#Participatory Decision-making

[manasastuff-blog]

"National Panchayati Raj Day" #trending#viral#manasadefenceacademyNational Panchayati Raj Day and why it holds such importance in the development of rural India. National Panchayati Raj Day is celebrated annually on April 24th to commemorate the establishment of Panchayati Raj System in India. The Panchayati Raj System plays a crucial role in decentralizing power to the grassroots level, empowering local communities, and promoting participatory decision-making processes. Join us as we explore the history, evolution, and impact of National Panchayati Raj Day in shaping the governance structure of our country.

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Website : www.manasadefenceacademy.com

#nationalpanchayatirajday #panchayatirajsystem #ruraldevelopment #governance #localgovernment #grassrootsempowerment #participatorydecisionmaking #indianpolitics #villageadministration #powerdecentralization #nationalcelebration #indiangovernment #communityengagement #publicpolicy #ruralindia #governancestructure #goodgovernance #politicalreform #ruralempowerment #civicengagement

[bdarfler]

As someone who jumps to convergence, this is crucial to understand: “The diamond framework teaches us that divergent thinking and convergent thinking cannot happen at the same time, as they interfere with one another. The facilitator must make space for both separately”

[swordfright]

Tell me about how the structure of the medium impacts the story 🔫

My brother in Christ, prepare yourself for the most boring essay you could possibly imagine. I'm going to over-simplify a few things here for the sake of Getting To The Point, so bear with me.

I think a good starting place is that DSMP is an example of New Media. The go-to definition most folks use is this one: that New Media are stories told via "communication technologies that enable or enhance interaction between users as well as interaction between users and content." In other words, NM is basically this category of stories made up of convergent elements, which satisfy a multimedia requirement, and are heavily reliant on both participatory fan culture and recent advances in technology that allow creators/audiences to communicate with one another instantly.

There's a couple ways you can understand DSMP as a New Media, but as far as I'm concerned, one of the most interesting is prosumption. The term "prosumption" describes a creative situation where a piece of art is being produced (at least in part) by the same people that consume it; they're both audience and creator. DSMP is a really great example of this phenomenon, because A) it's serial and therefore the CCs had ample opportunity to respond to and engage with the audience's reception of their story; and B) because the chat feature allows CCs to interact directly with their audience during roleplay rather than after the fact. These features, among others, kinda set the stage for DSMP to function as a highly prosumptive piece of media.

In particular, the stuff that interests me is the stuff to do with storytelling convention (genre, perspective, etc) and how prosumption turns all that on its head. There are a number of altercations in DSMP canon where the course of the story is altered because of real-time interactions between the CCs and their chat - particularly times when a CC's chat warns them about events happening at the same time elsewhere in the server. In this kind of scenario, the CCs are static, they can't really leave their own stream. Their viewers, on the other hand, are able to jump between streams and talk to each other to figure out what's happening in the overarching story. When this happens, viewers have choices to make: are they going to tell a CC what's going down on the other side of the server? If so, how are viewers going to communicate those events? Viewers are biased, they directly inform CCs, and the information they divulge (as well as how they divulge that info) goes on to influence CCs' actions and thus the events of the story, to some degree. In my opinion, this is a pretty new and exciting way to prosumptively construct a narrative! Media has always been interactive to some extent (especially serial works), but the interaction being live and in real-time is pretty significant in my view because it can exert unique pressures on a narrative.

Speaking of audience choice, that brings me to the next thing I want to yap about: ergodic storytelling, a term that refers to stories “negotiated by processes of choice, discernment, and decision-making.” For reference, a good non-MCYT example of this would be hypertext fiction, because it's generally characterized by the ability of the interactant (that's the reader, in this hypothetical example) to explore material provided by someone else, either as a kind of conceptual landscape (think setting in a video game), or as puzzle pieces that must be put together in order to give the interaction the "big picture" of the story. Basically, with hypertext fiction, there is a core text (the main document that forms the skeleton of the story) and there are multiple hypertexts branching off of the core text - and whether the reader ends up reading those branches, and in what order, inevitably shapes that reader's perception of the whole story.

