Re: <nettime> Islam and Tactical Media on Amsterdam Cable

[Content-wire <PGalaxy@compuserve.com>]

Brian,

I replied to David's post yesterday precisely with the offer of making more
space for tactical media issues
on our site, content-wire 

Although I am still struggling against economic realities and have long
abandoned politics, I feel strongly that it is time for every individual to
take action, as you suggest, independently, locally, within their means, in
order to establish communication, solidarity and positive action from all
sides. All human resources should be devoted to this affect.

My involvement in  tactical media is that I set up my own publishing house
devolved to the study of technology and economics and social interaction,
our ultimate goal is to optimize evolution of humans on this planet.
I know, its sounds far out, but far out indeed it is

I know all too well about the media grip on the economy, and the misery and
destruction that arise from ingnorance - and simply decided to do something
about it, thanks to the internet this is now possible.

We call that direct representation too, and institutional systems should
make room for taking direct representation into account in their
administrative processes  too.

I would like to make a couple of comments from what I learn.

Nothing is in itself good, nor bad, right or wrong,

I have found extreme fundamentalism in every single region  of Europe that
I have visited
nterwoven within communities that struggle for self preservation of their
beliefs and traditions, economic stability et al

We all become extremists, when we refuse to have confrontations and to
re-discuss our own beliefs and
ideas, when we refuse to share what we have, and what we dont have, with
others.
I see a lot of that irrespective of religion, language. The world is full
of arseholes if you ask me.

The problem is that anger grows exponentially, it catches onto anything
that easily lights up.
Only wisdom can help us keep the cool, but there aint much wisdom in
society. I think that is because of very bad television and too much
advertising, but that is my opinion. Perhaps you fee the same?

Fragmentation also means that individuals and organisations are structured
to serve their own purposes, that should be  tuned  up into bigger,
universal purposes that connect us all to each other.

That connection of human purposes is not developed by modern industrial
societies, because it is
ignorance of such purposes that preserves the pursuit of much more relative
and short term goals,
for which our economy is engineered to serve: capital gains over 5-50 years
periods.

I have a problem with the word 'activism' because it sometimes carryins
negative connotations
I have no problem in taking a decision, and grabbing someone by the neck
and telling them exactly what I think
about them, or take action where appropriate.

I have seen networks of 'activists' turned against perfectly innocent and
sensible people, because
anger can be easily manipulated and fired, and those global strategists
know how to manipulate crowds very well, even crowds who dont drink coca
cola.

I fear ignorant people who blindly swallow globalisation and capitalism,
but I fear more those people who think they are not part of the
globalisation process beacuse they dont drink coke,  and yet respond to
manipulative dynamics which have been engineerd to leverage their own
beliefs, and still server the globalisation purposes.
There are some pretty evil people who use their god given intelligence to
serve money accumulation.

Many antiglobalisation people are serving the purposes of the capitalists,
and they dont know it
Like the ones who stirred up violence in the streets of Genoa, they
provided the motives and justifications for the violent rage. Dont they
understand that? 

Not all people who dont drink coke are intelligent, and not all people who
drink coke are stupid,
can we agree on that?


"That power is the call for human equality and the 
insistence on specific, concrete rights. The media activists in 
Ramallah right now can't do anything directly about the Israeli 
tanks. But they have a huge capacity to represent millions of us and 
help us raise the call for rights for the Palestinians, the right to 
live without tanks in the street." Yes, but:

The people of Palestine - and of the world - who suffer, have the right to
economic developments and peace and RRRESPECT., but the people of who are
blowing themselves up the streets of whatever town are motivating and
justifying the tanks in the street.

My point is that anyone who undertakes acts of violence is playing the game
of the devil (greed, etc) dosent matter what religion and creed. Peace and
justice can be guaranteed only in the absence of chaos, and in the presence
of common 'laws' that we are respect 'equally',That will bring equality. 

But too many activists refuse to acknowledge the need for laws, as they
associate 'law' with the fucked up system that we have been brought up
with, which we all agree is completely corrupt and close to being useless.
However, if no legal system is in place, than anyone can walk into my home
and steal my backside, and I have nowhere to turn to say 'you cant do
that'. That would leave the law of the strongest, which in this very
particular moment in history is not necessarily the 'wisest' or 'more
just', is the greediest, and biggest arsehole.

But there are other laws. Natural laws, cosmic laws, ethical laws, physical
laws and all sorts of other principles that can show us how there can be
harmony in the universe, and how we can be a part of that too.

That brings me onto religion - oh boy I dont like myself when I become
biblical.

Isnt that what Islam and Israel are all about?

I am positive that if the tactical media networks can incorporate some room
for englightement, it will be much easier to make them work for the
ultimate goal, the advancement of society so that individual can pursue
happyness and peace on earth.

Of course among the tactical media networks there are a lot of people who
do not want happyness and peace on earth, and every single word or action
is aimed at wiping that off, crate acrimony and chaos.
And those are the people whom I hope will change first, because as long as
they are around, there is no room for progress

Now you tell me how to turn blindness into vision, I am all ears.

Respects

paola di maio
content-wire.com

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