Archive for the ‘Information’ Category
Some of you might remember earlier in the year, when I produced a ZINE entitled Throwaway Literature #6; Metamorphoses. Well! I am currently creating #7, of which the theme is unclear so far. I do rant about the vote and sexism a lot though. There will be a title. Anyhow. This is a meta-post to inform you that this blog will henceforth be used for the promotion of my zines, Throwaway Literature and Silence, Cupcake. Blog posts will mostly be excerpts from essays and rants used in the zines, calls for submissions and updates on zine progress.
Simple Ways to Save the World will also continue. If you have any little ideas that create big change, email me at sw2@ throwawayliterature.com.
If you want to read more of my rantings more often, then head over to That Fucking Hippy where I write frequently. So there’s that!
Look out for #7 of Throwaway Literature in the next couple of weeks; it should be a good’un!
Today, I leave for Paris. I will be travelling in France and Spain for the next three weeks and so things will be a little quiet around here. follow me on Twitter to find out when I do post something, but That Fucking Hippy and Travelling Vegan will be active, still. In the case of Travelling Vegan a lot more active than it has been for a while, what with me not having been travelling. Not having a house to my name anymore (woohoo!) means that I’m effectively travelling for the next year or so, so I’ll be updating that blog with great frequency. I’ve been giving my vegan ranting a rest recently, having been reading up on Rape Culture and writing about gender issues in rom-coms but I’m sure I’ll soon be back on form in the countries where they put chorizo in the jars of beans and yoghurt into hummus (WHY? WHY?!).
I’ve been mostly moving house this week, and trying to write for other areas of on the internet, so no Simple Ways to Save the World this week! If you have any that you’d like to submit, drop me an email at sw2 @throwawayliterature.com. (Without that gap, naturally.)
Instead, here’s a little round-up of other writing I’ve been doing.
Chick Media Messages: Introduction
These are the start to a series on the gender sterotypes and lazy plotlines inherent in most chick-lit and chick-flicks or ‘rom-coms’. It’s so important that we view all media with a critical eye, even ‘funny’ films. Everything we surround ourselves with reinforces out world view, so even casual relaxing brain-switched-off times can lull us into a false sense of insecurity. Read it, get mad, send the link to all your friends. Go go go!
The Climate 9; Climate criminals?
These guys are curently in court, defending their action of setting up a mini golf course on Aberdeen airport runway and stopping flights for a day. Criminals or justified? What do you think?
Zine Symposium Review & An Interview with Edd Baldry who organises the event. Zines are amazing! They’re anarchy at its core. Do It Yourself, make your own magazine if you’re fed up with the shit we’re force fed in the media (GET SKINNY. BE PRETTY. LOVE SWIMSUITS. Whatever.) There was a talk at the event from people going out and doing just that, and more, so check them out for inspiration.
The Yes Labs are the creation of The Yes Men in order to help more people more better to perform daring feats of activism. Got anything you want them to change? Drop them a line (and a donation) and see what happens! Also remember, they they were just two guys with an idea, once, and so could you be. Y’know?
Democracy Village what up? I went along on the date of the general election, all of two months ago, and hung out among the anarchists who are occupying the space to draw attention to their refusal to get behind the ‘war effort’ and all the other shit the government does in our name.
My uncomfortably, personal blog which I’ve finally decided to reveal to the world, and have started tweeting links to where I rant about everything that pisses me off and take no prisoners. Here, I try to be nice and couch things in terms which don’t offend people too much. There, I don’t really care if you’re offended, I’m probably right. If you think I’m not, let’s talk! I am always up for a massive discussion.
So, there you go. A whole heaps of bits and bobs to trawl though. Have fun!
Throwaway Literature #6
Throwaway Literature #6 Metamorphoses focuses on change, both personal and political.
Amelia Wells’ writing is an intriguing blend of activism, inspiration, and fighting The Man, all of which combine to create Throwaway Literature, a ‘zine designed to move readers to think hard about their world. Topics range from travel to animal rights to life changes to art, each article written with passion and each page created to draw both your eye and your heart.
Ellie Di who runs the fabulous Wholestyle Network.
Silence, Cupcake #1
Silence, Cupcake is a perzine written by me during and about struggling with depression, wondering what happiness is, and how one defines love. It is maybe the scariest thing I have ever tried to sell people. It is currently in a limited print run of 10, because I’m lazy when it comes to folding things. It costs 50p and might come with some surprises.
Both go anywhere in the world. ANYWHERE! South Korea, I’m lookin’ atchoo. I put a lot of love into these, so it turns out that you can buy love. Woohoo! ALSO. If you have your own zine, email me at the below for a trade!
BUT WAIT! There’s MORE!
If you, like me, often think
then perhaps you would like to contribute to Throwaway Literature #7? The theme is Holding Hands and you can interpret it however you’d like. I’m looking at our dependence on the government, how much we are led by the media and how you don’t have to be friends to work towards a common goal. If you’re an illustrator, blogger, 6 word story writer, poet, or you’ve never written anything in your whole life, then pour you passion out and email amelia @throwawayliterature.com with your submission. Everyone featured in the ‘zine gets a free copy, bien sur!
