Post on 02-Jun-2018
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heterminusofstudentlife
Co
mmuniqu
froman
A b t
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Weliveasadeadcivilization.Wecannolongerimaginethegoodlifeexceptasaseriesofspectacles
preselectedforourbemusement:ashimmeringmenuofillusions.Boththefull-filledlifeandourown
imaginationshavebeensystematicallyreplacedbyasetofimagesmorelavishandinhumanethananything
weourselveswouldconceive,andequallybeyondreach.Noonebelievesinsuchoutcomesanymore.
Thetruthoflifeaftertheuniversityismeanandpettycompetitionforresourceswithourfriendsand
strangers:thehustleforalower-managementpositionthatwilllast(withluck)foracoupleyearsrifted
withanxiety,fear,andincreasingexploitationuntilthefirmcrumblesandwemutteraboutplanB.But
thisisanexactdescriptionofuniversitylifetoday;thatmeanandpettylifehasalreadyarrived.
Justtosurvive,wearecompelledtoadoptvariousattitudestowardthisfissurebetweenbankruptpromises
andtheactualityonoffer.Sometakeanaveromanticstancetowardeducationforitsownsake,telling
themselvestheyexpectnothingfurther.Someproceedwithironcynicismandscorn,racingthroughthe
ludicrouscharadetowardthelastwadofcashintheairlessvaultofthefuture.Andsomeremaincommitted
totheantiquefaiththattheirascendinglyhardlaborwillsurelyberewardedsomedayiftheyjustactas
onewhobelieves,justshowup,takeonmoredegreesandmoredebt,workharder.
Time,theactualmaterialofourbeing,disappears:thehoursofourdailylife.Thefutureisseizedfromus
inadvance,givenovertotheservicingofdebtandtobeggaringourneighbors.Maybewewillearntherent
onourboredom,morelikelynot.Therewillbeno77virgins,notevenaplasmamonitoronwhichtowatch
thedeaththroesoftheUnitedStatesasaglobalpower.Capitalismhasfinallybecomeatruereligion,whereintherichesofheavenareeverywherepromisedandnowheredelivered.Theonlydifferenceisthat
everymannerofcrassnessandcrueltyisactivelyencouragedintheunendingmeantime.Weliveasadead
civilization,thelastresidentsofPompeii.
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7AgainstPompeii
Romanticnavete,ironcynicism,scorn,commitment.Theuniversityandthelifeitreproduceshave
dependedonthesethings.Theyhavecountedonourhumancapacitiestoendure,andtopropupthat
worldscatastrophicfailureforjustafewmoreyears.Butwhynothastenitscollapse?Theuniversity
hasrotteditselffromtheinside:thehumancapitalofstaff,teachers,andstudentswouldnownomore
defenditthantheywoulddefendacityofthedead.
Romanticnavete,ironcynicism,scorn,commitment:theseneednotbeabandoned.Theuniversityforced
ustolearnthemastools;theywillreturnasweapons.Theuniversitythatmakesusmuteanddull
instrumentsofitsownreproductionmustbedestroyedsothatwecanproduceourownlives.Romantic
naveteaboutpossibilities;ironcynicismaboutmethods;scornfortheuniversityshumiliatingliesabout
itssituationanditsgoodintentions;commitmenttoabsolutetransformationnotoftheuniversity,but
ofourownlives.Thisisthebeginningofimaginationsreturn.Wemustbegintomoveagain,release
ourselvesfromfrozenhistory,fromtheigneousfriezeofthisburiedlife.
Wemustliveourowntime,ourownpossibilities.Thesearetheonlytruejustificationsfortheuniversitys
existence,thoughithasneverfulfilledthem.Onitsside:bureaucracy,inertia,incompetence.Onourside:
everythingelse.
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Likethe
societyto
whichit
has
playedthe
faithfu
l
servant
,
the
universityis
bankrupt
.
deepbonds,
andifthereisalessontobelearnedfromt
hemi
tisthat
wemustbuilddensenetworksofsolidarityba
sedupontherecognition
ofashared
enemy.
Thesenetworksnoton
lymakeusresistantto
recuperation
andneutralization,butalsoallow
ustoestablishnewkinds
ofcollectivebonds.Thesebondsaretherealbasisofourstruggle.
Wellseeyou
atthebarricades.
