"Beautiful Trouble: A Toolbox For Revolution" is a book, web-based toolbox and international network of artist-activist trainers whose mission is to make grassroots movements more creative and effective.” Explore Beautiful Trouble’s a) Principles, b) Tactics, and c)Theories pages. Select a total of 3 entries (from any of the 3 pages you explored) and discuss the merits or challenges of each. Post your thoughts on our blog.
1. Debtors of the world, unite!
This article calls for people around the world to organize and go on a debt strike, by refusing to pay their debts collectively. I believe that this is one of the forms of strike that would be most effective in getting any real change done, as the threat or follow through of not paying back debts would crash the financial world as the debt economy is the backbone of it. However, it is one of the most difficult kinds of organizing to pull off because debt is spread everywhere. Sure, everyone would like to stop paying student loans, bills, etc, however people are affected by different kinds of debt through different kinds of agencies, all to varying degrees. The temperature of one group of people in debt is hotter or colder than another based on their backgrounds, income, etc. It is an attractive kind of organizing, but the main grievance is one that is hard to unite everyone behind.
2. Détournement
This article is about détournement, or culture jamming, which is the process by which one alters or subverts semiosis through media. One of the examples in the article is how someone took an American flag and changed the stars to corporate logos to show how the state caters to corporations over its people. I believe this process is one of the most effective uses of art for activism, and also an effective practice of activism itself. Take Banksy for example, as one of the most famous artists, they created a market for themselves and an avenue through which to promote change by practicing culture jamming. Not only does it create striking pieces of art, but this practice engages with the audience/viewer/etc. and leads them to come to the conclusion on their own, reflect on it, and change on their own rather than screaming from the rooftops.
3. Dunbar's number
This article talks about the theory of Dunbar's number, that one person can only manage a constant number of primary care relationships. This is important in ideas of organizing as the larger a collective becomes, the more structural it has to become, and therefore less personal. I saw the merit of this in my own experience with organizing the Sound Department, as some of us had the conversation of keeping our collective inside our department. The reasons for this were exactly the same as those proposed by the article, that it is important that a collective gets along together, and a key factor in managing that is by managing the amount of primary care relationships one can handle.
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