Abbie Hoffman is one of the leaders of the American Yippie movement that was at the centre of last summer's Chicago confrontation.
His political autobiography "Revolution for the Hell of it" is a brilliant, funny, racy kaleidascope of ideas in the best American "Fuck you" tradition. Unfortunately it hasn't been published here yet. When it is, look out for a totally unMarxist but very stimulating piece of writing.
Hoffman believes in communicating images rather than words. He believes in the creation of myths that people can relate to"*.
He thinks that people will in a movement that offers them total political experences rather than one that offers them logical argument and rhetoric. Here, in a slightly abridged version, is Hoffman's guide to political meetings.
MEETINGS ARE MEETINGS ARE NOT Shhhh!
LISTEN TO eye movements LISTEN TO scratching LISTEN TO your head LISTEN TO smells LISTEN TO singing LISTEN TO touches LISTEN TO silence LISTEN TO gestalt vibrations LISTEN TO a baby born in the sea LISTEN TO the writing on the wall surrender to the meeting.... the meeting is the message All meetings are the same same same same same same same same same same same same same same same same same same same same - DIFFERENT meetings are rivers DON'T GO BACK THERE VIAS NO LAST MEETING DON'T GO FORWARD - THERE IS NOTHING meetings are Now you are the meeting we are Now WITHOUT MEETINGS THERE IS NO COMMUNITY Go naked to meetinas want to be involved INFORMATION MEDITATION EXPERIENCE FUN TRUST REHEARSALS DRAMA HORSESHIT PUTTING PEOPLE DOWN LISTEN AT MEETINGS Shhhhhh! meetings are life MEETINGS ARE CONFRONTATION MEETINGS ARE RELAXATION don't build dams BEWARE OF STRUCTURE FREAKS BEWARE OF RULES BEWARE OF "AT THE LAST MEETING WE DECIDED.."
COMMUNITY IS UNITY RAPE IDEAS NOT PEOPLE MAKE LOVE AT ALL MEETINGS On April 25 the ICA held a panel discussion with Juliet Michel and Francis Huxley in conjuncture photographs on Women. The audiener of ut with its exhibit 100 wandered through the exhibit before the talk and took nate of a number of pictures which were picked out by Julier Mitchel During this time the Women's Liberaticn Group in London handed out leaflets which attacked the premise of a photographic exhibit on warten as isolated creatures in sociely. The leaflet asked for an end to the mystification of women and set forth a series of demands fur the self determination of women Juliet Mitchel started the panel discussion by saying that art was never an index of the true social position of women because art is never a full interpreter of social reality. Putting a group of photographs together did not answer the question "what is woman?' although the mystification of them. Women are and always pictures did correctly reflect the present have been subject to specific social conditiong in different countries, classes and ages. Mitche then quickly wert through the contents of the exhibition. She was critical of the ahsence of women in industrial work situations and also of the lack of working class women. She pointed considered beautiful by western middle class working class women are stardards. There were also no pictures depicting sexuality as such for women Francis Huxley began by speaking of women as the locus for the symbolic function in man. Mer are interested in seeing the world through speaking, the primihal chaos has always been body. and anthropologically thought of as woman. Reality is frightening to man, and he has always attempled to remove it from himself by seeing it through Women are "stuck in men's heads". Men are fetishists and women are their fetishes.
A number of poople in the audience grow angry and resentful at Huxley's charming theoretical, ultimately mystifyign bullshit and pointed and loud interfections wer made. The discussion, it somed, was going tu Black Dwarf Poster Offer 1. Hendrix 30" × 20", bk. & wht 7/6 2. Marx. 30" × 20" bk & wht 6/10 (Lenin & Ho also available 3. Eat 25" x 20" Yellow, bk & wht, 7/6 Send cheques, postal orders to Black Dwarf Poster Offer. Include 2/6 post/packing charge per order. Please indicate by name & number the poster you want. All posters shipped in strong cardboard tubes.
SMASH one which salisfy only those men (and women)
who prefer to view women from a mainly psychological, magical premise. Three women and one man made an angry exit from the auditorium, claiming that the speakers were unwilling to get to gops with the subject in any serious or honest way. The rest of the audience stayed and a general discusion began. A short lime later the remaining women's liberation members had defaced a number of the pictures group were quietly infonned that one of their in the oxhibil with anti "feminine mystique anci capitalist stickers and the police had been calied. A few women left to happening and what should be done. so what Wa Michacl asked to announce what had happened to the Kustow, the moderator. was informed and audience. who, it was hoped. would come te the foyer. Defacing the photographs by Hilary Rawlings had come out of a strong disgust and frustration at the level of talk in the auditorium and as a specific attack on the ongoing exhibit However, only a few people left the discussion The rest were embarrased or perhaps even un-understandshe behin threatened such anti-social audience did not sympathise with the Women's Some of the Liberation Group's position that women must define their own roles. and a few women did a01 recognize that any basic change necessary or even right.
The police pathered in the fover and were about to take Hilary Rawlings to the station. But Michae! Kustow, playing our his role as hip director of a progressive establishment. what he had to do and seat them away die confrontation resulting from an aggressive act against the exhibit was averted. and the people in the foyer re-entered the anditorium where the discussion continued. It was not until the discussed and then only superficially. However end of the evening that Rawling's act was one man ended the evening with a militant and strongly worded support of women's liberation by saying that many people did not understand how revolutionary Freeing their minds and bodies would he. He the very act of women explamed that only in the process of womer liberating liberated and that the ensuing revolutionary themselves coule men be truly possibilites would be staggering.
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