A-Infos (en) Britain, Aanarchist journal Direct Action #41 - a closer look at Situationism + Contacts:

Capitalism is Boring!!!! a closer look at Situationism and why it is more 
relevant than ever ---- During the late 1950s and 60s the Situationist 
International (SI) developed arguably the most profound and far reaching 
critique of modern society for many decades. Although it now seems the height of 
hipness for arty intellectuals to make passing reference to situationism, few 
genuinely appreciate the distinctly revolutionary overtones of the SI’s ideas. 
Often criticised for specialised language and abstract concepts (with some 
justification), these ideas nevertheless hold tremendous relevance today, 
perhaps more so than ever.

anarcho-syndicalism

Situationism has influenced, and been influenced by, anarcho-syndicalism. Larry 
Law, in one of the excellent Spectacular Times pamphlets, noted: “The remedies 
offered by the SI were taken from the history of autonomous workers’ uprisings 
and, despite their protestations to the contrary, looted from the theories and 
experience of anarcho-syndicalists”.

Resisting any attempt to pigeonhole their ideas, the SI emphasised real life 
activity, continually experiencing and reinventing itself in preference to 
static, rigid ideologies like Trotskyism. Thus situationism is open to some 
degree of interpretation. The central idea underpinning it, however, is that 
workers are systematically exploited by capitalism, both in work and ‘free’ 
time. To liberate themselves from this, solidarity, organisation and ultimately 
taking control of the means of production is necessary, and free democratic 
workers’ councils would form the basis of a new society.

The perceived limitation of this (a criticism often levelled unfairly at 
anarcho-syndicalism) is that free collectivism, in organising workers as 
workers, merely ensures continuation of ‘work’ as defined by capitalism. 
Therefore workers’ self-management must be seen only as a step in the longer 
term transition to a free society. Collectivising Tesco, McDonalds and Alton 
Towers is not what we’re about. Revolution must be seen as a continual, dynamic 
process of reconstructing economic, social and interpersonal relationships.

In modern western societies, as the situationists noted, many no longer live in 
absolute poverty or spend 12 hours a day immersed in the grime of fields, 
factories and mines (largely due to the workers‘ movement in the last 150 
years). But instead of being beaten down by overt and savage state repression, 
we are subjugated by the poverty of everyday life.

distorted reality

Capitalism, they argued, subjects us to a distorted view of reality through a 
carefully concocted montage of ‘spectacles’ promoting mass consumption, social 
alienation and passivity. The spectacular images are a poor substitute for 
reality, serving our rulers’ needs by reducing us to spectators and constantly 
reinforcing the values, structures and power relationships which capitalism 
holds so dear.
<image>
Founders of the Situationist International,
1957. Left to right: Guiseppe Pinot Gallizio,
Piero Simondo, Elena Verrone, Michele
Bernstein, Guy Debord, Asger Jorn, and
Walter Olmo.

The capitalist spectacle, with its huge advertising machine, feeds us empty 
promises and an endless supply of consumer goods as the key to satisfying our 
desires. That most of these goods lack the life changing characteristics 
bestowed upon them by the flash imagery and celebrity-driven hype matters 
little. As Raoul Vaneigem argued, “the consumer cannot and must not attain 
satisfaction”.

For example, it is common for magazine images of women to be manipulated so 
waist sizes are smaller and breasts larger in line with the projected ‘ideal‘. 
This ideal is further reinforced by fashion, TV and advertising. The resulting 
dissatisfaction prompts spending on a range of products and services, from 
‘because I’m worth it’ cosmetics to major reconstructive surgery, in the pursuit 
of elusive perfection. This manufactured discontent sells literally millions of 
consumables. That the social cost is £1.3 trillion worth of UK consumer debt and 
prevalent feelings of inadequacy (reflected in eating disorders etc.) is 
irrelevant to capitalism. Profit for a few and the needs of the market are the 
overwhelming priorities.
Exploited both as producers and consumers, we buy back in our leisure time what 
we produce in work time. Far from being free, our leisure is increasingly 
mediated by an endless stream of commodities - Coca-Cola, Big Macs, Miramax 
movies, PCs, TVs, DVDs, CDs, MP3s or all manner of branded toys, gizmos and 
clothing. Leisure activities with their rules, user manuals and 
all-too-predictable outcomes, undermine our natural creativity and imagination. 
But the spectacle is not just confined to promoting wage-slavery and 
consumerism. All areas of our life are contaminated by it.

