Spk, Aus Der Krankheit Eine Waffe Machen:E. Agitationsschrift D. Sozialist. Patientenkollektivs An D. Univ. Heidelberg. Mit E. Vorw. Von Jean Paul Sartre.

by Sozialistisches Patientenkollektiv

German

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Psychology, Theory, Disability, Germany, Mental Illness

136 pages, Perfect Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

Reviews

[Durakov · Rating 4 out of 5]

I put aside reading this for too long; the Maoist sloganeering and seemingly absurd proclamations ("illness is a product of capitalism" when obviously people get ill under any economic conditions) turned me off, but these are, it turns out, only the outward facing and most provocative elements of the group's textual productions. Their premise is quite clear: it's not that capitalism uniquely produces illness, but rather that it produces it as a necessary corollary to accumulation. Therefore, capitalism must (i.e. not by accident) produce illness on a wide scale.

Instead of helping the ever-increasing body of the ill, capital and its defenders only seeks to make them exploitable bodies again, and it does so by essentially holding them hostage: the ill cannot seek the means of healing that fit their needs and desires, but are forced to travel through prescribed pathways and means defined by the authorities. If they do not do so, they are free to starve or die. This is why they insist on the equation: "suicide=murder" and even "death=murder". This isn't intended to be taken at all times entirely literally, but expresses this internal hostage situation of the ill and distressed.

Some of the earlier sections of the book are documenting the very interesting proceedings of the group itself, which, to my surprise, had 500 members at its peak in Heidelberg, Germany. I was once in Heidelberg and asked people there about how to find out more about the SPK, but everyone I talked to looked very suspicious and cautious when I breached the question. This could be because of the fact that some members were accused of being RAF militants involved in a shooting with police, an event which led to the arrest of prominent members.

The strongest section for me was "Capitalism and Illness" where they lay out a very useful binary rubric of illness: they say it contains a "progressive" and a "repressive" moment. The "progressive" moment is the fact that becoming ill can serve as an illuminating moment when one recognizes that capitalism necessitates illness and that, therefore, to fight capital as a revolutionary sick person is to "wield illness as a weapon" against the ill-making forces. The "repressive" moment is all the breakdown and degredation caused by the illness. The difference lies in whether or not one can appropriate the fact of illness to become politically effective or whether it will destroy you. Both elements, as I understand it, are present simultaneously. The weakest section for me was the chapter on dialectics, not because I don't like the dialectical method (which they use throughout), but because it seemed to me like they were just trying to find a way to force their ideas to work within a Hegelian system.

Included also are really insightful passages on the function of the police, the media, and the university in managing illness under capitalism (though these sections all sometimes take the character of a personal vendetta of the group against their attackers).

[David Šír · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as this still remains on the level of marxist-hegelian 60s critique of capitalist alienation, the basic idea how capitalism and toxic society inevitably produces mental illness, and that reclaiming this illness is an explosive revolutionary tool, is well argued. We need social therapy, community psychiatry, a real radical struggle for new consciousness can not be only individual but must also be communal. In context of contemporary mental health crisis and neoliberal outsourcing of depression and suicide as mere individual failures, this is an up-to-date and refreshing read.

[Guilherme · Rating 4 out of 5]

O SPK faz curvas inesperadas, agitando a tudo e a todos sob a determinação da doença.

Esse é um texto de leitura obrigatório para qualquer um que, em algum momento, se deparou com o adoecimento de si sob o capitalismo. Dito isso, é um texto para todos. Enquanto o SPK se depare em algumas escolhas, na minha opinião, infelizes no que se trata de sua tática revolucionária e de sua construção teórica, essas críticas passam longe de esboçar qualquer semblante de desvalidação do trabalho fundamental construído por eles. Esse trabalho, unificador de uma classe de doentes que, em sua consciência, percebem os fundos ideológicos burgueses da supremacia da saúde (saúdeHEIL), é mais relevante do que nunca em meio ao atual avanço neoliberal global, acompanhado de genocídios, guerras e Estados fascistas e apoiado pela maquinaria ideológica da saúde.

[Alastair Kemp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needs a decent translation especially as highly important in the history of psychiatric survivor activism

[Lady V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

While a lot of the critique falls flat for me, this remains a powerful, provocative account of real events that happened, of real events that occurred. The overt reliance on marxist* rhetoric tends to reduce what is a much more complex and convuluted topic, the truth of the relations, the futility of looking at a capitalist health care provider as a panacea against disease is not only fruitless, but dangerous and misguided. The fact that doctors do in fact offer some assisstence, sometimes, serves to obfuscate the issue of the impropriety at the core of the hierarchical patient - doctor relationship, and all the damage that causes. There is a deep structural problem in the medical field that will eternally prevent it from keeping any society meaningfully healthy, and I appreciate the big contribution of the SPK towards that goal, despite their faults.

[Aaron Schuschu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like Myth of Mental Illness and Anti- Oedipus, I deeply agree with the main point (and am always concerned with CIA collusion with ex- Nazis), but the thing is, it got repetitive halfway through (though I read it all). And... not sure how to put what else bugged me about it. But yeah, anything to keep the government out of deciding what is illness and what isn't.

[Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's clearly written by some radical college kids, but it's worth a read especially in the context of pushing for M4A, but recognizing that social democratic reforms aren't the end game of american leftist organizing.

I don't know, struggle through this if you want. The rants are fun, the in-depth hegelian dialectics are unnecessary within the conversation they're trying to have.

[not. antonimo. .exe · Rating 5 out of 5]

La mayor critica que se le puede hacer es el contenido articulado de forma poco cohesionada, con disrupciones del contenido y del discurso. Evidentemente, no es un texto enfocado a lo académico, es un texto por y para militantes socialistas, escrito por ellos mismos, donde lo que importa es la globalidad del mensaje.

[Anna Lorentzon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it in English. Such a great concept, loved it! Recommend, can be found online.

[Mirza Sultan-Galiev · Rating 3 out of 5]

The translation is horrible but the SPK rarely get the respect they deserve for elaborating a original and convincing Marxist-Hegelian perspective on "mental illness" as a manifestation of the contradictions of capitalist production.