Tag: mainstreaming

The “social shit” story is raw, real, and relatable

The metaphor of “shit” as both the cause of decay and a potential source of renewal is provocative and insightful. It captures the essence of the challenge we face in addressing #mainstreaming culture, where conversations to often get stuck in defensive and rigid negative thinking.

Why social change online fails, is in part that terms are barriers, people cling to #mainstreaming “common sense” because it feels safe and familiar. Talking outside these norms triggers defensiveness, making constructive dialogue nearly impossible. This is amplified by post-modern relativism (on the left) and authoritarian rigidity (on the right), which block ideas and meaningful conversations.

The role of #BLOCKING, dismissing or shutting down alternative perspectives perpetuates the #techshit mess and reinforces #deathcult values. It stifles creativity and solutions by keeping discussions within narrow boundaries. Social shit as the status quo, both left, and right ideological contribute to the decay, creating a world smeared in “shit” where truth is either denied or imposed. This leads to stagnation, not growth.

The plan and the , focus on action, “just keep working” is pragmatic. By creating and demonstrating the value of #openweb tech like #OMN, we can sidestep unproductive arguments and focus on planting seeds of change. Turning shit into compost, the metaphor of composting is powerful. Social decay (shit) can be transformed into fertile ground for growth, but it requires tools (shovels) and effort. This aligns with need for grassroots action and collective responsibility.

Reframing conversations is core, to break through defensive and angry reactions. For this to work, maybe we need to start with shared values, frame discussions about universal concerns like community, fairness, and sustainability this could build common ground. To balance relatable language alongside the “truth” metaphors, which are both vivid and compelling, sometimes it’s good to simplify for audiences to draw people in. Focus on demonstration, not debate, showcasing working examples of tech and grassroots projects to inspire people to engage.

Planting flowers, the imagery of strong women and sensible men wielding shovels to compost the mess and plant flowers, is an optimistic vision. It emphasizes collective action and the potential for beauty to emerge from decay. The open invitation for collaboration is key, maintaining this openness, we can hold open space for those ready to step away from the pile and start helping with the shovelling.

The “social shit” story is raw, real, and relatable. It smells like the mess we’re in, but also hints at the possibility of transformation. The challenge lies in inspiring people to pick up the shovel and join in the composting work. Maybe with persistence, transparency, and focus on action, this work will catalyse meaningful change.

Keep planting seeds—some will bloom in unexpected ways. 🌱

The question, how do we bring more people into this space of stepping away and creating something better?

There is a deep frustration with #mainstreaming culture, with its strong tendency to elevate the wrong people and prioritize misguided actions. How can we “think better” beyond the traps of the current socio-political mess.

  • The scum rises, in #mainstreaming culture, those who conform to the system, rather than challenge it, often rise to the top. This creates a cycle where meaningful change is stifled by mediocrity and opportunism.
  • Grassroots value, social progress has historically emerged from the #grassroots. By stepping away from the toxic mainstream, we can refocus on nurturing these sources of real value.
  • The wrong thing gets done, funders and institutional forces often push agendas that diverge from grassroots needs, resulting in projects that perpetuate the status quo.
  • Paralysis of choice, the perceived lack of viable options (e.g., “you have no choice but to do the wrong thing”) leads to a sense of helplessness and frustration.

Thinking better, we need frameworks that reject the flawed foundations of #mainstreaming while building collective action. Let’s look at some broad outlines:

  1. Anarchist paths focus on horizontal organization, mutual aid, and direct action.
    Strengths: Empowers communities, resists hierarchy, and builds autonomy.
    Weaknesses: Often struggles with long-term scalability and coordination.
  2. Trotskyist/Stalinist paths centralized control with a focus on revolutionary goals and structural transformation.
    Strengths: Can mobilize large-scale change and challenge systemic power structures.
    Weaknesses: builds authoritarianism, co-option, and detachment from grassroots needs.
  3. Liberal paths lead to incremental reforms within existing systems.
    Strengths: Pragmatic and accessible, with a focus on policy and advocacy.
    Weaknesses: Co-opted by #mainstreaming agendas, leading to superficial solutions.

