CoMMUNISTS LIKE Us OFL mERTY, NEwS PACES LINES OF NEW ALLIANCE FELIX GUATIARI & Tom NEGRI WITH A 1990" "PosTSCRIPT, ToNI NEGRI BY (tq; ,qq 0 Translabteyd Ryan Michael SEMIOTEXT(EF)O REIGANG ENSTESR IES Main texto rigialnly publini sFherde nch in 198as5 N ouvelleess pacesde liberte. This isthe original pubilcationo ft he "Postscri1p9t, 9b0y"T o niN egri. Specialt hankst oJ ared Becker, JimF leminJge,ffF ort, MichaHealr dSty,l v�Lroetri nger, MichaReylan ,and TomY emm. Translaticoonp yrig©h 1t990Se miotext(e) Semiotee)x t( 522P hilosophHya ll ColumbUinai versity NewY orkNY, 10027U SA Printed tinh Ue nitedS tateosfA merica CoMMUNISTS LIKEU s Thep rjoectto:re scu"ec ommunism" fromi tso wnd isrepuOtnec.ein vokeasd the liberatoifow no rkt hroumgahn kind'cso l­ lective crceoamtmiuonni,s hmas instead stifledh umanitWye. w hos eei nc ommu­ nistmh lei beratoifobo nt hc ollecantidv ien ­ dividpuoasls ibilmiutsitree vse rsteh arte gi­ mentatioonf th oughantd desiwrhei cthe r­ minattehsei ndividual. Bankrupt:c otlhlee ctrievgiismte s havfea iled tos orecaliialzeoi rsc to mmunist idealCsa.p italtiosohm a sp layefdas ta nd loosew itphr omisoefls i bertye,q ualpirtoyg,­ resasn de nlightenmeFnotr gceatp itaanldi sm socialIinssmt:e waed h avien p lacoen ev ast machineex,t endoivnegrt hep laneant en­ slavemeonfat l mla nkind. Evaesrype cotf humanl if-e workc,h ildholoodv,el ,i fe, thoughftan,t asyart, isd eprivoefd dig­ - nityi nt hisw orkhouEsvee.ry onfee elosn ly theth reaotf s ociadle misuen:e mployment, povertyw,e lfare. 8 F:Eux GuAITARI& ToNNIE GRI Worikt sdeelffao unil tspt rso miosfe develtohpreie nlga betitowneshe unm anity andt hmea teerinavlir onmneonewtv ;e ryone worfukrsi outsoel vyae,dv ei cytieootnnl ,y hastentihneogiw ren x pulfrsoimto hmnee ­ chanpircoactleh wsaostr h kabe sc ome. Indeweodri kts e-lafs o rganized byc apitaolrsi oscmi al-ihsasmbe come thien terosfei crtiroasnto icorineaapllr oduc­ tioannd a mplisfioeccdio anls tFreaintttse.r s - irratsioocnciaoalnl s trainaret sth uast - thfeo undoafti osnu bjeccotinvsec ious­ all nesfso rmienthd ew orpkr oceAsnsed.s tab­ lishitnhcgio sl lescutbijveeoc ftre isvtriitcy­ tioann sdu rveililsthan efic resi tm perative oft hcea piwtoalriaksp tp aratSue-sls.fu rveil­ lanancded oupbretv eannyti ntimaotfi ons escaapnpedr, e eamnpqytu estioofnt ihneg politilceagolarm,l o rlaelg itiomfta hsceyy s ­ temN.oo ncean w ithdrfraowmt hciasp ital­ islte galoifbt lyi nanddna ebsssgu oralds . Eacihn stanocwfeo reakc,sh e quence, is" overdetbeyrt minehidem" p eratiovfe s capitraelipsrtod uecvtieoarncy;ti h oenl tpos solitdhhieify e rarocfvh aileanusde a uthor­ ity. ye-tw hiyis tht at t hdei scus- And CoMMUNISTS LIKE Us 9 sioonf c ommunisimsta boo?T hidsi scourse isd efamedan d banishbeydt hev erpeyo ple itp retentdosl iberafrotem their chansi.C ould itbe duet ot hes educti"vper,o gsreisvirsat­" tionaloiftc ya pitaanldi simtso rgazantiiono f work?' Afteral lc,a ptailiwsotr karran gements havseu cceeidnea dp proaptirnigth ed iscourse ofc ommunis-man analyosfils a bora nd itsl iberatpooryw e-r andr educiettd o t ech­ niquoefsm anipulati"oAnr:be iMta chFtre i." Event he socialtiiesst truvmaperrtiec eovery and reconstructasi tohno ugthh eswee re in­ strumentaglo alasttaina ble throutecghhni cal means. "Tehteh iocf"s ociarle volutihoans becomei nsteandi gah tmaroe fl iberatibeo­n trayedan,d thve isiooftn h fue ture isfre ighted witaht erribilnee rt.i.a. Nots ol onagg ot,h ec ritiqoufec a p­i taliwsasm direcattei dts d estructipveen,e ­ tratnigm arketT.o dawye submittoi