Re: [-empyre-] Free Cooperation

[Barrie <barriec@optusnet.com.au>]

on 21.2.04 12:53 PM, Alan Sondheim at sondheim@panix.com wrote:

> 
> 
> I wonder whether all of these examples would work as well offline in
> face-to-face situations, in which alterity, almost a Sartrean 'otherness'
> often dominates. I'm thinking for example of the difficulties in block
> associations, communes, building organizations - all of which I have
> participated in, and all of which generally and quickly create a
> politics-as-usual.

The collective is an alternative, although politics as usual can still
emerge. When I was on the steering committee of the Artworkers Union in
Sydney, we operated as a collective, the chair was rotated through the group
which was challenging and interesting and insightful. What did happen though
is that those with particular skills - print and poster, ad skills,
organising skills ie benefit dances, etc always got those jobs but it didn't
become a problem, there was no jockying for territory. Ian Burn was the main
chair for the group and a steadying influence.

> This might be almost instinctual among humans, who
> jockey for territory in almost any situation. On the other hand, online
> behavior can be 'governed' by plenitude - if you don't want this email
> list, go to another - if you want to post a full-length book, go ahead,
> and so forth. The limitations are small as bandwidth increases, and this
> apparent (not actual) roominess allows for individualized developmental
> space as much as one desire.
> 
> That said, some of the worst political situations I've seen have been on
> MOOs - for example the 'QRB,' quota review board, which just about brought
> down the PMC-MOO at one point (I was a member). But quota was _limited,_
> one was dealing with a scarcity, not an abundance, economy -

It only takes one person in a list to flame everyone consistently and the
list loses focus and falls apart, there must be a good
administrator/webmaster to manage this kind of thing ...
which is why empyre works so well, its well managed.

barrie
> 
> Alan
> 
> http://www.asondheim.org/ http://www.asondheim.org/portal/.nikuko
> http://www.anu.edu.au/english/internet_txt
> Trace projects http://trace.ntu.ac.uk/writers/sondheim/index.htm
> finger sondheim@panix.com
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