The approach, is a permissionless path to sidestep these systemic failures. This approach aligns with anarchist values of autonomy while addressing their scalability challenges through structured openness and federation. Some practical steps to nurture grassroots power:

Step away from toxicity, recognize when systems and individuals perpetuate harm, and refocus energy on constructive grassroots work.

Muddle through together, embrace imperfection and collective experimentation. Mistakes are inevitable, but progress emerges from the process.

Push back against funders’ agendas, build alternative funding models (e.g., community support, cooperative economies) to reduce reliance on top-down directives.

Focus on trust networks, invest in relationships and trust-building at the grassroots level. Trust is the antidote to the cynicism of #mainstreaming.

Hold space for uncomfortable conversations, lean into the discomfort of challenging entrenched norms and assumptions within movements.

The challenge is a very real mess, we’re stuck in a cycle where “the wrong thing” gets done under pressure from flawed paths. Breaking free requires stepping away, nurturing #grassroots alternatives, and committing to frameworks like the that push more collective empowerment over individual gain and #mainstreaming institutional control.

For more of this there is a grump old sod working on the same things over here https://seizethemeans.communitarium.org/baslow/communitaria-what-we-need-to-do-i-think

The question, how do we bring more people into this space of stepping away and creating something better?

Why we need the #OGB

The #OGB (Open Governance Body) represents a radically different approach to power and governance compared to the traditional top-down models we see in the #mainstreaming.

Grassroots empowerment, the OGB is built on the idea of sharing power. It aligns with the ethos of 20th-century social movements that emphasized collective action and mutual aid. In this, it is a seed for change, which can grow into a robust model for grassroots governance. A pathway for movements and communities to reclaim agency and create sustainable alternatives to the normal centralized power paths. This project matters because it is a response to #mainstreaming co-opten of radical ideas,than watering down paths to fit the status quo. Were the focus is empowering of local action, it bridges the gap between global movements and local actions, ensuring that decisions are made by those most affected by them.

The first challenge is affinity group building for the tech, after this we face more challenges and opportunities:

  • Scaling the seed: How can the OGB grow while maintaining its grassroots integrity?
  • Bridging divides: How can it bring together diverse communities and interests without falling into the traps of personality politics and fragmentation?
  • Overcoming #deathcult influence: How does the #OGB challenge and outlast the entrenched neoliberalism (#deathcult) that dominates today’s socio-political landscape?

As a seed, it needs nurturing, collaboration, and commitment from those willing to embrace discomfort and change. The path is simple, people need to growing this seed within their own contexts. What steps can we take to make this more widely understood, to become the real alternative we need?

Looking at some of the issues we need to fix

#NGO-driven approach to activism are a part of the challenges of #mainstreaming agendas in tech and social movements. NGOs at best aim to “make the mess work a bit better” without addressing root causes. This band-aid path aligns with the mainstreaming agenda rather than fostering systemic change. This need for maintaining “relevance” leads to shallow solutions rather than transformative action.

With activist projects struggling to build shared objectives, collaboration becomes fragmented, and efforts fail to scale and sustain impact. We have historical paths to mediate this, like the #PGA (Peoples’ Global Action) that aligning around clear hallmarks galvanizes collective action. With grassroots tech and user engagement, projects fail without users. If people remain tethered to #dotcons, our work on grassroot projects die before they take off. Activists criticize dotcons but often fail to leave them, perpetuating the systems they oppose—a symptom of the #deathcult.

Many radical/progressive tech initiatives focus on aesthetics (#fashernista) or isolated goals without contributing to broader movements like rebooting grassroots media, these efforts become distractions and dead ends. Provide compelling alternatives to the dotcons that people can genuinely use and build upon. Stepping away as activism can play a role. Leaving the #dotcons and embracing decentralized, ethical platforms is itself a form of activism. This act undermines the #deathcult and creates space for alternatives to thrive.

