[Imc-uk-features] 374918

[maqui]

Hello

On Tuesday, July 3, 2007, at 02:30  pm, yossarian wrote:

> Personally I don't see, and have never seen, any reason to keep the
> conspiracy stuff in the wire.  In my view, there is plenty of room on
> the web for this sort of speculation, people can easily set up a 
> MySpace
> page, a blog on blogger.com, etc.  The fact that many of the conspiracy
> reports we get are just cut-and-pastes from blogs that are readily
> available elsewhere doesn't make me think that they are deserving of 
> our
> time and effort, or that the 9/11 truth "movement" are contributing to
> the wire in the same way as people in other movements, who consistently
> create original content (including both action reports and analyses) to
> contribute to the collective undertaking that is the Indy UK newswire.

Agree. I'm getting a bit tired of conspiracy stuff too. As I type the 
top of the wire is mainly about reposts reacting to the events in 
London and Glasgow, events that, in any case, are being covered by 
mainstream and corporate media 24 hours flat.

This doesn't mean that to me the wire should be hermetic to stuff 
relating to events that escape what we may call 'the movements', but i 
strongly question if straight copy and pastes of rants that have no 
news value, nor any substantial backing to the claims they pose, should 
be given space in our site. The only reason this copy and pastes appear 
in our wires is for self-serving purposes (i.e. further publicity and 
attention to whatever claims) and not to contribute and participate in 
building alternatives to the current system and state of affairs (which 
is what imc does imo) These post are therefore, in my view, selfish, 
individualistic, replicate the status quo, and merely react to what the 
'masters' (the sate, the media, the agencies, whatever do or don't do). 
They have nothing to do with 'building alternatives', collaborative 
practices, grass roots autonomy or any of the things I would like IMC 
to be associated with. Therefore, the sort of posts being discussed in 
this list the last 24h or so, are, in my view, diametrically contrary 
to the ethos of this project, and I often wonder why we allow them.

Whether the posts are 'relevant to recent major events' or not it is 
not that much the issue for me. To me the main problems are that they 
are often traceable to extremely right wing outlets and positions (as 
yossarian often points out, thanks whoever!) that promote the views of 
specific groups and campaigns rarely to be seen within the autonomous 
'grass-roots movements for social justice', that they make the wire 
turn into a sort of free for all reactive (and often reactionary) 
forum, and that depart from the diy 'passionate telling of the truth' 
through direct reports of social struggles.

In other words, I would not have a problem with so many postings about 
the last events in London and Glasgow if they were telling me, 
first-hand, for example about what it is like to be a muslim in a 
Glasgow and London council state right now, or a middle-eastern looking 
doctor or nurse working in the nhs this week (i don't know, these are 
only two -maybe too simplistic- examples coming to my mind right now) 
but you see what I mean?


I also don't feel that the conspiracy "movements" are standing up to
> government or corporate power in the same way as the people at G8
> protests, demonstrations against financial institutions, the 
> Zapatistas,
> noborders groups, wildcat strikers, Justice 4 Cleaners, the anti-CPE
> demonstrators in France, the squatters of Ungdomhuset or Les Tanneries
> or The Square or Ramparts, anti-GMO activists, Brian Haw, the B-52
> wreckers, Smash EDO, the big anti-war demonstrations, etc (just to name
> a few).  Those, and many other movements, are the reasons that I put
> time into Indymedia.  I have respect for them, because to me they are
> more than a bunch of bloggers who occasionally get together to hold up
> placards in Whitehall.

Can't agree more.

> A few thoughts - newswire posts stating "you guys are a bunch of 
> fucking
> morons" from people who clearly know of the existence of the features
> list, and who even personally know some of our newswire admins, don't
> really make me think want to take their complaints seriously or 
> consider
> their cut-and-pastes in a more favourable light.  Another thing is that
> I have been getting consistent flak about "stupid 9/11 bullshit in the
> wire" in London when I'm out at movement meetings, socials,
> demonstrations, and other events, which is maybe worth relaying here.

Yeah, me too, and I often find myself trying to 'excuse' the wire by 
rambling about the pros and cons of OP or whatever so to 'save the 
face'. I also know of many people being out off with this sort of 
wires, and I sometimes wonder how come good imc sites out there manage 
not to be clogged with 'mainstream issues' so much as the uk does. 
Whether most people out there may be interested in major events taking 
place such as this attacks in London and Glasgow, or, i don't know, the 
change of prime minister or whatever, is not the point. To me the point 
is to try to give to these a different angle, one that almost always is 
suppressed in the mainstream or corporate media. And I don't think that 
posts merely claiming that this or that 'security' agency is 'in fact' 
behind this or that terrorist attack does that at all.

> I don't
> expect that we'll figure all this out today but it'd be nice for a
> change if everybody who does get into the discussion could try to
> refrain from personal attacks and keep the tone positive, the features
> list has been a pretty unpleasant place recently.

Yes I agree too, and I mentioned this to this list recently.

Anyway, I am not sure if I rambled unnecessarily here, but I am going 
to click send anyway, coz the main thing I wanted to do with this mail, 
is, in fact, support yossarian's arguments :-) and maybe to also 
contribute to his "trying to figure out what I see as the
distinction between the various conspiracy "movements" and the ones I 
actually think belong in the newswire".

Anyway, cheers

maqui