Ethics of Uncertainty

There is very little support of Post-Structuralism/Deconstructionism in America. I can't say that I have ever had a teacher that thought it was that worthwhile. I've heard American newpapers call it the "French Disease." Others complain it leads to a dead end. That it leaves no room for development or philosophical progress. Another common criticism is that it is more beneficial to the Right than the Left, simply because unlike a Modernist Progressive doctrine that validates a humanistic, secular, scientific worldview, Post structural readings of cultural can validate all worldviews and in effect throws it's hands up in determining if there is any way of objectively determining if there is a good one out there.
To take a literary practice and apply it to ethics is misleading, but tempting. When we look at issues of identity: race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality..etc i feel it is a good tactic to apply a measure of deconstruction to our readings of the signs of such identity markers. There is no certain way to know if someone is gay. well of course you can ask, "are you gay" but I'm talking much more texturally. But even an affirmative answer doesn't say much. There is still the issue of intent, what does "gay" mean to that person? I realize this radical uncertainty is unnecessary but I feel it is a more thorough reading of the semiotics of identity. The terms we use to identify ourselves are themselves not ours, they are borrowed, traded, politicized, historicized; they mean nothing certain. Such readings hollow out any essential characteristics of men, women, gays, straighties, whites and blacks ,,etc. To develop an ethic based on uncertainty suspends judgment, which is dangerous at times. It asks to suspend your intuition when it comes to social cues, to the natural world...can't you read?

Separations

The idea of separation between church and state is a semantic euphemism. Why even pretend to have it a principle? If it was stated more clearly as "separation between world view and governing principles" it would come out being an almost impossible feet. Any political stance is an enactment based on how one sees the world operating. The Right has a way of obfuscating direct religious interest into secular concern. Instead of directly stating "because of my religious upbringing I feel homosexuality is an abomination," the right argues that gay marriage is unhealthy for childhood development, an upset in semantic tradition, and whatever else they can use to their advantage. Likewise, the US' support of Israel is religiously motivated, I mean America wants to be on Israel's side when Jesus comes back, why would you otherwise turn a blind eye towards their human rights violations, their humiliating occupation of Palestine? Abortion becomes a women health issue instead of a religious one, whatever the issue is a politically correct justification has to be given instead of the true feelings that inspires the political stances. It's funny how the Right is so annoyed with being politically correct and how it criticizes the secularization. This resentment stems from their own use of such tactics.

Gallery piece

ihate typing on a keyboard. So now im using a "pen" and a warm tablet to write , then the computer translates my hand writing in to text. I can also "paint" with this thing as you can see from the "painting "above.i love this thing, but it does make errors so watch out, cause in too lazy to use the keyboard ever again,

please please please

My Buddy Jeff is back in town and I'm super excited to record his new material. Jeff is such a nice dude. So sincere and unpretentious. His songs reflect both a dude who's been through it yet still is upbeat. Here is a rough mix of the song we recorded tonight with backing vocals by Becky, who I just met so I don't know her last name.

Follow this link to hear "come back to me"LISTEN to "come back to me"

women as lovers

I have a poster in my living room from this album, depicting a nude figure bound at he feet and hands with the lines from the song "the Leash" from the album "Women as Lovers." The lines from the song state" to have lied to a lover, if for want of a pure touch, to be common, to be seen as I am." I recently had my parents over for a visit, and as my mom left she asked if I could take the poster down next time she came over. It seemed funny to me at the time.
This album, taken from the Jenilek novel of the same name, is bogged down with the classic identity issues of subjectivity and objectivity. I haven't read the novel but from the title and the issues in the Xiu Xiu album, it seems to recall the same issues that Luce Irigaray develops in her work "The Sex Which is Not One". maybe i'm just drunk right now, I am(HI CHRIS!!!LOVE YOU BUDDY), but the titles even refer to each other.
listening to "women as lovers" has made me dwell on so many issues from the mentioned to themes to how those themes define so many issues in our society: Israeli(subject)/Palestinian(object), Americans(subject)/Native Americans(object), Men(subject)/Women(object), Good(subject)/Evil(object).....yet Baudrillard in his
"Intelligence of Evil" says, "Evil has no objective reality. Quite the contrary, it
consists in diverting of things from their "objective" existence, in their reversal, their return."...from which i draw means some sort of return to a Subject speaking evil, for if the Good is to really fight the Evil, the good can't just objectify evil as something to fight against, the Good must assume that the Evil takes on a subjective voice that "speaks evil" as Baudrillard insists. This reversal gives validation to the cause of the Good. It's not enough to simply want to believe that the Evil sees itself as "good," thereby empathizing with it, Evil cannot Subject itself as the Good and have "good" intentions, Evil must speak "evil" to warrant the wrath of the "good."
What is odd is both Baudrillard and Foucault agree that Violence is neither evil(in baudrillardian terms) or power(in foucaultian terms), but of a different order altogether. So I wonder about the first lines of the song "The Leash," Perseus holds the head of Medussa, oh how I wish i could be her." The final word holds us in suspense. Instant a reversal of subjectivity is implied, from the Hero to the Villain. If the poster in my room implies anything it is asking a question of where the line between subjectivity and objectivity is drawn in bondage/s&m. If the role of master or servant is willingly agreed to, both to feel pleasure ( as seen in Jenilek's novel "The Piano Teacher") then all bets are off, subjectivity is an undecidable feature in the mix. The video "Master of the Bump" recalls such imagery.
"to be common, to be seen as I am" Is this line begging for a draw in the subjectivity/objectivity game? Can the object see the subject as an object and is there any real connection("pure touch")?
My favorite movie that deals with this topic is "Notre Musique" by Godard. Highly recommended. In the end an Israeli student is frustrated by her subjective stance to the Palestinian occupation that she becomes a suicide bomber and asks other Israeli's to join her, in the end she is shot alone with no bomb on her.

In my room

I get off mind numbing work and come home around 12 at night. I know its a bad idea to eat or watch tv or anything in bed if you have sleeping problems, yet I don't care. Since I got my new laptop I spend a great deal of time with it in bed, yes, in bed. I have been using it as a sketch pad for music ideas quite regularly, and even though I could record using my other system with nice preamps, eqs, and compressors I love just plugging in to an 1/8th inch jack and jotting down ideas in my bed. Maybe because when I was young I would draw and paint in bed all night. So here is one sketch that I did.

Pacing

Flickin' through a little book of sex tips

I can't get this out of my head:

Fluorescent Adolescent

You used to get in your fishnets
now you only get it in your night dress
discarded all the naughty nights for niceness
landed in a very common crisis
everythings in order in a blackhole
nothing seems so pretty as the past though
that bloody mary is lacking in tobasco,
remember when you used to be a rascal?

A great song about longing for the spice you lose domesticating your life.
I love how British these boys sound.