So here's where it gets tricky. In the case of DSMP, where is the core text located? Is there any one identifiable core text at all? Or is it more appropriate to consider each individual stream or VOD as its own singular core text, with the related Twitch channels and Youtube recommended in the sidebar being "branches"? Alternatively, if the streams and recordings distributed on the server members’ official channels are the central text in the grand hypertext fiction that is DSMP, then can adjacent spaces where audiences do the work of creating and archiving lore be considered their own story branches? I don't have answers to these questions. No one does. That's part of what makes DSMP exciting.

To translate the above quote out of Academia Hellspeak: in an ergodic story, the audience has agency, but the agency enabled and allowed by the text varies in its intensity and mode. Yes, stories told ergodically necessitate choice — and therefore enable agency, turning the reader or viewer into interactant — but that element of choice doesn't always look the same. Some hypertexts are more choice-reliant than others, or are choice-reliant in different ways. So, rather than being a choose-your-own-adventure story, DSMP is more closely analogous to a story where the audience chooses the perspective through which they view plot developments, in addition to having some influence over how plot developments unfold.

(☝️From a 2021 Polygon article, if you think I sound crazy☝️)

The web of choices DSMP presents to viewers is very complex, even compared to other forms of choose-your-own-adventure game. Because each CC approaches the task of story-creation from their own angle (bringing their own narrative baggage to the writers’ room, so to speak), those shifts in perspective this Polygon article describes often also constitute shifts in genre. For instance, cc!Wilbur brought his music production experience and interest in musical theater to the server, cited operas and stage musicals as some of his main inspirations; and accordingly, much of c!Wilbur's most crucial arcs observably draw from those sources. When you watch a c!Wilbur stream, you’re watching a story about statecraft, about revolution, about the triumphs and tragedies of ego that play out during the process of nation-building. On the other hand, cc!Quackity has repeatedly identified Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul as his primary influences; accordingly, his RP character’s story is closer to a piece of gritty prestige television in some places (especially LN series). Unlike with c!Wilbur, a lot of c!Quackity's tension does not revolve around a romanticized fantasy of revolution but around more personal conflicts: securing your place in a new regime, navigating exploitation as both exploited and exploiter, etc. In terms of both plot beats and character arcs, Wilbur and Quackity’s respective storylines embody many of the genre conventions the content creators are working within.

Moreover, a shift in genre often entails a shift in style or mode. Because cc!Wilbur was heavily inspired by musical theater, the presentation style of his character’s storyline is correspondingly both theatrical (i.e. only loosely scripted, nearly always televised live, and improv-heavy) and musical (featuring multiple instances of Wilbur singing in-character ballads and anthems.) On the flipside, Quackity’s streams (especially the later ones, since I'm mostly focusing on Las Nevadas era here) demonstrably mimic the prestige TV shows the CC draws his inspiration from, with lore sessions being pre-recorded rather than televised live, featuring distinctive sonic and visual aesthetics popularized by neo-Western thriller dramas. So, where a piece of media like DSMP is concerned, shifts in perspective entail shifts in genre, which in turn entail pronounced shifts in style. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say it's an entirely new story depending on which character the viewer decides to follow. In that regard, what initially appears to be a single choice (whose perspective to watch a plot event through) has the power to determine a wide array of other elements, as viewers’ responses to the options presented to them will decide the overall tone of the section of the story they're about to watch.

While I think the genre-switching is genuinely super cool, lately I'm a lot more interested in perspective-switching and how it's related to viewer empathy. One side-effect of DSMP being televised live is that yes, you can watch a plot event from 30+ different POVs, but you can't watch every POV live. Typically, you either have to switch between multiple streams, or you need to pick one streamer to watch live and maybe later you'll watch other characters' POVs as you see fit. This has an impact on your perception of how that plot point went down because watching something live feels very different from watching something after-the-fact. I haven't done study on this, so what I'm about to say is mostly conjecture, but I wouldn't be surprised if viewers felt greater empathy for (and greater degrees of kinship with) characters whose POVs they watched live.

The choice of which character to follow also has observable impacts on other kinds of narrative conventions (who is the main character of DSMP? the boring answer is c!Dream because the server's named after him, but the real answer is the protagonist is whoever's POV you watched most of the major plot events through) but to be honest, those questions don't interest me as much.

So, going back to perspective and empathy. I think viewers' reactions to Exile are a really solid way of exemplifying the thing I'm trying to say, so this is the part of the yapping where we gotta bring up the dreaded Exile discourse.

