What do I think?

The path I am advocating is rooted in a few core principles: a return to grassroots governance, prioritizing community-driven technology, and composting failed ideas for new growth. To enable this, we need to develop tools and frameworks that uphold transparency, empower collective action, and keep the focus on sustainable, open alternatives.

https://unite.openworlds.info

I believe to try and balance much of the current mess, people should focus on grassroots activism and building alternative systems to combat the current social, ecological, and technological mess. With a strong emphasis on open processes (#4opens), fostering collective action, to challenge the #neoliberal status quo (#deathcult) through direct engagement, rebooting independent media, and creating sustainable, community-driven alternatives to #mainstreaming structures. The path is to reclaim agency and work toward positive, systemic change from the grassroots up.

You can explore more at https://hamishcampbell.com

I am thus critical of #NGOs and #mainstreaming paths, as they often compromise their radical potential by seeking funding and approval from larger institutions and establishment hierarchies. This to oftern leads to co-optation and dilution of grassroots values of “native” paths, turning them into tools for maintaining the status quo rather than challenging it. We need to actively resist this corruption and ensuring that alternative, community-driven projects can thrive without becoming fatally entangled in mainstreaming mess.

Read more at https://hamishcampbell.com

I have extensive experience navigating radical activism and grassroots media projects. Having been involved in open technology movements, such as #Indymedia and #OMN (Open Media Network) and more recently the Fediverse and ActivityPub movement, emphasizing trust-based, DIY approaches. Thus, the critique of the #NGO sector for undermining radical efforts through the influence of funding and institutionalization, having witnessed how NGO paths often lead to stagnation or failure. In reaction to this, the creating and championing of decentralized solutions that remain faithful to their grassroots origins while resisting co-optation by the #mainstreaming.

For more details, visit hamishcampbell.com.

My #boatingeurope life reflects a life outside the #mainstreaming, a simpler”native” more sustainable #DIY lifestyle, away from the chaos of every day #deathcult worship. Living on the water is a metaphor for self-reliance, resilience, and independence, while offering life connected with nature. The lifeboat is a metaphor for #climatechaos, I sailed away ten years ago, after campaigning agenst #climatchange and ecological destruction for 20 years, continuing the path to live outside conventional structures, a little away from the stress of activism. However, the world is round, so have since returned, re-engaging with tech activism, a remainder that retreat won’t solve the broader systemic issues facing the world and the people that live in it

For more details, visit https://www.youtube.com/@BoatingEurope

I see a core tension between alternative cultures and the mainstream: the mainstream demands that alternative cultures conform in order to be effective, while the alt paths intentionally resist this push, aiming to remain distinct and radical. This clash creates a deeper issue—#mainstreaming voices tend to block and reject the need for a bridge between these two spaces. The failure to recognize the importance of building such bridges leads to division and stagnation, perpetuating the current social and political mess. The root problem lies in “common sense” blocking and an intolerance toward the very idea of bridging these divergent paths, hindering progress from both sides.

#hamishcampbell

https://opencollective.com/open-media-network/projects/hcampbell

A Story of Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Things

In the early 1980s, the Cold War tensions reached new heights, reviving fears of nuclear annihilation among the public. It was during this time, in a small village in southwest Wales, that a group of women decided to elevate their local protest to an international level. This story is about the creation of the Greenham Common Peace Camp, a testament to the power of grassroots activism and the spirit of ordinary women.

The inspiration for this movement was deeply personal for many of the women involved. They were mothers and grandmothers, worried about the future of their children in a world where nuclear war seemed increasingly inevitable. Thalia Campbell, an artist and banner maker, was one of the original marchers and co-founder of the peace camp, she played a pivotal role in coordinating the sculpture project, the subject of this video, that became a symbol of their struggle.

The video is about the sculpture, which commemorates the march that started the camp. The sculpture itself was a significant endeavour, starting with small donations and gaining momentum after receiving the Transport and General Workers Union Peace Prize. Thalia Campbell spent ten years consulting with women around the world, and eventually, a life-size clay original was created. This original was made into a plaster cast and shipped to a foundry in Wales to be cast in bronze, creating a durable public monument.

