Recipes for Disaster: an anarchist cookbook

Many people use intoxicants as a means to get over their inhibitions and into bed with each other; this is a real problem, because intoxication interferes with people's abilities to think clearly, express themselves, and understand others. If you must have drunlcen, blundering sex, do it with a partner you know well and share a high level of trust with; othervidse, it's more responsible not to at all.

Just as refusing to regard the products of animal exploitation as food can help you rediscover your ability to feel compassion in a desensitized society, it can be a worthwhile experiment to avoid pornography and conventional representations of sex. These generally reinforce the notion of sex as a performance of domination and submission, and lust as a desire for objectified bodies that conform to unhealthy beauty norms?to such an extent that when two people who have spent their lives being conditioned by them come together in bed, it is not an intersection of two individuals, but of the images they put in place of themselves and each other. As my friend who counsels perpetrators of sexual abuse and domestic violence tells them, if all your sexual encounters have taken place under the influence of hierarchical programming, you've never made love?^you don't know even know what it is.

Don't regard your desires as fixed imperatives; explore, experiment, challenge yourself Don't take for granted that sexuality is limited to the bedroom alone; dancing, conversing, exploring rooftops in the rain, all these can be thrilling ways to express erotic energy. Be honest with others?and, at least as important, supportive enough that they will not fear to be honest with you. All this is basically common sense, but it's another thing entirely to put it into practice. Best of luck!

Account Wouldn't you like to know!

Sex

shoplifting

It's been said that a capitalist will sell you the very rope with which to hang him; that Ingredients

may be so, but he sure won't sell it to you at a price anyone but a fellow capitalist could afford. Don't despair, though: what you can't buy, you can steal.

Shoplifting has some drawbacks. It can be more dangerous in terms of legal repercussions than other alternative means of gathering, and it doesn't discourage mass-production?or, for that matter, mass-consumption. All the same, sometimes what you need can't be found in the dumpsters?and if you're going to shoplift from time to time, it's good to stay in practice.

There is a spiritual side to shoplifting. Being calm is important; it may even help to

employ meditation techniques. Try method acting: be the harmless customer you are pretending to be. Be friendly when you interact wdth employees, ask questions if you need to, smile. Unless you are actually seen secreting items in your clothes, you will only be suspected if employees find you suspicious.

Just the same, there is no standard appearance for shoplifters. Corporate research shows that teens shoplift the most, with middle-class, middle-aged women as a close second. Who would have thought? Maybe you wouldn't have, but any savvy security person knows this. Dress as yourself if you were a shopper, so you'll feel comfortable, but don't get lazy and assume you v^ll be ignored. 477

Zen and the Art of Shoplifting

Store detectives and undercover employees don't have a particular look, either. You can be busted by any of a whole cast of totally unexpected characters, some employed by the store, some not. Your best bet is to not let anyone observe your activities.

Confidence is an asset, but be careful not to get cocky. Your ability to shoplift is a limited resource; the more you do so, the higher the probability that you will eventually get caught. When this happens, your captors will prtobably try to make things difficult for you. If you get caught several times, you may feel compelled to stop shoplifting. Don't let that be the moment you realize it is better to have a long career supplying yourself and your community with necessities than it is to go out in a blaze of hubris trying to acquire more luxury items than the next consumer.

When you work with a partner, make sure to find someone whose style is compatible with yours, so you won't have to deal with any stressful misunderstandings or disagreements in the midst of an already stressful mission.