"The Earth Died Screaming... While I Lay Dreaming..."
Before (Magnitogorsk circa. 1901):
After (Magnitogorsk circa. 2000) :
Built in the 1920s and 30s during the Bolsheviks' push towards industrialization (which were heavly inspiered by the ideas of Henry Ford and Frederick W. Taylor*)...in Soviet Russia, leaders who were all eager beaver to industrialize a mostly agrarian society- embraced Taylor's (communist!?) notion that "the system must be first"...and thus went full steam ahead on the construction of giant complexes such as the Magnitogorsk Metal Kombinat [fig. 2]...part of Stalin's five year plan, and built using mostly forced labor (but we're talking communist Russia 'forced labor'- not to be confused with actual 'forced labor'- just kidding}; its the largest steel mill plant in the World...stretching thirteen miles in the remote Urals moutains (yes, that little country you can never hold onto in Risk), and at one time formed the core of a city of about 250,000... though 'ugly as fuck' to the primitivist eye- the architecture of the Magnitogorsk plant later became influential to the bauhaus and international style; oh, admit it: its kinda beautiful in that: 'Oh... my... fucking... G-d!'...sort of way; eh?...
*F.W. Taylor made factory-floor observations which prompted him to decry workers who "soldiered" {the slackers of his day}; his Principles of Scientific Management (published in 1911) offered "solutions" for "improving" industrial efficiency- in the U.S.- managers took heed, while the workers were suspicious (extreme versions of Taylor's mind-set found their way into the operation of Nazi death camps and communist totalitarianism [see above])...the Taylor method called for constant clockwork!...a world of tasks timed to the hundredth of a minute; of standardized factories; work incentive; punch ins- punch outs; 'breaks' timed- capital "T"; machines! machines!; women and men- maximum efficency!- et cetera!...naturally, ordinary workers resented having to work faster then they thought was healthy or fair {gee?- whiners!}... in any case- Taylor and his adherents acknowledged that workers could not sustain peak level performances all day long {duh!?}- so they used certain margins of error, or "fudge factors" to set a more realistic level {what nice guys!?}...however; Tayor believed his "time-and-motion" studies, along with the promise of higher wages; would create added incentive for workers to exceed this "average" level {a.k.a. mediocre}... however, what was needed later- was a way to apportion the wealth created by this over worked (highly profitable) manufacturing enterprises...but Taylor's answer sidestepped the class struggle and politics**...later; some workers rebelled (despite the higher pay)- and later, compaints against Tayor by organized labor landed him in front of a senate investigatory hearing shortly before his death...Taylor died in 1915...he welcomes you to the 40 hours work week; he hopes you like it here- but no shilly-shallying! or else! {'Break back to back-breaking!'}...good riddance!...that fucker!...
** Ooh! Sounds like another question of our times: "Our we there yet? (blah-blah-blahgress!) etc."...or: something about 'putting off/saving up, for some Future happiness that may never arrive' (Who said that? Carnegie? Rousseau? Everyone?)...you get the idea!...what are you gonna do with the profits from all this drudge!?- this 'wealth'?!...vacation time!- whats that?!...ha ha ha- a trap!?- quick like; get out!...too late!- like a little wretched human wrench!...you get throw you in...you think your a luddite all right!- but your tears and sweat; blood and guts...just grease up the machinery more!...crunch-crunch you go!- on with the show!...oh, have fun!... nevermind, sorry...a hundered years of clumsy and cluttered human 'evolution'...down the drain?***...plunk!- hahaha...you say: "That's life"?...what shit!...I'm so full of, um, 'life'...(I don't have misplaced hatered- I know right were to put it...its misplaced love thats my problem!...'Wait! Where'd it go?! hey...hey! Wait! People, people!- nobody move! I seem to have lost my love!...make sure your not stepping on it...no, I don't think I left it in my other pants!'...oh- hehehe; thats funny...)
***"While the eloquent young pilgrims pass and leave behind their trail, imploring us not to fail...of course I was raised to gather courage from those lofty tales so tried and true...and if you're able I'd suggest it; cause this modern thought can get the best of you...this rather simple epitaph can save your hide, your falling mind: 'Fate isn't what we're up against, there's no design, no flaws to find, there's no design no flaws to find' {when theres no design theres no flaws to find?}...but I learned fast how to keep my head up, cause I know I got this side of me that wants to grab the yoke from the pilot and just fly the whole mess into the sea"...
