[nettime-see] think in leyers

[zana poliakov <zana.poliakov@b92.net>]

THINK IN LEYERS
piracy dilemma in Serbia

 


there is no a single document of culture which at the same time would
not be a document of barbarianism 
walter benjamin 

 
Of course, there is a political element in antipiracy treats and
wars and anti-copyright and copyleft/freeware/shareware ideology,
regardless of how we define politics. Personally, and judging by some
experience, I perceive it in widest terms possible. Are you rough and
macho or effeminate and gentle? Do you believe human nature is
fundamentally good or evil? Should we be open or mysterious? How do we
treat the ones who think differently? Do we consider moral values
fixed and invariable or negotiable? Is art merely cultural
masturbation? Is sex always dirty or only when it is done properly?

 
The thing considered Evil in one part of the world, seems pretty obvious
that in the other parts is working in the name of Good. Inteligentsia,
open-minded people, technology lovers &they were the first to go into
the technological age, although our Minister of Finance disappointed us
announcing that only 2 % of Serbia population is using computers. The
tool that we define as basic literacy nowadays?! It is more then obvious
that only the Chosen ones had the will power enough or the savings enough
ruined by inflation of pyramidal banks, to get into the WWW and explore
pleasures of the Net. Crucial point is why - as an escapist therapy of
flammable political and social situation or to communicate with Others.
By Being Online, whatever you do or whatever you think, you soon realize
that -you are not Alone. 

 

In art Serbia and Belgrade of the year 2000 was marked by radical
pressure exerted on all possible types of artistic forms to engage in
politics. This would have been perhaps a customary way in which art would
warn life or how art would emulate life (or vice versa) had it not grown
into an interesting and increasingly posh concept called activism. The
end justifies the means. We will subscribe to this in the situation
'save Serbia and kill yourself Sloboooo'. Nothing is true,
everything is allowed. 

'currently the best political activists are children' -says
Critical Art Ensemble - teenager hackers working on penetrating corporate
and government security systems from their parents' homes and student
campuses. Their intentions are unclear. Some appear as if they are aware
of their actions being essentially political. 'regardless of your
being aware of it or not, if you are a hacker -you are a revolutionary,
but the question is - to what end? Not a single objective is
mentioned except for the first step: free access to information. It is
never discussed how to use the information. The problem with letting the
children act as an avant-garde of activism is that they still have not
developed critical sensibility that would guide them beyond their first
political encounter. Irony lies in the fact that they are intelligent
enough to realize where political action must originate in order to have
an impact... Somehow it is quite logical then why OTPOR (RESISTANCE).

The state in its character is an antipode to Internet technology which is
hailed as decentralized, multidirectional communication,
non-hierarchical, tolerant, transnational, cosmopolitan,
transcultural, and therefore grants an equal position in using the
media to both alternative and minority identities ( paraphrasing [mama]
net.culture club in Croatia proclamation ). Similarly structured was
opposition, current 'opposition', present-day 'authorities' and
multiplying-by-mere-replication independent organizations - obsession
with political struggle, the same balance of power and rule from above,
culture is used only to the extent needed to achieve temporary aims.

Profile of an EU/US activist promoting electronic civil disobedience
-vegetarian refusing to go to McDonald's restaurants, eat Nestlé
chocolates, drink Coke, buy Shell Oil petrol...
Profile of a cultural activist in Serbia -belongs to some NGO, speaks
only about politics, Milosevic is his pretext, fixation and leitmotif
in each sentence. 
Revolution is sweet only while it lasts. 

 

...seek and you shall find...

So, we found our version of False Democracy, deeply wanted and
waited, but it comes with high prices we have to pay. Not only for the
food supplies, electricity or oil, that raises making poor country even
more miserable but our basic source of Knowledge and Information has
mutated into Evil. Anti-piracy wars started, and in love and wars
everything is allowed.

 
reminder: just a few months ago, every foreigner that has come to our
country, left with the collection of fresh or favorite music, some divx
movies and games for the children...and yes, software for their legally
bought computers. How come if it's allowed even the Law Enforcers and
Obeyers are not petrified, frizzed, killed by the flashlight. Oh, it's
for their personal use?! Then, it's ok.


What is happening now, we have pirate market wiped out from the streets,
but not from our hearts (!) not because we adore that much pirate copies,
but, honestly, we still cannot afford to buy regular music or updated
versions of new software. Face it, economically and financially we are
not strong enough to enter the Legalized World of Goods.  Then, on
the other hand, copies are as good as the original, the discrepancies
between original and copy has been blurred. Can you explain to me the
difference in Quality between music from the original CD and the copied
one, or the one downloaded from the Napsteroids ( Napsters's
followers)?

