politics

>Political tests

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>Originally posted September 02, 2007.

Ny Moral, along with bloggers Dan Eriksson, Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum, Becqon, Fas and Robsten, was encouraged by Oskorei to take some political tests. Read about Oskorei’s results here, and about some of his views here and here (Swedish only).
Oskorei… A very interesting character, indeed.

I took the tests, but first some disclaimers:

I tend to think too much sometimes, and that’s exactly what happens when I do these tests. They come off very stiff and are simply not made for my kind of mind. Some are very confusing. Some I cannot even answer properly because I don’t have enough knowledge, facts and/or understanding (for example, my knowledge about political economics is pretty slim…), or sometimes I may have chosen the “wrong” answer because I may have misunderstood the question. Also, these tests seem to be made for Americans.
And let’s face it, some questions are just plain stupid.

However, the tests may reveal some mindbending information about the moral and political stance that you may not know you had inside. They may help you understand why you think what you think, and since independent thinking is about trying to understand your situation everybody should give it a serious try.
Don’t take the results too serious though…

For your information:
I consider party politics to be extremely one dimensional, and thus not very creative or useful. The left and right bullshit told by those in power has lost its true meaning (and power) a long time ago. That way of defining political views is by no means applicable to the world and the societies we live in today.

Now let’s get on with the tests.

—

Political compass
This test is introduced with the following words:
The old one-dimensional categories of ‘right’ and ‘left’, established for the seating arrangement of the French National Assembly of 1789, are overly simplistic for today’s complex political landscape. For example, who are the ‘conservatives’ in today’s Russia? Are they the unreconstructed Stalinists, or the reformers who have adopted the right-wing views of conservatives like Margaret Thatcher ? On the standard left-right scale, how do you distinguish leftists like Stalin and Gandhi? It’s not sufficient to say that Stalin was simply more left than Gandhi. There are fundamental political differences between them that the old categories on their own can’t explain. Similarly, we generally describe social reactionaries as ‘right-wingers’, yet that leaves left-wing reactionaries like Robert Mugabe and Pol Pot off the hook.

My results:

Economic Left/Right: -7.00
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.77

Moral politics
This test explains why you think what you think by mapping your personal moral system. Moral views are the major factors that influence political opinions. Every political stance can be explained by one’s moral position on the inner value of human beings and their role in society.

My results:

You scored -7 on the Moral Order axis and 1.5 on the Moral Rules axis.

The following items best match your score:
1. System: Socialism
2. Variation: Moral Socialism
3. Ideologies: Activism, Libertarian Socialism
4. US Parties: Green Party
5. Presidents: Jimmy Carter (85.18%)
6. 2004 Election Candidates: Ralph Nader (95.06%), John Kerry (76.51%), George W. Bush (39.69%)

PoliticsForum Quiz 2.0

My results:

Overall, the PoliticsForum quiz considers you a small-government, internationalist, protectionist, non-absolutist, kind of person.
These characteristics would put you in the overall category of social conservative protectionist. Your natural home at PoliticsForum would be the Conservatism area.

You scored 50 out of 100 on a scale of Individual vs Social. This means that politically you are neither more nor less likely to value the need for group actions and group benefit over individual enterprise and benefit.

You scored 55 out of 100 on a scale of Theist vs Materialist. This means that politically you are neither more nor less likely to believe that religion and spirituality are superstitions that should not inform political debate.

You scored 72 out of 100 on a scale of Big Government vs Small Government. This means that politically you are more likely to believe that government should keep out of legislating social policies, leaving such decisions to individuals.

You scored 61 out of 100 on a scale of Nationalist vs Internationalist. This means that politically you are more likely to favour international bodies over national ones.

You scored 36 out of 100 on a scale of Protectionist vs Free Trader. This means that politically you are less likely to favour free trade over protectionist policies.

You scored 65 out of 100 on a scale of Absolutist vs Non Absolutist. This means that politically you are less likely to believe that there is an absolute truth that may guide your ideological beliefs.

You scored 40 out of 100 on a scale of Controlled Market vs Liberal Market. This means that politically you are neither more nor less likely to believe that there is need for government regulation of industry.

You scored 50 out of 100 on a scale of Marxist vs Non-Marxist. This means that politically you are neither more nor less likely to follow the philosophies of Marx.

—

Phew! Interesting stuff. I’ll leave you without commenting any further and let you draw your own conclusions about my political stance and moral views, if you’re at all interested…

music

>The Reverend is dead!

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>Originally posted August 19, 2007.



Reverend Bizarre – III: So Long Suckers (2CD) Spikefarm Records

As much as this is a true revelation of doom, it is also the final death gasp spraying blood all over the doomed world, for this is the end of the almighty Reverend Bizarre – in my opinion the very best classic doom band ever. This is where the diabolatry of Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Saint Vitus and Witchfinder General all come together. And what a glorious ending! What a manifest of pure magick brilliance! This is meant to be worshipped now and forever, and I’m down on my knees already.

Christs may come and Christs may go, but Caesar is forever!

I was a bit disappointed with the II: Crush The Insects-album (2005). Too rockish, too childish, not enough war, not enough suffering, not enough natural selection… Not enough doom.
When discovering this unholy trinity that is Reverend Bizarre I was almost lost for words. In The Rectory of The Bizarre Reverend (2002) still stands out as one of the most amazing doom records ever to have graced my stereo with its presence. This was the ultimate doom. And then came the one hour long Harbinger of Metal EP (2003). Now that was the ultimate doom. Until now.

The light heavy weight metal on II: Crush The Insects is now forgotten (not the doom tracks on it, though…). I’m not saying it’s a bad album, but compared to what the Reverend is capable of, it sure was unsatisfactory.
However, listening to III: So Long Suckers (the title alone is just mindbending in its undoominess and fuck offy attitude!) for the first time I was immeditately hypnotized.
“So many great riffs, so little time…” – is that what they thought when finishing this album? It’s filled to the brim with beautiful, dark and ultra-heavy riffing, genius bass lines, masterful drumming that really comes alive, and the majestic vocals we’ve gotten used to, proclaiming the lyrics that are always somewhat reminiscent of the mighty Count Raven.
The song writing is jaw dropping (the two opening anthems are over 25 minutes long – each! – but still stunningly mesmerizing and purely magickal) and the production is by far their best ever – heavy, dark and crystal clear at the same time.


I’ll let the music, lyrics and artwork speak for themselves, but whatever you do: if you’re into classic doom – do not miss out on this masterpiece! This is 130 minutes of pure doom and socio-religious warfare. All hail Monsieur Earl of Void, Sir Albert Witchfinder and Father Peter Vicar!

However, if you’re one of those stressed out individuals with no patience, then this is not for you. Doom never was. You need time and patience, some calm space and an open mind. Only then will you be able to start quiet riots and rituals of doom and destruction…

I’ll close this review with the opening words of the opening track They Used Dark Forces/Teutonic Witch:

You say that I am evil, but you don’t know where I have been
If you could see some of those places, I bet you would be worse than me






philosophy, politics

>Här finns inget varaktigt och allmängiltigt

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>Originally posted July 24, 2007.


I wrote an essay for the Swedish paper Tidningen Kulturen and it was published today. It’s about Spengler again (more about him here), but this time in Swedish. I named it “Här finns inget varaktigt och allmängiltigt – kulturens förfall, enligt Oswald Spengler”.
By coincidence, Dagens Nyheter published an article by Mikael Löfgren today entitled “Vad ska vi ha kulturen till?“. Read that one as well.

But for now, here’s the essay. Enjoy.
Photos shot by me, myself and I in July 2007.
Skanstullsbron, Stockholm.

—

Här finns inget varaktigt och allmängiltigt
Kulturens förfall, enligt Oswald Spengler

Finns det plats för den fria anden i dagens samhälle?
Vårt rotlösa irrande på jakt efter uppmärksamhet, status och bekräftelse – och kanske framför allt jakten på tid för att hinna med jakten (!) – ger svaret nej. Själva tror vi kanske att vi är det bästa som historien kunnat frambringa – en produkt som formats, alltjämt till det bättre, sedan evolutionens begynnelse. För en utomstående torde det västerländska levernet dock te sig allt annat än intelligent.
Och det är vår intelligens som kommer att föra oss ner i avgrunden.