Even though the Exile VODs are available and new viewers can go back and watch them, those viewers experience the Exile arc in a way that is fundamentally different from the experience had by viewers who had to wait in between updates as the videos were being streamed serially in real-time. I would argue that viewers who were “present” during the whole arc noticeably felt the brutality of c!Tommy’s treatment to a greater degree, because the audience was effectively forced to sit in exile alongside Tommy’s character - stewing in anxiety, looking forward to the possibility of appearances from other characters, and living in fear of Dream’s next visit, etc etc. Obviously you could also make this point using c!Dream's time in Pandora as an example, but I'm using Exile here because I've actually seen a lot of fans bring this up when discussing the arc: "people who didn't watch live Don't Get It," "the reason newer fans don't see Exile as scary is because they didn't have to watch it live," that sort of thing. And while I have certain qualms with some of the implications here, I do think these are really fascinating responses! These sorts of responses show that viewers consciously perceive their viewing experience as having been fundamentally different from others' based on a temporal element that's unique to serial fiction!

This instance of a divergence in collective fan experience is an example of choice being rendered unavailable to viewers by virtue of the story’s structure and means of distribution; audience members who happen to accidentally miss streams or who begin following the story after major events have occurred will never be able to engage with and witness those events as LIVE viewers, merely as retrospective ones. They don’t get to make that choice, but they do get to make choices about which perspective (and therefore genre) they get to experience the story through. So it follows that each aspect of DSMP, a semi-ergodic story, can be categorized as either ergodic or non-ergodic, and whether a particular storytelling element is ergodic can change depending on WHEN the viewer began tuning in to the story.

I have a lot more shit to say (shocker) but I'm gonna cap it here for now. Though I do want to add that this is kinda why I have a lot of patience for the crazy diversity of interpretation you tend to get in DSMP fandom. If you took a random sample of fans and asked them what they think of various arcs, characters, and plot events, chances are they would all have fairly different things to say. To me, that's a feature, not a bug. Obviously I have my own opinions, and obviously I do think it's possible for a given interpretation to be "bad," i.e. not grounded in the text - but I have a lot more patience for it here, in a fandom where agreeing on what "the text" EVEN IS presents a challenge. We can't all agree on who the main character is, so I don't ever expect us to agree on more nuanced questions of theme and conflict resolution in the narrative. Again, that's a feature, not a bug. I don't think it was ever possible to reach a consensus with a piece of media like DSMP because of how inextricable the audience is from the story.

[gacha-incels]

Exclusive: 'Namu Wiki' Community with at Least 240,000 Subscribers Becomes Hotbed for Sexual Exploitation Material Arcalive Posts Numerous Digital Sexual Crimes Using AI to Humiliate Acquaintances… Whistleblower Says "Management is Negligent in Preventing Crimes"… Avoiding Legal Scrutiny by Having an Overseas Address

this is an investigative article that’s originally in Korean, it’s machine translated and edited below. If you see any discrepancies lmk and I’ll fix it asap. Thanks everyone

. It has been confirmed that numerous channels are operating within the community "ArcaLive" of the participatory knowledge site "Namuwiki," with the purpose of sharing digital sex crime content. The number of subscribers alone is at least 240,000, making it the largest known group of digital sex crime perpetrators within a single community to date.

Users were promoting AI-generated photos and videos and conducting actual transactions via Telegram. Some posts included photos of women's underwear, belonging to mothers, wives, and other family members. Although ArcaLive stated that "pornographic material is strictly prohibited," a former Namuwiki representative exposed that "the current administrators are essentially allowing these crimes to persist."

This platform, although targeting Koreans, can only be accessed through overseas IPs, and the company is based in Paraguay, making it difficult for Korean law enforcement to intervene.

At least 240,000 subscribers to sex crime content… Largest in history

Whistleblower A, who was involved in the founding of Namuwiki, met with OhmyNews on the 3rd and said, "All five members involved in the early establishment of Namuwiki were 'incels' (involuntary celibates), and some of the people who applied to become community administrators were teenagers. Instead of regulating digital sex crimes, they have either condoned or neglected them." He added, "There were no sanctions against misogynistic or anti-human rights descriptions either."