Composting pointless projects, we need to identify and “compost” projects that fail to contribute meaningfully to broader goals. This isn’t about cynicism, but about redirecting energy toward initiatives that matter. Use the energy of critique to inspire better efforts rather than dismiss entirely. Key question, how do we bridge the gap between critique and action to avoid losing people and momentum in the current mess? To challenges activists to step back, think critically, and act boldly. It’s a reminder that inaction—or misguided action—is a victory for the #deathcult. How do you envision the and #OMN evolving? What can you do to make this happen?

Let’s build tools that reflect human flourishing

One of the strong #blocking forces is #mainstreaming objectives being imposed on non-mainstream projects, is a recurring issue in alternative tech spaces like the #openweb and #Fediverse. This happens because people perceive mainstreaming as “common sense,” mistaking it for adding value. Over time, this mess erodes the radical, decentralizing paths, feeding people back into the centralization of #dotcons and perpetuating the #stupidindividualism we are trying to overcome.

  1. Define and defend non-mainstream objectives with strong clarity of purpose. Clearly articulating the goals and principles of #openweb projects, emphasizing the value of non-mainstreaming paths. This needs to be anchored in frameworks like the and ethical guidelines such as the #PGA Hallmarks. Build the community agreements to hold these in place to ensure contributors understand and commit to these principles. Actively use documents, onboarding materials, and collective discussions to signpost these paths.
  2. Strengthen “native” culture against #stupidIndividualism by balancing the push for collective governance, we need federated and decentralized governance structures like #OGB (Open Governance Body). These prevent individuals from overriding group objectives with personal agendas. Emphasize trust by fostering a culture that prioritizes relationships and trust over competition and self-interest.
  3. Build post-scarcity #FOSS tools that focus on simplicity and functionality, avoid overloading projects with unnecessary features (#techshit) that complicate usability and dilute the #KISS vision. Prioritize accessibility, with tools that empower communities without requiring heavy technical expertise, making them usable and scalable without compromising their radical foundations. Use the to anchor technology in open processes, data, licenses, and standards to ensure transparency and prevent co-optation.
  4. Compost the stinking pile of #techshit. Shovels are a metaphor for composting, to open spaces for critique and push back #mainstreaming attempts constructively. Use feedback loops to identify and counteract behaviours that undermine these paths. Use real-world examples to illustrate the long-term harm. To combat the “common sense” myths, highlight how #mainstreaming benefits centralized systems and reinforces the #deathcult that meany people worship.
  5. Resilience in the #fediverse and beyond by practical limiting node scalability, in federated flows, understand scalability limits based on moderation and quality. This prevents overgrowth and maintains trust within smaller, more accountable communities. Encourage decentralization, by supporting the diversity of smaller instances rather than a few dominant ones. This ensures resilience and reduces the risk of centralization.

We need to be building tools for flourishing, in a large part to counteract #stupidindividualism and mainstreaming, for this we need affinity groups that focus on post-scarcity tech and tools that foster trust, collaboration, and grassroots empowerment. To make this happen, we need these affinity groups to use the as a guiding framework and the #OGB to organize collective governance. By prioritizing these non-mainstreaming flows, we expand the #openweb sustainably while preserving its radical, human-centered roots. Let’s build tools that reflect human flourishing, not corporate consolidation. It’s hard work, but it’s the only path forward that can work.

The Problem: Postmodernism, Hate, and #StupidIndividualism

The influence of postmodern thinking among #fashernistas—people more focused on appearances and trends than substance—has eroded the core purpose of activism: fostering positive social change rooted in love, solidarity, and mutual aid. Meanwhile, the rise of a new breed of right-wing “activists” using hate and fear to advance the agenda of neo-liberalism’s #deathcult highlights the stark difference between activism and fascism. It’s critical to reclaim language and purpose in this context to clarify and reinvigorate progressive movements.

Confusion, postmodernism’s emphasis on skepticism and deconstruction has undermined the unifying narratives that once drove collective action. While useful for critiquing power, it results in fragmented movements without clear goals. This confusion allows #fashernistas to dominate activism, prioritizing visibility and personal branding over systemic change.

Hate-based “activism”, where the right-wing movements use hate and fear to build “solidarity” based on this fear, by reinforce the “stupid” part of individualism, feeding off the #deathcult of neoliberalism. These movements weaponize the language of activism, but their actions serve fascist goals of division and destruction.