Anyone? Booklet is nicer, printed well and thicker& I show no respect
to the artists -since when Respect has been measured by Money? And yet,
people do buy original copies of the artists they undoubtedly Love and
Respect.

Interesting data number 1 is that the only artists/singer
whose CDs have not been pirated in the previous Era were CDs of one of
the most respected woman in Serbia, folk diva Ceca Raznatovic (now in
jail after Zoran Djindjic murder under suspicion of non legal money
transactions). She was the wife of Arkan, assassinate Hague Tribunal most
wanted, paramilitary murderer and criminal/politician highly respected in
previous regime. Nobody would dare to piratize Ceca CDs; it was the
question of Life and Death or Love and Respect ?!

 

Interesting data number 2 is that Microsoft came to be the
first one, and started to push the anti piracy squads. Now we have
Windows XP in Cyrillic and in Serbian, but we have no money to pay for
it. How sweet is that?  Not to mention where to install it? But
Microsoft has a plan, it has come to stay to become the Chosen One, the
Leader, once market starts to grow, well, apparently even in the criminal
piracy goons Microsoft is winning the battle, it has been mostly used and
widely known, so, of course when you have to buy and pay for something -
you will pay for something that you are acquainted mostly. 

 

Transition process is painful, especially for the country ruined by
inflation, several wars and flooded by refugees, where politics is highly
connected with criminal, unfortunately misinterpreted very often with
tolerance, human rights...there has been some freeCeca movements, not
very successful thou but talking about human right connected with someone
whose husband slaughtered thousands, how ironic is that?  Big Serbia
Idols or Myth have failed down and Serbia people liked them only when
they were untouchable, Serbian people don't like fallen Heroes and have a
tendency to totally erase Broken Myths and forget previous Beliefs -
common people will just follow the Leader.

...where do you want to  go today?...

 
But, whatever we do, we are not Alone. It seems that whatever Law you
want to enforce to someone, Law is falling under the pressure on New Age
that has come. Silently, yet efficiently,  the everything is a
copy of a copy reined the world. Napster Bad -said the Law. Napster
Good - said the thanks for sharing Believers.  The history is
teaching us that technological revolutions are changing the way people
live, produce and think. Our living conditions have been changed, the way
we produce good or deeds has changed, and then why is it so difficult
to change the way we think?!

 
We seek for answers from television. They usually present public opinion
according to their own. Politicians mostly dont think and unfortunately
they Rule along with the Media Watchdogs under our thinking process. We
Obey.

 
Is then activism in art/culture - politically committed art/culture?

Is it not a situation similar to the c-o-m-m-u-n-i-s-t era? Shh! I have
said this quietly and you should say it to yourself... they say 'the last
remaining brick of the Berlin Wall' has fallen in these parts as well as
the last remaining communist leader (Boris Buden, lecture at CSUB,
November 2000). 

If everyone was well aware of the potential of activism given that
spontaneously organized rebellions never came from above... in this
respect it was only just - to instrumentalize it. 

Why then intellectuals feel as it they were 'internal émigrés' (according
to Karl Jaspers from one of the editions about truth, guilt,
responsibility or something like that). Whose are then accomplices and
culprits?... and whose is the guilt? We will perhaps be given truth as
part of a humanitarian aid packages spearheaded by 15-minutes-of-fame
corps of intelligentsia? Or as a skeptical consumption of discourse?
Or... something third or fourth. Triumph of digital paradigm entails
non-existence of centers of power, and consequently non-existence of One
Truth. 

Finally, here is what this parallel-paranormal-x-files cultural
policy has given birth to somewhere directly, somewhere indirectly, and
in some places metaphorically. In this wild frenzy one gains an
impression about forgetfulness of 'the institutions of interpretations
and 

understanding', as if we knew how to decode not only 'zero messages',
even though Photoshop (pirates, of course) teaches us to think in
'layers'. 

 

Once called strategy of resistance now became strategy of
surviving transition.
But this is not the End... saga continues...

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------

 

... and no I am not angry and frustrated feminist/activist/anarchist,
then more-or-less stiletto feminist and net.phenomenologist with quite
satisfying sex life, and I am reporting you just a fact. That's just the
way it has been going on and that's just the way it is now.

 your Legally Blonde,
Zana Poliakov
www.zanapoliakov.com

 

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