He said, "At first, I enjoyed making key decisions necessary for Namuwiki's operation, but the current behavior of Namuwiki and ArcaLive has become unbearable. Their claim that 'pornographic content is prohibited' is essentially nonsense."

According to data obtained by OhmyNews, numerous digital sex crime materials were posted on ArcaLive through channels such as the "Erotic Pictures Channel" (82,620 members), the "Women's Body Channel" (60,881 members), the "AI Semi-Realistic Channel" (46,696 members), the "Global Traditional Massage Channel" (28,931 members), the "AI Realistic Channel" (22,012 members), the "Wife/Married Women Channel" (353 members), and the "Stockings Channel" (238 members). Combined, these channels had over 240,000 subscribers (including overlaps).

Recently, OhmyNews and a group formed by members of the Democratic Party, “doubleoplayer" and the X (formerly Twitter) account "Publicizing ArcaLive Sex Crimes" obtained and analyzed ArcaLive-related data from 2021 to 2024.

The analysis revealed that ArcaLive users frequently produced and distributed AI-generated sexual exploitation material and shared and sold illegal filming material. Sex crime content was sold with specific prices, and purchases were only possible through Telegram, making it difficult to trace. One post mentioned that the videos were hard to find on other "porn" sites, listing prices (2,000 won per video or 8,000 won for a bundle of five) and providing a specific Telegram ID for purchasing. Promotional comments like "I have lots of videos, contact me if interested" were posted frequently.

Users also uploaded pictures of women's underwear, with some explaining they belonged to their mothers or wives. Other users posted photos of underwear used by their sisters, girlfriends, or acquaintances. So-called "humiliation" crimes also occurred frequently, with users posting illegally taken photos of women, spouses, or young girls in public places, commenting on their appearance.

"ArcaLive administrators cannot be unaware of sex crime material" "Likely switched to VPN-based site to avoid regulatory sanctions"

Namuwiki was founded in 2015, and ArcaLive was founded in 2016. Both are owned by a company called "Umanle S.R.L." based in Paraguay.

ArcaLive and its sub-channels are operated in a private state, making them unsearchable, and some posts can only be accessed through overseas IPs. As a result, access from Korea requires the use of VPNs (Virtual Private Networks).

A said, "Initially, the site wasn’t VPN-based because requiring overseas IPs would make it inconvenient for users, potentially decreasing user numbers. However, it seems they transitioned to this model to avoid being blocked by the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC)."

The KCSC announced on August 22 that it had requested the deletion of 37 illegal and harmful posts on ArcaLive. The KCSC noted that it was "extremely unusual" for ArcaLive to comply with the deletion request, as the platform had never previously responded.

In response, ArcaLive claimed that "the mentioned posts did not exist in the database" and attributed it to bugs or errors. They also stated that "all pornographic material involving real adults or inspired by real children is strictly prohibited," and that they "immediately delete and close channels upon confirmation."

A countered the claim that the posts didn't exist, saying, "Technical manipulation is entirely possible. It's hard to trust their explanation, as it wasn’t verified by a credible third-party civilian group or investigative agency."

He emphasized, "ArcaLive and Namuwiki administrators cannot be unaware of the digital sex crimes happening within the community. While only encrypted information like passwords is invisible to server owners, all raw data is stored on the server."

When asked if the administrators might not have noticed due to the sheer volume of raw data, A responded, "Even if they can’t check every single post, server operators would still know which boards are being used the most and what types of posts are being uploaded." In fact, internal statistics from ArcaLive users in January showed that digital sex crime-related channels ranked among the most frequently used.

KCSC: "Plans to pursue cooperation with foreign operators"

A KCSC official told OhmyNews, "We have proposed a meeting with Namuwiki to explore ways to strengthen self-regulation and mutual cooperation. We received a reply requesting a detailed explanation of the purpose of the meeting." The official added that they would continue pursuing cooperation with both domestic and international businesses to block the distribution of illegal and harmful posts and protect users.

