[lbo-talk] Occupying the Institutions

Nicholas Roberts nicholas at themediasociety.org
Wed Nov 16 14:18:55 PST 2011


In Copenhagen, during the COP15 in Dec 2009, there was a slogan

"System Change, Not Climate Change" - which in my view was one of the best takes on the climate circus

just like 2009, when Climate Change was the special talk, when every activist worth his salt was learning about atmospheric science, sea ice etc, or at least working on their cheat sheets, you where no body if you didnt have a set of climate change talking points

no, its not 350 ppm, its the 99%

which is a kind of activist sloganeering par excellence

I dont know what the equivalent slogan - System Change, Not Climate Change - should be for the Occupy Movement

but, I think its obvious, especially in cold climates like NYC, that the evictions from urban campsites, is actually another PR gift

those camps where always unsustainable and unmanageable and would lose their vitality as safe democratic spaces and bizarres for education and actions

the Occupy movement needs to get organized, needs to connect with existing movements that could do with a jolt of energy and new people, some risk takers

the institutions need to be occupied, in an abstract sense and action plans assembled.. perhaps not sequential plans, ones that can be co-opted, but organic, chaotic plans, that rely and leverage spontaneity

there also needs to be a realization that the corporate Internet - Facebook, YouTube, Google, Twittter - etc cannot be assumed to be nuetral, unfiltered platforms

two interesting books

The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom<http://permaculture.tv/the-net-delusion/> http://permaculture.tv/the-net-delusion/

and The Filter Bubble The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from You http://www.thefilterbubble.com/

-- Nicholas Roberts US 510-684-8264 http://Permaculture.TV http://permaculture.coop



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