from the spring 1993, vol. 28, no.1 issue of fifth estate:

EMMA GOLDMAN FOR SALE

everyone has long known that nothing is sacred in the modern era so only a few
are shocked when everything is marketed.  currently, a mini-debate is raging
over the propriety of selling a large range of products bearing an "X" on them
with the advent of the release of "Malcolm X," Spike Lee's cinematic depiction
of the slain black leader's life.

it is ironic that the symbol taken by members of the nation of islam to their
"slave name" and widely publicized by a man reviled by white society and parts
of the black community as well, now appears on everything from baseball caps to
potato chip bags.  Betty Shabazz, Malcom's widow, even has a lawyer tracking
down those who use the trademark "x" without compensating her and director Lee
who hold copyrights on the mark.

can you copyright a letter or a roman numeral?  that's a question for their
attorneys and the potato chip processo4rs.

in a smaller version of the same hustle, Candace Falk, curator of the Emma
Goldman Papers collection in Berkeley, CA, offers "Emmarabilia" for those who
view the radical anarchist as merely an "interesting rebel or feminist."  not
content with cornering the market on goldman's papers, falk will sell you
coffee mugs bearing emma's face as well as posters and buttons adorned with her
militant (but never anarchist) statements.

falk recently has been asked by a consortium of 28 los angeles high schools to
develop a "goldman curriculum" to "show how goldman maintained a vision of hope
while expressing the alienation of a marginal member of society."  couldn't you
puke?  the invitation came following the LA riots, but falk will undoubtedly
hide goldman's anarchy as she usually does and ignore her support for such
events as alexander berkman's armed attack on the industrialist frick and leon
czolgosz' assassination of mckinley.

LA kids, like any others, would greatly benefit from exposure to goldman's life
and anarchist writings, however it wouldn't be to any school principal's
likeing nor would falk be able to pick up her consulting fees if she was to
present the "real" emma.  what would have been goldman's opinion of the recent
LA riots?

one of her quotes suggest the answer:  "ask for work.  if they won't give it to
you, ask for bread.  if they deny you that, take it!"  we've always thought the
equation would be best practiced in a reversed form, but a domesticated emma,
now in service the state, is unrecognizable to us.

if you want to see the hideous emma-rabilia catalog or just tell candace what
you think of her efforts, the address is:  the emma goldman papers, uc berkely,
2372 ellsworth, berkeley ca  94720.


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