to say the least – to take the EU loan to save it from its perceived misery. I haven’t the motivation and the time to follow up on it, I rather blog than read today but nevertheless those couple of lines got me thinking.
Last year, or was it already the year before when Greece fell in? There was rumours in the papers of some mysterious attack on the Euro as a currency and gloom and doom that the EU project shall fail and blahblahblah.
Should there have been some conspiracy on the Euro that would have probably a single and well known purpose and that is to maintain the dollar’s hegemony for the dollar’s hegemony is what maintains the US’s hegemony. So long as we all trade in that currency, especially the important stuff and especially the most important stuff (oil) no country has any alternative but to keep it’s savings and consequently its investments in US dollars. Thus, the world finances the US economy.
For some time there has been wondering about the potential of another currency, such as the Euro to challenge this status quo. Imagine if that happened! When repaying US debt wouldn’t just mean printing more money. Anyway, in Capitalism there are periodic crisees and whatever way they happen, either brought on by purpose or by ‘accident’ there are some who will move in to reap some benefits, hence Portugal must take EU loans.
Similiarily to Greece, Hungary and a bunch of others, hopefully the more the merrier. The more countries in the EU borrow from the EU and the more money they borrow the less sense the idea of pooled sovereignty start to make. Supposedly in the EU the states are more or less on equal terms. But what if half them owes money, a lot of it to the other half? Or even better this is administered by some central body that is intrigued, not only intrigued but created and run by fundamentalist of Thatcherite ideologies? Well, empire building at its most contemporary design. when those not wanting to fall in line are faced with the prospects of such behaviour making their loans increasingly expensive, they will learn the ‘common’ songs to sing, and do what they are told from Brussels.
And now I sound like a classic euro sceptic. But I am not. I am all for the good stuff but we shall not mix European integration with empire building. There is a clear difference.
And maybe I am running too far on a couple of lines. Maybe Portugal is really desperately needing this loan only if its government wasn’t packed by idiots... but I suspect it isn’t in hungary only that once again we need to learn to read between the lines.
Last year, or was it already the year before when Greece fell in? There was rumours in the papers of some mysterious attack on the Euro as a currency and gloom and doom that the EU project shall fail and blahblahblah.
Should there have been some conspiracy on the Euro that would have probably a single and well known purpose and that is to maintain the dollar’s hegemony for the dollar’s hegemony is what maintains the US’s hegemony. So long as we all trade in that currency, especially the important stuff and especially the most important stuff (oil) no country has any alternative but to keep it’s savings and consequently its investments in US dollars. Thus, the world finances the US economy.
For some time there has been wondering about the potential of another currency, such as the Euro to challenge this status quo. Imagine if that happened! When repaying US debt wouldn’t just mean printing more money. Anyway, in Capitalism there are periodic crisees and whatever way they happen, either brought on by purpose or by ‘accident’ there are some who will move in to reap some benefits, hence Portugal must take EU loans.
Similiarily to Greece, Hungary and a bunch of others, hopefully the more the merrier. The more countries in the EU borrow from the EU and the more money they borrow the less sense the idea of pooled sovereignty start to make. Supposedly in the EU the states are more or less on equal terms. But what if half them owes money, a lot of it to the other half? Or even better this is administered by some central body that is intrigued, not only intrigued but created and run by fundamentalist of Thatcherite ideologies? Well, empire building at its most contemporary design. when those not wanting to fall in line are faced with the prospects of such behaviour making their loans increasingly expensive, they will learn the ‘common’ songs to sing, and do what they are told from Brussels.
And now I sound like a classic euro sceptic. But I am not. I am all for the good stuff but we shall not mix European integration with empire building. There is a clear difference.
And maybe I am running too far on a couple of lines. Maybe Portugal is really desperately needing this loan only if its government wasn’t packed by idiots... but I suspect it isn’t in hungary only that once again we need to learn to read between the lines.
Sunday 12 December 2010
bad memories
Two nights ago I read some recounts from protesters about their experiences on parliament square in London. These were stories from peaceful, even pacifist people who were there to voice their opinions. A fundamental right in pluralist democracies by the way. Their telling of police violence and brutality brought back memories. In 2005 during the make poverty history marches and rallies we have met exactly the same kind of provoking, violent, criminalizing tactics that make you feel sick in the stomach.