This is the core of #stupidindividualism poison that neoliberalism breeds, isolated people and erodes the collective bonds necessary for transformative activism. This individualism poisons movements, turning them into echo chambers of self-interest rather than engines of solidarity.

Even the conservatives think we are in a mess

Ideas for antidotes, reclaiming activism for progressive change:

* Redefine activism anchored in solidarity, and collective care, rejecting hate and fear as tactics. Clearly differentiate between activism (which builds and unites) and fascism (which destroys and divides).

* Center collective narratives, move beyond postmodern fragmentation by building shared stories and visions for the future. Activism that  connects people to a larger purpose and community. Embrace horizontal structures, by foster decentralized and inclusive decision-making processes, thus reducing reliance on vertical, personality-driven leadership. This actively counters #stupidindividualism with collaborative frameworks like the .

* Focus on systems and paths, not individuals, shift away from individual heroics and saviour complexes. Build tools and strategies that empower communities rather than centring individuals.

* Reclaim language, use honest language to name problems and solutions. Call hate-based movements what they are, fascist. Avoid diluting terms like “activism” with actions that lack integrity and constructive purpose.

Building a liveable, humanistic future, needs us, to reclaiming activism, grounding in principles that resist the #mainstreaming influence and cultural by-products like #stupidindividualism. Movements that reject hate and fear as tactics, fostering instead the solidarity needed to challenge oppression and resulting environmental destruction. The antidote lies in collective care, shared purpose, and tools like the to ensure accountability and #KISS progress. We need foundations to build from, with this we counter the cultural decay of the #deathcult and take paths toward meaningful, sustainable change we really need.

Grassroots Radical Media: A #4opens Path

The resurgence of grassroots radical media projects requires a return to foundational principles, particularly the embrace of #FOSS and #opensource practices. These principles align with the framework, which acts as both a lock and a key for building sustainable and accountable media networks.

The Basics, Activism vs. Mainstreaming, where activism aims to resist and redirect the mainstream toward progressive change. #Mainstreaming, on the other hand, often serves NGO agendas, softening resistance to maintain institutional stability and job creation for its participants. Recognizing this distinction helps grassroots projects avoid being co-opted into reducing systemic change to incremental tweaks.

The importance of #FOSS and in keeping radical media transparent and accessible. The (open process, open data, open licenses, and open standards) ensure inclusivity and guard against #mainstreaming dilution. These principles help create paths accountable to people, not funders and institutions.

This is the #OMN mission:

Core vs. Periphery: OMN prioritizes the 1% of technologies and workflows that align with human-focused projects, filtering out the shiny distractions of mainstream tech. Guided by the PGA Hallmarks, the project adheres to these anti-capitalist, anti-patriarchal, and grassroots-oriented principles to ensure alignment with long-term goals rather than fleeting trends. This challenges, right-wing coordination, the right has effectively leveraged #openweb media over the last decade, outpacing the left in cooperation and strategy. To counter this, the left must embrace collaborative frameworks like the and avoid falling into isolated #stupidindividualism. Verbiage and Focus is an issue, academia often overcomplicates the discourse, leading to a churn of ideas without actionable outcomes. Projects need clear plans that balance innovation with practical implementation.

Avoiding the #deathcult of neoliberalism, most mainstream tech assumes human nature is fixed by 40 years of neoliberalism, building reactionary systems. Grassroots projects reject this limitation and design tools that reflect the full spectrum of human potential. To move, we need to leverage experience, older activists should gently guide enthusiastic newcomers by asking, “How does this work with the ?” and “Does this further the PGA hallmarks?” This approach fosters accountability and focus without stifling creativity. A core part of this is filtering technology, to avoid getting lost in the tech world’s “stinky, shiny fashions.” Focus on tools that genuinely empower communities rather than perpetuate #mainstreaming.

Build humanistic tools, to stop creating isolated, individualist solutions, tools fostering collaboration across diverse movements. Reboot proven models, starting new projects in a world dominated by #stupidindividualism leads to often to fragmentation. Instead, reboot and modernize successful past initiatives like #Indymedia, grounding them in the and #KISS federated governance.

