[Nettime-bold] DNA bombs against DNA

[Steven Kurtz <kurtz+@andrew.cmu.edu>]

>I find it very interesting, that some so-called eco-warriors would
think >that it's ok to release a genetically modified organism into the
>environment; in order to combat genetically modified organisms! I
didn't >know the problem with GM was that it wasn't *our* GM! I mean ...
fuck, >what hypocrits.

As one of the "hypocrits" who releases transgenic organisms mentioned in
the Voice article, I find such commentary fairly naive. The totalizing
ideas that all transgenic organisms are bad, or that "nature" must
somehow remain pure are counterproductive to resistant work. Like
software, robotics, transportation, or any other technology, wetware can
also be inverted, subverted, and/or reverse engineered. Further, there
are even cases where corporate developed trasgenic creatures can have
positve effects (such as oil eating bacteria used in oil spill
disasters--no eco-warriors protesting then). Biotech is here to stay (as
are its accidents), and cultural and political activists have to design
ways to use it for resistant purposes. Bio-luddism will only guarantee
that the public (nonspecialists) is left out of biotechnological and
ecological policy construction. Biotech initiatives have to be
approached tactically on a case by case basis. Some are much worse than
others (or more particularly, all transgenic creatures are not equally
bad and dangerous--do some research). The point is to have public
critical tools and direct action tools that can be focused on the worst
elements of biotechnologies. As with most technology, the problem is not
with the technology itself, but with the capitalist policies that guide
the development and deployment of the technology. 

>As one person is quoted as saying "ethics, schmethics". 

This is taken slightly out of context. What Natalie Jeremijenko was
referring to was that ethics is a generally useless discipline that
exists within the context of and under the assumptions of capitalism.
Resistant forces have to make considerations and accept levels of
accountability that are outside of the capitalist context, and in this
sense are beyond ethics.

Critical Art Ensemble


<<The Village Voice Features The DNA Bomb by Erik Baard.url>> 
 http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0120/baard.shtml 


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