photograph by Jason Rosewell
Great Responsibility
There is magnificent power in youth, but our capitalist world (which currently borders on fascism) stifles that power and your creativity. We are taught (by our parents and in our schools) to repress our natural-born curiosity, our desires, and our pain. We are taught not to question, only to obey blindly. Rarely are we taught how to manage or master these things that make us human. To feed, clothe, and shelter our children is only half of what we, as adults, are charged with providing. Having an expensive, top-of-the-line automobile won’t get you anywhere unless you know how to drive, understand the basics of how your car works to make minor repairs if necessary, and read and follow maps to navigate toward your destination. It takes more than just fuel and the occasional car wash to make a successful journey, and this is what most parents (particularly here in America) fail to understand.
Children are naturally curious about the world, but adults (for one reason or another) refuse to entertain their thirst for knowledge. A professor once told me that the worst thing you can tell a child is “no.” Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson once said:
“Kids are born curious about the world. What adults primarily do in the presence of kids is unwittingly thwart the curiosity of children.”
Neither Neil nor I is saying that all parents are shitty parents, nor are we saying that parenting is easy. What we are saying is that more thought needs to be put into how we raise our children before they are born. Having said that, it’s not totally the parents’ fault. In a capitalist society, many things occupy our lives, which can be stressful for many of us. We’re worried about our jobs, rent, car notes, food, clothing, shelter, and so forth. Children are the most important element to human life, but child rearing has to compete with the aforementioned concerns.
“Mystery schools for the fools, great seats of learning. Business, lawsuits, market forces, no philosophy courses. A bachelor’s degree in loopholes and a Master’s in self-interest. Studies for automatons and syllabus two. A city and guilds in extortion and a Ph.D. in fuck you.”
None of this is a mistake, however. When my intelligence is lauded by friends or acquaintances, I always respond that I’m not intelligent because of my schooling, but despite it. We are taught only enough to become another cog in the wheel of the capitalist machine, and nothing more. In our society, the needs of the state are given greater importance than those of the people. The life of an insurance company’s CEO is valued more than the life of a child lying in a hospital bed with tubes and life-saving equipment attached to their frail bodies while they gasp for oxygen. This scenario may not apply to you, young reader, but it is indicative of what your life is worth to the capitalist minders of our society. If your health and life are considered nothing more than a commodity necessary to grease the gears of the capitalist machine, what chance does your art have of not becoming disposable the moment you fail to appease the machine?
Of the musicians who have been interviewed in Neuerotica, only one (to the best of my knowledge) has become what society typically considers “successful”, having gone platinum for their songwriting. But most musicians don’t seek that kind of fame. They want their audience to listen to and appreciate their music, and for it to be shared with others who may appreciate it as well. In their minds, this is fame. These are the kinds of artists I had in mind when I conceived Neuerotica—the unheard and the under-appreciated. If you’re confused about our e-mag’s socialist-centric partisanship, you should know that we recognize your art as more than a simple commodity, the way capitalism does. Your art is your life; it’s an expression of your soul, and it should be treated as such, and not commodified to serve the machinations of capitalist vultures.
art by RangerOfArt
I highly recommend the graphic novel Young Terrorists by Matt Pizzolo. It’s a twisted grimoire of political destruction that Justin Partridge at Newsarama called "incendiary, super-crazy, and razor-sharp... exactly the kind of pissed-off spectacle we deserve right now."
A young heiress discovers her father is part of a tyrannical new world order. She vows to burn down his entire empire.
You can order it here from Black Mask Studios.
background photo by Tobias Rademacher
Smashing
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.
- Pablo Picasso
I’m a notorious rule-breaker, but I've learned when and how to do it. When I designed Neuerotica, I had Picasso's quote above in mind; I fully intended to break as many rules as legally possible. This is how I live my life, in fact. You can break the rules, but before you do, think (not for too long, time is of the essence, babes) about why it needs to be broken, and how to break them with your safety and the protection of others in mind. We all need to discern the rules that protect from the rules that repress. The latter deserves all the smashing. I mean, like “Hulk Smash!” smashing. But it needs to be done with finesse. It’s this kind of energy I’m hoping Neuerotica can channel.
“…another game, rules, rules, rules
not for me, you fuckin' fool”-Overkill
There are many rules that require breaking and smashing. Rules that dictate how and what you can do with your body is one of those rules. Taking down the oligarchs and capitalism is fine, but in the process, we also must break the chains, smash the glass ceilings, and kick in the doors of other toxic elements that repress and oppress the young, which in turn, hinder the progress of our magnificent (but occasionally mediocre and barbaric) species. Racism, homophobia, misogyny, and xenophobia are all disorders of the brain unique to humans alone. They represent the height of human ignorance and lunacy, and each of those qualities is an obstruction to progress. We are all human beings, one species. This is an undisputed scientific fact. So then, how can one claim intelligence while at the same time proclaiming that their "race” (an artificial construct) is "superior”? The same applies to homophobia and xenophobia.
