62 lines
3.2 KiB
Plaintext
62 lines
3.2 KiB
Plaintext
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from the spring 1993, vol. 28, no.1 issue of fifth estate:
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EMMA GOLDMAN FOR SALE
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everyone has long known that nothing is sacred in the modern era so only a few
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are shocked when everything is marketed. currently, a mini-debate is raging
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over the propriety of selling a large range of products bearing an "X" on them
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with the advent of the release of "Malcolm X," Spike Lee's cinematic depiction
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of the slain black leader's life.
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it is ironic that the symbol taken by members of the nation of islam to their
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"slave name" and widely publicized by a man reviled by white society and parts
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of the black community as well, now appears on everything from baseball caps to
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potato chip bags. Betty Shabazz, Malcom's widow, even has a lawyer tracking
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down those who use the trademark "x" without compensating her and director Lee
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who hold copyrights on the mark.
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can you copyright a letter or a roman numeral? that's a question for their
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attorneys and the potato chip processo4rs.
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in a smaller version of the same hustle, Candace Falk, curator of the Emma
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Goldman Papers collection in Berkeley, CA, offers "Emmarabilia" for those who
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view the radical anarchist as merely an "interesting rebel or feminist." not
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content with cornering the market on goldman's papers, falk will sell you
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coffee mugs bearing emma's face as well as posters and buttons adorned with her
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militant (but never anarchist) statements.
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falk recently has been asked by a consortium of 28 los angeles high schools to
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develop a "goldman curriculum" to "show how goldman maintained a vision of hope
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while expressing the alienation of a marginal member of society." couldn't you
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puke? the invitation came following the LA riots, but falk will undoubtedly
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hide goldman's anarchy as she usually does and ignore her support for such
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events as alexander berkman's armed attack on the industrialist frick and leon
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czolgosz' assassination of mckinley.
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LA kids, like any others, would greatly benefit from exposure to goldman's life
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and anarchist writings, however it wouldn't be to any school principal's
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likeing nor would falk be able to pick up her consulting fees if she was to
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present the "real" emma. what would have been goldman's opinion of the recent
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LA riots?
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one of her quotes suggest the answer: "ask for work. if they won't give it to
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you, ask for bread. if they deny you that, take it!" we've always thought the
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equation would be best practiced in a reversed form, but a domesticated emma,
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now in service the state, is unrecognizable to us.
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if you want to see the hideous emma-rabilia catalog or just tell candace what
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you think of her efforts, the address is: the emma goldman papers, uc berkely,
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2372 ellsworth, berkeley ca 94720.
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fifth estate is a co-operative project, published by a group of friends who are
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in general, but not necessarily complete agreement with the articles they
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print. each segment of the paper represents the collective effort of writing,
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typesetting, lay-out and proofreading.
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the fifth estate newspaper is published quarterly at 4632 second ave., detroit,
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michigan 48201 usa; phone (313) 831-6800. office hours vary, so please call
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before visiting. subscriptions are $6.00 a year; $8.00 foreign including
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canada.
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