Så trodde Oswald Spengler (1880-1936). Han levde i den tyska turbulenta tid som föranledde politisk, ekonomisk och själslig katastrof, och han var förmodligen väl medveten om vad som stundade. I sitt mest kända verk, Der Untergang des Abendlandes (1918-1922), Västerlandets undergång, utgiven i två volymer, menar han att vi i dag befinner oss i en tid där kulturen – mänsklighetens egenvärde – är på väg att dö ut.

Spengler verkade som filosof och bemöttes kanske just därför med frän kritik från etablerade historiker för sitt nästintill mystiska och måhända flummiga sätt att skildra världshistorien.
Han kritiserade å sin sida historikerna för att de inte ”på allvar studerade övriga civilisationer”, undgick att se parallellerna och det återkommande cykliska, och i stället fokuserade alltför mycket på nutiden och det egenupplevda.

Spengler menade nämligen att det traditionella linjära sättet att se på historien åskådliggör den västerländska egoismen; som vore den västerländska människan ett praktexemplar av all tidigare mänsklig verkan, som om nuläget är det bästa möjliga. Att betrakta mänskligheten som en enda lång utveckling från lågt till högt är dömt att misslyckas. Han skriver:

”Det som fattas hos den västerländska tänkaren och som inte borde fattas hos just honom, är insikten om den historiskt relativa karaktären i hans resultat, som i själva verket är uttryck för en speciell, unik tillvaro. Han borde förstå att det finns nödvändiga gränser för resultatens giltighet och att hans ”eviga sanningar” och ”ovedersägliga insikter” är sanna för honom och hans aspekt på världen. Det borde vara en plikt för honom att söka efter andra insikter, som människor i andra kulturer utvecklat med samma grad av visshet. En framtida filosofi borde ha en sådan fullständighet. Först då skulle man förstå historiens formspråk, den levande världen. Här finns inget varaktigt och allmängiltigt. Allmängiltighet är felslutet att mitt också gäller för andra.”

Spengler uppmanade alltså läsarna att upptäcka och utforska bortom sig själva. Han jämförde själv vilt mellan olika kulturer genom världshistorien för att påvisa likheter och bevisa sina teser.

Enligt Spengler finns det blott åtta högkulturer som stått för den kulturella evolutionen: den babylonska, egyptiska, kinesiska, indiska, mexikanska (Mayakulturen och Aztekerriket), grekisk-romerska, arabiska och västerländska (europeisk-amerikanska). Var och en av dessa högkulturer har bidragit till utvecklingen, och alla har varit lika värdefulla.
Tydlig gemensam nämnare för att styrka Spenglers tes om de åtta högkulturerna: de varar alla i omkring tusen år och följer samma evigt återkommande organiska livscykel. De rymmer således både födsel, blomstring, förfall och död. Det finns ännu inga undantag.

Spengler använde sig av årstiderna för att förtydliga sina resonemang.
Våren innebär kulturens nedkomst. Här formas religionen (bakom varje högkultur finns en värdefull, mentalt samlad religion) och de grundläggande principerna.
Sommaren är kulturens höjdpunkt. Har skapas bestående verk, väsentliga tankar föds och frodas och storslagna prestationer utförs.
Hösten betyder början till slutet. Kulturell förbistring, omfattande katastrofer, massiva människoomflyttningar och oförmågan att kommunicera bidrar till att vintern nalkas. Den fria, intelligenta tanken har resulterat i ateism, ett tänkesätt som försvinner i sinom tid, och i samband med städernas och civilisationens död sker en återgång till den ursprungliga religionen och släktskapet med naturen. Våren kommer alltid igen.
Spengler ser alltså en övergång mellan kulturen och civilisationen. För oss i väst skedde detta någon gång under 1800-talet.
Civilisationen representerar makt, pengar, irreligiositet, en koncentration av intelligensen till staden. Spengler skriver:

”Vad är morgondagens civiliserade politik i motsats till gårdagens kultiverade?”

