> Please respond to lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
>
> To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
> cc: (bcc: DANIEL DAVIES)
> bcc: DANIEL DAVIES
> Subject: Re: global riot!
>
> Chuck0 wrote:
>
> >Folks should keep in mind that this is from a right-wing newspaper that
> >truck in hysteria about radicals.
>
> But isn't it nice to know they're worried?
>
> The bourgies do seem to be getting nervous about net-linked radicals.
> The guy I interviewed on the radio last Thursday, David Henderson,
> former chief economist of the OECD, is beside himself at the way
> webbed-up NGOs were able to derail the MAI. That cross-border
> solidarity we've been talking about for ages is now a possibility in
> a way it never was before. Maybe there is something to the New
> Economy talk after all!
>
> Doug
Well, yeah, I think it's pretty cool that they are worried. I'm not as concerned with bad press as many of the image conscious anarchists that I know. The ruling class is nervous because they are seeing new forms of *direct action* that goes beyond the tired "let's stand on the sidewalk, chant slogans, and wave signs." They should be even more worried that Reclaim the Streets-style direct action has been imported into the U.S., witness the effective multi-month occupation of a proposed highway route in Minnesota.
It was only a week ago that I witnessed three animal rights protestors climb a quarter of the way up the Washington Monument to unfurl a 30 ft tall banner (about primate experimentation).
The hysteria about net-linked radicals has been anticipated for a long time by digital anarchists. We've been keeping close tabs on the ruling class' attempts to demonize the Internet in general and "hacktivism" and DIY Internet media in particular. The ruling class has tried overt attempts, such as COPA and CDA, to tame the anarchic nature of the Internet for their needs. Now they have several more covert ways of turning the Internet into a capitalist medium. The most effective so far is the filtering movement, which claims to be concerned about the "safety" of children, but is effectively filtering out every kind of alternative voice on the Internet. The other tact they are taking is too toughen up intellectual property restrictions, with treaties like WIPO and domestic laws such as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The latter is a big blow to all the fansites that sprung up in the early years of the web. How can you run a DIY website about Star Trek when Paramount/Microsoft sues your butt for even using the phrase "Star Trek" on your site.
Yes, the ruling class is also worried about our preliminary victory over MAI. They tried very hard to keep the lid on that one. We should give ourselves credit for that victory. They are also mindful of the successful student and anarchist disruption of the 1997 APEC Summit in Vancouver. There was a big stink about this early this year in the Canadian media.
-- Chuck0 http://flag.blackened.net/chuck0/home/
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-- 1998 Rough Guide to the Internet
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