Back by meagre demand! Wondering which vaguely-named micro-parties are secretly Nazis, wizards, or God’s blessed elect? Well you’re in luck, baby. Here’s my time-honoured rogue’s gallery of Senate candidates for your electoral pleasure. I’ve ordered these according the Victorian Senate ballot, and missed a few who are only running in other states. I wrote mostContinue reading “Which minor parties are running in Australia in 2022?”
Author Archives: solomonfaust
Prisons and Power
The prison has become a black hole into which the detritus of contemporary capitalism is deposited’ – Angela Davis
In the long-awaited return of Bensplaining podcast, I interview activist and academic Marlee Raible about the prison-industrial complex, its history, non-carceral models of justice and Marlee’s experience with the Zapatistas.
Browse the reading list at benjaminhickey.org and make sure to check out Marlee’s podcast, Carceral Complex.
The best a brand can get
The Gillette ad moved me. When the father runs from his barbecue to stop the boy getting bullied, I thought of my dad, who always greets me with a hug and says he loves me at the end of every call. The ad effectively illustrates the link between everyday sexism and systemic abuse. It showsContinue reading “The best a brand can get”
The Disrupted
This essay about automation was written and published for Melbourne Knowledge Week 2017. THE DISRPUTED “Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.” – Genesis 17:26, KJV The weavers are coming to break the machines. They charge through streets thatContinue reading “The Disrupted”
Their Melbourne
From Southbank to Carlton, the city of Melbourne is littered with sky-blue posters. They carry the slogan Our Melbourne and the beaming face of Lord Mayoral candidate Sally Capp. Capp is the frontrunner for the by-election that follows by the resignation of Lord Mayor Robert Doyle after an independent investigation found that he sexually harassedContinue reading “Their Melbourne”
Psychosis & Sanity with Alex
What’s it like to lose contact with reality? In Episode 6 of Bensplaining, artist and activist Alex Childs shares the moving story of her experience of psychosis.
The Minister for Home Affairs
Content note: This piece includes graphic discussion of suicide and reference to abuse Just as I said I wouldn’t, I forgot them, and their stories got tangled up with all the other distant horrors. In May, last year, two young refugees under Australian care set themselves on fire. Omid Masoumali, an 23 year old heldContinue reading “The Minister for Home Affairs”
Bensplaining Ep 3: Sound Design & Theme Music with Mitch
In this episode, audio engineer and musician Mitchell Pasmans makes a theme song for the show and talks music industry, art, baselines and automation. Check out his stuff at:
Ep 2: Queer and Gender Politics with Kay
In this episode I talk to writer and activist Kay Wilde about trans rights, intersectional feminism, TERFS, Gender Abolitionists, toxic masculinity, capitalism’s impact on the LGBTI movement and marriage. The trans and non-binary heroes Kay mentions include:
• Norrie May-Welby
• Sylvia Rivera
• Marsha P. Johnson
• Juliet Jacques
• Leslie Feinberg
Ep 1: The Commodification of Time
Welcome to Bensplaining, a podcast where I talk to guests about ideas they know more about than me then talk just as much as I do anyway. In the first episode, me and Pat talk about time, work, idleness, the gig economy and capitalism.
Benjamin Hickey 