Of course there are troublemakers in crowds but they and I press they should be dealt with. Collective punishment, which is what now being exercised even before actions ‘worthy of punishing’ (I don’t believe in punishment by the way) take place. Collective punishment is a tell tale of militarist, authoritarian, dictatoric regimes, particularly fascist ones among which perhaps the Nazis lead with the industrialization of such practice.
Worst still is that it isn’t clear what may be the motivation of such brutality when ‘dealing’ with autonomous citizens’ movements. What I can feel when searching my soul, so to speak, that the events and experiences meeting the police during the make pov history marches in Scotland resulted in an incredible change, a radicalization in how I relate to the establishment. I have been critical already before but have become what many might call skeptical and certainly radical. I regard now the establishment in the UK and most EU countries fascist or at best proto-fascist and could reason it well.
Now what my concern is that the more, more and more people get this violent treatment from the police as a collective punishment for something that someone else has done or hasn’t even happened yet, so in principle for nothing else but exercising one’s democratic, civil, human right, the more and more people will become disengaged from the democratic process they are trying to take part in.
What may come out of it as a long term consequence? Five years on from MPH in Scotland I cans say that I have a disregard for state authority and while I raise my children in an existentialist manner I raise them to be always and thoroughly critical of the establishment. So probably many of us will, are passing on the analytical understanding that comes from meeting with the face of a police state. However, one wonders that among us who are discouraged from participating in or trusting this already prost democratic process how many can remain, or judges it to be worthy to remain non violent? After all many existentialist, famous ones have not shied away from violent means themselves in the past.
In any case, if because of the clashes and the political hypocrisy less people will go to vote next time, the establishment will have won. If more people will become violent next time there is a protest and a clash the establishment will have won for they will have ‘reason’ to bring yet more brutality to the streets against those who are pacifist and wish to engage in a dialogue. I fear that every time violence is unjustly called upon by the police, our societies become increasingly less free till initially there will be none left and nothing with to defend our most basic rights. To be regarded people.
Of course there are troublemakers in crowds but they and I press they should be dealt with. Collective punishment, which is what now being exercised even before actions ‘worthy of punishing’ (I don’t believe in punishment by the way) take place. Collective punishment is a tell tale of militarist, authoritarian, dictatoric regimes, particularly fascist ones among which perhaps the Nazis lead with the industrialization of such practice.
Worst still is that it isn’t clear what may be the motivation of such brutality when ‘dealing’ with autonomous citizens’ movements. What I can feel when searching my soul, so to speak, that the events and experiences meeting the police during the make pov history marches in Scotland resulted in an incredible change, a radicalization in how I relate to the establishment. I have been critical already before but have become what many might call skeptical and certainly radical. I regard now the establishment in the UK and most EU countries fascist or at best proto-fascist and could reason it well.
Now what my concern is that the more, more and more people get this violent treatment from the police as a collective punishment for something that someone else has done or hasn’t even happened yet, so in principle for nothing else but exercising one’s democratic, civil, human right, the more and more people will become disengaged from the democratic process they are trying to take part in.
What may come out of it as a long term consequence? Five years on from MPH in Scotland I cans say that I have a disregard for state authority and while I raise my children in an existentialist manner I raise them to be always and thoroughly critical of the establishment. So probably many of us will, are passing on the analytical understanding that comes from meeting with the face of a police state. However, one wonders that among us who are discouraged from participating in or trusting this already prost democratic process how many can remain, or judges it to be worthy to remain non violent? After all many existentialist, famous ones have not shied away from violent means themselves in the past.
In any case, if because of the clashes and the political hypocrisy less people will go to vote next time, the establishment will have won. If more people will become violent next time there is a protest and a clash the establishment will have won for they will have ‘reason’ to bring yet more brutality to the streets against those who are pacifist and wish to engage in a dialogue. I fear that every time violence is unjustly called upon by the police, our societies become increasingly less free till initially there will be none left and nothing with to defend our most basic rights. To be regarded people.
Thursday 6 May 2010
'Peoples of Europe, Rise Up!'
Here is a story, sort of hypothetical but perhaps rather real.
Let’s say that you are a janitor of a cooperative housing estate. You are entrusted to run the finances on the estate as well. Every so often the residents vote to keep you in position or put someone else there.
I talk my friend into talking you into joining the accounting system of a large cooperation of coop housing. The reasoning is hard to resist, your cooperative will get some benefits, security, insurance of some sort and it will be easier take on loans for all kind of projects. And surely, through your mastermind management some of your local labourers will benefit with juicy contracts to fix the elevator or repaint the corridors or with the easy loans you can even make up some projects for them, build a new corridor for the fun of it. The local contractors will love you and buy you lots of beer and paint your house for free and things like that. Then import contractors from elsewhere and they will be even more generous in thanking for your wonderful management.
To make sure the residents feel they are getting something you can buy them free plants and contribute to their new patios.
In this process you will have become a corrupt janitor. Good. The cycle of debt can continue easily. Why not build something pointless like a Circus tent? Lots of contracts.
Once the housing coops of which you are the caretaker of is sufficiently indebted I will start getting concerned about the coop’s ability to pay it back. The local banks listening to me will be hesitant to loan more to the coop, to finance debt. Dubious Internet banks and the bookies will take over with an increase, heavy increase in interest rates.
This development will of course sink you more in debt that is even more difficult to finance and I will start telling all my friends and even foes that I think your little coop is in trouble. But I will do nothing because my friends and foes actually make good money on your coop. So far loaning money benefited them and of course all the building contracts too. You are getting desperate so you think of going to the mob to ask for money to be able to pay back some of those nasty loans. I know a guy, my uncle, he can help, I say and you follow the advice.
Now, you and your coop are owned, literally.
The story of Greece.
Put it yet simpler,
You wanna borrow a fiver to buy toys for your kids, I tell you I wont give you a fiver but I will give you a tenner instead and a couple extra pounds as a present for beer. Sure you take it. Especially so that I threaten telling shit about you to everyone in the neighbourhood. The next day I’m knocking on the door for the 12 pounds I gave you the day before. Plus some extra beer money for me. You don’t have it...
What should happen... hm.... perhaps I could take the telly and the food from the fridge? Oh, you don’t have food than, here, a couple of pounds for food for the kids and some for paying the interest on the previous one...
All this because you wanted to have a beer.
I read up news from the US. They think that Greece is in serious debts because of the evil welfare state.
I understand, that the US is the most heavily indebted country on the globe, and its people are the most indebted people in the world while they have no welfare state, certainly not what we in Europe define us such.
It’s a lot about maintaining hegemony, forcing all other governments of the world to finance US debt which partially causes their spiralling into debt. Of course independent from economical thus political hegemony of the USA contemporary banking is designed to spiral anyone who uses money into debt. The moment you hold a note you are in debt (the money can be gotten out of central banks only through borrowing).
Naturally, sooner or later every debtor will fall under the pressure. Especially so that events are carefully orchestrated to create the circumstances, than they spiral out of control. Greece is graded down, so its debts become more expensive, so it might fail to pay them, so Greece is graded down even more thus its debts become even more expensive and it almost sure will fail to pay them... Hey, this is a fun game! Let’s try what happens if we do this on Spain, then Portugal, then Poland, then... hm.
It’s an attack on the Euro, the EU if you like. Machiavelli is alive and kicking by the way.
The saddest thing however is the incredible lack of sympathy. How people elsewhere respond to this,
We are swallowing neoliberal restructuring of education system here in Finland without a whimpering noise, so should you Greece! We are swallowing deep budget cuts in Hungary, so should you Greece! We are working more hours for less pay here in Germany, so should you Greece (if you lucky enough to keep your job)!
Hang on for a minute! What if they got it right? What if the point ‘fuck the system!’ actually makes sense? After all it is a system that is specifically designed to create this kind of crises and if the crisis fails to come than it will be triggered institutionally.
Perhaps the Greeks got it right. Perhaps rioting on the street is the only thing that is left, or so some feels, to do. Perhaps things got out of hand. People are dead. Violence has its consequence. Probably it shouldn’t have gotten this far. Probably your news portal and your media outlet, wherever you are doesn’t bother for a second about the ongoing institutional, state violence that has been going on for the past so many months. Actually it has started even earlier I think. Greek seems to be the Anti-capitalist hot spot of Europe these days. Sorry Iceland. But I mean not to find excuses for anyone, simply say that various forms of violence and terrorism, spontaneous and rebellious clashing with state legislated has been going on for a long time over there. As said before, violence has its consequence.