...we've got a real manifest destiny for doom! Don't we...
After (Magnitogorsk circa. 2000) :
Built in the 1920s and 30s during the Bolsheviks' push towards industrialization (which were heavly inspiered by the ideas of Henry Ford and Frederick W. Taylor*)...in Soviet Russia, leaders who were all eager beaver to industrialize a mostly agrarian society- embraced Taylor's (communist!?) notion that "the system must be first"...and thus went full steam ahead on the construction of giant complexes such as the Magnitogorsk Metal Kombinat [fig. 2]...part of Stalin's five year plan, and built using mostly forced labor (but we're talking communist Russia 'forced labor'- not to be confused with actual 'forced labor'- just kidding}; its the largest steel mill plant in the World...stretching thirteen miles in the remote Urals moutains (yes, that little country you can never hold onto in Risk), and at one time formed the core of a city of about 250,000... though 'ugly as fuck' to the primitivist eye- the architecture of the Magnitogorsk plant later became influential to the bauhaus and international style; oh, admit it: its kinda beautiful in that: 'Oh... my... fucking... G-d!'...sort of way; eh?...
*F.W. Taylor made factory-floor observations which prompted him to decry workers who "soldiered" {the slackers of his day}; his Principles of Scientific Management (published in 1911) offered "solutions" for "improving" industrial efficiency- in the U.S.- managers took heed, while the workers were suspicious (extreme versions of Taylor's mind-set found their way into the operation of Nazi death camps and communist totalitarianism [see above])...the Taylor method called for constant clockwork!...a world of tasks timed to the hundredth of a minute; of standardized factories; work incentive; punch ins- punch outs; 'breaks' timed- capital "T"; machines! machines!; women and men- maximum efficency!- et cetera!...naturally, ordinary workers resented having to work faster then they thought was healthy or fair {gee?- whiners!}... in any case- Taylor and his adherents acknowledged that workers could not sustain peak level performances all day long {duh!?}- so they used certain margins of error, or "fudge factors" to set a more realistic level {what nice guys!?}...however; Tayor believed his "time-and-motion" studies, along with the promise of higher wages; would create added incentive for workers to exceed this "average" level {a.k.a. mediocre}... however, what was needed later- was a way to apportion the wealth created by this over worked (highly profitable) manufacturing enterprises...but Taylor's answer sidestepped the class struggle and politics**...later; some workers rebelled (despite the higher pay)- and later, compaints against Tayor by organized labor landed him in front of a senate investigatory hearing shortly before his death...Taylor died in 1915...he welcomes you to the 40 hours work week; he hopes you like it here- but no shilly-shallying! or else! {'Break back to back-breaking!'}...good riddance!...that fucker!...
** Ooh! Sounds like another question of our times: "Our we there yet? (blah-blah-blahgress!) etc."...or: something about 'putting off/saving up, for some Future happiness that may never arrive' (Who said that? Carnegie? Rousseau? Everyone?)...you get the idea!...what are you gonna do with the profits from all this drudge!?- this 'wealth'?!...vacation time!- whats that?!...ha ha ha- a trap!?- quick like; get out!...too late!- like a little wretched human wrench!...you get throw you in...you think your a luddite all right!- but your tears and sweat; blood and guts...just grease up the machinery more!...crunch-crunch you go!- on with the show!...oh, have fun!... nevermind, sorry...a hundered years of clumsy and cluttered human 'evolution'...down the drain?***...plunk!- hahaha...you say: "That's life"?...what shit!...I'm so full of, um, 'life'...(I don't have misplaced hatered- I know right were to put it...its misplaced love thats my problem!...'Wait! Where'd it go?! hey...hey! Wait! People, people!- nobody move! I seem to have lost my love!...make sure your not stepping on it...no, I don't think I left it in my other pants!'...oh- hehehe; thats funny...)
***"While the eloquent young pilgrims pass and leave behind their trail, imploring us not to fail...of course I was raised to gather courage from those lofty tales so tried and true...and if you're able I'd suggest it; cause this modern thought can get the best of you...this rather simple epitaph can save your hide, your falling mind: 'Fate isn't what we're up against, there's no design, no flaws to find, there's no design no flaws to find' {when theres no design theres no flaws to find?}...but I learned fast how to keep my head up, cause I know I got this side of me that wants to grab the yoke from the pilot and just fly the whole mess into the sea"...
...we've got a real manifest destiny for doom! Don't we...