On August 5, OhmyNews contacted Namuwiki using the same official email address the KCSC communicated with, inquiring about A's allegations. However, they only received a reply stating, "We are only responsible for temporary measures. Any unrelated issues will not be answered."

from previous posts on this blog: If you remember, ArcaLive was the site KGCS specifically called out as the site where the pedophilic Blue Archive fans gathered in their statement about the Illustar Fest event . There was also info dropped by guiltyarchive here. at the time of that post happening these forums were being revealed because incels wanted to delete the entire Genshin subforum. why? Genshin Impact wasn’t responding to their shitfits or “protest balloon” but instead had deleted their comments and then immediately responded to female fan concerns, making it a confirmed “femi game” to them. the decision was blocked, so they instead tried to take the entire ArcaLive site down by revealing these illegal secret forums.that’s not the first time those forums were revealed but it’s just the backstory as to why they were revealed in that situation.this is a short post on namuwiki.

[yesthattoo]

New participatory research paper on autism & AAC

3 of 7 co-authors, including me, are Autistic AAC users with varying amounts of also-speech. School-Based Professionals' Knowledge of Autistic Speech and Augmentative and Alternative Communication Decision Making is based on a survey of school-based professionals. This paper looks at how school-based professionals define terms related to speech -- both more traditional terms like "speech", "no speech", "some/minimal speech", "functional speech", and "fluent speech" and more community-derived terms like "intermittent speech", "insufficient speech", and "unreliable speech."

The paper also looks at school-based professionals' accuracy in defining "intermittent speech", "insufficient speech", and "unreliable speech." The reason we care about their accuracy, however, is in the poster: Perception of Autistic Speech: Views of School-Based Professionals. Overall, speech language pathologists who were able to provide more accurate definitions of intermittent, unreliable, and insufficient speech showed more agreement that they do or would recommend AAC to autistic students. 

The paper and poster both use the same survey as Autistic Communication: A Survey of School-Based Professionals, which came out late last year. But the survey it was based on was long and not everything fit.

If you want either or both papers from the survey, please let me know (inbox open)! The poster should be free. 

[potatopelago]

Unnecessary Rant About Democracy

Democracy is a good idea in theory. People get to decide the things they are affected by, everyone benefits. But the modern system, so-called liberal representative democracy, is a sham. I'll explain why and then explain other types of Democracy to the best of my ability.

So representative democracy is a kind of democracy where you vote for people who (allegedly) make decisions while in power that represent what the voters wanted. Seems alright, I mean you don't have to worry about doing things when you know that the person you voted for will do it for you.

But this is all too good to be true.

Elected officials will say one thing, do another. Many officials get bribed, and I'm not talking about small-scale corruption with a couple individuals, I'm talking entire companies, even countries in some scenarios, that are bribing those elected so that they get their way, often at the expense of the common voter.

Some examples of this include oil companies teaming up to bribe governments to lower environmental regulations, which is happening in most countries in the western world today. Another one would be literally every big tech company, from Google to Facebook to Reddit to even Amazon, all teaming up to drastically impede the development of restrictions of the companies abilities to spy own their users. Or even the combined stance of most large companies collectively using their money to fund think tanks that fund most media, furthering a neoliberal agenda that seeks to destabilize any and all movement for further social equality.

Representative democracy is in a sorry state, and it may be too late to save the system. This doesn't mean you shouldn't vote, voting is absolutely necessary to ensure that the far-right doesn't get elected through this system.

Neoliberalism encourages and preys on apathy.

Now let's look at other systems.

Semi-direct democracy is a form of democracy where you elect officials, but you also get to vote on many of the policies that the people you elected propose, sort of as a check to their power. This is currently practiced in Switzerland, and is definitely better than the current system, but still shares many of the same flaws.

Direct democracy is where everyone votes on all political decisions, and is commonly used in anarchistic societies, but not very many other places. It's a great system for keeping the autonomy of the people, but can be inefficient if not done correctly, and it is often done incorrectly.

The solution to the direct democracy problem is something called Participism, or Participatory Democracy. It's a form of democracy that is direct, environmentalist, and heavily localist. It believes that everyone in a community should vote on things that affect the community, and if necessary vote on things that affect all communities in an area. This can expand until you reach the whole world theoretically, although that would be difficult to come to a consensus on much of anything. Basically your city (or if you live in a big city, your part of the city) would come together very often, likely once or twice a week, to discuss matters that are affecting the community (ex. there's a food shortage, or there's not enough accessibility for disabled people for certain things), and they come to a consensus on what to do about that issue. This provides a healthy, connected community that cares for it's members and has great quality of life.

