Daivd Graeber: RIP

The Black Flag Cafe is the place travelers come to share stories and advice. Moderated by Robert Young Pelton the author of The World's Most Dangerous Places.

Moderator: coldharvest

Daivd Graeber: RIP

Postby Kurt » Fri Sep 04, 2020 12:48 pm

I knew the guy years ago.

He was generous. He was really, really fucking smart. Like one of those people that you could tell you were actually speaking to a world class intelect, even though I had never met one myself.

Now for the "But".

But he was dangerous as in a danger to others. He almost acted like a spy in that during protests he would run to whomever the main-est of Main stream media was and give them an interview, tell names, tell plans. So we had to "leave him" in that our whole group just shunned him, then he bounced around from host to host and found Occupy Wall St.

He was not an informant as he put himself in danger with his blabbing as well. In Milan he was staying at a squat with a bunch of Italian anarchists and he got raided. Cops shot people at point blank range in their sleeping bags with plastic bullets and Dave and a few others barely escaped the beating by chance. Later he gave an interview to some journalist and gave enough hints where they were staying and who their names were that the cops were able to figure it out and go there.

He had the worst teeth I have ever seen in my life.
He would wear these big fuzzy sweaters and his teeth were so bad I was always worried they would snag his sweaters when he took them off and on again. I still get the willies thinking about it.

He didn't smoke, he didn't drink alot, my guess is he died of something he let go on and on and on like he let his teeth go.

His book on debt was crap, I liked his other writings.

As an intellect and a clever self promoter he was excellent. As an actual acitivist, that thing which gave him both academic and street cred, he sucked.
User avatar
Kurt
In Manus Manus
 
Posts: 21998
Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2004 6:29 am
Location: New York City

Re: Daivd Graeber: RIP

Postby ROB » Sat Sep 05, 2020 3:13 am

His book on debt was seminal.

Only thing he really got wrong was the barter myth bit. 20 years from now, it will be economic canon, even though he wasn’t even an economist.
User avatar
ROB
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 6208
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 3:49 am

Re: Daivd Graeber: RIP

Postby Alphabet » Sat Sep 05, 2020 3:05 pm

The most brilliant people more often than not have zero street smarts.

I had a discrete math professor who I don't know how she managed to make it to lecture everyday. She'd often come in 3 days in a row, wearing the same outfit that looked like she slept in. Permanent marker stains on her hands. Had this nervous tick about her that made it extremely difficult to have face to face conversations. It terrified me to know that she drove on the same roads I did. Came across as super lonely, and I actually thought about trying to throw her a bone, but then I realized people who are that into their shit are probably very happy, us "normies" just don't see it.

But she knew her shit back and forth and sideways. She was an excellent prof and managed to beat that shit into my head enough for me to pass. Her office hours were insane. I know because more than once I'd spend 3-4 hours with her and she acted like it was winning the lottery to help me out. Didn't push anyone off on TAs. I went to uni late in life, and she was only a few years older. I hope she got the fuck out of academia and went to work for Musk, because he talent was seriously fucking wasted.
Alphabet
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 514
Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2020 12:48 am

Re: Daivd Graeber: RIP

Postby ROB » Sun Sep 06, 2020 1:33 am

Alphabet wrote:The most brilliant people more often than not have zero street smarts.


I saw a talk from an historian who looked at that idea. He reckons it was 200-300 years old.

Before that it was perfectly normal to be a genius who was socially well adjusted.

What I find really fucking pathetic are socially well adjusted people who want to be in academia so decide that they need to manufacture some type of visibly odd social behaviour in order to be part of that tribe.
User avatar
ROB
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 6208
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 3:49 am

Postby el3so » Sun Sep 06, 2020 8:57 pm

Sorry to hear about your activist academian acquaintance Kurt.
ROB wrote:
Alphabet wrote:The most brilliant people more often than not have zero street smarts.

