Fifth Estate Collective

Corrections

1988

Although we’ve gotten an excellent response from last issue’s article, “Industrial Domestication” [FE #329, Summer, 1988] which originally appeared in the French magazine Os Cangaceiros, we were informed by the translators that we had inadvertently typeset it from a working, rather than final, version.

We have already received inquiries about reprinting it, so we ask that you contact us for the final draft as prepared by the translators if you plan to do so.

They asked that two important corrections be made:

Page 7, in the paragraph directly above the graphic:

“But if the poor in revolt had always previously seen themselves negatively and had identified their enemies’ class...”

And, in the final paragraph of the article on Page 7:

“...the classical labor movement has definitively integrated itself into civil society...”

Our apologies to the author and translators for the mistake, but fortunately for us and the readers, one of the latter — wrote that although she was “disappointed,” they “were satisfied with our second-from-the last-draft...”

Last issue’s cover photo was taken by Rebecca Cook and shows demonstrators atop a monument in Toronto across from the U.S. consulate protesting the July 3 U.S. downing of an Iranian airliner.

As we mentioned in our account of the 1988 Anarchist Gathering, the monument was to the Canadians who died during the 1899–1902 English/Boer War in South Africa.

Nowhere is the disease of patriotism better illustrated than in this slab of concrete—mute testimony to the nation state’s obscene power to convince otherwise peaceful men to give up their daily pursuits, travel 10,000 miles to another continent to kill and die for the glory of empire. Nowhere, one supposes, except perhaps at the Vietnam war memorial in Washington DC.

The no- or anti-copyright policy of this and many other anti-authoritarian publications is based on the concept that our ideas, graphics, etc. are to be shared in the tradition of mutual aid. We also realize a copyright declares the above to be our private property and will be protected by the state in the same manner as any other capitalist property. In that regard, it has always seemed inappropriate for those who profess a desire to abolish the state to invoke its protection in an area totally unnecessary to begin with.

We are always pleased when people reprint our articles and graphics and although we don’t demand it, we like it when credit is given as do others who generously share their work. That all said, we have been guilty, through neglect, of not crediting the fine art work of Cliff Harper and Attack International for the poster back pages of “I didn’t go to work today” and “Life Can Be Magic” which appeared in the Spring 1987 and Summer 1987 FEs respectively.

This oversight was due to the fact that we separated the posters from the original letter and we hoped, upon printing, those responsible for such popular posters would contact us. Well, they have, and Attack International may be reached at BM 6577, London WC1 N 3XX, England, where the group publishes an amazing array of newspapers (including Attack ), comics, posters (including the ones we reprinted) and broadsides. Attack is currently planning a cartoon book called Breaking Free featuring the struggles of Tintin and his pals against capitalism with a press run of 8000 and an $8000 printing tab. They are interested in advance orders to help them offset the costs at $4.00 per copy. Drop them a line with a few bucks for a sample of their materials.

As usual, a special thanks to our Sustainers, others who have made contributions, new and renewal subscribers, and to all of those who have sent us their publications.


Fifth Estate #330, Winter, 1988–89