the name comes from an old east german folk tale (articulated by the slovenian philosopher slavoj žižek many times) wherein a man is sent to a labor camp and establishes a code that says if he writes in blue ink, what he's saying is true and if he writes in red ink, what he's saying is false. the name "we give you red ink" symbolizes that we're giving you the ability to express your non-freedom.
Let me tell you a wonderful, old joke from Communist times. A guy was sent from East Germany to work in Siberia. He knew his mail would be read by censors, so he told his friends: “Let’s establish a code. If a letter you get from me is written in blue ink, it is true what I say. If it is written in red ink, it is false.” After a month, his friends get the first letter. Everything is in blue. It says, this letter: “Everything is wonderful here. Stores are full of good food. Movie theatres show good films from the west. Apartments are large and luxurious. The only thing you cannot buy is red ink.” This is how we live. We have all the freedoms we want. But what we are missing is red ink: the language to articulate our non-freedom. The way we are taught to speak about freedom— war on terror and so on—falsifies freedom. And this is what you are doing here. You are [the occupy wall street protestors] giving all of us red ink. -slavoj žižek
you're a communist? but didn't the soviet union kill millions and then fail?
you are correct on both accounts and i discuss both here: [not written yet O.o]
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