The time is ripe for a #reboot of the alt/grassroots tech world. By centring projects on transparency, inclusivity, and collaboration, we can counter the forces of #deathcult neoliberalism and #mainstreaming. The #OMN is a framework for this sustainable and impactful radical media, to make us ready to sift through the tech pile and find the tools that serve humanity. Join the effort to help shape the future of grassroots media and governance. Learn more at OMN

Why radical media embrace’s #FOSS and the #4opens

Grassroots radical media has always sought to challenge and reshape dominant narratives. To do this effectively, it must adhere to principles of transparency, accessibility, and collaboration. This is why #FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) and the framework are foundational. They aren’t just technical choices, they’re philosophical commitments to building equitable and resilient systems.

  • Transparency, open-source tools allow communities to see and understand the code they rely on, ensuring no hidden mechanisms compromise privacy or autonomy. The #4opens—open process, open data, open standards, and open licences—extend this transparency to decision-making, information sharing, and collaboration.
  • Accessibility, #FOSS tools remove barriers to entry by being freely available, reducing dependency on corporate and proprietary platforms. Grassroots projects should not depend on tools controlled by the systems they seek to challenge.

    Resilience and autonomy, open-source systems allow communities to adapt and maintain tools independently, ensuring sustainability without external reliance. This autonomy is key to resisting co-optation or suppression by powerful entities.

Activism aims to build resistance to the dominant flow of power, pushing progressive change. #Mainstreaming, often driven by NGOs, does the opposite, it smooths resistance, aligning activism with the status quo. While this alignment might bring short-term visibility and funding, it undermines radical #KISS goals. Understanding this distinction is crucial for grassroots projects.

  • Main streaming paths, focuses on making activism palatable to existing power structures. Often funded to perpetuate jobs and programs rather than systemic change.
  • Activism Goals, challenges and disrupts mainstream systems to create alternative pathways. Prioritizes systemic change over institutional comfort.

To take the activism and grassroots paths, we need help addressing verbiage and over-analysis. The challenge is in combining academia with activism is the risk of losing focus amid jargon and theory-heavy discourse. While these discussions are valuable, grassroots projects need clarity and actionable goals. A balanced approach is essential, to simplify communication use frameworks like the to distil complex ideas into accessible principles. Prioritize outcomes, ensure discussions translate into clear plans and measurable actions.

The time to #reboot grassroots tech. The current over-reliance on proprietary #dotcons platforms controlled by corporate interests stifles radical change. A #reboot is needed to reinvigorate open tech communities by reviving collaboration around #FOSS and federated tools like #ActivityPub to build decentralized, people-controlled media ecosystems. To make this happen, we need to focus on the Basics and rebuilding solidarity. The question isn’t whether we should reboot grassroots tech, but how. By staying grounded in principles like the , we can reboot lasting alternatives to the status quo.

Mediating the damage from #fashernistas

“The problem with most fashernistas is that they are completely untrustworthy. Yet, people trust them because they push #mainstreaming “common sense” this is the definition of evil, what to do? Ideas please?”

The problem with most #fashernistas lies in their prioritizing of style, superficial appeal, and “common sense” #mainstreaming over substance and integrity. Their actions are too often driven by appearances and short-term gains, rather than the principled foundations necessary for long-term trust and genuine change and challenge that we need. This creates a facade of credibility, enabling them to gain influence while undermining collective efforts. How to compost this mess:

  1. Expose the tension between trust and Influence by highlight the contradictions. Make clear how focus on mainstreaming compromises values, transparency, inclusivity, and openness. Use storytelling and case studies to show how #fashernistas to often derail projects.
  2. Embed trust in processes over personality, that is, build systems where influence is based on contributions and adherence to principles rather than charisma or status. Use the to ensure actions align with open processes, open data, open standards, and open licenses. These principles can create accountability that individuals find hard to circumvent.
  3. Empower alternatives, by actively amplify contributors who are trustworthy, even if their approach lacks the flashiness of fashernistas. Build in feedback loops to create mechanisms for communities to critique and shape direction collectively, minimizing the impact of any one individual’s agenda.
  4. Combat the “Common Sense” mythos. Point out where “common sense” solutions fail to address deeper issues, emphasizing the need for critical thinking and alternative paths. Encourage discourse to foster environments where questioning and dissent are valued rather than sidelined.
  5. Strengthen the focus on horizontal structures to minimize opportunities for top-down influence. One path to this is transparent moderation to ensure that editorial and moderation processes are open to scrutiny, preventing backdoor manipulation.

