Catártica: September '24

OUR BREAKFASTS

3

Pablo López

THE DISEASE OF MORALS: LOS CAPRICHOS OF FRANCISCO DE GOYA

5

M.I. Flores Nachón MOMMY ISSUES?

9

Rossanna Huerta NATURAL MONOPOLIES AND OTHER CHALLENGES OF CAPITALISM

13

Miguel Jímenez

ABI

19

Fantástico Sr. Zorro ODE TO THE SPRING SNEEZE M.I. Flores Nachón

22

Waking up and seeing you, beginning to feel what is coming from the kitchen and knowing that I am at home, every day with you is a reminder that life does not stop, does not forgive, and that happiness... also brings tears.

Pirosophies to turn us on! steaming coffee, Your eyes shine when you look at me, Love in sips. crispy toasted bread, We share the same table, and smiles.

Scrambled eggs together, We mix dreams and flavors, Dawn Coffee with milk, Our perfect mix, A hug in every cup.

A cereal crunches Your reflection in the spoon, Complicity. red fruits Passion in every bite, Love that renews us.

Omelet with cheese, In your hands, a taste with future Cookies with sprinkles, Sweet surprises in every bite, Love that excites us.

OUR BREAKFASTS

Pablo López

Hot tea, Comfort in every sip, Love that embraces us.

Tea in his gaze, share the warm bread, sun on the table Honey on your lips, shared bread, sweet silence Coffee and laughter, peaceful dawn, together, slowly.

Bread with butter, murmurs between sheets, home warmth.

Butter, slide love into bread, kiss the light fresh orange, the sun in the window, your kisses Between sips, caresses slide, warm hug Warm oats, a secret in the mouth, slow looks. cut fruit, your hands drawing unhurried love.

The disease of morals Los Caprichos of Francisco de Goya M.I. Flores Nachón Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the LORD thy God .

Deuteronomy 23:18

For the last year I have been reading, researching, understanding and writing about society and the human nude. Seeking to understand the origin of our modesty, our decorum and our shame, understanding that the three are different feelings and behaviors that correspond to the different understandings of our own body. Without wanting to go into depth, I will briefly share what I have understood about all three.

Modesty, on the one hand, can be defined as the retention and balance in the humility of the being in the face of social norms and expectations; decorum, although similar, is different, however, as it is behavior that seeks to comply with the norms, leaning towards an extreme of adaptation, originating from the Latin Pudere, to purify, to clean the floors. And finally, shame, as defined by Scheler (2004/1957), is the human development of a feeling of insecurity when faced with the self-recognition of otherness in one's own and another's body. While modesty and decorum are social constructs, shame is inherent to human beings.

Understanding the above has also allowed me to wonder about my behavior and development in society, now accompanied by questions that criticize what has seemed normal to me until now. Why are we afraid of nakedness?

I do not want to go into the question as I would have to develop my thesis in this publication, however, it has inspired me to reflect on public nudity and the sexual practice that has been considered the disease of modernity, the tooth decay of a city: Prostitution as a subject of art in the work of the 19th century, specifically Los Caprichos by Francisco de Goya.

Prostitution is recognized as the oldest job, however since the 17th century, with the development of a new economic model closer to current capitalism, the chronicles of sexuality and its side effects were mostly translated into productivity.

Consequently, everything related to pleasure was prohibited, resulting in the privatization of any act, becoming something that should only take place in the marital room between husband and wife, creating a silent moral rule that will last forever. Michel Foucault will call this change The Repressive Hypothesis.

This is how in the 18th century prostitution became the symbol of society's illness, but also a social phenomenon, the escape from repression, and as an antonym the prostitute martyrs herself and becomes the heroine of the immoral but with a pure soul, in search of a better life. Francisco de Goya contributed to the construction of the archetype of the prostitute at the end of the 18th century. Los Caprichos de Goya is a series of eighty engravings made in 1799, which represent the vices of Spanish society that was undergoing a transformation. Contrary to what is common, the engravings raised a criticism of religious fanaticism, and for the first time proposed understanding and true mercy towards the prostitute, instead of moral judgment that classified them as a tooth decay in the city.

The young and attractive prostitute, who works, like any other piece of the capital chess, following the instructions and advice of the Celestina, who in turn “Prays for them”, engraving number 31 is one of the representative ones about prostitution, in addition to “It is well disposed”.

Los Caprichos, as a scathing vision and protest to the systems of power and punishment, function as devil's advocates, opposing modesty, decorum and shame, revealing that the true disease of morality is nothing but bad education and ignorance, that, in the form of a weapon, punish the souls that live the earth in constant condemnation.

