[Imc-communication] thing that make me hate indymedia

[Libertinus]

Well, after my internet katarsis...

I just want to say that for me this is not about money, is about which  
kind of organization we want for indymedia.

All local collective use lots of money, or a little. We need it, and  
we have to use it.

The problem about pay members I think are clear in the Houston open letter.





Libertinus ______________________
http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertinus/
http://www.fotolog.net/libertino


Quoting Randall Cotton <recotton en earthlink.net>:

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "deva" <drdartist en riseup.net>
> To: <imc-communication en lists.indymedia.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 9:23 PM
> Subject: Re: [Imc-communication] thing that make me hate indymedia
>
>
> : I don't want to see every imc the same. Experimentation and diversity
> : is good as we all try to create a more balanced and sane human society.
> :
> : Seeing this however, does make me wonder. Why is it the work dealing
> : with money, which earns people money? We live in a society where
> : banks and bankers control everything and where money is above all
> : else. It does trouble me when I see the appearance of this same
> : pattern.
>
> I can see how it would be easy, perhaps even natural, to associate money with
> evil. It seems to me, though, that the evil of capitalism is not that it
> involves the use of money, but that it strongly tends to victimize   
> some for the
> benefit others. In particular, the accumulation of one's own wealth is
> worshipped as the highest value, trumping any consideration of how   
> such efforts
> might victimize others. And, of course, the worst manifestations of   
> this are the
> goliath corporations, designed to be soulless juggernauts in pursuit of
> ever-greater profits by any means necessary, damn the welfare of anyone or
> anything else.
>
> But to me it isn't the exchange of money that should be shunned.   
> Money is just a
> tool that can be used for good or bad purposes. It's possible to   
> exchange money
> for work or goods without victimizing anyone. Indeed, I would maintain it's
> possible to do so with a resulting benefit for all parties and even   
> the greater
> common good, if one is mindful about it.
>
>  Does the UC-IMC also pay anyone for media work? Or is it
> : only the money people earning money? Of 5 jobs listed, nothing
> : relates to media.
>
> It seems to me that if the infrastructure is there to provide the convenient
> opportunity for folks in our community to create media, then they   
> will be only
> too happy to take advantage of that opportunity. We need not pay   
> them to do so.
> That's certainly been the pattern we've experienced with our   
> newspaper and radio
> station. But to provide this service to the community, certain   
> difficult (even
> tedious and demanding) tasks need to be performed on an ongoing basis and one
> might want to pay a small amount of money in exchange for that work.
>
> I think perhaps the real danger in creating paid positions at an IMC (or any
> organization, I guess) is the accumulation of power (and its nearly   
> inevitable
> subsequent abuse) by individuals who hold those paid positions. In   
> particular,
> there is a tendency for people to act in ways that preserve or enhance their
> ongoing payment even when it goes against the mission of the organization
> (perhaps even victimizing some in the process). It seems to me that   
> to counter
> that, one must have a clearly stated mission along with well-crafted  
>  rules that:
>
> 1. Demand adherence to the mission
> 2. Tightly define job descriptions with clearly delineated   
> responsibilities and
> privileges
> 3. Enforce transparency
> 4. Require accountability
> 5. and above all, prevent self-serving accumulation of power
>
> Otherwise, things can go downhill toward a situation where those who  
>  are being
> paid and are in control work to preserve and enhance that control and payment
> above other considerations including the original mission. This, it   
> seems to me,
> is poison particularly for any organization purporting to be a community
> resource.
>
> But perhaps there are other ways of thinking about this (I'd be interested in
> hearing them).
>
> R
>
> : You ask what to do if nobody steps forward to volunteer. Do you just
> : let it fall apart? The thing is we make choices that define later
> : choices. It is the inevitable logic of capital that leads down a
> : certain road where each choice makes sense but the final destination
> : is not where one was aiming to be.
> :
> : UC-IMC has gone in its own direction, quite different from other
> : IMCs. I do not think any other IMC has a dues paying membership and
> : paid staff. That is very far from the radical vision that inspired me
> : to get involved with indymedia work. So I have no ideas to suggest.
> :
> : Regards,
> : deva
> : portland-imc
> :
> :
> : On Aug 30, 2006, at 2:57 PM, Randall Cotton wrote:
> :
> : > Yes, this does seem at odds with what one would expect the mission
> : > of an IMC,
> : > but I understand the UCIMC does operate as the only 501(c)3 non-
> : > profit IMC,
> : > providing tax-free funding for the benefit of other IMCs (which not
> : > only
> : > conserves our own funds, but it prevents funds going to the current
> : > administration's empire-building agenda). In addition, we own a
> : > hulking building
> : > (see http://www.ucimc.org/newswire/display_any/34385 ) that houses
> : > a radio
> : > station, a newspaper, a performance venue, and serves as an
> : > increasingly
> : > bustling hub for media and arts focused on social and economic
> : > justice. To keep
> : > all this going, it would seem to me that certain things absolutely
> : > have to get
> : > done. Keeping books and records, maintaining/renting the building
> : > and organizing
> : > fundraising/donations.
> : >
> : > What if no one steps forward to do these things out of the kindness
> : > of their
> : > heart? How does one address that? Do we just let it all fall apart?
> : >
> : > I contribute as a member to UCIMC, though I'm currently barely
> : > involved as a
> : > volunteer. I don't claim to know the answers and I'm open to be
> : > educated. What
> : > are your ideas for addressing this?
> : >
> : > R
> : >
> : > ----- Original Message -----
> : > From: "deva" <drdartist en riseup.net>
> : > To: <imc-communication en lists.indymedia.org>
> : > Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 4:15 PM
> : > Subject: Re: [Imc-communication] thing that make me hate indymedia
> : >
> : >
> : > : Interesting also that of the 5 paying jobs, not one of them has
> : > : anything to do with making media and 4 of them have to do with
> : > making
> : > : money
> : > :
> : > : deva
> : > :
> : > :
> : > :
> : > : On Aug 30, 2006, at 1:25 PM, Libertinus wrote:
> : > :
> : > : > one. found this kind of thing
> : > : >
> : > : > http://www.ucimc.org/mod/info/display/jobs/index.php
> : > : >
> : > : > Libertinus ______________________
> : > : > http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertinus/
> : > : > http://www.fotolog.net/libertino
> : > : >
> : > : >
> : > : >
> : > : >
> : > : > _______________________________________________
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> : > :
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