“Rather than the manufactured clash of civilisations, we need to concentrate on the slow working together of cultures that overlap, borrow from each other, and live together in far more interesting ways than any abridged or inauthentic mode of understanding can allow.” ― Edward W. Said, Orientalism “Any nation can be our friend without being…
“Nietzsche already observed that, after the death of God, health rose to divine status. If a horizon of meaning extended beyond bare life, the cult of health would not be able to achieve this degree of absoluteness.” ― Byung-Chul Han Join us for an engaging public lecture hosted by renowned author and sociologist, Ashley Frawley, as…
“Mā pango mā whero ka oti te mahi” – Whakataukī (through the red and the black the work will be done) “You cannot carry out fundamental change without a certain amount of madness. In this case, it comes from nonconformity, the courage to turn your back on the old formulas, the courage to invent the…
Kia ora, neighbours. We are back for our monthly public talk at the regular haunt, Bedlam & Squalor. $2 Taco’s night starts at Rogue and Vagabon from 5:00 pm – Doors open at Bedlam from 6:00 pm – Talk begins at 6:30 pm. This month we are hosting Jim McAloon who will be speaking on…
The New Zealand Federation of Socialist Societies would like to invite the public to our first-ever nationwide online presentation. The topic of discussion is “Inspiration and Betrayal: The Second International (1889-1914) and its Significance Today” and will be hosted by our comrade from the UK, Ben Lewis. This event has been put together in collaboration…
WSS welcomes you to our first virtual reading club of 2022. We are starting out with a classic of the twenty-teens, Mark FIsher’s Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative. If you have never read any “Theory” text before, CR is a very accessible work that introduces readers to various thinkers from Spinoza and Zizek to…
“The landlord demands a rent even for unimproved land, and the supposed interest l or profit upon the expense of improvement is generally an addition to this original rent. Those improvements, besides, are not always made by the stock of the landlord,but sometimes by that of the tenant. When the lease comes to be renewed,…
“Change is freedom, change is life. It’s always easier not to think for oneself. Find a nice safe hierarchy and settle in. Don’t make changes, don’t risk disapproval, don’t upset your syndics. It’s always easiest to let yourself be governed. There’s a point, around age twenty, when you have to choose whether to be like…
Doors will open at 6:00 pm, and we will begin the screening at 6:30 pm. One of our members will briefly introduce the film and the director, and then we will kick things off. Our film for the evening is the acclaimed Sorry to Bother You, directed by Boots Riley. You can find the trailer…
Kia ora, comrades. On May 3rd, Unions Wellington and the Wellington Socialist Society will co-host a panel discussion on socialist strategy and organising in a post-pandemic era at Bedlam & Squalor. This will be our May Day event for 2022. Two years of the pandemic has seen limited opportunities for those on the left in…