Rossanna Huerta

Mommy Issues?

Vista de la exposición Damien Hirst: Vivir para siempre (por un momento). Museo Jumex, 2024. Fotografía: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd. © Damien Hirst and Science Ltd. Todos los derechos reservados, DACS/Artimage 2024.

Hasn't it happened to you that, when analyzing an artist's work in depth, you end up thinking: that poor man lacked affection in his childhood? Well, that was my impression after touring Damien Hirst’s exhibition. I must admit that it took me almost four months of guides, visits and explaining his works to the general public to come to this absurd conclusion. At first, I didn't have a high opinion of him or his pieces. But now, after so many interactions (especially reminding visitors that this is not a "look-touch-and-learn" exhibition), I can't help but think that the gentleman was a little unhinged. Before I continue, I want to clarify that this shouldn’t be taken as the Bible, but rather as a fun read of what could be.

And why do I say that Hirst lacked love in his childhood? Well, it is rumored that Mary Brennan, his mother, was never a fan of her beloved son's works. And this is where our visit begins, in what I call "the childhood room." I'll tell you why: since we left the main elevator, we found its famous colored dots (although a little more primitive than what we will see later).

The first thing that comes to mind are those art classes in kindergarten, where we use primary colors from the supermarket, with drawings that go out of the line and look like they were made with little fingers. And it's not that it's a bad thing, but it's funny, because it seems like all the pieces in this room are designed to attract attention. Then we came across Sharks in formaldehyde, medical instruments, cabinets that you could find in your home, and thousands of zirconias.

When I'm in this room, I like to talk about the occult, but not in the literal sense, but in how much of the meaning of the pieces is on a deeper level. I love to think that Damien could have been a great poet rather than a famous artist. For example, there is a work that fascinates me, titled "The true artist is he who reveals the truths of the world." In it, we see three cabinet-type panels full of mini tanks with formaldehyde and fish, and the first thing we notice is that in only one panel do the fish swim in the opposite direction.

That's why I find so much fun in Hirst's works: they're ridiculously obvious and, at the same time, they're not. I love being able to explain this piece to visitors; the obvious is part of the experience. When we think about contemporary art, we tend to use overly complicated words, complex concepts, and ideas that are always in motion. But Hirst wants to simplify all that.

This piece talks about those who go against the current, who do not let themselves be carried away by society's standards and create their own path. A path that future generations could follow.

Moving on to the second floor, I like to call it "damn adolescence." Here we find three main themes: drugs, religion and obscenity. I think the reasoning behind this title is pretty obvious. Although I find “Who's Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue (For Gianni)” too comical (a hidden message to say: suck my cock), I think all the pieces express a kind of rebellion. We see a teenager who wants to distance himself from his childhood and family beliefs, looking for his own way of explaining the world, whether through other religions or science. There is also a certain irreverence, which manifests itself in both (suck my cock) and the rotating piece, because Hirst knows that HE is the art market.

And as for drugs, we see it reflected in the works that address his addiction to tobacco and the wear and tear it caused on his body (look at the self-portrait made with x-rays, and if you can, take a doctor to explain the gastric congestion).

Finally, we arrive at the redemption room, or as I like to call it: "I already have a cordial relationship with my mother." Remember the detail I mentioned about Mrs. Mary Brennan, who did not enjoy her son's works? Well, I call this room that because I see some kind of peace agreement. It is a very bright room, filled with pointillist-style paintings of cherry blossoms, with its iconic diamond skull in the center. The cherry blossoms reference her early dot paintings, but at the same time represent something that is very dear to her mother. It doesn't feel like a thank you for the support, but rather a gesture of cordiality, like the moment when you offer an olive branch to keep a relationship peaceful.

Despite these new discoveries and the deeper reading that I now give to his pieces, I wouldn't say that Hirst is one of my favorite artists. Of course, I love the play on words, the obviousness and the references it makes to art history. But I feel that he is an artist who falls short in his explanations, considering that his main theme is death. Even when seeing the explanations of several of his pieces on his Instagram, the viewer is left expecting something else: “Is that all? "Isn't there more?" And yes, it seems that the attempt to give it an intellectual reading surpasses the information that the artist really provides us. And this is where I wonder: Has Hirst always been like this or has he become this because of his weight in the art market?

NATURAL MONOPOLIES

AND OTHER CHALLENGES OF CAPITALISM Miguel Jímenez In political discussions about the economic currents most conducive to generating a better situation in the country, the topic of monopolies always tends to come up, particularly the so-called “natural monopolies” that are supposedly necessary to facilitate certain sectors of the means of production of a state can be carried out more efficiently. Everything is debated about these, from their existence to their validity and possible application or even their inevitability. In this article I will explore the economic, social and legal implications of these types of systems. I will argue that these monopolies are inevitable in the current economic system and that it should be deeply reevaluated and reformed in order to address its inherent deficiencies and ensure a better life for the majority of the country.

