about the new collection of stories from the criminal publishing house ---- In
the future, the sky is full of drones and cyclists wear gas masks while belowthem piles of garbage clog the sewers. The few positive moments are shootingclips for social media platforms or uninhibited alcoholism. This is what the nearfuture could look like, which the cultural worker Philipp Böhm describes in hislatest publication. ---- THE DYSTOPIA OF STARTUPS ---- super milkis Böhm's secondpublication with criminal publishers. In nine stories, the volume draws adystopian picture of a post-capitalist society through intensive brief insightsinto the thoughts of various characters. There are glimpses of a more affluentclass - for example, through a feeling empty, investigative journalist in astart-up company - as well as impressions from the bottom class. For example, thelife of a caretaker in a gigantic block of flats in a slum consists of anger athis permanent overnight guest who is no longer moving out and the secretadoration of his employment agency agent.In view of our currently expanding gig economy and neoliberal mistakes, theoverdraft of the work situation also seems less surreal than much more like arealistic reflection - such as a mentioned start-up company that hires bogusself-employed to help landlords kicking people out of their homes. As isincreasingly the case in our society, the characters suffer from an immensepressure of constant self-optimization in order to be sufficient for the jobmarket. This not only destroys the lives of middle-class employees of higherranks in start-up companies. ("I hold the Company's story deep in my nervousheart and I can't sleep. I haven't been able to sleep for a long time." (p. 12))Rating systems used by customers, used recently in the gig economy may have ledto the immense pressure that has left the caretaker of the slums unable to workas a bus driver. He recalls his old work as follows: "I think of the nights Ifilled quark mugs with whole packs of vanilla sugar and in the cold glow of myscreen gulped down the over-sweetened mass, because I knew it wasn't enough, justdriving passengers from one place to the next, but that in doing so I had topresent my company in a creative and fun way. The sugar helped." (p. 103) Herecalls his old work as follows: "I think of the nights I filled quark mugs withwhole packs of vanilla sugar and in the cold glow of my screen gulped down theover-sweetened mass, because I knew it wasn't enough, just driving passengersfrom one place to the next, but that in doing so I had to present my company in acreative and fun way. The sugar helped." (p. 103) He recalls his old work asfollows: "I think of the nights I filled quark mugs with whole packs of vanillasugar and in the cold glow of my screen gulped down the over-sweetened mass,because I knew it wasn't enough, just driving passengers from one place to thenext, but that in doing so I had to present my company in a creative and fun way.The sugar helped." (p. 103) but that I had to present my company in a creativeand funny way. The sugar helped." (p. 103) but that I had to present my companyin a creative and funny way. The sugar helped." (p. 103)A SMALL CORNERSTONE OF SOLIDARITYAt first glance, there is little hope left in the anthology. The few attempts thecharacters make to rebel seem meaningless. Most of the characters come to termswith their fate: they drug themselves with alcohol or become social dropouts. Forself-occupation, a group of teenage orphans go downtown once a month to beat updiplomats. The society described seems to be standing still, which is whatconstitutes the actual tragedy of the dystopia described. A revolutionarymovement related to Feliks Dzierzynski seems elusive, aggressive and misanthropic.The only positive ray of hope is a resident of the slum who accepts her situationin the affirmative and keeps a blog about the lives of her fellow human beingsfrom the seemingly forgotten class - not to present the situation to the public,but to "change my own attitude towards my place , the place where I stand. And tome, who is standing there in this place: If each of these stories is worthkeeping and writing down, then it is also my own. If everyone is interestingpeople, then so am I. If everyone deserves to be comforted, so do I. If we've allfailed, then it's no longer a failure. If we're all sorted out here and we'restill good, it's better that we're together. If we're all alrightCouldn't this attitude form the first cornerstone for more cohesion? Forrecognizing that this failure is not your own, but that of capitalism and thisform of society? And ultimately build a foundation for an active and not "just"reactive-destructive revolution?In Supermilch , this thought is only slightly hinted at and Böhm mostly remainsin a pessimistic perspective on the future. It is to be hoped that he has not somuch depicted reality as he has outlined a ghastly, dazzling future perspectivethat will only materialize if we stop sticking together as the working class. Inthis sense, the collection of stories can also help to motivate people to takeaction against abuses.In any case, the collection of stories is highly recommended as a successfulcritique of capitalism and not only makes you think - Böhm succeeds in coveringthe problems of our time with deep empathy through a close proximity to hiscomplex characters, mostly in small, intimate moments in their lives and therebycreates a special pleasure to read.Philipp Böhm: Super milk. Stories. Berlin: criminal publishing house 2022.Featured image: Cover of the book Supermilch, Source: Jona Larkin W.https://direkteaktion.org/wenn-wir-alle-in-ordnung-ist-dann-kann-es-nur-besser-werden/_________________________________________A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C EBy, For, and About AnarchistsSend news reports to A-infos-en mailing listA-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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