Re: [atlarge-discuss] Latin America and Africa

["Richard Henderson" <richardhenderson@ntlworld.com>]

I find Judith O's remarks in this thread VERY focussed and well-targetted,
indicating a clear grasp of an important target. The only qualification I
have is probably this:

> Short of enabling and even encouraging freedom fighters to use the net to
> promote and facilitate their goals, I don't see this organization working
> to end oppression of women, slavery of women and children, etc. - much as
I
> might wish it could.

While I agree that it is unrealistic to think that our organisation can
solve all the world's woes, I DO think we actually have a unique opportunity
to develop a publicised democratic model, using new technologies, and the
"people power" of worldwide users, to demonstrate ways in which ordinary
people around the world can organise democratically, and to contribute to a
liberal climate of values which are independent of huge patriarchal
businesses and wealth. I believe there are really exciting ways in which
bottom-up movements can organise to put pressure on tyrannies (including
economic tyrannies), and I think our organisation could demonstrate this.

All over the world there are people who are disadvantaged by other people's
greed, other people's arrogance, and other people's prejudices. And equally,
all over the world there are far more people who actually want to live free
lives and determine their lifestyles for themselves. If we can demonstrate
that online organisation (including credible democratic models) can work,
then we will contribute to that potentially historic organisation of peoples
through communications media which can publicise tyranny (maybe speak for
those who are unable to speak), highlight the things that some would prefer
to keep hidden, isolate the prejudice of the ignorant by displaying the
rational openness of liberal people all over the world, and giving a
spotlight and a megaphone for all those situations which otherwise get too
easily ignored or hidden.

Of course, it is not our remit to actually do all those things (though we
may identify some targets) but what I'm saying is: we are NOT just engaged
in the struggle for control of the DNS. In the very act of doing that, we
can also demonstrate that the liberal and democratic voice of ordinary
internet users may be a powerful force in this world, and demonstrate models
for democracy (which may include verifiable elections but are not limited to
elections).

I'm not arguing for the dissipation of our energies - I've come to this
group to deal with corruption in ICANN - but I do believe that there is also
an intuitive, an evolving, potential for this group : you see glimmers and
gleams in some of what Jefsey has said... in the deep-running moral purpose
of someone like Bruce Young ... in Judyth M's attempts to rationalise how
this group may interface with a world of other issues ... in Joe Bordo's
resonant sense of justice and right ... in so many other real, decent people
who come to our lists ... it's a world of people ... clashing, different,
colourful people.... a microcosm ... and what I would like us to do is to
keep ourselves broad and open enough to attract many many more.

Sometimes you do not know exactly where you are going. There is a human
tendency to try to "control". But there is also FLOW. If we remain
sensitive, open, and willing to listen, we will discern what is in this
organisation for us, and (more importantly, if we are idealistic) for
others. There has to be an intuitive element in all this. Because there are
too many people for any of us to be sure what exactly everyone is looking
for. At the same time we have to be intelligent enough to choose certain
"controls" and "definitions" or there would be chaos. But I particularly
think the potential of this project is its imaginative dimension (which we
hardly yet understand). There is potential for "flow" if we don't control
everything.

What the authorities and the establishments fear most of all is the
illogical, the lateral, the unpredictable. They fear feeling. They fear the
humanity that can subvert their "spin". Industrial society is incredibly
patriarchal and monolithic. It likes predictable systems of control. It
likes to control sources of information.

We should be unpredictable. We should create a network of sources of
information, and we should try to involve hundreds of thousands of people.

It's possible.

Richard



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