no government

Political elections, for example, feed us the illusion of choice and control 
over who rules us. In reality, the differences between the main parties are 
negligible. They all promote capitalism, economic growth and market economics. 
That these cause appalling social injustice, war and the hastening destruction 
of the natural world is immaterial. We can vote for whoever every five years, 
but the inference is that government is intrinsically good, not that it 
sanctions repressive social and economic relationships on behalf of a small 
elite. We cannot vote for no government. Recently TV channels have been exposed 
for repeatedly rigging phone-in results. Political elections are no different; 
for all the appearance of ‘choice’, the outcome is a forgone conclusion.

Real democracy involves freedom from coercion and exploitation and the ability 
to exercise choice and control over all decisions which affect our everyday lives.

recuperation
<image>

Another situationist concept, explaining how capitalism’s spectacle maintains 
itself, is ‘recuperation’. This is its ability to absorb a real threat, make it 
safe and sell its shadow back to us. Examples are all around us. The iconic 
image of Che Guevara sells everything from clothing to cigarette lighters. One 
current advert for a well-known corporate pizza chain features a red 
Bolshevik-style background emblazoned with the heading “Join the Revolution”. 
Pop culture is also laced with spurious opposition. For all their token 
rebellion, song titles such as “I predict a riot” offer nothing but a 
pretentious, tokenistic knee-jerk. The punk movement, for all its mutinous 
swagger, was pounced upon and engorged by market forces the minute it posed any 
threat. Both punk and hippy fashions have been aggressively marketed with their 
rebellious imagery gracing both the catwalk and high street boutiques.

Radical social movements as well are all too easily hijacked by capitalism. 
Flick through The Ecologist magazine where articles on environmental protest sit 
safely among a plethora of ads for alternative therapies, eco-friendly foods, 
investment opportunities and dietary supplements. Reject the mainstream, but 
whatever you do, keep on consuming. Single issue campaigns like 
environmentalism, by projecting the issue as an isolated one, divert the 
well-intentioned down a fruitless blind alley by failing to expose the real 
sources of the problem: government and capital.

negotiating exploitation

The present trade unions are also part of the spectacle. Hierarchical, 
bureaucratic structures managed by professional leaders, they give the 
appearance of representing their members. Dividing workers by trade and 
workplace, they assist the bosses in negotiating the terms of our exploitation, 
rather than advocating and fighting for workers’ control. As defensive 
organisations they often accept attacks on working conditions and living 
standards with barely a whimper. Proven (syndicalist) methods of organisation 
and effective industrial direct action are definite no-nos. Like single-issue 
campaigns, they nullify the threat of militancy by appealing to those in power, 
rather than actively challenging them. The bosses’ fundamental ‘right’ to 
exploit us is never in question.

Vaneigem’s classic quote that “people who talk about revolution and class 
struggle without referring explicitly to everyday life, without understanding 
what is subversive about love and what is positive in the refusal of 
constraints, such people have a corpse in their mouths”, is a poignant reminder 
of the limitations and stagnant authoritarian dogmas of the political left. 
Notably, most socialist (state-capitalist) regimes uphold highly autocratic and 
sexually repressive moral codes, reflecting deeply flawed ideologies.

In the last century (Kronstadt 1921, Spain 1936, Hungary 1956), the vanguardist 
left were instrumental in brutally suppressing workers’ attempts to take control 
themselves. Since then, striking miners, G8 and poll tax protestors and others 
taking direct action have also been roundly condemned by Trotskyite groups for 
lacking the ‘correct’ analysis. This reveals a true contempt for the masses and 
ultimately a fear of any move which may undermine their true intent to continue 
the spectacle of a few commanding the many.
<image>

Put simply, anything less than a complete attack on all oppressive social 
hierarchies and economic conditions which enslave us is not enough.

The situationists explained how authentic human desires always conflict with 
capitalism. In moments of true community, as in times of struggle, lie the 
possibility of a future joyful and liberated existence.

may 1968

The pinnacle of the SI’s influence was in the Revolt of May 1968, when 10 
million French workers went on general strike, bringing France to the brink of 
revolution. Today the significance of situationism remains immense. The 
observations on the cultural influence of consumer-capitalism and analysis of 
the spectacular mechanisms of modern social control retain enduring relevance.

Situationism, for all its ‘we have a world to win and nothing to lose but 
boredom’ sloganeering, was less descriptive however, in providing a practical 
strategy to realise its goals. This criticism can also be levelled at some 
anarchists and libertarian Marxists. As Larry Law noted, “freedom could seem a 
bit empty if there is nothing to eat and the sewage is running in the streets”.

Anarcho-syndicalism does rather better at articulating such a strategy. By 
promoting rank and file workplace solidarity, and through the process of 
struggle, it enables us to realise our strength to commandeer the means of life 
where it matters most, at the point of production. On the other hand, 
situationism forever warns us against the dangers of recuperation and 
complacency. True social liberation must supplant all relationships based on 
hierarchy and power, not just those in the workplace. For this reason, 
revolutionary change must be seen as a permanent and never-ending process.

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

Contacts: Solfed/IWA internal contacts

SF National contact point: PO Box 29, South West PDO, Manchester, M15 5HW; 
07984675281; solfed@solfed.org.uk; www.solfed.org.uk
International Workers’ Association: IWA-AIT Secretariat, Poštanski pretinac 6, 
11077 Beograd, SERBIA; Tel; +38(0)163263775 E-mail; secretariado@iwa-ait.org; 
www.iwa-ait.org

locals

     * Bolton: c/o Manchester SolFed
     * Brighton SolFed: c/o SF National contact point
     * Coventry & West Midlands: c/o Northampton SF
     * Edinburgh SolFed: c/o 17 West Montgomery Place, Edinburgh, EH7 5HA; 078 
96 62 13 13; edinburghsf@solfed.org.uk
     * Ipswich: c/o N&E London SF
     * Manchester SolFed: PO Box 29, SW PDO, Manchester, M15 5HW; 079 84 67 52 
81; manchestersf@solfed.org.uk; www.manchestersf.org.uk; mail list: 
manchestersf@lists.riseup.net
     * Merseyside: c/o News From Nowhere, 96 Bold Street, Liverpool, L1 4HY.
     * Northampton SolFed: c/o The Blackcurrent Centre, 24 St Michael Avenue, 
Northampton, NN1 4JQ; northamptonsf@solfed.org.uk
     * N & E London SolFed: PO Box 1681, London, N8 7LE; nelsf@solfed.org.uk
     * Preston SolFed: PO Box 469, Preston, PR1 8XF; 077 07 25 66 82; 
prestonsf@solfed.org.uk; prestonsolfed.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk
     * Scarborough: c/o West Yorkshire SolFed
     * Sheffield: c/o West Yorkshire SolFed
     * South Herts SolFed: PO Box 493, St Albans, AL1 5TW
     * South London SolFed: PO Box 17773, London, SE8 4WX; 
southlondonsf@solfed.org.uk
     * South West SolFed: c/o SF contact point (above); sws@solfed.org.uk
     * West Yorkshire SolFed: PO Box 75, Hebden Bridge, HX7 8WB; 
wysf@activistnetwork.org.uk

other

     * Catalyst (freesheet): c/o Preston SolFed, catalyst@solfed.org.uk
           o Catalyst: SolFed freesheet – issue 15 out now – for single copies 
or bundles see contact details above
     * Education Workers Network: c/o News From Nowhere, 96 Bold St, Liverpool, 
L1 4HY; ewn@ewn.org.uk; www.ewn.org.uk; email list: ewn@lists.riseup.net
     * Health & Care Workers Initiative: c/o Northampton SolFed
     * SelfEd Collective: c/o Preston; selfed@selfed.org.uk; www.selfed.org.uk
           o ‘A History of Anarcho-syndicalism’ – 24 pamphlets, downloadable 
FREE from www.selfed.org.uk
     * The Stuff Your Boss does not want you to know - Leaflet: know your rights 
at work; updated version now available online – bundles from the SF contact 
point (see above) for free/donation.
     * Manchester SF public meetings:
       7.30 pm, 2nd Tues each month at the Town Hall Tavern, Tib Lane, off Cross 
Street, Manchester city centre – March 11th, Chiapas; April 8th / May 13th, 
titles to be confirmed.


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

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