Did you know I once got cancelled by the Sherlock fandom?
Those are the types of stories you're missing out on if you're not tuned into my podcast, Peer Review.
Yesterday's guest was the famous βͺ@SarahZβ¬. We of course talked about fandom and Tumblr, but also some of our other shared interests like AI & sociology :] It's probably one of my favorite convos I've had on Peer Review, and you can hear a snippet of it at this link:
www.patreon.com/posts/peer-review-with-136816610
Your Patreon contributions are the best way to support the channel, and you get a backlog of content like podcasts, exclusive videos, and Town Hall discussion groups with the community. Thanks to all the Patrons who make this possible!
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New second channel video β»\(^o^)/β»
I discuss the concept of Cute Accelerationism [Amy Ireland and Maya B. Kronic] and why being transgender is based. It's a curated excerpt from the 1 hour 40 min lecture I did on Accelerationism that is on my Patreon. This will be the ONLY excerpt from that lecture I will upload for free.
www.patreon.com/c/aretheygay
Your contributions help support the channel and keep my main channel videos free :3
*β§ο½₯οΎ: *β§ο½₯οΎπ·ππΈπππ πΈπππ βΎ β*ο½₯οΎ:β*ο½₯οΎ
watch video on watch page
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NEW VIDEO:
Accelerationism: A Reintroduction
A nearly 2 HOURS lecture on Accelerationism is now available exclusively on Patreon. There's a lot of spicy stuff in there that I CANNOT talk about on the main channel. Sex toys and sexy post-structuralist theorists? Finally.
Many have heard about Accelerationism as a radical and destructive idea, but less are familiar with what accelerationist philosophers actually say and want. I think their work is more important than ever in a time of intense crisis. From feudalism to 4chan, Nick Land to Donald Trump, Cuteness to Abundance, Wal-Mart to Marx, this lecture has it ALL!!!!!!!
As I'm working on a huge video on the wellness industry for the main channel, your support on Patreon helps fund the main channel work and keep it free and accessible to all.
I HATE SINGLE-FAMILY HOUSING!!!!!!
www.patreon.com/c/aretheygay
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ACCELERATIONISM
A LECTURE AND DISCUSSION, SUNDAY JULY 27TH AT 4PM EST
www.patreon.com/c/aretheygay
Are we cooked?
Accelerationism was first articulated as a social philosophy in the 2010s, where leftist academics attempted to reappropriate Marxism, French critical theory, cybernetic theory, and other mental illnesses into a reconceptualization of what After Capitalism might be. They were despised because they had the gall to take Marx's claims about capitalism seriously. Like Marx, they understood that even as exploitation is inherent to capitalism, capitalism is the most advanced form of social organization that has ever existed:
"The bourgeoisie, during its rule of scarce one hundred years, has created more massive and more colossal productive forces than have all preceding generations together. Subjection of Natureβs forces to man, machinery, application of chemistry to industry and agriculture, steam-navigation, railways, electric telegraphs, clearing of whole continents for cultivation, canalisation of rivers, whole populations conjured out of the ground β what earlier century had even a presentiment that such productive forces slumbered in the lap of social labour?" (Manifesto of the Communist Party)
Accelerationist philosophers sought to understand these emancipatory tendencies. After all, what characteristic(s) of capitalism enabled the emancipation from feudalism? Why is capitalism so effective at hijacking our interests and desires? Which parts of capitalism might be re-oriented towards a post-capitalist future? Can we not marvel at its abundance, its destabilization of social norms? It's not a question of "What if capitalism were Good actually?" At the same time that capitalism is the most advanced form of social organization, it is also the most destructive. In light of this, we must do the most difficult thing there is to do: simultaneously think good and evil together, emancipation and exploitation, creation and destruction, liberation and repression... is this too much to ask in an algorithmic environment that dreads such simultaneity?
Since the 2010s, Accelerationism has been double reappropriated by right-wing extremists, neoreactionary ideologues, terrorists and tech billionaires, to the point where left-wing strains of accelerationism have lost all cultural purchase. In popular imagination, Accelerationism is now synonymous with a reckless intensification of capitalist crisis that pushes the status quo towards destruction (and annihilation?!). But as accelerationism is pushed to the shadows, what utility does it hold as a term?
