Transmissions

Radical America’s Homeboy: Mickey Z

Mickey Z

I manage a restaurant in DC where I’m often baffled by the presence of people like Senator “Joe-mentum” or former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Night after night of making sure the sons and daughters of CEO’s and Saudi oil barons get their grilled salmon on time can be a bitter pill to swallow. However, on two nights last week I had a subversive secret: whenever I had a moment I would sneak back to the office and tend to my email interview with my hero, and under-read American mischief maker, Mickey Z. The following is the result of our somewhat spontaneous interview.

Mickey Z. is a self-educated writer/martial artist/vegan who lives with his wife Michele in

New York City.
Likes: sunsets, rainbows, and anarcho-syndicalism
Dislikes: mean people, traffic, and factory farming His web site is www.mickeyz.net

Maxwell Black: Call me cynical, but I have a sinking suspicion that the US occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan are permanent. Even if Cindy Sheehan were to self-immolate on the White House lawn, I don’t think it would make a difference. Do you think there is any real reason to believe there is an end in sight?

Mickey Z: Well, things tend to be permanent…until they end. I’m sure some confluence of events will impact the durability and/or feasibility of the US occupation. I’m also pretty sure those events will not involve anything that we call “activism” today.

Since we acknowledge that there is certain amount of futility to the anti-war movement, would activist’s time and effort be better served on other projects? I’m not saying we should abandon the cause, but perhaps it could be fought along side a broader cause like say a revived Global Justice Movement.

We clearly need new ideas, new methods, and a new focus. The most insane part about me trying to answer this question is this: If I discuss tactics that could be slightly misconstrued by the powers-that-be, I risk serious trouble. For now, I’ll suggest folks read both volumes of Endgame by Derrick Jensen.

Speaking of Jensen and “tactics that could be misconstrued by the powers that be”. In his work Endgame volumes 1 and 2 he makes a great effort to smash the ideology of pacifism. One of his premises is “love does not imply pacifism.” He explains that it’s just the opposite–you fight for and protect what you love. He gives examples like a mother grizzly naturally protecting her cub, fighting back against domestic abusers, Indians fighting for their land and so on. If we apply Chomsky’s idea of universality–that what is moral (or immoral) in one setting should be considered in other settings–do we have moral dilemma? What I mean is what if “what you love” (or think you love) is Capitalism, slavery or unearned privilege?

If I randomly walked up to a man, kicked him in the nuts, and then smashed his face down onto my rising knee, I’d justifiably be vilified as a dangerous sociopath. If that same man was brutally attacking someone I loved (or anyone, for that matter) - perhaps even with a weapon - and I came along on the scene and promptly acted out the above scenario, would I still be a sociopath? The trouble is, once you give anyone “permission” to anyone to use force, they often abuse it. No easy answers for sure. Maybe Malcolm X said it best: “We are nonviolent with people who are nonviolent with us.”

Nice.

We often hear about Israel’s “existential threat” or that the “terrorists” want to “wipe Israel off the map” all the while they are in fact expanding. The only place that is being “wiped off the map” is Palestine. Can you put the conflict into context for people that are not familiar with or are confused about, the situation?

Well, they’re not called the “occupied territories” for nothing (insert rimshot here). Check your Cowboys and Indians history for a little context. Of course, if US taxpayers weren’t funding the Israeli war machine to the tune of multiple billions Israel wouldn’t be in position to occupy anything. By the way, Israel is not the only oppressive power to learn from American History. Allow me to quote Ward Churchill: “Hitler took note of the indigenous people of the Americas, specifically within the area of the United States and Canada, and used the treatment of the native people…the policies and processes that were imposed upon them, as a model for what he articulated as being…the politics of living space. In essence, Hitler took the notion of a drive from east to west, clearing the land as the invading population went and resettling it with Anglo-Saxon stock…as the model by which he drove from west to east into Russia—displacing, relocating, dramatically shifting or liquidating a population to clear the land and replace it with what he called superior breeding stock…He was very conscious of the fact that he was basing his policies in the prior experiences of the Anglo-American population…in the area north of the Rio Grande River.”

Latin America seems to be moving very rapidly to the Left, led in part by Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez. Do you see what’s going on in Venezuela as a legitimate Democratic revolution or, as critics claim, just another “authoritarian socialist dictatorship?”