Researc
han
dDestroy
2009
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hesamepeoplewhopracticecritiquearealsothemostsusceptible
t
ocynicism.Butifcynicismissim
plytheinvertedformo
fenthusiasm,
t
henbeneatheveryfrustratedleft
istacademicisalatentradical.The
s
houldershrug,thedulledface,thesquirmofembarrassmentwhen
d
iscussingthefactthattheUSmu
rderedamillionIraqisbetween2003
a
nd2006,thateverylastdimesqueezedfromAmericaspoorestcitizens
isfedtothebankingindustry,thattheseaswillrise,billionswill
die
a
ndtheresnoth
ingwecandoaboutitthisdiscomfitedposturecom
es
fromfeelingoneselfpulledbetwee
nthe
isandtheoug
htofcurrent
left
t
hought.
Onefeelsthatthereisnoalternative,andyet,ontheot
her
h
and,thatanotherworldispossible.
W
ewillnotbesopetulant.Thesynthesisofthesepositionsisrightin
frontofus:anotherworldisnotpossible;itisnecessary.Theoug
htand
t
he
isareone.Thecollapseofthe
globaleconomyishereandnow.
III
Weseektop
ushtheuniversitystruggletoits
limits.
Though
we
denounce
the
privatization
of
the
university
and
its
authoritariansystemo
fgovernance,wedonot
seekstructuralreforms.
Wedemandn
otafreeuniversitybutafreeso
ciety.Afreeuniversity
inthemidsto
facapitalistsocietyislikearead
ingroominaprison;it
servesonlya
sadistractionfrom
themiseryofdailylife.Insteadwe
seektochann
eltheangerofthedispossessedstudentsandworkersinto
adeclarationofwar.
Wemustbeginbypreventingtheuniversityfromfunctioning.Wemust
interruptthenormalflowofbodiesandthingsa
ndbringworkandclass
toahalt.W
ewillblockade,occupy,andtak
ewhatsours.
Rather
than
viewing
such
disruptionsasobstaclest
o
dialogue
and
mutual
understanding
,weseethemasw
hatwe
havetosay,
as
howweareto
beun
derstood
.Thisistheonlymeaningfulpositiontotakewhencrises
laybaretheopposinginterestsatthefoundationofsociety.
Callsfor
unityarefundamentallyempty.Thereisnoco
mmongroundbetween
thosewhoupholdthestatusquoandthosewhoseektodestroyit.
The
universit
y
struggle
is
one
among
many
,one
sectorwhere
a
new
cycleof
refusaland
insurrection
hasb
egun
in
workplaces,
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We
seekto
pushthe
university
struggletoits
limits
.
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The
modern
universityhasno
historyo
f
its
own
;
its
historyisthe
historyo
f
capital.
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proletarianizedbydebtandadevastatedlabormarket.
Thatiswhyourstruggleisfundamentallydifferent.Thepover
tyof
studentlifehasbecometermin
al:thereisnopromisedexit.I
fthe
economiccrisisofthe1970semergedtobreakthebackofthepo
litical
crisisofthe1960s,thefactthat
todaytheeconomiccrisisprecede
sthe
comingpoliticaluprisingmeansw
emayfinallysupersedethecooptation
andneutralizationofthosepast
struggles.
Therewillbenoretu
rnto
normal.
II
Themodernuniversityhasnohistoryofitsown;itshistoryisthe
historyofcapital.
Itsessentialfunctionis
thereproduction
ofthe
relationshipbetweencapitalandlabor.Though
notapropercorporation
thatcanbe
boughtandsold,thatpaysreve
nuetoitsinvestors,the
publicuniversitynonethelesscarriesoutthis
functionasefficientlyas
possiblebyapproximatingevermoreclosely
thecorporateformo
fits
bedfellows.Whatwearewitnessingnowisthe
endgameofthisprocess,
wherebythe
faadeoftheeducationalinstitutiongiveswayaltogether
tocorporate
streamlining.
Eveninthe
goldenageofcapitalism
thatfollowedafterWorldWar
IIandlasteduntilthelate1960s,thelibera
luniversitywasalready
subordinated
tocapital.Attheapexofpublicfun
dingforhighereducation,
inthe1950s
,theuniversitywasalreadybein
gredesignedtoproduce
technocrats
withtheskill-setsnecessarytod
efeatcommunismand
sustainUSh
egemony.ItsroleduringtheCo
ldWarwastolegitimate
liberaldemo
cracyandtoreproduceanimaginarysocietyoffreeand
equalcitizen
sprec
ise
lybecausenoonewa
sfreean
dnoonewas
equa
l.
Butifthisideologicalfunctionofthepublicuniversitywasatleastwell-
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