Discussion Questions for Chapter 2: Nomadic Power and Cultural Resistance in The Electronic Disturbance Theater

1. How is the current situation according to CAA's(Critical Art Ensemble) view different than it used to be? Whats wrong with capitalism, and what went wrong in Cuba or Russia?
The current situation has invisible, nomadic bases of power, and cannot be touched by resistance or activism. Cuba and Russia were idealistic, but actually found themselves bound down by bureaucracy.

2. Why are CAA critical of activism?
Activism is outmoded, the power bases cannot be found, resistance is useless.

3. How do they use the metaphor of water and liquid?
Water is Power, and we can either sink or swim. It is not firm, and can flow any which way.

4. Why do they talk about the military tactics of the ancient Sythean hordes?

their nomadic tendencies made them too hard to find, there was no centralized power base to subvert or destroy. The Sytheans could choose to remain invisible if they did not want to engage the enemy, and could choose their location if they did.

5. What is it "we" should be fighting?
non-stationary power bases, international norms.

6. What role can hackers play?
They could disable and remove the channels of communication.

Or they could become nomads too.

7. Do you agree that physical protest is no longer viable?
Not at all. If 100,000 people show up in the street, it will cause more of an impact than if 1,000,000 digital signatures appear in an email browser.

8. In your view should artists be activists?
I don't think artists should be activists, but activists would do well to be artists.


Speaking of nomads and art and stuff, Artnomad.