I saw a talk from an historian who looked at that idea. He reckons it was 200-300 years old.
Always seemed like more of a story device rather than a real life thing. Figure it's pandering to me and all the other people that left school at 4. You'll always have eccentrics though.
ROB wrote:What I find really fucking pathetic are socially well adjusted people who want to be in academia so decide that they need to manufacture some type of visibly odd social behaviour in order to be part of that tribe.
Don't leave us hanging like that.
skynet prompt: witty line, a bit offensive, medium levels of spelling error, Rastafy by 10 % or so
User avatar
el3so
Creepy Uncle
 
Posts: 8900
Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2004 9:25 am
Location: never-ending labyrinth of pain

Re: Daivd Graeber: RIP

Postby Alphabet » Mon Sep 07, 2020 12:27 am

I wasn't making this up.
Alphabet
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 514
Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2020 12:48 am

Daivd Graeber

Postby el3so » Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:19 am

Kurt wrote: As an intellect and a clever self promoter he was excellent. As an actual acitivist, that thing which gave him both academic and street cred, he sucked.
Looks like the self promotion thing worked, your boy gets a hon mention in the new Adam Curtis "documentary" (link to part 1)
Scans like more of the same: nice vintage footage, quite entertaining but definitely not gospel.

Obligatory nowonmai posted it first, dude was right about a lot of things.
skynet prompt: witty line, a bit offensive, medium levels of spelling error, Rastafy by 10 % or so
User avatar
el3so
Creepy Uncle
 
Posts: 8900
Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2004 9:25 am
Location: never-ending labyrinth of pain

Re: Daivd Graeber: RIP

Postby Kurt » Wed Feb 24, 2021 3:20 am

Yep, Both Nowhammy and Graeber were right about a lot of things.

The Right Wing now is as Graeber was then. Talking and getting people in trouble. Often people who drove him around and housed him.

I am quite sure he would have had an interesting cultural and economic take on COVID-19 had he lived.

Now the best person for that sort of book is someone I know but just met, Sonia Shah.

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entit ... B001JS453A

She was pretty spot on for Pandemic.

John Le Carre was a fan as well.
User avatar
Kurt
In Manus Manus
 
Posts: 21998
Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2004 6:29 am
Location: New York City

Postby el3so » Wed Feb 24, 2021 4:07 am

Kurt wrote: Nowhammy
C'mon man, at least get his username right.
skynet prompt: witty line, a bit offensive, medium levels of spelling error, Rastafy by 10 % or so
User avatar
el3so
Creepy Uncle
 
Posts: 8900
Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2004 9:25 am
Location: never-ending labyrinth of pain

Re:

Postby Kurt » Wed Feb 24, 2021 1:00 pm

el3so wrote:
Kurt wrote: Nowhammy
C'mon man, at least get his username right.

No.
User avatar
Kurt
In Manus Manus
 
Posts: 21998
Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2004 6:29 am
Location: New York City

Re: Daivd Graeber: RIP

Postby seektravelinfo » Wed Feb 24, 2021 7:58 pm

What was it again that Nowonmai did ?
User avatar
seektravelinfo
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 6184
Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2004 5:18 am
Location: clevelandia

Re: Daivd Graeber: RIP

Postby Kurt » Wed Feb 24, 2021 8:55 pm

seektravelinfo wrote:What was it again that Nowonmai did ?


Newhwhemmymmme posted the link to the film el3so did.
User avatar
Kurt
In Manus Manus
 
Posts: 21998
Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2004 6:29 am
Location: New York City

Postby el3so » Wed Feb 24, 2021 11:29 pm

Kurt wrote: Newhwhemmymmme
Okay, that is funny.
skynet prompt: witty line, a bit offensive, medium levels of spelling error, Rastafy by 10 % or so
User avatar
el3so
Creepy Uncle
 
Posts: 8900
Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2004 9:25 am
Location: never-ending labyrinth of pain

Re: Daivd Graeber: RIP

Postby seektravelinfo » Thu Feb 25, 2021 1:01 am

[quote="Kurt"][quote="seektravelinfo"]What was it again that Nowonmai did ?[/quote]

Newhwhemmymmme posted the link to the film el3so did.[/quote]



What film? This one? https://youtube.com/watch?v=YddwkMJG1Jo&feature=share
User avatar
seektravelinfo
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 6184
Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2004 5:18 am
Location: clevelandia

Re: Daivd Graeber: RIP

Postby ROB » Thu Feb 25, 2021 2:42 am

seektravelinfo wrote:
Kurt wrote:
seektravelinfo wrote:What was it again that Nowonmai did ?


Newhwhemmymmme posted the link to the film el3so did.




What film? This one? https://youtube.com/watch?v=YddwkMJG1Jo&feature=share


Well played.

Also I don't miss Nowamia. He was a fuckwit.
User avatar
ROB
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 6208
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 3:49 am


Return to Black Flag Cafe

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 23 guests