Is that a helpful way of looking at an idea like truth, or is anthropomorphizing the truth a dangerous cause?ĭescribing truth as something to be desired is a very reflective of the way that society talks about truth. “The betrayal of truth” almost reads like the truth is a lover, a human with a body. Passionate adherence to truth will be called dogma by its detractors (by those it threatens), and the answer is not to betray the truth. Simply put, we believe that the state does not have the power to regulate our bodies – dogma is bad when it is static, oppressive or otherwise flawed. How do coalitions of resistance resist dogma? The pillars of Sex Militant concern a wide spectrum of sociopolitical issues, all connected under a larger umbrella that holds state power as its natural enemy. Get on the street and talk to each other by any means necessary! A message from the people for the people directly challenges powers who would prefer us to stay hidden behind our screens, panicking over which information can be trusted. It seems like a very minor action, but it is actually quite liberating if you've never done something like that before. We have organised many banner-drops and wheat-pasting campaigns, and encourage people to target visible and strategic public spaces. Street art is an easy access point in this way.
Our goal is to get our community on the street and experimenting with arbitrary regulations imposed upon free expression and political advocacy. Social norms tell people that they don't have the power to organise, or to impact the news cycle, or to have their voice be heard unless they participate in actions that are prescribed as appropriate activism. The youth are often the driving force in many revolutionary movements, and social media has successfully disarmed would-be activists by creating a platform for participation that’s exclusively relegated to expressions of virtual and performative dissent, rather than direct engagement. How do you inspire kids to storm the streets when much of their time is spent in virtual spaces?
One of the collective’s goals is to engage younger generations. Something will fill that void, and it must be liberatory from the ground up. We must dismantle it, which will leave a vacuum.
Simply opting out of the hegemonic power structure isn’t enough. The concept of ‘individual liberation’ in the US often takes the form of white colonisers hiding behind a thin liberal veneer, using superficial performative lifestyle changes to soak up their guilt – or, worse, individuals who believe they are liberated because they have embraced the oppression of others as a result of mistaking their proximity to power for freedom.Ĭollective struggle is necessary because this struggle will span generations, because individualism is a white supremacist fantasy, and because we all have so much to learn, and so little time to learn, that we must teach and support one another. None of us can be liberated until all of us are free.
The individual is interwoven into the collective. Can an individual achieve liberation alone or is being part of a collective necessary? Liberation is as physical as it is psychological. The truth itself can be radical to those who it’s unknown to – similarly, a system can be radicalised if it’s seized by those it’s intended to dominate. We believe that activists must enter the realm of spectacle to be politically effective and that these spectacles ought to be emancipatory, ethical and aid in manifesting action. However, those who control the spectacle are almost exclusively companies and individuals who enjoy a great deal of wealth and power.
In advertising, news, entertainment and social media, our culture is formed on the basis of symbols, myths and fantasies disseminated through a series of viral moments that capture our attention for just a moment. We recognise the role spectacle plays in our lives. Of course, the truth does not always reveal itself by virtue of being the truth – it must often be told in a way that motivates people to open their eyes. Should we eliminate the violence of erasure, visibility becomes a haughty word for people simply living their lives. Visibility is a tool of resistance within the framework of oppression – it’s about truth-telling. For Sex Militant, what is the distinction between visibility-a historic tool of resistance- and creating a 'spectacle?