For those of you who don’t understand why they’re called "phobias”, let me explain. When humans are faced with a perceived or actual threat, there are two responses that will occur (and I’m sure you’ve heard of this before): fight or flight. People who are racist, xenophobic, or homophobic believe the people from said groups somehow pose a threat to their way of life (or some other absurd reason), and they respond accordingly. Moving to another neighborhood when African-Americans move into yours, or denying those same people service at your establishment, would be the flight response. Beating or murdering someone for being queer or a drag queen is, obviously, the fight response. Threat responses (if you haven’t figured it out yet) are the result of fear, though you may not realize it. Phobias are unreasonable fears manufactured in our minds, causing us to either run or fight when there is no threat. We hate only that which we fear, and people of color and queer individuals are hated everywhere, moreso in the United States.
I might have mentioned it in another chapter, but it bears repeating: life is short. The time and energy spent denying people their rights are wasted. While the victims of mistreatment, abuse, and hate crimes are unquestionably the ones who suffer most, the perpetrators do themselves harm as well. Going through life holding these unfounded fears and hatred does mental and physiological damage to our health and well-being. Having these phobias adds to the chaos of an already chaotic society; they are fueled by ignorance, thereby hampering the progress our species might otherwise make. They steal away time from our short lives and destroy the lives of others.
Women are often referred to as “the opposite sex”. Indigenous societies don’t think of the world in linear terms; thus, the sexes and genders are considered “complementary”, rather than opposite. There was a time when we believed the universe operated according to the principle of opposites, but we now know this is false. Even in the realm of science, the term “opposites” is frequently used, e.g., when we talk about polar opposites, negative and positive charges, etc. These energies may be situated at opposite ends of the spectrum, but they are still a part of it, and neither can function without the other. In this way, the energies complement each other. It’s the same with humans.
The words “opposite”, “opposing”, and “opponent” all share the same root word, all of which come from Latin, combining ob- (meaning "against" or "obstruct") and ponere (meaning "to put" or "to place"), essentially meaning "to place against". When you think of women as being the opposite of men, you’re labelling them as your opponent, i.e., someone to compete against (while I am speaking about women here, the same applies to any individual who considers others outside of their sphere “opposite”). When we interact with people we consider opposite to ourselves, we tend to treat them differently; we don’t treat them the same way we treat ourselves. We deny them the same rights, pleasures, and opportunities we ourselves enjoy. When they don’t react in a way we expect them to based on our preconceived notions of them, we retaliate with vitriol, violence, and even murder.
When you consider all of these factors, you understand why such behavior is detrimental to both individuals and to society as a whole. They are all weaknesses that must be expunged. In another chapter, I argued for dismantling the rules and laws established by the church and the state to facilitate progress toward a free and healthy society. Still, our superstitions (phobias) and denial of facts (intentional ignorance) require a wrecking-ball approach. Justice is what we seek, and injustice is what we seek to destroy.
These tasks are an adult issue, and it is incumbent upon us to complete them. That’s the only way our young will be able to run through doors we’ve kicked open (only slowing to walk when caution dictates otherwise), and claim their power while those doors remain open.
Give me just one generation of youth, and I'll transform the whole world.
- Vladimir Lenin
Since childhood, I’ve always had an intense thirst for knowledge, a thirst that will never be sated. I was also rebellious and occasionally volatile. Despite being a nerd, I would rip the head off anyone who tried to bully my friends. Though I’ve matured greatly in other respects since then, none of what I just mentioned about me has changed. I’m told that my behaviour is due to my AuDHD, and I’m sure this is true. I believe, however, that neurotypicals can achieve the same kind of balance. While developing Neuerotica, I didn’t want it to be like every other e-magazine; I wanted it to reflect my rebellious spirit and be smart.
On a day when both my parents were away, I invited my friends to my apartment for a bit of mischief. Then I brought the mop, broom, and both my sister’s and my tennis rackets into the living room, and put on some rock music. I noticed my dad’s cigarettes lying around, so I gave one to each of my friends and lit them up. We were pretending to be rock stars, with our cigarettes hanging from our lips. We were a group of nerds who liked getting dirty, getting into mischief, and doing crazy shit the "popular” boys were too chicken to do. We made the "tough” kids nervous because we were fearless and didn’t care who thought we were nerds.
That is the kind of magazine I wanted Neuerotica to be. Anyone looking at it from the outside would think it’s silly, offensive, juvenile, crazy, and maybe even cool, but it’s smart too. I designed it to be this way. I wanted it to be the living room where my friends and I pretended to be rock stars, in a place where it didn’t matter whether you were a nerd or not. But if you are a nerd, you’ll be free to be yourself and share your art here without shame or judgment.
I don’t mean to sound ageist (I’m not), or that I’m saying that all parents are horrible (they’re not). However, I find that parents concern themselves with controlling their kids rather than understanding them. Elders will tell you that the world owes you nothing, but they couldn’t be more wrong, in my not-so-humble opinion. Like the rest of us, you were literally dragged kicking and screaming into this life that you never asked for. You deserve to be loved, heard, and respected, and you deserve all that this world has to give. Letting ignorance, hatred, and bigotry get in your way is lame; they’re barriers that adults with their own agendas put in your way to make you as small as they are, instead of the giant inside of you. There is great strength in empathy and emotional intelligence. You possess the talent to make great art, but you also possess the talent to make great strides in other things. Learn to push past your limits.
