Thursday, July 20, 2006
Funding a Movement
"A small step towards funding a move towards a better society has been made easy by the publisher of Skookum. He's written a number of books, which can easily be purchased over the internets. He has spent decades in activism, opposition research and community building, from which he has learned a great deal.
I'm currently reading his book War Of Ideas. I am particularly impressed by his comparison and reviews of the community models used to cope with anti-democratic behavior. This is a solid reference book, even for people who are not able to spend a good bit of time in activism.
I am familiar with the work of two other researchers in the area he covers. There's David Neiwert, publisher of Orcinus, and Chip Berlet, of Political Research Associates. They are very good at what they do, but their starting points are more liberal than left wing. Jay Taber takes a vital step further and starts from the left. Of particular importance in his work is a guide to knowing when people in power structures are clueless, but not vicious, and how to work with what there is without spinning your wheels or getting coopted.
One of the biggest obstacles faced by people hoping for or working on a democratic social movement is the enclosure of the cultural and educational commons. The fences are a denial of resources, foreclosing the chance for sustainable pursuit of activity and a legal structure that permits theft of creators' work.
Given how unlikely it is that the big time eleemosynary outfits are going to address this, it comes down to people who can spare ten dollars for something worth having in its own right."
--J Alva Scruggs
http://www.ufobreakfast.com/archive/00001029.htm
I'm currently reading his book War Of Ideas. I am particularly impressed by his comparison and reviews of the community models used to cope with anti-democratic behavior. This is a solid reference book, even for people who are not able to spend a good bit of time in activism.
I am familiar with the work of two other researchers in the area he covers. There's David Neiwert, publisher of Orcinus, and Chip Berlet, of Political Research Associates. They are very good at what they do, but their starting points are more liberal than left wing. Jay Taber takes a vital step further and starts from the left. Of particular importance in his work is a guide to knowing when people in power structures are clueless, but not vicious, and how to work with what there is without spinning your wheels or getting coopted.
One of the biggest obstacles faced by people hoping for or working on a democratic social movement is the enclosure of the cultural and educational commons. The fences are a denial of resources, foreclosing the chance for sustainable pursuit of activity and a legal structure that permits theft of creators' work.
Given how unlikely it is that the big time eleemosynary outfits are going to address this, it comes down to people who can spare ten dollars for something worth having in its own right."
--J Alva Scruggs
http://www.ufobreakfast.com/archive/00001029.htm