I love the way Chavez mocks the US but there are countless cautionary tales to consider. When the World’s Only Superpower turns its military and economic might against a particular nation (read: Third World nation desperate to break away from the IMF-World Bank-WTO scheme of things), the leader of that nation might get a little paranoid and power crazy (see: Castro, Fidel). It would have been fascinating to witness what might have come of such revolutions had the Land of the Free not done everything in its power to strangle them all at birth.

Your websites subheading, “Cool Observer,” comes from a quote by Reinhold Niebuhr (I thought it was Walter Lippman.) “Rationality belongs to the cool observer” who must recognize “the stupidity of the average man” and provide “emotionally potent oversimplifications” that will keep (what Lippman did say) the “bewildered herd” on a proper course. I get an obvious sense of sarcasm and defiance with your use of it. Do you think that maybe it is possible for ordinary people, free from propaganda and coercion, to be able to think for themselves and manage their own affairs?

You’re one of few people to tell me they “got” my blog’s name. I sometimes wish I called it “Urban Caveman” but after nearly four years of drawing millions – I mean, hundreds – to my little corner of the Web, it’s too late to change the name now. As for your question: do I think it’s possible? Sure. Can I say for sure? Of course not. But after all these centuries of hierarchy and injustice and greed, wouldn’t it be fun to find out? Besides, what have we got to lose…except war, famine, religion, disease, environmental devastation, Reality TV, and all that other nasty stuff?

So the dog and pony show is now in full swing, do you intend to vote?

I might vote for Ralph Nader or Cynthia McKinney…just for the hell of it.

Again, this being an election year, we hear a lot of calls to “take the country back” or talk of returning to some former greatness. In the “Disinformation” anthology “ Abuse Your Illusions” you argued in your “Our Back Pages” essay that not only were the “good old days” not so golden, but that the “good old days” mythology is actually somewhat dangerous to our current struggles. Can you give readers a brief taste of what you were trying to accomplish with this piece?

The danger inherent in the Good Old Days (GOD) myth is twofold. Like all myths, its mere existence makes other illusions easier to swallow. If the GOD invention is accurate, the wars fought, the businesses started and subsidized, the legislation passed, the culture created, and the leaders elected in the GOD get a free ride on its coattails. We become a nation of people gazing backward for innocence lost rather than looking ahead for lessons learned. This is the second danger of the GOD fiction: disempowerment. By accepting that “the greatest generation any society has ever produced” roamed the earth some 50 to 70 years ago, we surrender new ideas and embrace whitewashed nostalgia. The answers, we acknowledge, are found in the past; all we have to do is slam on the brakes and throw our SUVs in reverse. A valuable step in fostering a more forward-thinking approach would be to expose the GOD for what they were-a mixed bag of good and not so good-like all such “days.” If we don’t buy into the mythology, it’s harder to convince us that most or all the solutions lie in the past.

You made a similar effort to disabuse readers of historical illusions about World War Two in your books “ There is No Good War: The Myths of World War II” and “ Saving Private Power: The Hidden History of ‘the Good War.’” In addition to busting the mythology of theses historical moments you talked about the propaganda of omission. Can you tell us why this is important and how it applies to today?

As you read this, civilians are dying in Afghanistan—the direct outcome of a US military intervention. Perhaps soon, we will add Iran to that bloody list. With rare exceptions, none of us really want to kill our fellow humans. But history makes evident that virtually anyone can be manipulated not only into supporting such slaughter, but also participating. It begins with spin. Despite the current “war on terror” façade and election-year hype, not much about American war propaganda has changed since “the good old days” (except the technology)…and beneath the posturing and pontificating even less has changed September 11, 2001. “War on terror” rhetoric aside, it remains true that U.S. wars and interventions are skillfully packaged and sold and the official history of those conflicts is subject to spin and distortion. These realities exist in order to portray our leaders—of either party—as moral and lay the foundation for future military ventures.

I grew up in the northern VA suburbs and after traveling quite a bit, realize I could have grown up in thousands of suburbs all over the country and had a nearly identical experience. It turns out Joe Bageant’s idea of the “American Hologram” is very accurate and uniform. You seem to have had a very different experience in “The Peoples Republic of Astoria.” You write with a real sense of warmth of community toward your “homeland.” What’s the relationship between you and Astoria?

As much as I’m probably displaying irrational chauvinism toward my “homeland,” I genuinely appreciate having grown up in a true “neighborhood,” one in which you walk to get where you’re going and thus meet people – a staggering ethnic diversity, btw - face to face and create bonds. Astoria is where one can live in New York City without Manhattan’s skyscrapers and maddening pace (just 10 minutes away by subway). I wouldn’t want to have grown up anywhere else and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else right now.