Anti-Capitalists are enemies of the system and are treated as such. Anti-Terrorism legislation has been exploited to use against peaceful and not so peaceful, but usually mostly peaceful or pacifist protesters in the UK far more than against suspected terrorists. In fact, the greatest benefit of those legislations that they can be used, and violent so, against anti-capitalist. It is them who are the true enemies of the capitalist state anyway.
Some things never change. The class struggle, the struggle between various modernist views, is on. It flickers on.
The rest of Europe is standing by, watching as another slave is beaten back into the line. In fact, we might offer a helping hand even. Comments on newspaper articles bash on the Greeks. ‘It’s all their fault, the lazy bums!’ So they claim. Quietly happy probably that it isn’t they who are there. But don’t worry; we all will have our turns, soon enough.
Let’s say that you are a janitor of a cooperative housing estate. You are entrusted to run the finances on the estate as well. Every so often the residents vote to keep you in position or put someone else there.
I talk my friend into talking you into joining the accounting system of a large cooperation of coop housing. The reasoning is hard to resist, your cooperative will get some benefits, security, insurance of some sort and it will be easier take on loans for all kind of projects. And surely, through your mastermind management some of your local labourers will benefit with juicy contracts to fix the elevator or repaint the corridors or with the easy loans you can even make up some projects for them, build a new corridor for the fun of it. The local contractors will love you and buy you lots of beer and paint your house for free and things like that. Then import contractors from elsewhere and they will be even more generous in thanking for your wonderful management.
To make sure the residents feel they are getting something you can buy them free plants and contribute to their new patios.
In this process you will have become a corrupt janitor. Good. The cycle of debt can continue easily. Why not build something pointless like a Circus tent? Lots of contracts.
Once the housing coops of which you are the caretaker of is sufficiently indebted I will start getting concerned about the coop’s ability to pay it back. The local banks listening to me will be hesitant to loan more to the coop, to finance debt. Dubious Internet banks and the bookies will take over with an increase, heavy increase in interest rates.
This development will of course sink you more in debt that is even more difficult to finance and I will start telling all my friends and even foes that I think your little coop is in trouble. But I will do nothing because my friends and foes actually make good money on your coop. So far loaning money benefited them and of course all the building contracts too. You are getting desperate so you think of going to the mob to ask for money to be able to pay back some of those nasty loans. I know a guy, my uncle, he can help, I say and you follow the advice.
Now, you and your coop are owned, literally.
The story of Greece.
Put it yet simpler,
You wanna borrow a fiver to buy toys for your kids, I tell you I wont give you a fiver but I will give you a tenner instead and a couple extra pounds as a present for beer. Sure you take it. Especially so that I threaten telling shit about you to everyone in the neighbourhood. The next day I’m knocking on the door for the 12 pounds I gave you the day before. Plus some extra beer money for me. You don’t have it...
What should happen... hm.... perhaps I could take the telly and the food from the fridge? Oh, you don’t have food than, here, a couple of pounds for food for the kids and some for paying the interest on the previous one...
All this because you wanted to have a beer.
I read up news from the US. They think that Greece is in serious debts because of the evil welfare state.
I understand, that the US is the most heavily indebted country on the globe, and its people are the most indebted people in the world while they have no welfare state, certainly not what we in Europe define us such.
It’s a lot about maintaining hegemony, forcing all other governments of the world to finance US debt which partially causes their spiralling into debt. Of course independent from economical thus political hegemony of the USA contemporary banking is designed to spiral anyone who uses money into debt. The moment you hold a note you are in debt (the money can be gotten out of central banks only through borrowing).
Naturally, sooner or later every debtor will fall under the pressure. Especially so that events are carefully orchestrated to create the circumstances, than they spiral out of control. Greece is graded down, so its debts become more expensive, so it might fail to pay them, so Greece is graded down even more thus its debts become even more expensive and it almost sure will fail to pay them... Hey, this is a fun game! Let’s try what happens if we do this on Spain, then Portugal, then Poland, then... hm.
It’s an attack on the Euro, the EU if you like. Machiavelli is alive and kicking by the way.
The saddest thing however is the incredible lack of sympathy. How people elsewhere respond to this,
We are swallowing neoliberal restructuring of education system here in Finland without a whimpering noise, so should you Greece! We are swallowing deep budget cuts in Hungary, so should you Greece! We are working more hours for less pay here in Germany, so should you Greece (if you lucky enough to keep your job)!
Hang on for a minute! What if they got it right? What if the point ‘fuck the system!’ actually makes sense? After all it is a system that is specifically designed to create this kind of crises and if the crisis fails to come than it will be triggered institutionally.
