Academics, the Military and, yes, People Dying

Whooo-boy.  This is one that we’ve been talking about for the past two days here.  Yesterday on NPR they ran a story about the military using social scientists to help troops deal with the insurgency and forge a tighter bond with locals.

Audio Here

This is all originally from stuff that Noah Schachtman’s been following in Wired’s Danger Room blog.

Most recent post here along with links to earlier posts.

So there are several interesting things here and some very knotty problems.

I’m sociology blog (in)famous

I was going to respond in some detail to the comments but find that I really don’t care enough.  Just two quick points.

1.  I’m not going to approve any comments for the past post.  If you want to talk about it do it elsewhere, preferably on your own blog.  This applies both to the positive comments (heh yes there were some) as well as the negative ones (my my my some of you visitors have as big a potty mouth as me).  Not will I be forwarding any of the messages to my department chair or the captain of the internets or whoever handles such things (yes that’s sarcasm in case you were wondering).

2.  Jeremy.  Honey.  It’s ok to say fuck.  Or shit.  Or any other words in the English language.  I can understand maybe trying to stay on the moral high ground but it’s a little late after you called me out for calling y’all out and nominated me for king of your haters.  I decline the nomination by the way, I apparently need to spend more time worrying about dying people.  Oh and my family.  ‘Natch.

Thoughts on the alt culture

Warren Ellis has a column up at Suicide Girls where he ponders the disappearance of alt culture.  There are some interesting points in there but few thoughts it sparked for me were the following.

1.  I’m not sure I agree with the premise that there is no more alt culture.  Just because some uberhip netgeeks wave their hands and dismiss current culture as all having been absorbed by the monoculture we’re supposed to nod along and agree?  I think not.  Yes the monoculture is voracious, but it often eats bits and pieces it finds hard to digest and occasionally spits them back out.  I also think Warren and company probably spend too much time immersed on the cusp of cultural production.  Just because something is the meme of the moment on the internet doesn’t always translate into being absorbed by the monoculture.

2.  Following from this there is also the idea that alt culture has always been, and will continue to be, highly derivative of the monoculture.   Alt culture needs the monoculture as mirror to ape and often the lines between mash-up, new creation, and ironic parody become confusing.  Then there’s alway the retro-cool that comes about as the monoculture tosses fads away after their 15 min.  What do we do with these?  Are they automatically out of consideration as alt?  Or only alt if we alter them significantly from the original?  How often has alt culture taken something of it’s own that was initially intended for consumption for the monoculture, look no further than your favorite TV show.

3.  Ok, as a last ditch cognitive bulwark let’s assume that the monoculture is eating everything at a faster and faster rate and the alt culture is dwindling.  What then?  Take it back to origins.  Do you like what you like because you, well, like it?  Or do you like it because no one else does?  Or only a very narrow sampling of people who inhabit used clothing stores on Melrose and you like it?  Is the purpose of alt culture to be different for difference’s sake?  If so I don’t see it going away entirely, but likely becoming more shrill and extreme in the sense of really pushing taboos.  Everyone dyes their hair?  Then shave it.  Brittney shaved her hair?  Fine, I’m getting tats and scarification.  That’s being done now by someone in Nebraska (because if you live in Nebraska you can never ever be cool ‘natch)?  Fuck that, I’m gonna bolt big stupid chunks of metal to my head.  I mean if we’re ever really afraid that something is too mainstream and monoculture just head over to BME.  It’s like a giant fucking pissing contest where instead of distance they go for spikey metal bits and permanently degraded neural endings.

In the end ponder this.  Is it possible for the alt culture to go to a place you don’t really want to go.  And does this mean that the default position then becomes agreeing with the monoculture because you don’t want to hack your cock off or listen to the most horrid sounds a cat makes as it dies?

Rolling and balls and all that…

Welcome to Visible Future.

This is my personal blog about academics, politics, life and the future of all of these things. Thus, in a way, the title.

The title also comes from a very short-lived attempt to start a sci-fi book club of the same name.

I also blog with a friend over at Anarchotranshumanism which is more narrowly focused.