gave it the old razzle dazzle

deadmiami.md

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 ## i. Into the Machine
 
-In a spectacular society, images not only have the power to subjagate but to inspire and change. Things diffused in the media can either help people delve
-futher in infantile fantasies, or awaken them to the truths of a world working against them. After all Debord's classic is distributed in print. The dual nature of 
-media, as both subjagation and liberation is reflected well in the Cyberpunk movement. Though many would hesitate to call it movement, there's no doubt that it
-created an extremely accurate description of the world we live(d) in. Its motto: High Tech Low life, is the centerpiece of the movement and its main take on capita-
-lism. Cyberpunk focuses on the juxtaposition of seemingly god-like technology and the subjagation of an alienated and mechanized lower caste. These ideas were given
-life with Gibson and given a true foothold in the spectacle  with movies such as Bladerunner. With the introduciton of latter, Cyberpunk and its ideas had
-been diffused into our collective unconscious. Between facial recognition towers and an elaborate, global surveillance system, no one could really deny we live(d) in a 
-cyberpunk world. Its not uncommon to see a person who can barely afford to feed themselves, clutching a supercomputer.
+A common misconception of Debord's idea of the spectacle is that images are evil. Absolute statements like that really only belong in marxist ideology and dont really
+do much for me or what I plan on saying. Images are tools and since their signifigance probably disappear it seems prudent for us flag waving radicals to use them. The
+same power of image that can push a person to buy a truckload of shit they dont could also be used to make them behead a politician. This delicate dance of iconography
+is, in this anarchist's humble opinion, best reflected in the Cyberpunk movement. Ignoring the fact that a horde of fuarking people are cringing at my use of the word
+"movement", Cyberpunk has what many consider to a pretty damn good true-to-life take on the present and near future. Its motto: High Tech Low life, can be seen in massive
+catalog of media its inspired. When this motto is expanded, one can see that Cyberpunk orbits around juxtaposition of seemingly god-like technology and its effect on
+the people who are controlled and atomized by it. Stop me if that sounded familiar. That idea was cemented in the Cyberpunk canon by Gibson's Neuromancer and brought to 
+life through incel blockbusters like Bladerunner. As we all know, once something is a collection of popular images it almost certain that it'll be another shitstain on
+our collective unconscious. There was no denying it, we had jacked in to the cyberverse.
 
