[UA] Re: Situmancy

[Peter Hindman]

   To the guy who asked what Situationism is:  It's French.

   Okay, okay, that's only 90% of the answer.  It's a weird hybrid of
post-surrealist art theory and mid-20th century European leftism.  There
is probably no better sign of its recuperation by the Spectacle than the
fact that there are quite a few websites devoted to it:

   'Situationist International':  http://www.nothingness.org/SI/
   'Situationist International Online':  http://www.mpx.com.au/~rebunk

   A nifty if strongly biased and egomaniacal essay on the roots and
history of the movement by a spitefully envious outsider is 'The
Realization and Suppression of Situationism' at:

   'http://www.cwi.nl/~jack/spunk/library/writers/black/sp001671.html'

   After cursory consideration, I'll propose paradox and taboo for the
school:

   Paradox:  The modern world is a massive, chaotic agglomeration of
innumerable factions and forces trying to shape culture, economics and
ideas to their advantage.  To gain control over this process, the
Situmancer reifies this disorder into a single, monolithic yet nebulous
entity, The Spectacle, and simplifies the ongoing conflict into the
processes of 'Detournement' (diversion of the Spectacle's transmissions to
other ends) and 'Recuperation' (recovery and incorporation of
transmissions into the Spectacle).  To act against the Spectacle, the
Situmancer makes the Spectacle into a personal reality; to make
revolution, the Situmancer creates an enemy that cannot be defeated;  to
make magick, the Situmancer reduces the multivalent chaos of the Spectacle
into a black-and-white conflict of Detournement vs. Recuperation, in which
the Situmancer cannot win.

   Taboo:  The Situmancer cannot respond to the Spectacle in an
'appropriate' manner, or have her experience 'recuperated' and thus lose
her charges. For instance, a Situmancer cannot respond to the
implicit directives of advertising by shopping in a store with a sign out
front, cannot purchase items that advertise themselves in their packaging
(almost all food items) or on themselves (cannot wear clothes with
manufacturer's labels), and cannot eat or drink out of containers
containing advertising.  A Situmancer could drink Coca-Cola out of a plain
glass, as long as she hadn't requested or sought it out by name.
Situmancers usually either purchase necessities when out of charges, or
have others shop for them (using shopping lists that say only 'cigarettes,
coffee, milk, cola', and so on).
   


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