n o n s t o p e r o t i c c a b a r e t

the nonstop erotic cabaret

'In conclusion, the artist today is the citizen of tomorrow.'
Brief applause. The theatre emptied as the audience made their way to the beer tent.

'Artist is playful. Artist is social. Artist is-'
'Stop it'. Baxter interrupted.
'Well, it's so boring. Heard it all before. If you let the artist's mentality spread society would become dangerously morbid.'
'Rubbish. Nowadays the traditional qualities of the artist are sought after in society. The pre-requisites of today's professionals are passion, creativity, and originality. Managerial symposia are organized with titles like The Artist as Entrepeneur. Business studies publishing advocates a quasi-mystic personal training with the goal of self-realisation'. Baxter signalled to the waiter for two beers.

'Nobody mentioned it'.
Baxter sat down. The conference had dragged on and he had a headache.
'Mention what?' he said distractedly.
'You know. That tutor. One of his students was discovered tied up in his studio, in pretty bad shape. He'd been tortured for weeks. The details of it are really disgusting. The student was Japanese. Where's your toilet?'
Baxter pointed to a door. He already regretted offering his sofa for the night. The story was new and the details were still vague. Initial reports suggested it was a protest against lack of funding.
'You know his dad was B. F. Skinner.' The door closed.
'Who?'
Vertov came out smiling. 'Want some?'
'No.' he said crossly. He'll be up for hours, he thought. 'Is he dead?'
'Skinner?'
'No, the chinky'
'Don't think so. Let's go'
'I've got a headache. You go.'
'Come on, you've got to buy the drinks.'

They went to the Nogogo, an all-night bar hired for the post-conference party. All the cocktails were named after avant-garde heroes. They ordered a pitcher of Revolutionary Shots and a bowl of chilli nachos. 'It's an interesting way of teaching. You can read it as a protest and I'm sure there was a hint of that. Colleges enrol so many rich foreigners now. And imagine this poor student. He must have paid extortionate fees for the course and then his tutor horrifically deforms him. But he must have learnt something from it. "An animal's sense of self emerges through physical pain". I think that's what it was all about - demanding some identity. This guy wasn't trying to tap into his psyche. He was trying to shape his behaviour. But doing it through punishment is too unpredictable. Who knows what the side-effects will be?' Their food was served. 'But it's such an old idea. Reaching that Sadean kingdom of the absolute. That liberation is achieved by revolutionising the subject through his fears and desires. He must have discovered an empty vessel like the rest of us. The student was probably grateful to be singled out like that - to feel so special. At least he can talk about that for the rest of his life in analysis.'

He stopped to find a nacho with melted cheese. 'His father Skinner, wanted to replace our system of negative reinforcement with a technology of positive reinforcement. The question should not be whether we want our behaviour to be controlled by the environment (it is controlled no matter what we want), but what this environment should look like to bring out the best in people. Skinner wanted to marshal these outside forces to modify our behaviour in a positive way.'

'Torturing that student simply reinforces the values of our society - the cult of the individual. All of us are manipulated in that way. Skinner doesn't entertain the basic ideas of dignity and freedom. They're such vague and naïve terms, anyway. They have no practical use. Except to rebel corporations. His novel, "Walden Two", is a world without heroes.'

Vertov scratched his head and continued. 'I've always wondered why "Walden Two" was so abruptly forgotten. It's a society in which human problems are solved. It's the type of system socialists have always banged on about but were too weak-willed to achieve. Everyone in "Walden Two" shares a common interest and the system focuses on self-sufficiency. Individuals behave in certain ways not out of fear of force but rather because it serves their interests. Members of "Walden Two" have no personal status. However, the sense of belonging to the colony is evident throughout the novel. All forms of unnecessary consumption are frowned upon. They are in a sense working for themselves. No job in "Walden Two" carries more prestige or status than any other. There is no gratitude toward the individuals, but rather to the community as a whole. This society functions in this utopian way because all behaviours are taught and engineered through a technology of human conduct.'

'I know it's a dull read. The characters are lifeless. But his logic is irrefutable - if something in your community is not working, then change it. But he doesn't use violence. Not for moral reasons but because it is unscientific.' Vertov paused to look at Baxter's Beach Boys T-shirt. It had faded since it was first worn, leaving only 'The Beach' readable. His belly was poking out but otherwise he was slim.

'Skinner wrote it in the waning months of World War II in the glory days of the behaviourist movement. They believed the only things you could discuss were the objective qualities of the environment and objective descriptions of behaviour. Not only was behaviour king, but the only domain of any interest was learning. The autobiographical character Frazier is always paying attention to every detail of the environment. His approach to everything is constantly experimental.'

He rubbed his eyes. 'There's a commune in Mexico which has been testing out Skinner's ideas for 20 years. They're called Los Horcones - it's Spanish for 'The Pillars'. It's unique in that they are guinea pigs and researchers all in one. Each member is encouraged to analyse their behaviour constantly and engage in ongoing discussion about possible improvements of certain types of behaviour that are either their own or some other member's problem. The walls are filled with charts where members take note of the occurance of a behaviour they wish to change. Members can either make public what they are working on, or simply note down their name, but not their aim. The regular members meet every day to discuss the day's agenda and the behavioural problems that may have occurred. Drugs are strictly forbidden (even coffee is restricted), casual sex is strongly discouraged, and work is taken very seriously, as is cleanliness and politeness.'

'While the community may inhibit certain potentials in the individual, it also generates new possibilities. A member no longer sees it as total identity loss or total self-realisation, but lives in a context of relating patterns. Creativity is a function of the social processes within the group rather than the product of the lone genius.' Vertov noticed the pitcher was empty and his speed was wearing off. He looked at Baxter but he'd passed out.

(extract selected by Ulrich Maninrev)