Perhaps the Greeks got it right. Perhaps rioting on the street is the only thing that is left, or so some feels, to do. Perhaps things got out of hand. People are dead. Violence has its consequence. Probably it shouldn’t have gotten this far. Probably your news portal and your media outlet, wherever you are doesn’t bother for a second about the ongoing institutional, state violence that has been going on for the past so many months. Actually it has started even earlier I think. Greek seems to be the Anti-capitalist hot spot of Europe these days. Sorry Iceland. But I mean not to find excuses for anyone, simply say that various forms of violence and terrorism, spontaneous and rebellious clashing with state legislated has been going on for a long time over there. As said before, violence has its consequence.
Anti-Capitalists are enemies of the system and are treated as such. Anti-Terrorism legislation has been exploited to use against peaceful and not so peaceful, but usually mostly peaceful or pacifist protesters in the UK far more than against suspected terrorists. In fact, the greatest benefit of those legislations that they can be used, and violent so, against anti-capitalist. It is them who are the true enemies of the capitalist state anyway.
Some things never change. The class struggle, the struggle between various modernist views, is on. It flickers on.
The rest of Europe is standing by, watching as another slave is beaten back into the line. In fact, we might offer a helping hand even. Comments on newspaper articles bash on the Greeks. ‘It’s all their fault, the lazy bums!’ So they claim. Quietly happy probably that it isn’t they who are there. But don’t worry; we all will have our turns, soon enough.
Sunday 2 May 2010
I have been more -less unaware of May approaching. Probably the northern climate encouraged me to ignore how late we are into the spring. So the day before May 1 feeling a bit let down yet comfortable at the same time by the prospects of spending vappu, as it is called in Finland with picnic, drinks and chilling. It is the local tradition anyway, exercised with a hint of pride even that the working class somehow has never had a hold of this day. I felt some small emptiness though.
This has all changed when by some weird acci
dent a socialist poster came to my view with its somehow desperate cry for attention among the possibly hundreds of vappu invitations to parties and cheap drinks o all kind.
I came late on Saturday morning, and I can blame for this only my imaginary dragon friend who took some convincing to leave the house on such a rainy and gray day. I missed the speeches that were meant to fire up the crowd. I didn’t mind. I have never been much for political speeches.
I think there wer
e at least some200 people although I usually underestimate in fear of overestimating. The crowd dutifully lined up, ready to go, police escort comfortably on the front followed by the Finnish flag. This flag, marching in front of a socialist crowd hosting a handful of anarchists too, so this flag has reminded me how very much lost the cause of socialism is in Europe. The compromise that has created the systems we call social democracies, the new deal earlier on in north America has forced the movement’s hands into chains. Unknowingly probably but nevertheless. What possible reasons a socialist gathering can have for marching behind a flag of a nation-state?
Without getting hung up on this flag too much, I must admit there were lots of others, and banners, and balloons. Some I couldn’t understand, some were pretty straight forward and some balloons were just out of place the same as the national flag.
It was a nice walk in the
rain. I met some friends 
and comrades. Was good to see famil
iar faces and it was nice to be in town on vappu with a crowd who thought that perhaps solidarity is
an important element of one’s life. I felt good, politically happy for a moment or two.
Coming to the end of the march however I quickly realized it was time for me to make myself scarce. No, there was no rioting taking place, clashes with neo-Nazi’s or such. Those would be regular pictures for a regular German labour day march I think. Or recently also Greek. In Oulu we simply begun a succession of some more speeches. Not my cup of tea.
Cycling home by the main road I wondered why so many people were gathering on the side of the road? I came to learn the reason as I got stuck at an intersection wanting to cross but the old-American-cars road show blocked my way. I thought I wait it out, let them old cars pass. When I realized that there may have been more cars on the show than socialists were marching downtown I got a bit disappointed and crossed the road in front of a tiny old fiat. It was red. I cycled on gloomy remembering the may day parades of my childhood, the whole arsenal of the army, air force and whatmightnot sparkling in front of the crowd. People used to go to the parade out of fear for their jobs, later decades for the free beer and later still for the cheap beer. The parade nevertheless was always the same old symbolism of a militarist regime. It was similar to the old-cars road show in many ways. After all, what could symbolize and parade better consumerist societies on a may day than pretty cars?
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