[Imc-uk-process] Indymedia is not a label

[mara]

Hi all,

Here is another question for the Mayday group:

Do you care about producing radical media? At all? Or do you care above
all else about the label Indymedia, and the perceived status and
reputation that goes with it? Are you willing to act against the spirit
of Indymedia in order to attain the name?

All your arguments come down to one point: you want to have the word
"indymedia" in your domain name. In this you treat Indymedia as a brand
or label or franchise.

If you care about the spirit of Indymedia, you don't need the label. All
that matters is the media you produce and the resources you offer to the
community. Start to actually act as Indymedia, set up your site and
start reporting, instead of clamouring for the name. Nothing stands in
your way.

What would change if we started using the name londondirectmedia.org?
Nothing - we would continue to do the same thing that we do today.
Indymedia Northern England originally set up at
http://northern-indymedia.org/ - because they were blocked in New Imc by
a member of the Mayday group. Today they are an affiliated Indymedia.

If you really cared about Indymedia, you would avoid escalating the
conflict at all costs. Any escalation will go at the expense of
Indymedia users and contributors, as well as at the expense of the
global Indymedia network and active Indymedia volunteers. Any escalation
is eating time and energy, that is directly substracted from the time
and energy spend on producing media about social justice.

If you draw out this conflict, all it proves is that you care more about
the label than the spirit of Indymedia. You are kicking everything that
Indymedia stands for with your feet, just to be able to have one
particular word in your domain.

The name is nothing, the organising and reporting is everything. Nothing
stands in your way to do the latter. There are some obstacles to the
former. You will not overcome those obstacles by acting against the
spirit of Indymedia and the Principles of Unity. It may however ease
your way if you are seen to be a working Indymedia website in all except
name. The New Imc working group might realise this and ease your way
through process.

You want our help with your application, so here is some advice: If you
continue arguing about a label, it will not help your application. If
you continue debating a decision that was made five months ago, when all
of you agreed the minutes, it will not help your application. If you go
on wasting Indymedia volunteer time, it will not help your application.

As Jimdog has pointed out, if the fork doesn't happen the affiliated
Imcs in the UK will probably change their minds as to not getting in the
way of your application. The Mayday group is not the 'successor to
Indymedia UK', nor are any of the regions operating within the Mayday
group affiliated Indymedias. There are four affiliated Indymedias in
group B. Any of them can decide to block your application. If you do
want to ever be part of the global network, do not stop the fork.
Everyone is sick of arguing on email lists with you. You are wasting
everyone's time.  Go and do what you claim you are interested in:
produce some radical media.


Mara  -- one of imc london