Answer? Re: Question

[Flint Jones <flint@nsa.secret.org>]

[: hacktivism :]

> 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?"

You forgot, "Artists who think that computer people and activists need to
be engaged in culture jam".  No, I'm not one of those.  But I only crit
EDT cause I love 'em.  To give credit where credit is due... the Critical
Art Ensemble probably has done more to promote ECD/Hacktivism than either
hackers or activists... now that they put up the idea, its up to us to
steal it from them. :)

I hope it could be both.  Hacktivism won't happen without geeks joining
the struggle and activists learning a thing or two from geeks.  Its a
crossroads for two largely seperate cultures colliding to a more powerful
force.  The activist left, I think, will learn alot more than just cute
code tricks.. hopefully it will reinject itself with some good old
fashioned anti-authoritarianism and direct action; while perhaps the left
will find fertile ground in hackers to pick up class strugggle (and
struggle against all oppression in general) and as hackers probably have
more puzzles to figure out than ever before that are much more interesting
than writing the killer business app.

I think the two streams could co-habitat nicely, if we managed to get rid
of the poor nettiquette on this list (me too!).  It'd be nice to hear from
people who just lurk, it'd be nice NOT to here so much from some people
(that even means blowhards like me), it'd be nice if people would only
quote the related parts of a message in reply instead of the whole thing.
And it'd be nice when the newbies stop falling for hoaxes and have other
newbish problems (but they've got to learn somewhere I suppose), and it'd
be nice if we could limit ourselves to say one conspiracy thread a month.

I think dividing the list along praxis, theory and news still makes the
most sense; and it would help with or without moderation.

Solid,
	Flint



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