mary. tuesday, january 28, 2003 9:55 AM

what are these words of strength without context? is it a salutation? may there be peace? may you have peace? may there be peace on earth? peace, and what aspect? and where? is it of significance to you?

what about dissent in the avant garde? dissent for the new? would you like to be peaceful to george w. bush? the murderer of your child? peace as in justice? peace as in a soft lovey feeling with doves? peace as an aesthetic ideal for society? or are you appropriating the lingo of the leftist activist subculture? the significance of the statement decreases when a) it is carelessly overused or b) thoughtlessly overused...

refute me.

jon. Tuesday, January 28, 2003 10:12 PM

i dont need to refute you, i got it from the source. we talked about the word "peace" as a goodbye the other nite at fumari's. so, me and babbs once had this conversation about parting words. about the "we'll talk soon, call u later, email me," that kind of stuff. and how empty it was. And he had an issue with how it was just a socially accepted means of getting from with you to without you. "talk to you soon" means nothing really. neither does "email me." both are ways to part without feeling like you are actually leaving.

the intent behind those statements are true, not to say that they're not, but in reality, saying goodbye without actually saying goodbye is the same thing. So thus, when he uses "peace," it is meant as an alternative to all that. he wishes peace for the next hour, peace until the next time he sees you, peace for your personal space. not to say that it doesn't also represent peace on earth and all that assorted BS but i believe it is used in a more personal manner. as in, "may peace be with you while we are away." shortened to "peace." also, there is a hip hop element to it. using "peace." or "one." (As in one love). the struggle to bring all peoples together is something hip hop is about and so peace and one are both accepted outtros.

peace can also mean, "i'm out of it, i dont want to see you no more, we have no beef, you are not a part of me. but that is usually, "peace, I'm done." Or"peace, I'm out."

either way, i dont think the murderer of my child would be getting "peace." altho George bush would be up for debate.

there is definitely some mis appropriating of the leftist activisit subculture, but since i am stealing from any and all cultures, i prefer to think of it as the hip hop culture. see, it is not thoughtless. There is thought behind it. just not much personal personal conviction. gimme a few months and perhaps i'll revert back to the more californian "lates." would that be better?

mary. wednesday, January 29, 2003 10:36 AM

i never thought that the term was thoughtless, i just wanted to hear it from you. i wanted you to be thoughtful about it personally... and i'm really glad that you took it to heart and then wrote to me about it.

i am writing my thesis right now (i think) on the fluidity of cultures within these postcolonial societies and spaces... part of the beauty of the system is the appropriation (not used negatively in this context) of anything that one deems worthy or beautiful. i jest at white people who wear dreads, or asians that take up hiphop subcultures traditionally belonging to black culture, or every race who tattoos japanese, chinese, or middle eastern script on their bodies. i also have best friends who do all of the above. i am critical, not of the action itself, but of the thoughtlessness that comes with these appropriations. part of the richness of "sharing" is understanding... and too often, people take without understanding.

i am not at all disapproving of using "peace" as an exiting remark... i just wanted there to be awareness of the power and strength of the word. i am a true believer of the idea that semiotics can alter consciousness. if the term is used flightingly and superficially, than the entire movement and people, the actual manifestations (and you know how complicated this is) of the word would be rendered vacuous.. And yet, when used carefully and thoughtfully, its prevalence in every day social exchanges is infinitely valuable.

let's say, someone else were to ask you the same thing... it would have been a great opportunity to enlighten... by relaying the meaning and the intent of the word the way you did in your email, you have succeeded in forwarding all of those great things that you enumerated... and yet, verbal ignorance of this action shows a great disregard that can be very damaging...."peace" then becomes lip service of the ignorant- a trendy pipe dream of the young and stupid. frighteningly enough, that is the view of the majority of the world (or atleast the whitehouse)...

i hounded you on the topic because when i asked you in quick passing, you could not produce an answer... this was not acceptable because i know you are capable of an answer... i just needed to hear it...

peace,
mary