A Letter to Those Who Question WITTRs Politics
This is a letter we have sent to the venues who have questioned our politics. I am confident that it will totally set the record straight.
There is a fundamental misunderstanding going on here that I take full responsibility for because of my poor choice of words. Let me be totally 100% clear: We find nothing good or worthwhile in NS ideology. We have never said anything positive about any right wing idea. The sentences you have chosen to focus on have been misinterpreted. Our hatred for right wing ideologies and our credentials in the progressive punk and metal scene are well established. We go to this great effort to clarify our positions because we are so upset by this confusion.
My point, which I have done a poor job in conveying in the phrases that have been pointed out, is that the right wing has co-opted certain ideas that had value before they were stolen. If I say that the Nazis used some powerful ideas, I refer to these good things that have been stolen by the Right. These ideas have nothing to do with fascism, but have become unfairly associated with it. We support things such as radical environmentalism, heathen spirituality and, in regard to black metal, a certain esoteric ancient spirit. We want these good things to be a part of our progressive life-vision.
For instance, I feel that I am spiritually connected to a European heathen tradition and a certain way of life because of my heritage. This natural and good idea has been stolen by the Right Wing and has become, in Europe, connected to racism and xenophobia. With our music, we reconcile this idea with our progressive, anti-racist, anti-fascist ideology.
We will not let fascists control what we talk about by rendering it taboo. In America, where we are well-known as a left-wing band, it is self evident that we are not talking about the horrific side of Fascism. I feel very foolish for being naïve in assuming that people everywhere will know what I'm talking about and will understand our intent. I realize that I have made a mistake in not crafting my words more carefully to convey our true spirit to people in Europe.
The image of our band is totally unambiguous. It is one of nature and sadness, not Teutonic strength. We have no lyrics that refer to any right wing ideas. We never use images that could be misinterpreted. Everyone in our scene at home knows we are a left-wing, progressive band. We, as individuals, have long histories in feminist, environmentalist, anti-capitalist punk culture. Anyone who meets us realizes very soon what kind of people we are.
We run a DIY punk club in Olympia that refuses to allow racist, sexist or homophobic music. One of the women who started the original ladyfest in Olympia, our hometown punk scene, appears in the record artwork for Diadem of 12 Stars. Our band before WITTR was a political queer hardcore band. We and our comrades are the people who shut down the WTO in Seattle. Our friends are the people who occupy ancient trees to save this last bit of wildness in our country. This is our community. In this band, we move beyond the simple ideas of the punk of our youth, but stay true to a fundamental progressive ethic.
I understand that in your scene, in a country where Nazism is an immediate threat, using the language that I have would be totally unacceptable. The statements that have been misunderstood must be placed within the discussions that we have in our local community in America where the word "fascism" does not have the same power. For instance, I often use "ecofascism" as a synonym for "ecoanarchism". For me this makes perfect sense, for reasons that would take a long time to explain. This phrase has nothing to do with right wing ideas, but I will never use it again because it can be so horribly misunderstood. The point is that this sort of discussion is going on in the radical environmentalist-anarchist community in Olympia, Portland and San Francisco. Your American peers on the radical left have no quarrel with the ideas we put forth. The things I have written are a part of a discussion we have in our community at home. When I say National Socialism, I do not even refer to Germany. I am talking in more general terms about the whole of extreme-right ideology which we are totally against!
It is true that we are interested in ideas that lie beyond the political right and left. I no longer have the self-righteous certainty I did in my youth. I now dislike dogmatic, absolutist politics even when they come from the left. I am not afraid to seek truth and beauty even if it has been tarnished by evil people. What will never change is our total opposition to racism, anti-Semitism, war, imperialism, the abuse of the environment, the subjugation of women, and the other evils that define the Right Wing.
The whole point of this band is to engage with dark ideas, and transform them into something good. The band is spiritual and metaphysical, not political. I think we do very important work because black metal is becoming more and more popular. We all know that this music can be a way for young people to be exposed to dangerous and simple-minded right wing ideas. It is good to have bands in the Black Metal genre who actively oppose right-wing ideas while also intelligently acknowledging the real power and appeal of the music. I think this is more important and valuable than another Crass saying the same thing over and over to the same people.
I have learned that I must be clearer about the intent and spirit that we have. Hopefully these words will dispel all confusion and bad feelings. If anyone would like to speak to us via email or at a concert, I would welcome the discussion.
