[Imc-communication] thing that make me hate indymedia

[Randall Cotton]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "deva" <drdartist at riseup.net>
To: <imc-communication at 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 at riseup.net>
: > To: <imc-communication at 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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: > : > IMC-communication at lists.indymedia.org
: > : > http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/imc-communication
: > :
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: >
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