You are a committed Vegan activist. Off the top of your head, what would you say to someone who is on the fence about becoming a vegan?

I would mention that 14 times as many people could be fed by using the same land currently reserved for grazing and a main reason for global rain forests disappearing is to make way to raise doomed cattle. I would also mention that because our digestive tract is too long to efficiently digest meat, that pork chop can sit there putrefying for weeks. Accordingly, Americans consume more laxatives than anyone else. Think about it: almost all our legislative, judicial, health-related and military decisions are being made by constipated old men. Yes, by going vegan, you can save the planet from constipated old men.

Yikes.

Not every town has a Whole Foods or a nifty farmers market and in towns with those things not everyone can afford them. What advise would you give to someone who wants to switch to an Organic Vegan diet but can’t afford to do so or just isn’t sure where to start?

Complex question. I’ve often heard that veganism is an elitist lifestyle but it’s really a matter of economic priorities. If you’re committed to the ethical, environmental, and health benefits of being a vegan, you’ll find ways to afford the slightly higher price of such food. Of course, if we taxpayers weren’t already subsidizing the meat and dairy industries, those death foods would be far more expensive. Lastly, those who consume the standard American diet because it seems cheaper are far more likely to be stuck with astronomical health care bills. These are simplified answers but the main point is that most Americans can go vegan tomorrow if it mattered enough to them.

I want to end with advice for activists. Your book “ The Murdering of My Years: Artists and Activists Making Ends Meet” is a collection of testimonies by activists struggling to make ends meet in an uphill battle against seemingly insurmountable odds. Since we talked about Derrick Jensen earlier, why don’t we close with this, I’m going to give you three words to do whatever you want with. Just address them to current or would be activists. Here they are: hope, despair and agency. Go.

The best (worst?) illustration of “hope” is on display every four years when those seeking social change put their capacity for critical thought on the shelf and actively support the Democratic Party. No matter which party wins, “despair” comes next as the latest figurehead of empire proceeds to do everything in his (her?) power to roadblock all avenues toward peace, justice, and solidarity. “Agency” belongs to those willing to disrupt their comfortable (sic) lives and dedicate themselves to stopping things like global warming US military interventionism, economic exploitation, factory farming, environmental devastation, etc… by any means necessary. The humans (all living things) that come after us won’t care if we did interviews like this or marched in protests or held open doors for little old ladies…if they have no clean air to breathe. It won’t matter if we ate organic or drove a hybrid or switched to recycled toilet paper…if they have no clean water to use. They won’t care if we voted for Obama or McCain or Hillary…if they end up stuck on a toxic, uninhabitable planet.There’s no shortage of hope or despair on Earth. When it comes to agency, we’re definitely in a recession.

Let’s get busy changing that. Thanks Mickey.

Maxwell Black

A Moving Train

PS: Those of you who are new here, to get the full A Moving Train experience, “friend” me on MySpace.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 7th, 2008 at 6:25 pm and is filed under Interview. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

6 Responses to “Radical America’s Homeboy: Mickey Z”

Zen Prole Says:
April 8th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
So that’s what ‘cool observer’ means…sounds good to me, but some white-hot outrage works just as well and might ruin the dinners of those overfed parasites at Le Haute Cuisine.

P.S. I completely disown every single tactic that Derrick Jensen has described in his works. Like, totally, dude.
Maxwell Black Says:
April 8th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Wow, this thing actually works! I usually only find ads for viagra here. Thanks for coming by Zen Prole! As far as DJ tactics, if some guy was stabbing you to death would you rather me come along and chant, “the people, united, can never be defeated” or smack the guy in the head with a brick?
Keir Says:
April 8th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Excellent interview.
Jen Zero Says:
April 9th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Job well done. Who will you be interviewing next?
More Agreement with Mickey Z. « Commie Curmudgeon Says:
April 11th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
[…] by Richard S. on April 11, 2008 This time in an interview at the blog Transmissions… I agree very much with all of […]
Transmissions » Blog Archive » It’s Rip Off Mickey Z Even More Than Usual Day…Or Maxwell Black Learns to Use a Computer Says:
June 3rd, 2008 at 2:44 pm
[…] Speaking of the ‘Urban Caveman’ […]

Radical America’s Homeboy: Mickey Z

6 Responses to “Radical America’s Homeboy: Mickey Z”

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