Och det gäller inte enbart politiken. Även moralen, konsten, kunskapen, vetenskapen och känslolivet har drabbats av civilisationen. Konsten handlar om mode. Vetenskapen finner inga självklara svar. Politiken styrs av pengar. Kulturell förvirring råder. Det är den verkliga början till det verkliga slutet.
Civilisationen är en kulturs oundvikliga öde, då ingenting angår ”folket”. Den så kallade ”demokratin” styrs från städerna av en själlös människomassa, som till skillnad från den kultiverade människan riktar all energi utåt, uppåt, mot något evigt – något som följaktligen är ouppnåeligt. Självförintelse pågår.
De stora städerna utgör spiken i kistan för civilisationen.

Låt oss ta det från början:
Kulturen uppstår på landet. Bonden brukar sin jord – sin jord – och upprättar en själslig, andlig relation till den. Hembygden blir oerhört viktig, något att dö för, då det är det eget skapade som brukas. Bondens hus är ”bofasthetens stora symbol”, ty det har vuxit fram ur den egna marken.
Stadsmentaliteten representeras av en gruppsjäl. ”Det är inte storleken som skiljer staden från byn, utan existensen av en mentalitet”. De civiliserade jättestäderna föraktar bondens själsliga rötter och tar avstånd från lantlivet. I staden talas ett språk som endast talar till ögat och som till slut blir oförståeligt för bonden. Det finns nu två liv: ett utanför staden och ett innanför. Bysmeden lär ha mer gemensamt med bysmeden i andra länder och kulturer än med stadssmeden några kilometer bort.
Denna stadsbildning och distansering är en förutsättning för varje kultur. Alla stora kulturer har nämligen varit stadskulturer.
De tidiga byarna har samma sorts närhet till jorden. De följer landskapsbilden med kullar, ängar och vattendrag. De lantliga småstäderna bekräftar landsbygden, låter pyramiderna och katedralerna växa ur marken. Storstäderna vill vara något annat, något mäktigare. De trotsar naturen, förnekar den. De strävar uppåt och utåt, absorberar landskapet och kräver sitt utrymme i form av breda huvudvägar i stället för slingriga landsvägar, parker i stället för skogar och fontäner i stället för källor och så vidare. Det är konstgjort och själlöst. Stadsmänniskan blir därefter. Den har höjt sig över bondebefolkningen och dikterar nu reglerna. ”Antikens forum och den västerländska pressen är i hög grad andliga maktmedel för den härskande staden”. Stadsmänniskorna, som föraktar hela sin kulturs moderslandskap, bor nu i en världsstad som inte längre behöver hävda sig mot landsbygden. De är lika beroende av penningtänkandet som bonden förr var beroende av jorden. Imperialismen är slutepokens givna symbol.


Men det hemska slutar inte där. Spengler talar även om avfolkningen. Staden befolkas av intelligenta människor, och han menar att det är intelligenserna i varje kultur som utgör de ”sista” människorna. Han talar om den civiliserade människans ofruktsamhet:

”Storstädernas sista människor vill inte leva längre, möjligen kanske som enskilda individer, men inte som typ, som massa; där slocknar rädslan för döden. Det som fyller den äkta bonden med en djup och oförklarlig ångest, tanken på familjens och namnets utdöende, har förlorat sin mening. … Barnen uteblir, inte bara för att de blivit överflödiga, utan för att den skärpta intelligensen inte hittar några skäl för dess existens.”

Och det som är bundet till ”stenen och intellektet” går sakta men säkert under.
Spengler skriver emellertid, krasst konstaterande men ändå hoppfullt, att:

”Bonden är den eviga människan, oavhängig all kultur som tagit plats i städerna. Han finns före den, han överlever den, sturigt avlande nya släktled, inskränkande sig till jordbundna sysselsättningar och färdigheter, med en mystisk själ och ett torrt, till det praktiska bundet förstånd, basen för och den ständigt flytande källan till det blod som skapar världshistoria i städerna.”

Kjell Ahlinge, radioveteran med programmet Eldorado i P2 som ständig ledsagare, fick nyligen frågan ”Är kulturvärlden väldigt trångsynt egentligen?” av riotbrain.se. Hans svar löd:
– Det är mycket roligare att prata med frisörer och snickare än med dem som kommit långt i kulturvärlden.
Och det är så långt vi har kommit. Vi bevittnar kulturens dödsryckningar.
Här finns inget varaktigt och allmängiltigt.

Mattias Indy Pettersson

—

Published in Tidningen Kulturen #22/2007, July 24th

music

>Music that matters: Sub Society

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>Originally posted July 16, 2007.

This is where I’ll post some mpthrees that mean something to me. Mostly nostalgic stuff, obviously.
Here’s your chance to discover, or maybe rediscover, some great quality songs from the Indy archive.


Sub Society – A Lot Less
I was a skateboarder for almost fifteen years. I still skate every once in a while, but now I suck and the cardio is gone. It’s still fun, though, and 180 Fs No Comply is still my favourite trick.
I discovered sooooo much fantastic music though skateboarding. And this was way before those lousy skate punk bands started to infect the scene. Before lousy skate punk, there was great hardcore (I refuse to call it skate punk!). That type of hardcore was wild, innovative, melodic AND harsh – the total opposite of lousy skate punk!

Sub Society had some great tracks in various H-Street videos, and A Lot Less is my favourite. I’m also totally psyched by The Isolator, so I’ll give you both. H-Street had very good music all the way; a lot darker, more grimy and weird than the usual NOFX crap. It suited their videos perfect.
I remember being totally devastated when Millencolin (a lousy skate punk band) made a cover of A Lot Less. They even misnamed it “A Whole Lot Less”… Mindfucked, stupid kids didn’t have a clue. The original is way better, dirtier and more sensitive. It brings back memories of what once was.

Listen to A Lot Less here. (from the Iceman 7″ (1990))
Listen to The Isolator here. (from the Relaxin’ 7″ (1991))
And here’s a whole bunch of Sub Society mpthrees from off their own site.

I got things to do, but it’s 25 degrees of hotness out there so fuck it: I’m going skateboarding.
No Comply!

Bonus clip: Ray Barbee, the smoothest skateboarder ever.


music

>Riotbrain vs Indy

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>Originally posted July 11, 2007.


Riotbrain is a great place for freedom created by some soulful explorers. Examine their space, their blog, their minds… The interview with radio veteran Kjell Alinge is fantastic, and there’s much more to be discovered within the depths of Riotbrain.

I was honoured to write down some lines about music that changed my life. Well, not really changed my life, but stuff that made me change my ways of listening to music. Read my stories, along with those from Fredrik Strage, Emma Gray Munthe, Jan Gradvall, Matti Ståhlberg and Marcus Birro, here.
Always a pleasure. Always in Swedish.

Massive thanks to Magnus Gustafsson, Riotbrainer #1, for asking me to participate.

movies

>Great movies of the 80’s: A Short Film About Killing

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>Originally posted July 07, 2007.

This is one of those movies which will make you feel uneasy. The opening sequence, a dead cat hanging from a rope, sets the pace, and then we’re off into the landscapes that constitutes Warsaw and its Polish dullness, darkness and dirty floors. The movie’s got a muddy colour tone throughout the whole 84 minutes, almost Twin Peaks-esque, which adds a lot to the overall feeling. It’s a slow movie, but very dense in actual content. It certainly gets your mind going.

We follow three parallel lives that intervene in a realistic way (not Memento– or Lucky Number Slevin-style, that is…): the anti-social loner who’s aimlessly drifting through the city observing people who are treating each other rather bad (just enough to make for some unnecessary irritation), the lawyer who’s eager to make an impact, and the arrogant cab driver.


It’s about the small annoying, unnecessary things we do in our everyday lives, like disrespecting each other, things that add up to mayhem in the very end. It’s also about the consequences of boredom combined with sick minds. And ultimately it tells the story of two (three? four?) murders, one of them being sanctioned by the state, and the other one might just as well be a result of just that – capital punishment. The vicious circle spins infinitely…

And I promise, I had no idea that Krzysztof Kieslowski directed this movie when I saw it. I’m no big fan of his movies, even though I find them interesting at times, but had I known he was behind this I might have approached it differently, being more sceptical. Good for me I didn’t know, then.

A Short Film About Killing (1988) is actually a feature lengt adaptation of his hour long piece belonging to the Dekalog series (modern representations of the ten commandments set in a socio-realist Warsaw in Poland). This one is obviously the “thou shall not kill” commandment in all its glory.

art, politics

>The Art of Persuasion, Part 3: German propaganda posters

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>Originally posted July 18, 2007.