NATURAL MONOPOLIES A natural monopoly is defined as the situation in which a single company provides (out of necessity) a good or service to an entire market,

This is so that this service can be offered at a lower cost than it would have if several companies competed to provide it. It is usually attributed and used to economies of scale, since average costs tend to decrease as production increases.

Access to water, electricity and natural gas are clear examples of the types of services that lend themselves to being provided in this way and that are considered tied to this production system.

Di Lorenzo (1996) comments in "The Myth of Natural Monopoly" that the idea that natural monopolies are always “natural” is erroneous and that there are situations that direct economic issues to fall into this type of arrangement instead of either because they really end up being cheaper or more practical.

More directly, the author argues that regulatory intervention and artificial barriers to entry often create or perpetuate these monopolies more than the inherent characteristics of the market and that, if these barriers were removed and this access to intervention could be addressed. these needs more effectively or cheaper for both the state and citizens and even for the environment.

REGULATION OF NATURAL MONOPOLIES The regulation of “natural” monopolies has traditionally been seen as an essential tool to protect consumers from abusive prices and poor services, which arise from a lack of competition in sectors where a single provider dominates the market.

In their text, Partial Regulation of Natural Monopoly, Baumol and Klevorick (1970) argue that partial regulation, rather than complete deregulation or overregulation, can achieve a balance between economic efficiency and social equity. However, it must be recognized that a "laissezfaire" approach typical of the free market, in the context of natural monopolies, ends in a lack of control of the market that exclusively benefits large corporations at the expense of the consumer and the environment.

The classical theory of the regulation of natural monopolies, as set out in the text of the Carlos III University of Madrid (s.f.), highlights that government intervention is essential not only to control these monopolies, but also to ensure that they do not exploit their dominant position and end up passing the bill to the consumer. An unsupervised market allows these companies to raise prices to unsustainable levels and may decrease the quality of services. Appropriate regulation, on the other hand, seeks to ensure that the monopoly operates in the public interest, avoiding abuses of power and promoting, where possible, competition.

The free market, while efficient in many contexts, does not provide solutions to the inherent problems of natural monopolies. If there is no government intervention, these monopolies choose to operate with the only logic they know: profit maximization.

This deepens economic inequality and harms consumers (Sharkey, 1982). Regulation, therefore, is not only a tool to control prices, but a means to guarantee universal access to basic services, such as water, electricity and transportation, which by the way are fundamental rights and not simple consumer goods.

PROBLEMS OF NATURAL MONOPOLIES Criticism of natural monopolies and their regulation focuses on the idea that these arrangements end up being inefficient and more prone to regulatory capture. In "Some Problems with Natural Monopoly," the practical difficulties of effectively regulating these monopolies are explored, noting that regulatory agencies are often directly influenced by the interests of the companies they are charged with supervising.

Gregory (1987), in "Natural Monopoly and its Regulation," argues that traditional solutions, such as tariff regulation and exclusive concessions, often fail to promote efficiency and innovation.

They generate stagnation, so he argues positively for alternative approaches that include potential competition and controlled market liberalization.

NATURAL MONOPOLIES AND CAPITALISM

From a critical and material perspective of history, natural monopolies can be seen as an inevitable manifestation of the capitalist system. In this type of market, companies will always seek to maximize their profits at the expense of any other consideration and, when economies of scale are significant, consolidation and control of the market become rational strategies to maximize profits. This aligns with the Marxist critique that capitalism tends toward the concentration of capital and power in the hands of the few to the detriment of the many.

According to Marxist criticism, the concentration of power in natural monopolies is not an accident or an example of errors in the system, but a fundamental characteristic of capitalism and the reason why it ends with financial crises or its own implosion. This economic system, based on the accumulation of capital without room for other considerations, inevitably leads to the creation of monopolies and oligopolies that dominate the market, limit competition and exploit both consumers, workers and the world from which it takes control. raw material to be able to generate products and continue existing.

CONCLUSION The apparent inevitability of natural monopolies in capitalism raises profound questions and problems about the long-term viability of this economic system in the world.

Although regulation can mitigate some of the negative effects, it does not address the root of the problem: the very structure of capitalism and the fact that its ultimate goal is not the benefit of the population but the accumulation of capital.

To achieve positive change and ensure the dignified survival of the species, it is necessary to consider alternatives that challenge and replace the current economic model, promoting a more equitable and sustainable system whose goal is general well-being and the promotion of people's rights.