You can still download Throwaway Literature #6 here for free, as well. Buy, Trade, Steal!
Adopt an Issue
There’s a whole lotta things out there to worry about. Everywhere you turn there’s something else we SHOULD be doing something about or be afraid of; oil spills, Climate Change, The War on Terror, World Hunger and a whole other heap of issues and events which deserve Capitalisation.
But with so much to do, where do you even begin? If you care about the rainforest, then sure, you start by giving up meat, but what about the orangutans devastated by palm oil? If the feeling of one-thing-after-another overwhelms you to inaction, then may I suggest adopting an issue?
What do you feel most strongly about? For me, it’s the ravaging of the rainforest caused by soy crop production and cattle ranching. For Mary at Not An Activist it’s the oil companies who, uh, ravage the land (so much ravaging!). The Climate 9 took on the aviation industry as they ravage the skies.
Focus on that.
Choosing one problem over all the others does not mean you aren’t doing enough (doing nothing isn’t doing enough, FYI), especially since with only one problem to fret over that frees up so much newspaper reading and documentary watching time to read up on indigenous tribes getting fucked over and write letters about the decline of universities, erect a mini golf course on an airport runway, chain yourself to a bulldozer in Alberta or invent a solar powered plane.
Don’t let other people tell you what you SHOULD be worrying about! Pick an issue, adopt a protester, and do something about it!
Got a Simple Way to Save the World that anyone can do? Drop me a line at SW2 @ throwawayliterature.com!
Thanks Jack.
Usually, I’m against censorship. Word and ideas ought to be free to free to roam about, copulate, give birth and create ever weirder cults and sects, so long as nobody kills anyone. Or themselves. Still, there is one word I could do without;
SHOULD
There is so much about this word which aggravates me. All the implications of obligation weigh across the bough of the H. Guilt
about activities left undone nestle in the crux of the U. Ever-present dissatisfaction with life curls around the S. Expectations of the future ride proudly atop the D…waiting to be knocked down. A life full of SHOULD makes me shudder.
‘I should be filing my taxes/ at work/ giving up crack/ finishing that dot-to-dot right now.’
‘I should be thinner/less blotchy/more knowledgeable about heliotropes.‘
‘I should have called/visited/sent a pigeon before Auntie Mabel died.’
‘This evening/tropical holiday/50th anniversary party should be a good one.’
‘My boyfriend/girlfriend/partner should be acting in this way towards me if they love me.’
NOTHING SHOULD. THERE IS NO SHOULD. (There is a spoon though.) There is only do, do not, did, did not, will or won’t.
Take a look at what you ‘should’ be doing, and ask yourself; do I have a need to do this? Will it benefit me, or others? Do I want to do it? If you answer in the affirmative, then it isn’t a case of SHOULD, it’s a case of will. Why pre-emotively attach negative emotions to something not yet done? If you don’t want to do it, then don’t. It’s your life, you take the consequences. If you are going to do it regardless, then there is little point in ramping up the stress when you think about what it is you have to do. It will get done faster if you spend less time thinking ‘I should really get to that’ and actually get to it.
Also try: not agreeing to do things you don’t want to do in the first place.
You can’t change the past, either.
There is no SHOULD, only DID. Who does it benefit to point out that you forgot to do something, or just didn’t care enough to do it? Rehashing past events thinking about what you SHOULD have done or said or attacked is maddening and frustrating.
You can’t change what you DID, but if you feel guilty see what you can, and want to do, now, to make it better.
Anticipation about the future is often part of the fun – dancing around picking out socks, putting up the decorations, tracing the line through South America over and over, but no moment in the future SHOULD be anything. It WILL be what it is. Expectations are dangerous because they almost always fall short of the actual events, or vary completely. Nothing ever happens exactly as planned. And wouldn’t it be dull if it did? And sort of creepy, too…
What about the invisible boxes which people SHOULD fit into? These are like cages of thought when we think about how we fit in and how society SHOULD work. The media constantly bombards us with the idea that we SHOULD be thinner, SHOULD be doing what we can to look their version of beautiful. Teachers and parents encourage us to feel as though we SHOULD be working hard, studying hard, making something of ourselves. ‘Chick’ media promotes the stereotypes of what perfect men, relationships and love SHOULD look like.
Do you refer to the activities which excite you, or people you love to hang out with, as things you SHOULD do or see?
SHOULD is a word which constrains and obligates us, boxing up an experience before it has even begun or creating preconceptions about how we SHOULD look or act, often according to someone else’s rules or judgements.
SHOULD is a cage of a word, trapping us in a life of guilt and stress.
Who’s with me in helping to eradicate this heinous word from the English language?
I recently interviewed The Yes Men about their new Labs, and asked “What’s the best way you’ve found to encourage others to be audacious in their activism? For people suffering from ALL or NOTHING syndrome , what are good little ways to start bugging unethical companies which make a difference?”