ttrsa u­ matizatioofon u rs oulpsas,s iveaslsyu ming tharte investmsetrantte giaree st he leasotp ­ pressfiovrm e ofp lanning and- socialism orc apitalisbemc omesam oot point. So now evryethinmgu stb e rein­ ventetdh:ep urposeo fw orkas wella s the 10 FELIXG uATIARI& ToNIN EGRI modalitieso fs ocilailf rieg,h tsas wellas freedoms.W e wiloln cea gainbe gint od e­ finec ommunisasm thec ollective struggle fort hel iberatioofnw orkt,h aits a,t o ncean, endt othe currensti tuation! ***** Empty-heaedceodn omidsotmsi nate allo verth eg lobe- and yett hep laniest devastatepedr,h apisn exoraWbel myu.s taf ­ firm firsotf al lt hatth erei sm ore thaonn e patht:h ep atohf c apitailmipesrti um and/or socialist/collweocrtkfi ovrmissw th ospee r­ sisteanncdev italitdye pendt oa largep an ono uro wnin capactiotr ye defiwneo rka sa projeacntda proceosfsl iberatioWne. w ill definceo mmunisasm th e assortmento fs o­ ciaplr acticleeasd intgo th e transformation ofc onsciousannde rsesa lointe yv erlye vel: politicanadl sociahli,s toranidc ealv eryday, conscianodu su nconsciRoeucso.g nizintgh at discouirsas ceti onw,e w ilflorg e a newd is­ coursiens ucha fashiaosnt oi nititahtee destructioonf t heo ldw ayB. uto urc ommu­ nismw ilnlo tf ora ltlha tbe as pectrhea unt­ ingt heo ldE uro.pe.. W e ratheenrv isaagne CoMMUNISTS LIKE Us 11 imaginaitvec,r eatipvreco esast o nces ingu­ laran d collectsiwveee,p itnhgew orlwdi tah greatw aveo fr efusaanld ofh ope.C ommu­ nismi sno thing otthhanea r callt ol ief:t o breakt hee ncircleomfet nhtec apitalsita nd socialoirgsatzni atioonf w orkw,h icthod ay leadnso to nltyo a continuisnugr ploufrs e ­ pressiaonnd e xpolitoanti,b ut toe xtthien c­ tioonf t hew orladn dh umanitwyi tiht Explotiitoahna sa dvanceodn, t he basiosf n ucleaarc cumulatiotnobe, c omea threoafte xecutithoenc ;y cloefsw ar andt he dangeorfd estructiareo nw elknlo wn.N ow we are notd etermiinsts- butt odaiyti s not onldye teirmniswthsore cognitzhea tth ee nd isi,f n otn ear,c ertainlcyl osbey ,e sepcially ifw e abadnonpo wer tot hec apiitsaatln d sociajluigsgte rnuatosf l aboPrr.ve enticnag­ tastropwhiel rleq uirea collecmtoibviezl ai­ tiofnor fr eedom. Continunig. .. Why doese verydlaieyf tr emblwei th fear andl oathiThnigs?f eairs n ott hes tate ofn atuasre d escribbeydH obbes- thaotl d excusoeft hew ar ofa lalg iansatll ,i ndivid­ ualw illfsra gmenteidna thirfsort p ower. Rathewrh atw e haven owi sa transcenden- 12 F:Eu:x GuATIAR&I ToNNIE GRI tal, yet actually fmeaanwrmh aidcesh e eps inteov ermyi ndw ithi mmobilizciantga,­ strophidcr eadI.n deehdo pei tsehlafsfl ed thihso peleshsa,p legsrse,y w orldB.e yond malailsief,se i nkisn tsoa dnebsosr,e doamn d monotonwyi,t hn oc hancteo b reako uto f them orass abosfu rdCiotmym.u nica­tion speechc,o nversatbianotne,er v,e nc onspir­ acyh as albele n takeinnb yt he" discourse" ofm ass mediaI nterperrseolnaatilo lnisk e­ wise haves poilanedd ,ar e now character­ izedb yi ndifferencdei,s ingenduiosugsuan sdt self-ha-treidna wordw,e 'ralel s uffering fromb adf aith. Amazingltyh,ef abroifch umanf eel­ inghsa si tseclofm eu nravelseidn,ci etn o longseurc ceeidncs o nnecttihnetg hr eadosf desiaren dh opeA.s a r esutlhti,ps s eudo-war hasp assedo vetrh ew orlfdo r3 0y earsw ith­ outi tkse yf eatuberiensg n oticed;C oltdh e War escaupneersc ognizase dt hetr uec ul­ prit. Durintgh awth oltei meh,u man con­ sciousnheass bese ng rounddo wni ntsoo me­ thinmgo rem anageableev,e nc omplicAist . thei ndividsuialnk si ntios oladteesdp aairl,l theb uilutp valueisn t hew orlcdo llapse