 ## ii. Cyberpunk as Truth, not Gospel
 
-What happened after our entrance into the cyberpunk world was not surprising. While intially the Cyberpunk movement had a decent insurrectionary current, it 
-didn't take long for the domestication to seep into what was once a angry punk movement. For many, Cyberpunk was the mirror held up to society,a cautionary tale of
-would happen if humans became lesser than technology. The threat of of malicious technocracy was enough to inspire a wave of unix gray-breads and nerds of all breeds 
-to create defensive software. There was an idea to take back the tools used for opression, to not only fight back, but to liberate ourselves(sometimes from the perceived
-burden of our own biology). Many beautiful pieces of software were made with cyberpunk ideas in mind. The honeymoon period of Cyberpunk is remembered fondly by many
-20 and 30 somethings and is reflected in scattered websites[1] and modern hacker culture[2]. This is were it gets sad. As is always the case in spectacular societies,
-the image surpassed that which was real. The tech infused noir was initially used as a vehicle for cyberpunk's critique on capitalism or simply as a paintjob for a
-what was essentially a digital punk movement. Critiques in Cyberpunk media were incredibly sobering and the anger at a world that put techonology over humans
-was channeled into action. But as all things do Cyberpunk began to fade. And the spectacle, which perhaps recognized the threat of such ideas used its best tool to
-neutralize them: Commodification. Cyberpunk had become what it was destined to be, a theme used in elaborate fantasy worlds. Instead of the cold shower that jolted you to
-sharp awareness from a warm sleep, it was the long shower that mimicked human contact during a depression. Cyberpunk became escapism. And the cyberpunk elements that
-exist in the real world, only served to help further immerse people into their fantasies. Modern interpretations of the movement consider it one of the "comfy" flavors
-in a world lacking in taste. Long videos on the internet serve as an altar to the aesthetic's new form, a blanket of hazy purple nostalgia in a world that tries its best
-to erode the soul's of its inhabitants.[3]The statement, "Cyberpunk is dead" had finally become true.
+What happened after that really wasn't surprising. At first the movement arugably had a significant insurrectionary streak. Meaning that the well-dressed spirit of 
+domestication wasn't far behind. This really sucked for Cyberpunk as for them and many others, Cyberpunk was the mirror held up to society,a cautionary tale of
+would happen if humans became lesser than technology. The threat of of malicious technocracy inspired a wave of unix gray-breads and nerds of all breeds 
+to create a tech-based revolution. For a second, we were Prometheus. We snatched our silicon flame and would defend a freedom at any cost. Or at least thats how the story
+went. Cyberpunk's influence wasnt just fluff, all lot of good folks got some real shit done. To this day most of our tech to resist oppression is cyberpunk in origin.
+From OpenBSD, 3D printing and the modern free software movement its clear to many that the movement had said what it wanted and left its cultural imprint as a bonus.
+The golden age period of Cyberpunk is remembered fondly by many 20 and 30 somethings and is reflected in scattered websites[1] and modern hacker culture[2]. The tech
+infused noir was initially used as a vehicle for cyberpunk's critique on capitalism was cleary being repurposed. And the critiques in Cyberpunk media had been integrated
+into the culture.This much was clear, the spectacle, which perhaps recognized the threat of such ideas used its best tool to neutralize cyberpunk action: Commodification.
+In the end Cyberpunk had become what it was always destined be, a theme used in elaborate fantasy worlds. Instead of the cold shower that shocks a weary mind to clarity,
+its now the hour long depression shower you take after your husband leaves you. Cyberpunk became escapism. Cyberpunk became nostalgia-bait. And while the vitality of the
+movement had been stolen. A genuine, honest to gaia, Cyberpunk world could be seen spreading like cancer from our cities. The near future is now the present. And instead
+of being met with an anger that this was let happen, people ooo and awe that their fantasies are now real. In its geriatric state the movement is source of comfort for
+people. Just another way to run from the cold an alienating world bordering their warm, outrun themed bubble. Music videos on the internet serve as a testament to this
+to the aesthetic's new form, a blanket of hazy purple nostalgia in a world that tries its best to erode the souls of its inhabitants.[3]
+The statement, "Cyberpunk is dead" had finally become true.
 
