ANARCHY NO GODS
NO MASTERS SLEEVELESS
WHITE SHIRT
PUPPET MASTERS
ANARCHY
NO GODS NO MASTERS
"TITTER YE NOT"
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why do anarchists write in lower-case?
because they are anti-capitalists!!
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Donald Trump saw a little old lady struggling with two heavy bags of shopping,
“You shouldn’t be struggling with those two bags of shopping, let me help,” he said.
So he halved her pension so she could only afford one in the future.
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How do you save a drowning Nazi skinhead?
Take your foot off his head!
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What’s the difference
between a member of the EDL and a UKIP MP?
About £1,000,000 in the bank.
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No gods, no masters is an anarchist and labour slogan. Its
English origin comes from a pamphlet handed out by the
Industrial Workers of the World during the 1912 Lawrence
Textile Strike. The phrase is derived from the French slogan
" Ni dieu ni maître !" (literally 'Neither God nor master') coined
by the socialist Louis Auguste Blanqui in 1880, when he
published a journal by that name. The French phrase appears
twice in Friedrich Nietzsche's 1886 work Beyond Good and Evil . It appears first in
Section 22, in a critique of the notion that nature dictates a morality of equality before the
law. It appears again in section 202 where he identifies it with the anarchists and as
indicative of their "herd" mentality, which he is criticizing.
In 1914, Margaret Sanger launched The Woman Rebel, an eight-page
monthly newsletter which promoted contraception using the slogan "No Gods,
No Masters". Sanger insisted that every woman was the mistress of her own
body.
"Women without superstition:
"No gods – No Masters!" by Annie Laurie Gaylor
is a collection of writings by women freethinkers during the 19th and 20th
century.
Today the slogan continues to find use in anarchist politics. An anthology of
anarchist writing was collected under the title " No Gods, No Masters:
The slogan has also found use in musical cultures, largely associated with the
punk movement. But it was used in the first place in the French chanson field,
by the anarchist poet and singer-songwriter Léo Ferré who released the song
Ni Dieu ni maître on an EP in 1965. This song, metaphorically depicting the
French death penalty procedure, ends with these verses:
"This slogan that
breaks all the rules / Made for the benefit of fools / Rejecting all authority /
Unless respecting liberty / This principle of human rights / I recommend it for
your fights / We shall proclaim it to the last / No God no master!".
The slogan was also chosen as a song title by the English crust punk/heavy metal band Amebix on their EP Who's the Enemy, Swedish death metal band Arch Enemy on their album Khaos Legions., and Chicago-based hardcore band Harm's Way , who released an EP entitled 'No Gods, No Masters' in 2010. "No Gods, No Masters" is one of four possible final quests in Fallout:
New Vegas . $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
No God, No Master is a 2012 American independent crime suspense thriller
directed, written, and produced by Terry Green . The film stars David
Strathairn, Ray Wise, Sam Witwer, Edoardo Ballerini and Alessandro Mario.
No God, No Master was filmed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The story includes
references to the 1914 Ludlow Massacre as well as depictions of the Sacco
and Vanzetti trial and the 1920 Wall Street bombing.
When a series of package bombs show up on the doorsteps of prominent
politicians and businessmen in the summer of 1919, U.S. Bureau of
Investigation Agent William Flynn ( David Strathairn ) is assigned the task of
finding those responsible. He becomes immersed in an investigation that
uncovers an anarchist plot to destroy democracy. Based on true events of
the 1920s, the film sets the stage for a timely drama with resoundingly
similar parallels to the contemporary war on terrorism and the role
government plays to defeat it. The disintegration of civil liberties during times
of social unrest is nothing new in America. I set out to make a film about the
Sacco and Vanzetti saga, the anarchist movement they belonged to, and the
cause they dedicated their lives to advancing. Like all stories that need to be understood at the mythic level, this is a part of a nation's history that should inform the present era and future of the country.
Post-World War I was a volatile period in America. The fear of Communism was sweeping the nation. The government began arresting anyone they suspected of being a radical and it didn't take much to get on their list. Immigrants who had worked and lived in the United States for decades were suddenly labeled undesirables and detained without due process for several weeks, even months. U.S. Attorney General Alexander Palmer's solution to the problem was the deportation of thousands of naturalized citizens, the vast majority of whom were of Italian and Russian descent.
Events eerily similar to those of the early 20th Century have recurred too many times in our country's history. We haven't learned how to stop the cycle. Until we do, we are all at risk when our leaders suppress the freedoms of ordinary people in the name of national security.
This film is a tribute to those who have stood tall for human rights in the face of adversity.
—Terry Green
"COMPELLING… NO GOD, NO MASTER RE-CREATES ITS PERIOD MILIEU WITH A VIVID REALISM… THE FILM RELATES ITS IMPORTANT AND SADLY TOO-LITTLE-KNOWN STORY WITH SKILL AND EFFICIENCY. THE FASCINATING SUBJECT MATTER GAINS RESONANCE WITH ITS MODERN-DAY PARALLELS TO THE WAR ON TERRORISM."
- THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
Among the historical figures that are depicted in the film are:
William J. Flynn
J. Edgar Hoover
Mitchell Palmer
John D. Rockefeller
Emma Goldman
Carlo Tresca the anarchist leader who served on the Dewey
Commission to clear Leon Trotsky of the charges leveled by
Stalin Sacco and Vanzetti
Louise Berger an anarchist who plotted to kill Rockefeller
Luigi Galleani, one of Berger’s co-conspirators
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Most anarchists, past and present, are atheists.
and Their slogan is: “No god, No master.”
Crass were an English collective and punk rock band
formed in 1977 which promoted anarchism as a political
ideology, a way of life and a resistance movement. Crass
popularised the anarcho-punk movement of the punk
subculture, advocating direct action, animal rights and
environmentalism. The band used and advocated a DIY punk ethic approach to its sound collages, leaflets, albums and films.
Crass spray-painted stencilled graffiti messages in the London Underground system and on advertising billboards, coordinated squats and organised political action. The band expressed its ideals by dressing in black, military-surplus-style clothing and using a stage backdrop amalgamating icons of perceived authority such as the Christian cross, the swastika, the Union Jack and the Ouroboros .
The band was critical of punk subculture and youth culture in
general. Crass promoted an anarchism which became more
common in the punk-music scene. They are considered art
punk in their use of tape collages, graphics, spoken word
releases, poetry and improvisation.
The band was based around Dial House , an open-house
community near Epping, Essex, and formed when Dial House
founder Penny Rimbaud began jamming with Steve Ignorant
(who was staying in the house at the time). Ignorant was
inspired to form a band after seeing The Clash perform at
Colston Hall in Bristol, whilst Rimbaud, a veteran of avant
garde performance art groups such as EXIT and Ceres
Confusion, was working on his book Reality Asylum. They
produced "So What?" and "Do They Owe Us A Living?" as a
drum-and-vocal duo. They briefly called themselves Storm-
trooper before choosing Crass in reference to a line in the
David Bowie song "Ziggy Stardust" ("The kids was just crass"). Other friends and household members joined (including Gee Vaucher, Pete Wright, N. A. Palmer and Steve Herman), and Crass played their first live gig at a squatted street festival in Huntley Street, North London. They planned to play five songs, but a neighbour "pulled the plug" after three. Guitarist Steve Herman left the band soon afterwards, and was replaced by Phil Free. Joy De Vivre and Eve Libertine also joined around
this time. Other early Crass performances included a four-date tour of New York City, a festival gig in Covent Garden and regular appearances with the U.K. Subs at The White Lion, Putney and Action Space in central London. The latter performances were often poorly-attended:
"The audience consisted mostly of us when the Subs played and the Subs when we played".
CRASS SO WHAT?
Crass at the Cleatormoor Civic Hall,
UK, 3 may 1984.
Crass played two gigs at the Roxy Club in Covent Garden, London. According to Rimbaud, the band arrived drunk at the second show and were ejected from the stage; this inspired their song, "Banned from the Roxy", and Rimbaud's essay for Crass' self-published magazine International Anthem, "Crass at the Roxy". After the incident the band took themselves more seriously, avoiding alcohol and cannabis before shows and wearing black, military surplus-style clothing on and offstage.
They introduced their stage backdrop, a logo designed by
Rimbaud's friend Dave King. This gave the band a militaristic
image, which led to accusations of fascism. Crass countered
that their uniform appearance was intended to be a statement
against the " cult of personality ", so (in contrast to many rock
bands) no member would be identified as the "leader".
Conceived and intended as cover artwork for a self-published
pamphlet version of Rimbaud's Christ's Reality Asylum, the
Crass logo was an amalgam of several "icons of authority"
including the Christian cross, the swastika, the Union Jack and
a two-headed Ouroboros (symbolising the idea that power will
eventually destroy itself). Using such deliberately-mixed
messages was part of Crass' strategy of presenting themselves
as a "barrage of contradictions", challenging audiences to
(in Rimbaud's words) "make your own fucking minds up". This
included using loud, aggressive music to promote a pacifist
message, a reference to their Dadaist, performance-art
backgrounds and situationist ideas . The band eschewed
elaborate stage lighting during live sets, preferring to play under
40-watt household light bulbs; the technical difficulties of filming under such lighting conditions partly explains why there is little live footage of Crass. They pioneered multimedia presentation, using video technology (back-projected films and video collages by Mick Duffield and Gee Vaucher) to enhance their performances, and also distributed leaflets and handouts explaining anarchist ideas to their audiences. Crass' first release was The Feeding of the 5000 (an 18-track, 12" 45 rpm EP on the Small Wonder label) in 1978. Workers at the record-pressing plant refused to handle it due to the allegedly-blasphemous content of the song "Asylum", and the record was released without it. In its place were two minutes of silence, entitled "The Sound Of Free Speech". This incident prompted Crass to set up their own independent record label, Crass Records, to prevent Small Wonder from being placed in a compromising position and to retain editorial control over their material.