A balanced approach is needed. The issue with #fashernistas isn’t just their untrustworthiness—it’s that their appeal distracts from meaningful work. Addressing this requires paths, systems and cultures that embed these values into projects like the #OMN or #Fediverse, you reduce reliance on individuals and focus on collective empowerment. Its #KISS

Thinking about news on the #fediverse

To tackle the challenges of #stupidindividualism and the #techshit it often spawns on the #Fediverse, it’s essential to refocus efforts on balance, collaboration, and meaningful process. Let’s look at one path away from this mess, making, an example of the roadmap for #indymediaback and what do we mean by a #newswire. Looking at the current use of #AP on the #Fediverse with this in mind:

Repeats: Strengthen syndication between instances for better information flow.

Replies: Integrate as comments on newswire posts and8 features to foster engagement.

Likes/Stars: Define their roles to signal endorsements or importance, avoiding redundant or unclear actions.

DMs: Focus these on moderation or editorial inquiries to streamline communication.

Enforce a balance between creativity and structure, use editorial collectives to curate content based on established journalistic standards (e.g., the 5Ws of news reporting).

Apply consistent moderation to maintain the newswire as a valuable resource for grassroots reporting, minimizing off-topic or non-news contributions.

Building a robust newswire for #indymediaback needs clear editorial guidelines, begining with strict adherence to “newsworthiness,” rejecting non-news posts (up to 99% initially) to establish quality standards. Over time, this threshold can relax with user education and feedback. Focus on first-hand reports that embody the 5Ws of journalism (Who, What, Where, When, Why).

Feature process, features synthesize the best grassroots reports into cohesive narratives, combining text, images, audio, and video for impactful storytelling. Develop features through editorial consensus, ensuring diversity of perspectives and adherence to the .

Federation via #activitypub to share content across the network, building interconnectivity without duplicating efforts. Allow comments and replies to appear across instances, fostering dialogue while maintaining editorial oversight.

Dealing with the “Nutter” problem by focus on process, not outcomes. Push the project forward with clear processes built on shared principles, understanding that life and society evolve over time. Avoid getting bogged down by demands for “perfect” solutions—basic, functional systems are a strong start.
Reduce misinformation and #FUD by establish user education paths to combat misinformation and clarify project goals. Use editorial tools to label, moderate, and remove false content.

The OMN vision, strong defaults, hardcoded values. Embed the at every level of the project to resist dilution by #mainstreaming influences. Maintain grassroots, horizontal approach to development to ensure inclusivity and resilience. This will need a cultural shift, to address the reliance on #fashernistas and those who push “common sense” a part of this is emphasizing long-term, principled growth over short-term popularity. This path keeps the focus on trust, process, and grassroots collaboration, building a stronger, more resilient #Fediverse and revitalizing #indymediaback as a platform for meaningful, community-driven media. For more information, resources, the OMN wiki is a good place to start.

You can fund the projects here

The #deathcult worshippers are head down in the current mess

The mainstream economic system, which underpins the current globe mess, is facing a deep and escalating crisis. This isn’t just about isolated single issues, it’s rooted in fundamental contradictions within the path we are on. Understanding these dynamics helps us see why our lives are shaped by austerity, inequality and endless war, leading to the current ecological claps.

The core of the crisis is economics, capitalism is grappling with a crisis of profitability and overproduction, the extract of maximum profit has built-in limits. As industries mature, squeezing out new profits becomes harder, stagnation sets in, driving drastic measures. In overproduction, capitalism produces far more than can be profitably sold, not because people don’t need these goods, but because they can’t afford them. These contradictions are now global, leaving nowhere for capital to expand without significant upheaval. To address this, the burden is systematically offloaded onto the working class, that’s us. The austerity path they talk about and impose is making us pay for their crisis.

