Old dilemmas

Alba Iulia, Romania

Part a:

Old Dilemmas Festival

http://festival.dilemaveche.ro/

Part b:

What is a philosophy festival supposed to feel like, first of all? For the invitation to briefly integrate, or interrogate, with creative productions of political (conscious) intellectuals seemed, from the beginning, like a staged satire being tickled by the spectator's seat. It is an uneasy feeling, to realize that those at this festival who 'represent' the interests of the State (/conflate higher consciousness with their I) use the politcal agenda to 'inform' consciousness on the ground (See Part d:European Identity Panel' story below). The puppeteers of politics pull the strings to effectively silence those spectators/stage-goers who speak on behalf of themselves, as humans, conscious of living with ethics, ecology and each other on Earth in this lifetime. The faux and the f'real (/for reel) breed media-mixtures of myths, of the past and future from the present - but who really knows what the fuck they are talking about? Let alone me -  I don't speak Romanian. So it felt a little bit alienating, navigating. 

Part c:

A castle in construction is a million dollar memory project.

 

Part d:

Three political journalists from Romania, plus one Belgian of political affairs, presented a panel on the so-called subject of 'European Identity.' All seemed to speak from up-high-in-the-clouds, sitting upon social positions of political power quite unlike the down-on-the-ground limits of livelihood experienced by the average audience participant. Except her... Since I did not understand Romanian, the only speech I could follow was that of the EU-affiliated, French-speaking Belge fellow, who, educated at Erasmus, espouted the liberal humanist ideology of the elite idiots. 

Let me tell ya'll: Bullshit is usually hidden behind the veil's vision, unless uttered in stages where spectators expect coherent communication, somehow. "How can you speak as a European, sir? What is that? If you are European, what can you tell the corporations that want to privatize water and mountains for capital profit? Are you part of this project, Madame and Monsieurs Europeans?" A girl from the lecture hall seat asked. 

      FYI: Europe is a concept. European is an identity with a concept. Both operate a geopolitical logic of ontological existence, as if 'Europe' existed beyond topo/holographic landscape in this here teleos and 'European' could map-mark those in-or-not-in, codifying the conditions of connected consciousness & imagination. Hell, well, we are all floating on clouds called bedrock and sand. This Earth is one and human history is no more than the same narrative of diversity's division. Cybernetics prove borders make more borders. Halt the hit click; thinking the thought wroughts notions of naming and categorizing - in other words, in other ways, recognize representations of difference as a reification of the real, brought to you by radio and media moving image.  

Alas, a moment of detournement manifested: "Hello, my name is Mihai ____, from the Village of Salasu de Sus near Retazat Mountains, and I would like to call you all fools." Not only did he publicly speak his mind from his position in time-space, but he called the fella from Brussels a 'Small Cabbage Head' or 'Brussel Sprout' i.e. An Idiot. 

Part-e: