Thursday, September 15, 2005

Reactor Party

Total GHAOS Preview Interview


On my travels around the Midlands I seem to keep seeing earnest groups of people wearing red and black, setting up tables, waving flags, and shouting through megaphones about the Reactor Party, Total GHAOS, and the evils of Rexism. I’ve been surprised to see people signing up to a manifesto they haven’t read in return for free badges and stickers, and wanted to know more about what was going on.

I've been hearing a lot about Total GHAOS recently. What is this, and how will we know when we get it?

Total GHAOS is Uncle Commi's vision for the future of the world. This Utopia is here and it is on Crocus Street, Nottingham. Total GHAOS is built on a foundation of egg boxes and powered by potatoes. Bicycle power-plants provide light and all GHAOS actors [i.e. the audience] are free together here NOW. It is open to you on the 7th 8th & 9th October 2005, we will then all know and it will be free to all to know. You do not need to get it.

You follow Uncle Commi, and despise Skepticus Rex, but how can we tell the difference between them?

Uncle Commi is our beloved leader, the discoverer of GHAOS. He consumed GHAOS and he is the most professional GHAOS Actor [i.e. the audience]. His I.C.S. . (Inner Conceptualising Space – Ed) is perfectly formed. We despise Skepticus REX, in all his forms; Skepticus REX is a cheating liar. He uses slight of hand and mind control to lead weak Cousins away to the deep river filled with piranhas. Sometimes Skepticus REX becomes invisible, this is a good way to find him if you are looking. If you do find him - crush him under your boot.

Who will be your leader? You have a free choice, as long as you choose Uncle Commi.

Why does everything have to be so black and white, surely there's room for people to find their own paths?

There are no paths, only one way. If there were paths they would all go the same way: The Reactor way, it is always the correct way. As the manifesto states,

"The Reactor Party is the only true source of authority within GHAOS, as such the need for formal Party sanctions is not contradictory to the principles of GHAOS, but is in fact a virtual necessity. Not to have sanctions would be to undermine the Party and suggest that the individual is totally responsible to and for himself. The reasons for the authority of the Reactor Party is not simply a matter of GHAOS, but is based on the perceptions of all GHAOS Actors [i.e. the audience]."

The true GHAOS Actor [i.e. the audience] should remember that if a seed falls on a path it will die. If a seed falls on The Reactor way, it might flourish and blossom the pink fleshy fruit of GHAOS. It's not so much black & white. It's more black, white, red, pink and grey – but as yet the Reactor Party has no official line on Michael Jackson's music.

You seem to offer GHAOS actors [i.e. the audience] freedom on the condition that they do what you say. Isn't that a bit contradictory?

All GHAOS Actors [i.e. the audience] are already free. But some believe they are not. Some are lead into isolation and non-participation. A weak GHAOS Actor [i.e. the audience] will stand in the corner or hide somewhere playing solitaire, or snake on their mobile. Doing as you wish is not freedom, we do not offer a condition that GHAOS actors [i.e. the audience] do what the Party says, only that if they do not join us NOW, they will later. As the manifesto states:

“Once all GHAOS Actors [i.e. the audience] understand and comply with their role within the Party, they will be free to follow the Party line and take action.”

I’m reminded of the Illuminatus Trilogy, where Chaos and Order are set up as opposing forces, but then seen to be part of the same system. What's the difference between GHAOS and Chaos?

In the beginning; the letter G is bigger than the letter C, it also spelt in capitals and therefore GHAOS appears to be more important than Chaos. Chaos may exist without any person's awareness of it. It does not necessarily come into being as a product of consciousness. Whereas GHAOS is the source and the product of engagement and participation. GHAOS is GHAOS and the forest is the forest. If a tree falls over in the forest, does the forest also fall over?

One of your proposals is “Search out and mercilessly destroy all seals.” What's your problem with seals?

The Seal is the natural enemy of the LYNX. On one fateful visit to the Earth’s surface, at a time when the Dark Arts were at their strongest, the Giant Red LYNX was captured by a gang of seals who viciously bit of it’s wings and left it for dead thinking that they had removed forever the LYNX’s ability for lunar exploration. Seals are there to be opened and broken. The correct action to take with a seal is to end it.

There’s something 1984 about all of this, but they seem to be playing a very subtle game under all the shouting and absolutes. Perhaps by becoming part of an exaggeratedly totalitarian system like this, GHAOS actors [i.e. the audience] become aware of how easily they are manipulated by the slogans and propaganda that are all around us. Or perhaps they really believe all this.

Maybe two plus two can equal five?

Maybe I could love Uncle Commi?


© Ana Milgram 2005

Read more about her experience of Total GHAOS here



Total GHAOS came into being between 7th - 9th October 2005, Nottingham, UK

The Reactor Party are a splinter group of Reactor


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