IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS IS AN ARCHIVED SITE. ONLY ARTICLES RECOMMENDED BY THE AUTHOR SHOULD BE READ. EACH PIECE IS CREATED WITH A PARTICULAR AUDIENCE IN MIND, FOR A SPECIFIC PURPOSE, AND WITHOUT HAVING A HANDLE ON THE CONTEXT A GIVEN PIECE CAN BE PUZZLING OR VERY OFF-PUTTING. FOR INSTANCE, THIS ARTICLE IS ABSOLUTELY NOT INTENDED FOR ANY OF MALALAI JOYA’S PEOPLE FROM AFGHANISTAN. IT IS — FOR THEIR PURPOSES — X-RATED. IT’S ALSO NOT FOR PEOPLE WHO THINK THAT THE LANGUAGE OF GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED. THIS IS ALSO NOT FOR ANNIE MACHON… UNTIL I HAVE A CHANCE TO TALK WITH HER. THIS IS PRIMARILY FOR FULLY FRUSTRATED ACTIVISTS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6WD1yzQscE = a decent segue….

Ecstatic Politics: The Comedy/Sex/Music Paradigm (UNEDITED, FIRST DRAFT)
Dedicated to getting down with the new paradigm in town
by Rocks Oxman (concerning TOSCA)
“I guess I’ll never be free
Since you got, your hook, in me” — lyrics from “I Never Loved A Man”

“Deep politics is fine… and necessary, but it only takes you so far. For if you’re lucky enough to whip people into a frenzy over moral indignation, and urge them to action… well, good luck. No way. Not today. [Pause.] But lay out some music that cripples them and makes them hard in the bones at the same time, some jokes that make it hard for them to breathe, and blend the whole shebang with sweet sensuality… well, then, like Aretha says, ‘you got your hook in them.’” — The author’s imaginary friend

“War will not end with words, but with a wink, yes?” — The author’s ten-year-old son, responding to the article’s title.

What does it mean to say that one can no longer confront the powers that be following old paradigms? Lots of answers to that one, but permit me to focus on just one angle.

But before stepping into the quicksand I’ve prepared for you, please, please, please leave your preconceived notions at home, and open up to the possibility of ecstacy. This is Ecstatic Politics. This is a stimulating winner. [You can google Deep Politics, if you want to warm up, ease into this. If you absolutely must.]

People who hold the reins of power are enveloped by violence, they are all about violence. In the past — long, long ago in the past — it was okay to confront them with debates, arguments… various forms of one ups-man ship. All mild forms of violence. “Hey, you hit me with that point in front of all these people, here take this!”

In that way, the good guys could hope to win over the public, get them to turn on the bad guys. Ah, the good old days. Not now. Not now… with the resignation, apathy, self-censored cynicism, the out-Orwelling and out-huckstering Huxley ignorance that’s going on. Not with, above all that shit, the Atomization which dominates everyone’s life these arthritic days. Note the use of the capital letter! Note the use of the exclamation point. This element in our lives — these elements, fused with it — infuse our brains’ lifeblood, making all our potentially growing green thoughts incarnadine.

In this context, only comedy, sensuality and music can do battle with the violence we oppose.

The mental music we want is not the heavy metal gang banging attitudinal set that accompanies our wars — though there’s plenty of room for all kinds of wrenching and rhythms. Rather, we need a wide range of sweet, sour or sandblast sounds that can pump up humanitarian solidarity in radical movement. Instead of getting rocks off via decapitation, instead of doing the latest dance steps in morbid celebration of others’ mortality, let morality be the foundation, compassion the kick that jump starts every step toward a world without wars. Free of a Pentagon hook in our $ and health. Does that have a beat for you? Does it make you want to dance? [Pause.] Well, does it? Time for a tweak — some version — of the Oxford Oath? [Pause.] One for poor people… with “no options.”

How to get there? Such questions give me a belly laugh. An ache too. For almost always, the people asking are rooted in mud as much as any Beckett character that ever crawled through muck and slime. They ain’t going to get off their asses, change their habits, their great deadeners. As a rule. There are exceptions, and I trust that the reader is one of them. But the fact is that there is real, active disease out there poised to prematurely put down any offering that has a new heart in it. And it’s important for one and all devoted to transforming this living hell of ours to acknowledge that this ain’t the thirties, this ain’t the sixties. This is No Man’s Land. This is no country for old men who insist upon the face of God shining through. We are going to have to turn ourselves — and everyone else who can catch the beat — inside out, and forge in the smithy of our soulful solidarity something that can’t be denied.

This is a far cry from signing a petition. Shit loads of mountains above all that marching in circles with placards. It is a feeling that will not even permit discussion of how one has an obligation to telephone disingenuous gangsters… the ones that practice the art of convincing citizens to not be highly proactive participants in affairs which concern them. Politicians. [Pause.] This has as little as possible to do with getting arrested, getting bashed or going on a hunger strike. Certainly, CD cannot be our exclusive means.

Are you still with me?

No, we won’t rally people around moral indignation, though our heartbeats will be festooned with frickin’ curses for the callous. Rather, we will hook people in with the best jokes in town. We will wear down their frowns with laughter that’s good for their health. With organic food. With celebration of all kinds. Stuff they can take to their warm beds with them, sleep better with.

This will be like memorable sex.

Then, when the ecstasy which has not been discussing the serious issues is at its height, we can take that pitch and rouse the so-called rabble into a frenzy of ecstatic concern for their less fortunate brothers and sisters. Awaken their bonds with Mother Earth. Encourage them to awake and sing in honor of our all being humane once again. For it was that way once. That’s what it meant to be home. And to home we will return once we are together again, aligned with one another’s souls. [Never using the word ecstasy.]

This will be like unforgettable jazz. Get ready to wing it. Arundhati Roy will have your back. No worries. [And you can hang on Howard's handsome smile and humor, like me.]

Don’t do any body counts. Do this unspeakable thing, commit this sin and the people you need will join in.

And we will win. Yes, wars will wither with winks, not words.

Ecstasy. Volume up, please.

Let’s not be satisfied with simply fighting the good fight,
Ricardo at tosca.2010@yahoo.com or impelus@gmail.com or 831-688-8038 in Aptos, California at any hour. The author promises to talk quite straight in person. He will explain in fine detail exactly what he’s talking about here. How to proceed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3AnWOub63A&feature=related This isn’t the first day of the rest of your life, it’s the last. Let your eyes roll up to the back of your head.

Special note added 5/20/10: OP-ED NEWS just notified me that they’ve posted this article… with the following added: To “spread the word” about your article, and maximize the number of readers, we suggest you click on the “Social Networking site” icons you’ll find below. And tell your friends and family to click them, too. This technique can increase the number of readers of your article by thousands, even tens of thousands. PRINCIPLE OF ECSTATIC POLITICS TO NOTE: Almost always, when people go through the steps of getting entwined (registering, etc.) with sites for the purpose of spreading the word… they do that in lieu of making one-on-one deep contact (fundamental to Ecstatic Politics). Sure, you can do both. But people don’t. They get caught up with the ongoing myth that high tech will turn the best trick, give you the best bang for your heartbeat. NO. NOT TRUE. What? How can you compare delivery to 10,000 to contact with a single individual or two? I can do that. And, Doubting Thomas, you should connect with me for elaboration on this point. I can put it to bed for you.