A note to Luke McGowan-Arnold following One Battle after Another
Just my thoughts from across the pond on his defence towards that travesty of a film
To both Mr McGowan-Arnold and anyone else reading this, I must preface this by saying that at the time of writing, I had not watched One Battle After Another yet. I have since seen the film and feel compelled to share these thoughts.
I have since seen that unpleasant film, and I have other things to say - some other time.
and I were speaking a few days ago and we spoke a bit about art. We concluded that art is not inherently radical. It is just art. On Friday, I went to the 1-54 Art Fair (thank you ), and I came across a piece of art depicting refugees on a small boat. I stopped in my tracks. A sight like this has become nearly commonplace. My partner and I discussed this later on and we had wished we came across the artist who painted this. It seemed tasteless.Now, I believe that art can be a vehicle to brew radicalism, but the piece itself is not radical. It can be made with that intention, but the thing - whether it’s a photograph, a painting, a sculpture, a poem, even, is not radical. With that being said, I want to also say that I think that
makes some good points about cultural commentators. I do believe that time and effort could be put into other things, however I also maintain the hope that even through their commentary, the ones who will use their efforts to push things in the right direction will be inspired by these commentators. Without his point on cultural commentators, I would not have come across Baldwin’s Everybody has a Protest Novel. So for that, I thank him.My issue lies with his line of argument comes from his approach. In the spirit of a writer’s community, I must ask
:Why did you feel the need to point out the “historical errors” and maintain such a strong stance towards
watching a film where a Black woman was portrayed in a manner in which she didn’t feel was appropriate?Where she voiced her discomfort at a character modelled after a Black woman who was hunted down by the United States Government, up until the day that she died? Assata Shakur, having passed away almost a month ago today, is still listed as a most-wanted terrorist, where the reward for information on her apprehension goes up to $1,000,000? What else could the metropole want to apprehend?
In one of your comments, you said:
This is sorta the problem that a lot of black activists have been stuck in for over a decade is complaining when people with better politics (some of whom may be white) do shit better than them. Reminds of my youth when Black lives Matter activist would cry when anarchists (some of whom were white but not all) would fight the police instead of listening to whatever “allyship” narratives they wanted. These people don’t want revolution, they just wanna be in charge.
Sir, racialised white people can fight the police because they will not be killed by the police. What anarchist fantasy do you live in? No state has waged war on Extinction Rebellion or Love and Rage in the same way that they did the Panthers.
For you to sit and ignore the several contributions to Black cinema that have brought to light radical social movements and the effects that white supremacy has had on human beings, and instead choose to tout on about Paul Thomas Anderson having made “the best film about white supremacy and radical social movements since The Spook who Sat By the Door” is ridiculous. Panther exists. Camp de Thiaroye exists. Malcolm X exists. (Controversially) Judas and the Black Messiah exists?
You had the gall to then reference Queen and Slim? That film wasn’t trying to do that. Them man were on a date, and that shit happened. It was not a commentary of radical social movements. This tells me that you need to put the keyboard away and watch more films! How could you decide to come onto Substack, call someone’s opinion on said film where they feel objectified and say that is wrong, or better yet “stupid”?
Furthermore, in your other comments, you say that Chairman Fred Hampton would have said that what Assata Shakur and the BLA did was “adventurist”. You can’t make that sort of remark because, dear man, you do not know what he would have said about their endeavours. But if I may, what do you think he would say about this film? You think he would ask the Chicago Chapter to add this to the required watching?
Luke, in your writing, you seem to always go on about how some white people *this*, or some white people *that*, how some white people have better politics than racialised people. I feel the urge to ask you to watch some Ousmane Sembène and remind yourself that Europe is not at the centre man. Liberals are in your comments agreeing with you that the ludicrous movie was a spectacle, and you receive it with glee?
I come from a Black British literary tradition, and in the spirit of that, I think that your critique is unfair and dumb, and I think that you’re a wallad.
Do you even watch films like that? Why wouldn’t you think this is the best film to come out when Queen and Slim is your reference point? I urge you to reconsider your stance, and I believe you owe her an apology.
You speak about going to the range? You think people just have to pick up guns? Revolutions are a lot more than just going to the range. You are a researcher; you should know this! People need to be able to question, to think, to understand! They need to be sustained- they need to learn how to sustain themselves. If you want to talk about tactics, then let’s talk about tactics. There is nothing new that this film unearths. We have real-life examples of resistance to look at. Why would people take notes from the director of Boogie Nights?
Lastly, I think people can focus on the art and on the movement at the same time. Why do you believe that it should be one before the other?
I’m writing this to you in good faith that we can have a dialogue on this.
aye tell him bro. wallad 😂
I’m not gonna dignify all of this ridiculous article with a full response though you’re welcome to hit my dm.
“Sir, racialised white people can fight the police because they will not be killed by the police. What anarchist fantasy do you live in? No state has waged war on Extinction Rebellion or Love and Rage in the same way that they did the Panthers.”
This is the most pathetic ass coward and white minded shit I’ve read in a while. To be clear, there were massive Black lead uprisings here in the United States in 2020. A multi-racial crowd burnt down a Precinct in Minneapolis. It wasn’t white anarchists leading them. In fact, those white anarchists were negibible in their relevance to these revolts. I saw Black activists telling Black youth not to fight the police. The neighborhoods that were burning were Black neighborhoods. It wasn’t white outside agitators doing anything. The idea that the only people who can resist are white is a weak ass colonial narrative. You say that “Europe isn’t the center” but seem to center whites a lot. I dunno how you can reference Assata Shakur and then be like “Black people are too weak to fight police”. I highly encourage you to read anything about the long history of urban rebellions in the United States. Lots of Black people have fought in riots and survived. Thousands of people did it in 2020. Look at the Mark Duggan riots in 2011. Again, your screed on Substack is evocative of a particular kind of Black inferiority complex that is largely the product of how Black radical politics have been hollowed out by the nonprofit industrial complex. Also, Malcolm X by Spike Lee, Panther and Judas and the Black Messiah are good films but none of them have politics that are as interesting to me as One Battle After Another. Spike is a liberal. The narratives around the Party in Panther have been critiqued. Judas and the Black Messiah is a film that’s sympathetic to snitches.
I don’t know you. You don’t know shit about my background or what I’ve done in real life. I don’t give a shit about you trying to hold me accountable on the internet cause I liked a movie more than you. Log off. Touch grass.