A re-recorded, extended version of "Asylum", renamed " Reality Asylum ", was shortly afterwards released on Crass Records as a 7" single and Crass were investigated by the police due to the song's lyrics. The band were interviewed at their Dial House home by Scotland Yard's vice squad, and threatened with prosecution; however, the case was dropped. "Reality Asylum" retailed at 45p (when most other singles cost about 90p), and was the first example of Crass' "pay no more than..." policy:
issuing records as inexpensively as possible. The band failed to factor value added tax into their expenses, causing them to lose money on every copy sold. A year later Crass Records released new pressings of "The Feeding of the 5000" (subtitled "The Second Sitting"), restoring the original version of "Asylum".
CLASS WAR
THE BEST CUT OF ALL
In 1983 and 1984, Crass were part of the Stop the City actions co- ordinated London Greenpeace which foreshadowed the anti- globalisation rallies of the early 21st century. Support for these activities was provided in the lyrics and sleeve notes of the band's last single, "You're Already Dead", expressing doubts about their commitment to non-violence. It was also a reflection of disagreements within the group, as explained by Rimbaud; "Half the band supported the pacifist line and half supported direct and if necessary violent action. It was a confusing time for us, and I think a lot of our records show that, inadvertently".
This led to introspection within the band, with some members becoming embittered and losing sight of their essentially-positive stance.
Reflecting this debate, the next release under the Crass name was Acts of Love:
classical-music settings of 50 poems by Penny Rimbaud, described as "songs to my other self" and intended to celebrate "the profound sense of unity, peace and love that exists within that other self".
Another Crass hoax was known as the " Thatchergate tapes ", a recording of an apparently accidentally-overheard telephone conversation (due to crossed lines). The tape was constructed by Crass from edited recordings of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. On the 'rather clumsily' forged tape, they appear to discuss the sinking of the HMS Sheffield during the Falklands War and agree that Europe would be a target for nuclear weapons in a conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Copies were leaked to the press via a Dutch news agency during the 1983 general election campaign. The U.S. State Department and British Government believed the tape to be propaganda produced by the KGB (as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle and The Sunday Times). Although the tape was produced anonymously, The Observer linked the tape with the band. Previously classified government documents made public in January 2014 under the UK's 'Thirty Year Rule' reveal that the prime minister was personally aware of the tape and had discussed it with her cabinet.
Crass had become a thorn in the side of Margaret Thatcher's government after the Falklands War. Questions about the band in Parliament and an attempted prosecution by Conservative Party MP Timothy Eggar under the UK's Obscene Publications Act for their single, "How Does It Feel...", made them question their purpose:
We found ourselves in a strange and frightening arena. We had wanted to make our views public, had wanted to share them with like minded people, but now those views were being analysed by those dark shadows who inhabited the corridors of power (…) We had gained a form of political power, found a voice, were being treated with a slightly awed respect, but was that really what we wanted? Was that what
we had set out to achieve all those years ago?
The band had also incurred heavy legal expenses for the 1981 Penis Envy prosecution; this, combined with exhaustion and the pressures of living and operating together, finally took its toll. On 7 July 1984 the band played a benefit gig at Aberdare, Wales for striking miners, and on the return trip guitarist N. A. Palmer announced that he intended to leave the group. This confirmed Crass's previous intention to quit in 1984, and the band split up.
In November 2002 several former members arranged Your Country Needs You, a concert of "voices in opposition to war", as the Crass Collective. At Queen Elizabeth Hall on London's South Bank, Your Country Needs You included Benjamin Britten's War Requiem and performances by Goldblade, Fun-Da-Mental, Ian MacKaye and Pete Wright's post-Crass project, Judas 2. In October 2003 the Crass Collective changed their name to Crass Agenda, with Rimbaud, Libertine and Vaucher working with Matt Black of Coldcut and jazz musicians such as Julian Siegel and Kate Shortt. In 2004 Crass Agenda spearheaded a campaign to save the Vortex Jazz Club in Stoke Newington, north London (where they regularly played). In June 2005 Crass Agenda was declared to be "no more", changing its name to the "more pertinent" Last Amendment . After a five-year hiatus, Last Amendment performed at the Vortex in June 2012. Rimbaud has also performed and recorded with Japanther and the Charlatans. A "new" Crass track (a remix of 1982's "Major General Despair" with new lyrics), "The Unelected President", is available.
Anarchy is the state of a society being freely constituted without authorities or a governing body.
The material on this site does not necessarily reflect the views of What If? Tees.
The Images and Text are not meant to offend but to Promote Positive Open Debate and Free Speech.
The material on this site does not reflect the views of What If? Tees.
The Images and Text are not meant to offend but to Promote Positive Open Debate and Free Speech.