[Imc-alternatives] [www-features] New feature on economic alternatives to bailing out banks

[Petros Evdokas]

strypes wrote:
> Kia ora
> 
> The IMC-Alternatives working group is going into urgency to get a beta
> site up and running by the end of this year, in response to the current
> "economic crisis" in the global mainstream media. I would like to
> propose a feature for indymedia.org, summarizing and linking to a range
> of alternatives to the mainstream analysis of current events in the
> world economy, with a plug for the new site, and a request for tech help
> and features and editorial volunteers. I'm happy to write it or be part
> of a team assembling it.
> 
> Thoughts?
> 
> (cc'd to the alt-IMC list)
> 
> Danyl Strype
> Alternatives IMC working group

~~~~~~~~~

CC: Jay, www-features at lists.indymedia.org, Danyl.


Hello Danyl,
and Friends at www-features and at imc-alternatives,

If I understand correctly, the proposal is to write a Feature article
for the global imc page, which would take as its point of departure the
current economic crisis (as it is presented in the mainstream media),
and proceed from there to put forth a range of various alternative
analyses of current events in the world economy. To this would be added
"a plug for the new [Alternatives IMC] site, and a request for tech help
and features and editorial volunteers."

In general, I'd say it's a very good proposal, and I wish we had a lot
more proposals with such clarity of purpose and orientation!


I would a few concerns and thoughts.

There was a call published by Jay two years ago on various indymedia
work group lists which explained the purpose and direction of the
Alternatives work group, here:
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-process/2006-November/1102-5c.html

My understanding is that the way the call was phrased was a carefully
creative, wise, and very appropriate way of by-passing a problem that we
find all too often paralyzes working relations among various wings of
the progressive /radical /liberal community. It by-passed the role of
our *differing* analyses, and focused on the many concrete things being
done by the Movement. Here's how Jay had phrased it:

"The "Alternatives IMC" will be a "next generation" Indymedia website
that will both gather content about all the great things people are
doing to create a better world [pioneering alternative social
structures, economics, education, energy, etc.] and to provide a place
for people organizing these projects working on these projects to
connect with each other to do practical, world-changing work."

I like that approach. An emphasis on "the things people are doing". I'm
also all in favour of presenting analyses; presenting and comparing one
analysis to another - there's an appropriate time and place for that in
the Movement and indymedia can (and should) find ways to facilitate that
as well. But it would be easier if we know which of the two we'll be
doing: presenting what the Movement is *doing* or what the Movement is
*thinking*?

If the proposal that Danyl has put forth is to be closer to the
imc-Alternatives foundational call, we might ask that the items to be
presented in the proposed Feature article would be things that people in
the Movement are *doing* (not analysis or theory) to change the
presently existing forms of economy. In regard to the Economy,
communities all over the world are doing things to create a better world:
- by reforming the Economy;
- by re-structuring the Economy;
- by radical re-organization and reconstructing;
- by giving birth to entirely new elements in the Economy (or
newly-reclaimed ancient elements of Economy).

And, of course, by acting in combinations of some or all of those
approaches.

The world is full of examples and situations occuring and manifestiong
themselves right now as we speak, from the economic model of Cuba to the
evolving Bolivarian process in Venezuela; from the ups and downs in last
few decades of changes in China's economy to the basic economic model of
indigenous/native communities on occupied Reservations within the USA;
from the development and expansion~contraction cycles of co-ops;
worker-owned businesses; communes; production collectives; all the way
to factors and elements of the economy which are deterninant:
energy source applications (and the degree to which they might be
environmentally appropriate); forms of property ownership and control of
the production process; issues of production and distribution of
products and services with an eye to fullfilling human needs; etc.


Concrete examples of all of the above would comprise a very good
approach to presenting what the global liberation Movement is *doing* to
build Alternatives (Si Se Puede - A new world is Possible!).

All of the above in one form or another are also reasons and motives for
our unity, for local co-operation and international solidarity, and also
they fit right along with the principles that indymedia was shaped to
serve. Plus, a Feature article along those lines might express the
intent of the call to form imc-Alternatives as it was phrased in that
document sent by Jay.


Now, if the proposal was intended somewhat differently and it was stated
correctly, then the idea really is to present *analysis*. That is, to
present theory and thought, to present what the Movement is *thinking*.

I'd be very positive with that approach as well.

My only concern would be that we may have to take definite steps to be
sensitive to one of the prime guidelines that was stated at the
inception of indymedia, and that is that imc would not be "owned",
controlled or identified with *only one* sector or wing of the Movement.