One way the system tries to “fix” its profitability problem is through austerity. Cutting wages, both direct wages (our pay) and indirect wages (social spending on healthcare, education, infrastructure) are slashed to divert funds into profits. This erodes social support, when the infrastructure and public goods are gutted under the guise of “fiscal responsibility.” For the capitalist class, the greedy few, every penny spent on social upkeep is a penny not turned into profit. By shifting these costs onto the working class, they temporarily prop up their system while deepening the inequality we live in.

War, restoring profit through violence, when austerity isn’t enough, capitalism turns to war. Armed conflicts serve as a means to seize resources. Wars open up new sources of raw materials and markets, essential for restarting stagnating economies, create demand when military spending boosts industry and generates profits in the short term, regardless of human cost. War isn’t about peace or democracy—it’s about economic expansion at the expense of others. The casualties are collateral damage to the pursuit of profits.

Growth doesn’t serve us, the obsession with “growth” hides that under the current mess, capitalism, growth benefits the few, not the many. While corporations grow profits, ordinary people see stagnant wages, rising costs, and dwindling quality of life. Degrowth are often dysfunctional myths, anti-growth rhetoric can target the working class, accusing them of overconsumption. In reality, the poorest consume far less than they need, while the wealthy hoard resources, this liberal thinking sometimes is not helping. What we need isn’t anti-growth, but a reorientation of “growth”, investing in the means of subsistence for all, improving quality of life, and addressing urgent global needs by pushing hard to mediate the environmental catastrophe to focus on sustainably.

Dividing us to conquer us, to maintain control, the system relies on division, racism and nationalism. These ideologies pit workers against each other, distracting from the cause of shared struggles.
Exploiting despair, with decades of deindustrialization and neglect levering entire communities in despair, creating fertile ground for reactionary politics that feed on this. By keeping us fragmented and focused on fighting among ourselves, the current #mainstreaming path ensures we don’t unite to challenge this mess.

What we need is more solidarity and system change that highlights how the contradictions are unsustainable. While the current path enriches a tiny few, it leaves billions struggling for survival and our ecology pushed out of a liveable balance, this is while producing enough resources to meet everyone’s needs. The solution isn’t austerity or war—it’s collective action to build paths that prioritize humanity over profit #KISS

To achieve this, we need to mediate the (stupid)individualistic narratives that blame “us” for systemic failures and instead embrace solidarity, demanding change and challenge. We need to focus on blaming “them”, yes, it’s daunting, and a little dangerous, but history has shown that when people organize, they can dismantle even the most entrenched systems. Let’s make that history again, please.

Songs of Resistance

A day’s exploration event to explore the art of resistance — both a honed craft and a creative output.
This event is made up of two parts.
We will begin with an afternoon panel discussion (noon–1 pm) exploring the history and enduring relevance of ‘protest songs.’
In the evening (4–5 pm), we will be treated to an excerpt of an award-winning performance centering on the work and legacy of Nina Simone.
While we encourage you to attend both the panel discussion and the performance, you are welcome to join either part individually.
Find out more at www.sjc.ox.ac.uk/discover/events/songs-of-resistance-panel-discussion-and-performance

As normal in #Oxford, this is a VERY #mainstreaming path to talk about protest music and songs. Kinda interesting, but completely missing the grassroots and the creative mess that comes with “native” paths of protest music and songs.

They don’t talk about the grassroots: Greenham, “you can’t kill the spirit”, would hold the police at bay as long as the women would sing. At rainbows gathering, word of mouth intentional gatherings that have been happening in hundreds of countries for the last 50 years. When the police arrive to evict the thousands of hippies squatting on the land they surround them to hold hands and singing at them, this is often affective at confusing, stopping and mediating the police violence.

The tactical and the strategic, they only talk about the strategic.

They do talk about the shaping of funding of art and how it is a force for #blocking