They had this to say;
Bugging companies rarely makes a difference, although certainly people can boycott and follow a “clean living” strategy to feel better about their own impact. Not that that will make an overall practical difference, but it might make an emotional difference. But what is really needed is pressure on the elected officials, and even if someone has a few minutes a day, talking the time to write to them is not bad. It also takes little time to join protests, to give money to great organizations, and to join social networks to help spread the word on important issues. All of these actions do matter.
So, why not pop over to the Labs and drop some spare change into their test-tube (you never know what you might get), Tweet the word on a few issues, pen some strongly worded letters and get along to some peace camps and protests?
If you’ve got a simple way to save the world you’d like to share, email SW2 @throwawayliterature.com or tweet me!.
The ‘system’ is the idea that money = power. Power is the ability to make other people do what you want them to. People will debase themselves head over tail for money, especially when they believe it will bring them power, prestige & pleasure. So the cycle continues. Knowledge is also equated with power in that it grants people authority. Questioning certain authorities is discouraged, even punished, because they have the knowledge to use their power wisely & the power to use their knowledge as they see fit. Punishing, via the use of power, those who try to question the authority of the ‘knowledgeable’ reinforces the power of the knowledgeable party; and so the cycle continues.
However, just as ‘nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent’, nobody can have power over you unless you choose to let them.
Think of the most typical situation of powerlessness in our priveliged portion of the world; that of the demoralised worker who wants out of the job they feel makes no difference to the world but who has the mortgage to pay & family to provide for & holidays (that is, freedom) to save up for & car repayments to make & so they acquiesce to the demands of their increasingly ridiculous boss because they’re afraid of losing their jobs & not having enough money to keep up with the trappings of a successful life which they have couched themselves in. (This is a purely hypothetical person, one with these specific features.)
This worker is a part of the ‘system’ – made to feel afraid so they will bend over backwards to please their boss, which then confers power on the boss. The boss was not born with some innate inwards extra aspect which means they deserve to order people around without entertaining discussion concerning the action they wish the other to take regarding the most effective method of production. They were given authority by others, by someone above with equally little innate reason to ‘rule’ & by those ‘beneath’ who agree to do as they say.
Being made to feel worthless is a part of the ‘system’ too. How many jobs seem to make no real difference in the world, or aren’t even supposed to? (particularly not positive differences, anyway). A lot of jobs seem to involve moving money around, and watching it bypass people & projects who might actually use it as a force for good. So, people are conditioned to seek worth elsewhere & through other avenues, because…we’re worth it, apparently. All that fear & power money goes directly back into the system & we accumulate posessions. Stuff that signals status & power & bestows worth upon the buyer. When people lose their jobs through questioning authority, they becomes even more worthless, & less able to acquire products, rendering them even more worthless, & so on.
The ‘system’ is fear. The ‘system’ is trying to accumulate worth through external factors. The ‘system’ is believing that some people are worth more than others due to money or hierarchical factors; that they should be followed & not questioned.
To Drop Out
♥ Stop worrying about having money.
♥ Stop worrying about accumulating possesions.
♥Ignore adverts which reinforce the idea that products create happiness.
♥Switch glossy mags & the Sunday Times – which encourage envy & dissatisfaction – for well-written novels & the New Internationalist, or Slingshot, which encourages a freedom of spirit & desire to make a difference.
♥Meditate daily.
♥Question people if their ideas seem illogical or immoral.
♥Go on mini-adventures which don’t involve consumption; long walks& cycle rides.
♥Make a cake from scratch with all the kids on the street.
♥Plant flowers by the motorway.
♥ Don’t be afraid to lose everything you have.
♥ Remove fear from your consciousness.
♥ Remove your consciousness from the ‘system’.
Enough complaining about what’s wrong, what’s not happening & people who aren’t doing anything. Every Friday I post a simple way to save the world; whether an action to take on behalf of the environment or an outpouring of love over the planet, there are hundreds of little things we can do to make a difference.
On yer bike
It’s a little known fact that cycling takes up less energy than any other form of land-based transport. My friend Jack (man in the middle) told me, and he cycles a lot, so it must be true.
As well as being awesome fun, and a proper day out if you head to a beach and pack a picnic, cycling is incredibly beneficial for the environment for manifold reasons.
♥ Firstly, you aren’t in a car! More cyclists means less cars on the road. Also, buses and trains will usually let you pop your cycle on if you get too exhausted (or want to cycle around London but live in Canterbury). So double win for bikes and public transport.
♥ Secondly, the more cyclists on the roads, the more benefits for cyclists. Cycle tracks will become more prominent and useable as more people start seeing how important it is to have a working cycle network around the UK.
♥ Furthermore, there are very rarely bicycle jams. The feeling of zipping between buses on your bike is both scary and exhilarating (or maybe that’s just the fumes) but you won’t be backed up for hours in a queue of hundreds bemoaning the traffic. You’ll be home, feet up with a cuppa bemoaning the people who still feel the need to use cars.
♥ and another thing! Cycling is faster than walking, which makes it feel like time travel for me, and challenges you anaerobically, as well as toning up your bum, thigh & leg muscles, so you can kick anyone who argues that cars are better in the face. Win/win!