The march to Greenham Common began on August 27, 1981. Thirty-six women, accompanied by their children in pushchairs, and six men, gathered outside City Hall in Cardiff to walk the 110 miles to Newbury in Berkshire. This group of women, who started as strangers, became a tribe as they walked together, slept in village halls, and shared their fears and hopes for a nuclear-free future.

The marchers carried with them a pamphlet showing a deformed child born after the Hiroshima bombing, highlighting the horrific consequences of nuclear radiation. They planned to deliver their petition against nuclear weapons upon reaching Greenham Common. However, upon arrival, they were ignored, prompting them to stay.

In a spontaneous decision inspired by the suffragettes, the women decided to chain themselves to the fence of Greenham Common. This act of defiance, initially met with confusion and humor by the local police, quickly gained attention. The women’s determination to make their voices heard led them to stay at the site, setting up an encampment despite having no initial plans to do so.

The camp grew as local supporters provided food and supplies. Over time, it became clear that this was not a temporary protest but a long-term commitment. The camp evolved into a women-only space, not out of sexism, but as a practical decision to avoid manipulative tactics by the police that could provoke violence. This decision also created a safe space for women to express their views and experiences without fear.

The Greenham Common Peace Camp faced internal and external challenges. Leading to the formation of different groups and camps around the site. The presence of women with various personal problems, as well as significant numbers of lesbians, brought both strength and complexity to the movement.

Growing from these challenges, the Greenham Common Peace Camp became a powerful symbol of non-violent protest and women’s activism. The sculpture, created over a year, stands as a testament to the untold stories of the women who gave birth to this remarkable movement.

The Greenham Common Peace Camp left an indelible mark on history, demonstrating the impact of collective action and the courage of women to dared to challenge the status quo. Their story is one of resilience, solidarity, and the unwavering belief in a peaceful future.

The film is by #hamishcampbell

#greenhamcommon #peace #women #scupture #makeinghistory

The hashtag #deathcult is a highly charged but uncontroversial characterization of #neoliberalism.

The #hashtag was coined by #hamishcampbell on his blog (http://hamishcampbell.com) from long expirence of protest, this came to a head at the launch of Extinction Rebellion (XR) a global environmental activist movement that seeks to raise awareness about the urgent threat of climate change and biodiversity loss. Known for its nonviolent direct actions, such as protests and civil disobedience, to push governments to take stronger action on the climate crisis.

XR and its supporters, unspoken, view the current political system as a #deathcult because they believe that it is not taking the necessary actions to address the climate crisis and is instead prioritizing economic growth and profits over the long-term survival of the planet and its inhabitants. In their view, the political system is driven by a destructive #ideology that prioritizes short-term gains over the well-being of future generations and the environment.

They argue that this approach is unsustainable and will lead to the collapse of ecosystems, mass extinction of species, and severe impacts on human societies, such as food and water shortages, displacement, and conflict.

The hashtag is simple, a metaphor for the last 40 years of #Neoliberalism, which is a political and economic #ideology that emphasizes the importance of free markets, deregulation, and minimal government intervention in the “economy”. Over the last four decades, this ideology has shaped the policies of many countries, leading to a shift toward globalization, privatization, and a focus on maximizing profits.

This has led to negative outcomes, increasing income inequality, job loss, and a decline in social services and safety nets for those in need, contributing to a culture of greed and a disregard for well-being, leading to #deathcult mentality in which individuals prioritize their own self interests over the collective and ecological good.

A second look

The hashtag #deathcult is a charged and emotive characterization of #neoliberalism, a political and economic ideology that fetishizes free markets, individualism, and limited government intervention in the economy. Proponents of neoliberalism argue that it leads to increased economic growth, increased prosperity, and greater individual freedom, while critics argue that it leads to inequality, the degradation of public goods and services, erosion of workers’ rights and the death of our civilization.

The term #deathcult highlights the negative impacts of neoliberalism, characterizing it as a destructive and dangerous ideology. This term should be used by people who are critical of #neoliberalism, and who believe that its focus on profit and individualism comes at the expense of the well-being of communities and the environment.

https://hamishcampbell.com/the-wests-climate-catastrophe-is-native-to-the-mess-we-are-in/