[IMC-Boston-Editorial] new feature?...

Tue Aug 30 15:47:45 PDT 2005

As I have stated in the past I have been all for the
expansion of what content is featured on IMC. Id like
to see more narrative style stories as well as
cultural/arts related stuff. 

I think the problem is with terms like "political", as
u pointed out Pete. its such a fuzzy term and although
clearly articles about "hip new colors for the fall
fashion season" and "where to find the best cup of
chowder in MA" are not what we'd allow it still makes
the decision-process more complex. 

With articles it would alot easier I think, but as for
opening up to more subjective types of work (visual
art, poetry, etc.) it'll be alot more difficult. I
remember this coming up once a while ago when someone
posted paintings on the newswire. I mean if we took a
narrow Stalinist/Maoist approach to defining what art
is political it'd be quite easy but thats not what IMC
is about regardless of what certain disruptive people
say about us. ( which by the way the "insiders view of
imc" was reposted agin w/ the disclaimer: "im gonna
keep reposting until it gets left up") 

this is an interesting discussion that i think we
should address more deeply.

tl 

--- Pete Stidman <pstidman at yahoo.com> wrote:

> OK, but then, (continuing in the dialogue just for
> the
> hell of it vein) if a story about dinosaur with
> feathers is written by a person who did not attend J
> school or is an auto didact or talking about it as
> an
> indivdual as opposed to an academian it is
> political,
> because in that case they have subverted the elitist
> rule that such things can only be talked about by
> those who hold three degrees or more.
> 
> I would have loved to hae seen indymedia as a place
> that individuals could post coverage from their
> backyards or homes when the storm was going on. 
> Because as you pointed out even that can be
> political-
> even if they just mention why they didn't leave.  
> 
> The more we open up, the more likely we are to
> recieve
> these sorts of things and discover their power.  Of
> course, the collective still controls what gets
> featured, which takes care of your biggest fear—that
> indymedia would the become the unoffical home of the
> boston red sox fan club.
> 
> -Pete
> 
> 
> 
> --- Matthew Williams <mw21 at mindspring.com> wrote:
> 
> > I agree with you all stories are potentially
> > political, although in 
> > some cases it may be more of a stretch than
> others.
> > (Recent discoveries 
> > that at least some dinosaurs had feathers are an
> > example. I find this 
> > fascinating, but it's not very political, unless
> you
> > want to drag 
> > creationism into the mix.) This does not mean that
> > every story on a 
> > topic is done politically. Take the mainstream
> media
> > coverage of 
> > Hurricane Katrina--I didn't see any mention of the
> > fact that it was the 
> > poor and people of color who were
> disproportionately
> > stuck behind the 
> > city while it got clobbered; or that there has
> been
> > a scientifically 
> > documented increase in the number and severity of
> > hurricanes over the 
> > last few decades, most likely linked to global
> > warming. Or, closer to 
> > home, most reviews of /Charlie and the Chocolate
> > Factory/ are not 
> > exactly political. The one we featured is.
> > 
> > At one point though, you said you'd like to see
> > reviews like appear in 
> > some folks' 'zines, talking about their experience
> > watching a movie, 
> > without necessarily any political commentary. May
> be
> > you don't hold 
> > that position anymore. In any case, that's what I
> > meant we hadn't 
> > agreed on on stuff without political content.
> > 
> > bread and roses,
> > Matt
> > 
> > On Aug 29, 2005, at 9:24 PM, Pete Stidman wrote:
> > 
> > > "I know
> > >> Pete would like to feature stuff without
> > political
> > >> content, but we
> > >> don't have consensus on that"
> > >
> > > Technically incorrect Matt, I merely have said
> and
> > > believe that everything is political, and
> > therefore
> > > want to open up the content of the site.  this
> is
> > just
> > > for idle conversation since we arent really
> > discussing
> > > any decision here, but for example,
> > >
> > > recently I wrote a story about three benches. 
> the
> > > local neighborhood association started talking
> > about
> > > ripping them out.  they said everyone there
> looked
> > > like bums and drunks and "not normal people" so
> i
> > went
> > > and interviewed the folks who sat there, one of
> > whom
> > > was drunk as hell and called them a bunch of
> > "draggers
> > > and vampires who suck the life out of the ground
> > they
> > > walk on" - that quote was the end of the story.
> > >
> > > this story is rich vs. poor- even though its
> about
> > > benches.
> > >
> > > I'm wondering- for the sake of argument and
> debate
> > and
> > > all that, can you come up with a story example
> > that
> > > could not be political?
> > >
> > > -Pete
> > >
> > >
> > > --- Matthew Williams <mw21 at mindspring.com>
> wrote:
> > >
> > >> I was actually going to feature it without
> > checking
> > >> in till I saw this
> > >> e-mail. I thought we had agreed we were into
> art
> > >> reviews and things
> > >> like this, just so long as they have some
> > political
> > >> content. (I know
> > >> Pete would like to feature stuff without
> > political
> > >> content, but we
> > >> don't have consensus on that.) -- Matt
> > >>
> > >> On Aug 29, 2005, at 5:31 PM, TL wrote:
> > >>
> > >>> what do yall think about centering the article
> > >> below.
> > >>> its a critique of the new willy wonka from an
> > >>> anti-racist/colonialism perspective by a local
> > >> writer.
> > >>> its sorta on the same page as the batman
> review
> > by
> > >>> jason pramas we featured recently which i
> > thought
> > >> went
> > >>> over pretty well. i havent featured it yet,
> > given
> > >> the
> > >>> less than usual nature of the article i wanted
> > >> wait
> > >>> till others gave their feedback.
> > >>>
> > >>
> > >
> >
>
http://boston.indymedia.org/newswire/display/40813/index.php
> > >>>
> > >>> "And I say to my people's masters
> > >>> Beware,
> > >>> Beware of the thing that is coming
> > >>> Beware of the risen people"
> > >>> - Padraig Pearse, "The Rebel"
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>> 		
> > >>>
> > >>
> >
> ____________________________________________________
> > >>> Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home
> > >> page
> > >>> http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs
> > >>>
> > >>>
> _______________________________________________
> > >>> Boston-editorial mailing list
> > >>> Boston-editorial at lists.indymedia.org
> > >>>
> > >>
> > >
> >
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/boston-editorial
> > >>>
> > >>
> > >> _______________________________________________
> > >> Boston-editorial mailing list
> > >> Boston-editorial at lists.indymedia.org
> > >>
> 
=== message truncated ===

"And I say to my people's masters
Beware,
Beware of the thing that is coming
Beware of the risen people"
- Padraig Pearse, "The Rebel"

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