Re: <nettime> Re: Smash the Surface / Break Open the Box / Disrupt the Code

[Eric Kluitenberg <epk@xs4all.nl>]

Dear friends, and patrice in particular,

I do not think that nettime is the appropriate forum to be discussing
domestic feuds of such a *local* nature!
really!!

As for reality, I pride myself to live in that on a very much day by day
basis, since for many years I have been organising events in *reality*,
arranging physical meetings, just *because* I consider a continuous
interaction between discourse, mediated by whatever medium, mailing list,
print publication, or analogue electronics, or for that matter public
spaces, and actual physical reality of prime importance for the development
of the discourse about the cultural and social/political impact of digital
networking.

I am not sure if the disruption of symbolic codes in a digital media
environment and the breaking of procelain over a piece of bread worth less
than 75 dollarcents can be properly equated. As for the distinction between
symbolic and real violence there is no dispute.

And as I wrote to Mr. Riemens, I welcome him to press charges against the
person in question and do not endorse this behaviour in any way (nor the
breaking of procelain for that matter).

Perhaps the interesting bit here is the broderline between symbolic and
actual violence, and I would even agree with patrice here that we have not
found proper modi to deal with that borderline and the moment when symbolic
violence transforms into actual violence, and more importantly, if we can
develop methods to contain that treshhold violence. This would in the end
be a prime aim of the civilisation of the digital domain in my view.

I am not sure if this was actually the discussion hinted at, but it throws
up some interesting and important questions.

regards,
eric

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