Question

[pearrow@nvbell.net]

[: hacktivism :]

All,

Alas, I have released myself from self-imposed limbo, where I have tried
to determine the lay of the land.  I think I have the general highways
but haven't yet rooted through the nooks and crannies.  Undeterred, I
step into the miasma with a warning: what follows is a question tainted
by some experience, some opinion and a bit of this and that.  No tricks
to make the computer dance. I write for a living and there's no one here
to slap my hands to make me quit. So I don't blame you for bailing out. 
The delete button is ready and waiting; Maybe I'll catch you next time
around.

A question: I've read the content and even looked at the definition. 
But trying to weave the two together still leaves me uncertain.  Where
is the List headed?  The content says the List is heavily into activism,
definitely to the left.  It implies that the point is using the computer
in a way to advance a cause.  But the definition and a few writings
seems to infer that the computer is the central issue.  The name of the
List certainly goes in that direction.

So am I in the wrong place?  I've very comfortable with activism,
particularly for domestic causes traditionally on the left side of the
political scale.  I attempt to wield the computer in ways to further my
beliefs.  Occasionally I'm successful; usually I'm not.  My experience
has been that even those whose ideas agree with mine cannot be talked
into bringing the computer into social battle.  When I first looked at
the messages forwarded by the List, I said, "finally, somewhere I can
find some help."

So let's get it down: akin to personal information on your survey. 
Short and sweet, "is this a List for computer people who also have an
interest in social issues?"  Or, "is the list for activists who want to
bring the computer into the fight?"

I fit under one definition but not the other.

Hal



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