On the left, we spend a lot of time reading about how exploitation and oppression is an inherent and irreparable feature of the modern world. This leaves us stuck and apathetic. Those who still hope conjure images of utopian pastoral fantasies, alluding to some communal past that might be reached again through mutual aid and radical book clubs. But as hope becomes devoid of cultural capital, our disaffection leads us to become tempted by Evil Accelerationisms. Does the world not command this type of crisis? But Evil Accelerationism is, too, a fantasy.
Are the evils of modernity inescapable? Even one of the harshest critics of modernity, Michel Foucault, the guy who many (mistakenly) associate with declaring the inescapability of Evil Modernity, once said the following:
"My point is not that everything is bad, but that everything is dangerous, which is not exactly the same as bad. If everything is dangerous, then we always have something to do. So my position leads not to apathy but to a hyper- and pessimistic activism. I think that the ethico-political choice we have to make every day is to determine which is the main danger."
In a moment where our current crisis tempts us to be Evil, I dare you instead to be dangerous. Will you be dangerous?
Let's cook.
www.patreon.com/c/aretheygay
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Welcome to the Woke Phantasmagoria.
I encourage everyone to use the new community feature to discuss any compelling ideas, thoughts, reactions, problems, or critiques relevant to the channel. Or pictures of your rat. Enjoy.
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ACCELERATIONISM
A LECTURE AND DISCUSSION, SUNDAY JULY 27TH AT 4PM EST
www.patreon.com/c/aretheygay
Many people think that accelerationists believe that we should just let everything get really bad until things get so bad that suddenly the Revolutionβ’ happens. But accelerationism is a cultural-philosophical movement that actually pre-dates this fringe appropriation of the term. Accelerationism is a philosophy about reclaiming technological and social development and repurposing it toward radical ends. It can be both a left wing or right wing philosophy.
During this Town Hall, we'll discuss why a strain of the left has turned against technology, the dangers of uncritically reifying the past, nostalgia as a symptom of social failure, what role accelerationism plays in left wing philosophy, and what a genuinely radical technological/social future could look like. Expect discussions on AI, gender/sex, juicy discourse, and a discussion of the work of Mark Fisher, Deleuze and Guattari , Fredric Jameson, and Nick Land (his earlier work -_-).
BUT WHAT ARE TOWN HALLS? Patreon-exclusive monthly Zoom events in which I discuss topics with my audience. I usually start by delivering a lecture about some ideas for about 1 hour with questions throughout the lecture, and then, a more robust discussion occurs at the conclusion of the lecture.
Readings are not required to observe the discussion but one very short (7 pages) reading will be necessary if you want to meaningfully participate in the discussion. Like, I'm not testing you or anything, but we should all just know what it is we mean by "Accelerationism." Readings are available on the Patreon.
"Whereas the techno-utopians argue for acceleration on the basis that it will automatically overcome social conflict, our position is that technology should be accelerated precisely because it is needed in order to win social conflicts." - Alex Williams and Nick Srincek
edited post for better language :)
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Did you catch the new video?
"The Tech Bro to Fascist Pipeline"
https://youtu.be/olhu9UhFGl4
A treatise on techno fascism, AI, and the future. It goes over a lot of the nefarious connections between the Trump admin and Silicon Valley, and tries to carve out a direction for the left to go in response.
The title and thumbnail may change!
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LOOKING FOR MOTION DESIGNER ASAP!
Must be able to complete a large project by June 14th. Iβm currently on a time crunch and so I need consistent and quick communication.
Budget for the project is $2000.
Email your portfolio:
avila.c.alexander@gmail.com
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New video!
We all know and hate AI slop, but what about "human slop"? Is it a thing? I've eaten at Taco Bell before, so I can definitively say Yes. But what differentiates "human slop" from "AI slop"? What makes something "sloppy" in the first place? In a recent Patreon exclusive, I go over some of these questions and explore different types of "human slop." Itβs a nice little 25 min ride through our (mis?)represented desires.
Itβs a Patreon exclusive, so itβll be a few dollars to access. But youβll also get a backlog of other goodies like podcasts, videos, and more! Itβs the best way to support the channel and keep my work free to watch.
Thanks!
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Been thinking about Lily Alexandreβs newest piece for several days. In this moment when the trans community feels as if it is in some sort of βaftermathβ or some βin betweenβ we are locked in a state of uncertainty as to the type of recognition we seek. It is unnerving, liminal, disarming, exactly the mood captured in this video. I highly recommend watching this video. Truly watching it. Put it on the big screen, sit and absorb. It is a necessary and powerful message. watch video on watch page
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