-
“Look, we can’t name it that—we already printed how many fucking stickers with that on them? If we use that for the book, too, it’ll seem like we’re out of ideas.”

“And do you have a better idea? That’s the only name any of us have been able to agree on, and we’ve been arguing for months. If I’m not going to live to see anarchist revolution, let’s at least finish this book. We’ve already had this conversation. I really think it’s the only good option we have.”

“If you’re serious, hear me out about the stickers.”

“Go ahead.”

“It’s going to seem like they were a marketing ploy all along: ‘You read the sticker—now buy the book!’ When we made them, we weren’t talking about a fucking book—they’re supposed to go up next to smashed windows, or in high schools before walkouts. It’s insulting to people who used the stickers in good faith to retroactively turn them into a promotional campaign. I don’t want anyone to feel like a dupe.”

“Don’t think that hasn’t occurred to me—and sure, it sucks. But we don’t have any other titles for this, at least nothing that would work. And really, it sounds like you’re concerned about our ‘good name.’ We’re doing this as CrimethInc., not some earnest political party seeking converts. Everything we do is propaganda—better that’s obvious, so people approach us with a healthy suspicion and consider the ideas on their merits alone.”

“I’m not convinced. I agree that if we position ourselves as ‘representatives’ of our ideas, so we’re responsible for selling them with our own irreproachable conduct, we’ll end up as incapable and inauthentic as fucking politicians. At the same time, I fear the kind of ‘branding’ that would result from naming the book after that sticker could undercut our ability to say anything at all. Corporations are already far ahead of us in that regard, and it just breeds cynicism, not healthy suspicion. If ‘resistance’ refers to a mass-produced book rather than unique acts of defiance, it’s that much more difficult to begin the conversation about what there is beyond books.”

“When I think about it, it’s ironic you’re worried about ruining a sticker with a book, rather than the other way around! I’d think a book could only improve on a sticker, not empty it of meaning.”

“You’re thinking that a book is better than a sticker because a lot of words can fill out a few words. But you can’t give meaning to words with more words—only actions can do that. This is the internet era—everyone in the US is totally debilitated by all that empty free speech. The higher the proportion of action to words, the better.”

“But you know we can’t act ‘as CrimethInc.’—especially not with all the scrutiny we’re under right now. CrimethInc. has always been a false front to put ideas out there that have to be filled out by the actions of real people. You can’t possibly be saying we shouldn’t publish this book, that we should just make stickers!”

“We’re getting off the subject. I think we should do the book—I’m just not convinced it’s a good idea to use that title, however perfect it is for the content.”

“You know you’re the only holdout, right? We’re going to have harder decisions than this ahead.”

“If there’s no other way, I’ll stand aside—but on one condition: we’d have to stop making those stickers.”

“I’m sure everybody would be OK with that. We’ll send out all the one’s we’ve already made and then no more. You write the announcement and we can put it up when the book’s done.”