Very interesting blog post from Aaron Peters of Novara Media:
This short piece intends to outline what kinds of organisation are optimal in this context and how they would emphasize the strengthening and broadening of a currently weak social movement ‘base’. Examples of currently existing organisations that perform similar roles will be given. This is not done because such projects are thought of as politically agreeable but because they seem to exhibit adaptations to the digital environment which anti-capitalist organising could and should learn from.
Burn Up Not Out; Four Suggested Projects
I replied like so:
One addition for me would make a perfect five: some forum for experimenting with participatory organising – for everyday life rather than just campaigning. Online networks in theory make this easier. I suggest it because these 4 points mostly address methods. Talking destinations rather than methods creates more division but I don’t think it can be avoided. Tne reason many people aren’t involved is they don’t see any destination beyond ‘free’ market or state control. We need to *demonstrate* alternatives or people won’t be motivated to move forward. So I am wondering if we need to offer and test ideas for everyday living, from citizen’s juries to creating childcare cooperatives.
And Aaron like so:
I think this is already happening to an extent – the four suggestions here are offered as an organisations that are means-based rather than ends-based. 1,2,3 in particular would be really important in helping the kinds of initiatives you are talking about. My feeling is they wont be able to be sustained or scale without the kinds of actors listed in the article
In response to my comment someone also posted a link to Dual Power strategies:
http://left-liberty.net/?p=265
My response:
Long discussion but I’m not sure dual power strategies are viable in our current context (different from, say, Chiapas where state presence was low) in which existing institutions are so very good at competing for and hoarding resources. I feel we will need to do a lot more grafting participatory techniques onto existing institutions so as to get at the resources. Though I think there will always be space/moments to delegitimise parts of those institutions too.