GUERNICA (1937), PABLO PICASSO

Picasso's art can be understood as a cry against the abuse of power, whether political or economic, and how it directly affects the lives of the most vulnerable.

THE GREAT DICTATOR (1940) The idea of ​a dictator monopolizing power over people's lives is reflected as an analogy of natural monopoly where a single entity dominates a resource essential for survival, oppressing the rest of the population.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Di Lorenzo, T. J. (1996).

El Mito del Monopolio Natural.

Retrieved from: https://sociologiasesp.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/el-mito-del-monopolionatural.pdf Baumol, W. J., & Klevorick, A. K. (1970). Partial Regulation of Natural Monopoly. Retrieved from: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4613-0871-3_4 Sharkey, W. W. (1982). Natural Monopoly and its Regulation. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from: https://books.google.de/books? hl=en&lr=&id=NV6QAAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR5&dq=related:fcF7AYTMSlYJ:scholar.google.com/&o ts=Sv7djIsMNn&sig=VKr-q64PBJsVbhDjAN1FVpHxAhM&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. La Teoria Clasica de la Regulación de Monopolios Naturales.

Retrieved from: https://e-archivo.uc3m.es/rest/api/core/bitstreams/bdc7136b-4526-415693e5-8c9682243212/content Walter, J. E. (1979). Some Problems with Natural Monopoly. Sage Publications. Retrieved from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0003603X7902400104

For a long time in your life, you were told you were sick. The psychiatrist said “your serotonin levels were impossible to improve” and that you had bipolar depressive disorder, and it is said that everything started the day your father-in-law was shot to death. I will never know the truth of when it all began. What I do remember is that for as long as I can remember you took pills, many, 3 times a day.

Sometimes you didn't feel like it, but I remember well that you had a hug or a kiss for me or my cousins ​every time we arrived at your house, always loving, always sensitive to everything, always healthy and yet, you proclaimed yourself sick. For me you were my grandmother, for whom I fought with my cousin when I was six, so I could sleep with you and grandpa in your bed with rusty springs, because the three of us couldn't fit. The two who were left outside would have to sleep on the floor on a mat in your room, which was also a living room and in winter it became a dining room. Seasons in which we saw you fall asleep on the beach reading your magazines, or we saw you get angry because of some prank I did and yell at me “Boy! I'm going to beat you up!” even if you had never really did.

You didn't like wild meat like we did, nor ranch chicken, and much less did you want to live here. You liked the town, being with your mother, your sisters. You were a merchant, you supported my uncles along with my grandfather, but you sold clothes that you were going to buy in Mexico, even with my mother pregnant with me. Store you had, merchandise by catalog you ordered, that's why your place was different.

However, you were here.

25 years ago when you arrived, you planted a fig tree in front of the house, today it is one of the most beautiful and leafy trees there is. Just 6 years ago you received a baby who was born in the middle of the yard.

Today it's been a month since you left right here...

I have to grieve for a long time ahead of me, I have tried to understand your absence, I still can't, and it hurts me and you miss me and I miss you... I want to think that today you are at peace, freed from all illness.

I love you Abi. It is impossible to erase the memory of when I received the news, nor what I felt hours before when everything was happening. I looked at the moon, my head spun three times and I felt like I was falling to the ground. It's impossible, and I don't accept, could it be that I don't want to? Things were like that, in my head they didn't have to be like that. We had plans, we were fixing up your house in the town so that you could have your dream come true, a little peace in your heart because of what you were experiencing.

Ode to the Spring Sneeze M.I. Flores Nachón

I thought my soul was left entangled in the sheets, under the bed, dragging along a foreign spirit, pushing dreams half-steamed and with distant efforts. For the longest time I thought I would never find myself, because the cold was disorienting and the lack of sun was withering me.

Now I find myself lost among the memories that clung between the trenches of the fingerprints of all the hands I shook.

They shook, my fingers and theirs, and my body with theirs. The ties that I thought would not unite us were shaken and now the heart shakes at the memory of the present that is gone. My lips shook as I said goodbye and my smile grew longer as I returned to the sheets where I thought my soul had been abandoned. It faded away leaving a furrow in its place, and a sigh that was confused with a breath. On my way back, I realized that my soul had expanded and found itself inside me, heavy as a stone and aching as a leg. The weight of my body was tied to the ground, and kept me firmly on the earth, with those feet that once walked dodging the flapping of small insects, imagining the spores that inspired in me with not only a spring sneeze.

My soul has wings, because it can be found among others, among smiles and eyes, hands and teeth, curls and hugs, insults and kisses, curves and caresses.

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