 ## iii. Rebirth 
 
-A ketamine infused cyber-stupor was now the mainstream. Fortunately, this state has been interupted by collapse. Collapse has only changed the aesthetic 
-landscape due to its presence becoming impossible to ignore and its migration to the forefront of the average North American's perception basically changed everything. There's no doubt that a gut wrenching
-panic and fear has become the background radiation. Eventually most of us became used to it. Nowadays making bad jokes about such things is commonplace. In one way or
-another it's clear to most people that the world is ending in some form. This sentiment was enough to bring in the next "big" player: Solarpunk. For those closer to
-forefront of culture(leftists,anarchists,social ecologists etc) solarpunk was the sunrise at the end of hundred year storm. While the narrative of Cyberpunk was
-resisting in a world where tech is used for domination(something that was incredibly dystopian);solarpunk dared to make a different claim. Solarpunk stated that
-in the near future, or even today, we are starting to build the bedrock of a world were nature and man are one. A world we're we have learned our lesson and work to
-build a sustainable society(hence the "solar" as solar energy is usually involved in this vision). Some really bold statements are being made, and the most notable
-thing here is the shift from a dystopian to utopian worldview. The transition from hopeless to hopeful is the cornerstone of the movment[4].
-For solarpunks the train of thought goes something like this: "If the cyberpunk aesthetic actualized a world of cyberpunk, than utopia can be brought through an aesthetic of utopia!".
-This sentiment is only half right and the misunderstanding of what made Cyberpunk work, resulted in solarpunk dying in its infancy. Whats important to note is that the world cyberpunk made wasn't
-far from what was their. The machine-heavy noir it envisioned wasnt in the far off future, it essentially already had its foot in the present. Furthermore, the
-action it inspired worked within this imagined world and said world has increasingly indistinguishable from reality. Solarpunk was pushed by eager lefist and
-post-leftists in a desperate attempt to bring the world they wanted, while ignoring the world thats in front of them. There's only one thing that the solarpunks got
-right and that is collapse cannot be stopped. Solarpunk exists now as a flavoring for green capitalism. The Solarpunks couldn't even be called a group and those
-who claim that title are content to see the capitalist machine adapt to global warming. Just another sport to spectate.
+A ketamine infused cyber-stupor is now the mainstream. The massive corporations in our media and in our news cycles won. Every device is a camera. Every innovation a 
+farce and the march of false progress is cheered on by the neighborhood cyborg. Our Decker lost, but then again he never really was supposed to win anything. Better if 
+we just fucking die right? But before this train of thought was finished a new enemy entered the ring. A multi-ecosystem destroying enemy. A superstorm creating enemy.
+A biodiversity nuking enemy. Our boy and my nigga, Collapse. Succeding where millions of anarchists failed, Collapse had finally made the powers that be terrified. But instead
+of rejoicing our new genocidal comrade, a clan of ape-ish non-misanthropic beasts got to work on the sequel to cyberpunk. Known by close to no one, they call themselves
+the solarpunks. For the Solarpunks there's a desire to weave a new tale. One that could bring their bookchinite wet dream into fruition using very heavy
+christian undertones. The prophecy goes something like this: "The collapse is the Earth mother paying for the sins of man! A great destructive power will wipe the slate
+clean! The sky will choke and the ocean will engulf man's hubris en masse! But hark! A new world shall arise. One where man has paid his dues and can live in peace with
+his creator! Stop me if this sounds familiar. Solarpunk is a painfully ungraceful and unsuccessful attempt to transition people from a headspace of dystopia to utopia[4].
+Solarpunks are aware of the power of image centered culture narratives and after seeing the success of the technique in the cyberpunk movement tried get some of that
+magick. But it failed. This failure isnt surprising as instead of describing the world through a story using current trends it asserted its humanist "City on a Hill"
+image on a reality that bucked it off. Any action that was solarpunk could be seen as futile as it didn't factor in our reality. The narrative of utopia after the
+apocalypse resulted in the solarpunk movement dying in its
+infancy. Fantasies of lush forests mixed with cities will stay just that. At least until green capitalism goes through the rubbish bin for some fancy coats.
 
 ## iv. Answers
 
-A good aesthetic movement accomplishes one of two things. One, it recognizes the current state of the world and two, builds a story around that state that
-inspires action. So whats the state of the world? Well there is none. Collapse is quite the shakeup but its no guarantee the empires are going to die. Some areas
-are in the neolithic and some are in 2078. With the power of mass media we dont see one story. We see many. Collapse is a trend that will effect all the regions of
-the world in distinct ways. For some its the end of their world, for others it'll be something short of utopia. All that can be said is that things are definitely
-gonna change. Some of these ideas are reflected in Desert by Anonymous[5]. Desert released a familiar energy into the aesthetic landscape. A weaponized hopelessness.
-That same energy behind all fiery movements, starting with the acceptance that things cant be changed and ending with the notion that we can change how we act. What
-ever is coming next is building on this skeleton of hopelessness. The same skeleton that started great aesthetic movements before. What it looks like and what it
-is, has yet to be seen.
+A good aesthetic movement accomplishes one of two things. One, it recognizes the current state of the world and two, builds a story around that state to inspire action,
+critique or both. So in my efforts to forecast or create the next one, this question needs to be answered first: Whats the state of the world? Well, states of the world
+would be more accurate. Massive cyberpunk cities are shoulder to shoulder with almost neolithic era societies. All sorts of regions are at different places and with the
+advent of Collapse this diversification is only growing. Rather than being the fall of everthing, Collapse is more of a good old-fashioned shake 'em up. There's no
+guarantee the empires are going to die, just as there's no guarantee they're going to live.  All that can be said for certain is that things are definitely
+gonna change. Some of these ideas are reflected in Desert by Anonymous[5]. That book released a familiar energy into the aesthetic landscape. A weaponized hopelessness.
+That same energy behind all fiery movements, starting with the acceptance that the trends of this world cant be controlled and ending with the notion that we can only
+change what we personally do. Whatever is coming next is building on this skeleton of hopelessness. The same skeleton that started great aesthetic movements before. What
+anarchist, nihilists and radicals of all breeds do next will shape what it is. Hopefully it'll be a while before its only alive through t-shirts.
 
 ### Sources
 - [1] https://lainchan.org/ https://substack.net/