Part One (UK) and Part Two (USA) of these series.

—

Most nations would stop fighting when realizing there’s no chance of winning the war. Germany didn’t. They continued to fight long after they had abandoned all hope. I’d say this had very much to do with propaganda. And very much with a certain doctor.

On March 13, 1933, the Ministry for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda was founded under the direction of Dr. Josef Goebbels. No such thing had ever existed before, in Germany or in any other country. This was the time of the awakening of the (uneducated) masses.
Adolf Hitler had read Lord Northcliffe: “The bombardment of the German mind was almost as important as the bombardment by cannon”.
In Mein Kampf he writes:
“The psyche of the masses is not receptive to anything that is weak. They are like a woman, whose psychic state is determined less by abstract reason than by emotional longing for a strong force which will complement her nature. Likewise, the masses love a commander, and despise a petitioner”. One could say Hitler despised the masses…
He is also quoted saying:
“Haven’t you ever seen a crowd collecting to watch a street brawl? Brutality and physical strenght is what they respect. The man in the street respects nothing more than strenght and ruthlessness – women too for that matter. The masses need something that will give them a thrill of horror”.
Hitler argued that propaganda must be adressed to the emotions and not to the intellect. He had no need for educating the already educated. He spoke in black and white, and with enormous power and energy – always emotional.

With Goebbels as head of propaganda the Nazis rose to power. Goebbels described Hitler’s speeches as “religion in the most mysterious and deepest sense of the word”. He truly admired his Führer. And they used these very personal words – his Führer, my Führer – never the Führer; because it was a relationship, bonded by blood.

The propaganda machine worked the hardest at the mass gatherings. Each single individual underwent, in Goebbels words, “a kind of metamorphosis from a little worm to a giant dragon”. These huge demonstrations mostly took place at night when people’s minds were most open to persuasion. At the annual rally in Nuremberg half a million people attended to gather strenght.
Albert Speer was responsible for the art direction at the rallies, and the “cathedral of light” was his idea: 130 anti-aircraft searchlights placed around the rally field at intervals of forty feet. The huge eagle (over 100 feet in wingspread) was also one of Speer’s brilliant creations.

When the Second World War started, the Propaganda Ministry had complete control of the press, radio, film, posters, art, literature, music, theater… It is therefore nothing strange with people acting as they did. When every contemporay book you read, every newspaper, every film you see, every broadcast you hear for years and years, always with the same spirit, the same propaganda, you definitely lose your judgment.
Goebbels particularly enjoyed the cinema. He realized that this new art form could reach a far wider audience than books or theater. The old Motion Picture Law was replaced by the Reich Motion Picture Law in 1920, and from that moment nothing was approved that ran counter to the spirit of the times.
You’ve all seen Triumph of The Will (1935), and maybe even Olympia (1938), Leni Riefenstahl’s masterpieces of truly great art. There’ so much to say about those movies, but I intended these posts to be about the poster art, so… Maybe another time.


People may forget an article, but they won’t forget a picture, especially when they see it often, everywhere, and when the message is pure and strong, black and white. A flyer could be thrown away, the radio turned off, the political meetings not attended… Everybody walks the streets, though. The poster could not be avoided. Graffiti artists use this direct method as well.
The master of Nazi propaganda posters was named “Mjölnir” (real name: Hans Schweitzer). “What lenghty speeches failed to do, Mjölnir did in a second through the glowing fanaticism of his powerful art”, as one Nazi leader put it.

Personally, I find the Nazi propaganda the most fascinating, and certainly the most beautiful, dark, powerful and striking. Maybe this has to do with me too being totally intoxicated by their visual force? However, I am not alone. The Nazi propaganda resulted in billions of artifacts inspired by the powerful art of persuasion (hello Dyanne Thorne!).

Bonus propaganda:
Goebbels assembled a swing band called Charlie and His Orchestra to perform Nazified versions of the jazz hits of the day! How about that?
First volume of their music
Second volume of their music

And now, the magic of the mystic art…

















by Mattias Indy Pettersson