Re: <nettime> Call for support: why?

[John Hopkins <jhopkins@neoscenes.net>]

Hey folks...

> > One might say that the whole issue is about the unexpected reactions of
>> the general users, who rejected the project. Well, this was after all
>> (or wasn't it?) an art project - so people are free to reject it as they
>> please.

>This for me -- much more than the amazon's reaction -- is what makes this
>project really interesting. This is not only about people being free to
>reject an art project. I don't think the relevant point is whether this is
>art or not (at least not for the people hating the project). Rather, it

I do wonder how many of the 'regular' recognized nettime contributors
avoid taxes or refuse to pay taxes to their respective governments
(eps. on salaries coming from the public sector)?

If given a public choice either to pay taxes or to skip the taxes
(at the same time as getting (plenty of) cultural funding for their
respective art/educational institutions (where the majority I guess
are employed in some capacity)), what would they do?

Perhaps when an Amazon user is confronted with the choice to violate
(at least a perceived) law in their locality, they may make a personal
moral decision not to. What's problematic about that? I am sure that
everyone on this list faces decisions like that frequently -- but
how many (esp. those who are in positions of publically-recognized
employment) choose to break local laws?

Of course, the dislike coming from consumers might just be a case of
getting in the way of their shopping, which, if you hadn't already
observed in the world, is the self-promoted raison d'etre for the
global capitalist system. People are trained to shop in order to BE.
Anything getting in the way of this is perceived as de-stabilizing
everything in their world! (RIP to the guy trampled to death by
shoppers at a WalMart on Black Friday)...

Would there be a difference in this project if the students
manufactured alternate UPC scan codes for books -- which would
decrease the cost to zero, for example -- and went in and stuck those
codes on the books in a shop?

I think it's a good project which reveals the limited extent to which
anybody in any community can cope with alterations and change in their
world.

cheers,
John


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