In that respect, if we are to present various analyses, theoretical
approaches to current events occuring within the global economy, in
other words, if the Feature article is going to be presenting not what
the Movement is doing but what it is *thinking*, we'll need to be extra
careful to be as inclusive as possible. Since analysis and theory are
very close to beliefs, ideology and slogans, we will need to be extra
careful to present as inclusively as possible all the main strands of
various analyses, and not appear as if we favour one or the other. Or if
the author does really favour one, which is ok, it should be stated in
clear terms, very transparently so that there will be no doubt as to
indymedia's allegiances.

So, proceeding from there:
Within the progressive /radical /liberal networks of community activists
and organizations of the Movement there several strands of analysis and
theory which will need to be acknowledged and presented. Each of us may
favour one over another analysis, or have opinions and evaluations of
the strength or weakness of one analysis or theoretical approach over a
different one, but we'll need to do justice to all of them if the idea
is to present a Feature article which, as Danyl wrote, will be
"summarizing and linking to a range of alternatives to the mainstream
analysis of current events in the world economy".

Most of the ideas, opinions, theories, slogans, approaches, thought in
general that we find about the Economy within our extended community,
can be easily shown to be derived of one of the main branches of
analysis listed (all too sketchily) below:
- Reformist analysis (leads to pursuit of any action aimed to maintain
and keep the system going, make corrections, reforms, utilize legal,
administrative and financial tools of both Corporate and State
structures, pursue changes in wages, taxation, natural resource
administration, currency values, credit system adjustments, stock and
financing regulation, etc.);
- Economy branch of the analysis within scientific socialism, founded on
the Labour theory of Value (analysis leads to efforts for collective
organization toward struggle for radical reconstruction of the Economy,
and sees socialism, communism and anarchy as the harmonious and natural
descendants of capitalism);
- Analyses often embraced within Anarchist circles: emphasis on
ownership and control of property and production, egalitarian and
direct-democracy based relations, often sees the State as instrumental
in maintaining the status quo (analysis fuels social struggle for
equality, replacement of current order with a new one, sees the State as
the main obstacle to change);
- Analysis derived from right-wing anarchism (very prevalent within
radical circles in Euro-America embodied in various Libertarian
versions): centerpiece is free enterprize, sees the State the main
reason for the problems faced in the Econony, hostility to any
interference by the State to enact taxation or redistribution of wealth
or to make goods and services accessible to all, sees Income and Profit,
Capital and Wages all as the same things (they are all measured in the
same currency units, eg. dollars), define Economy as activity for the
pursuit of money (analysis often leads to individualist solutions,
pro-business reforms, campaigns to change the world through shopping and
private enterprize);
- Analysis based on currency models (concerned with the impact of the
deviation from the Gold standard; explorations related to seeing the
Economy as primarily a system of exchange and accounting (not
production of goods, services, value, or profits), also concerned with
the role of automated accounting and data systems. The inverse analysis
within that field focuses on credit (seen as "value not represented by
currency") and related approaches (analysis leads to calls for State
intervention to return to the Gold standard; calls to abolish money;
calls to replace it with electronic money; calls to print up more money,
or to print up less money, or to destroy varying amounts of paper money
and coinage; calls for the State to impose varying limits on credit, on
interest rates or to legislate the purposes for which credit should be
extended; and/or calls for the State to regulate or unregulate to
various degrees the "special case" of credit as represented by Stocks).

The above are not exhaustive not mutually exclusive, and so friends,
please feel free to add any major theoretical branch of analysis I may
have missed, if it can not be derived from the above.

A Feature article presenting alternatives to the mainstream analysis
would probably have to touch on all of the above and on some of their
derivations, projections, forms in which they have evolved over the
years or forms in which they might be currently popular in some sections
of the Movement as campaigns, beliefs, slogans or elements of ideology.


In either case, whether the proposed Feature article is to be presenting
things that the Movement is *doing* or *thinking* in regard to the
Economy, it would be a great contribution. And also a good way to
introduce the imc-Alternatives project to the wider readership of
indymedia through our global pages. The author might want to present
both what the Movement is thinking *and* doing (though I'm aware that it
would be a tremendously large project).

As long as these are presented in a spirit that promotes Unity among the
various sections of the Movement by being respectful to all of the major
lineages of thought and action, it would be excellent.

Many thanks for your reading patience, and for the proposal!
Petros
http://petros-evdokas.cyprus-org.net/Another-sort-of-Introduction.html
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