This concludes my rant.

[dailyanarchistposts]

8

What is subsistence? Subsistence means committing to a place and the people who live there. It means generally getting food from your region because that is the geographical area that you understand and are familiar with and therefore you know when and how much of each item or animal is acceptable to gather or hunt.

Subsistence means fishing with friends. It means preserving food with others in your group or village or clan or whatever. Subsistence is getting together, voluntarily, with folks that you have an affinity with, to provide yourself with food and shelter and musical instruments and friendship.

Subsistence means abundance and balance, it means wildness and harmony at once. Subsistence is not an impoverished, depleted existence.

Time spent repairing the fishing nets or pickling vegetables or building a communal smokehouse isn’t alienated time. It is meaningful and joyous. In some places likely characterized by songs and mead, in others by quiet satisfaction. It means providing for yourself where you live.

Subsistence is participatory. It involves understanding your habitat and finding a healthy place within it.

Subsistence could be the bedrock upon which an anarchic culture’s ways rest on. It is the foundation of a healthy, independent, autonomous set ofliving practices, based on the cycles of the place where you live. Sense of place. Sensual wisdom.

This doesn’t mean that primal people don’t make mistakes. But overall, they rely on directly lived experience complimented by generations old wisdom to make their decisions.

Life in nature isn’t nasty brutish and short. This is a lie of the fearful and the fear mongers, of ruling classes set on the conquest of land-based people.

Subsistence means no or very little material waste: no dumpsites, no burning piles of garbage, no necessity of a recycling industry, and no mountains of appliances, gadgets and plastic. It is based in the natural cycles of your group’s land base. It means respecting nature where you live and all of the life forms that you share your habitat with, even the ones that are threatening to you, because we are all interconnected.

Subsistence isn’t about dumpster diving, scams, food banks, stealing and welfare cheques. Subsistence is directly participating in a collectivity’s future and thus ensuring your own.

For now, a group of five or ten folks acquiring food and shelter together is a form of surviving or pioneering. Fifteen or twenty people providing food and shelter for themselves, communally rearing their children, and generally taking care of each other is perhaps the ember of a clan, but true kinship probably takes a few generations.

When fifty or more people spend their lives, within the context of a successful break from the current world of hierarchy and private property and ideology, making sure that everyone within their group is fed and sheltered and nurtured and have built an infrastructure of ways and tools to assist them, anarchy begins to take hold.

This speculative glimpse is just my notion of how an urban area might de-urbanize should the present social order get cast overboard. Today, inhabitants of rural communes and eco-villages can practice some subsistence skills, but these are generally projects of the fortunate, out of reach of the majority, and can’t be viewed as the primary tactic of a thrust toward autonomous, genuine communities embedded in nature. A rural intentional community based around principles of mutual aid, cooperation and ecology might be a qualitatively superior place to live than most others, but truly self-directed people embedded in a habitat requires secession from private property and a refusal to obey the laws of both the market and the nation-state.

Power abhors subsistence. Capitalism depends on obedient producers and consumers spending our lives shopping and at work, not friends and neighbors practicing communal self reliance within a shared habitat. But together we can say no, we can disobey, and in this negativity there will birth a positive and creative force.

[jacobwren]

“What comes across in the stories that Myles Horton tells, in SNCC workers’ tales of best organizers, and in the broader literature on organizing is good organizers’ creativity: their ability to respond to local conditions, to capitalize on sudden opportunities, to turn to advantage a seeming setback, to know when to exploit teachable moments and when to concentrate on winning an immediate objective. Sometimes you insist on fully participatory decision-making; sometimes you do not. Albany SNCC project head Charles Sherrod urged fellow organizers not to “let the project go to the dogs because you feel you must be democratic to the letter.” Horton recounted on numerous occasions an experience that he had had in a union organizing effort. At the time, the highway patrol was escorting scabs through the picket line, and the strike committee was at its wit’s end about how to counter this threat to strikers’ solidarity. After considering and rejecting numerous proposals, exhausted committee members demanded advice from Horton. When he refused, one of them pulled a gun. “I was tempted then to become an instant expert, right on the spot!” Horton confessed. “But I knew that if I did that, all would be lost and then all of the rest of them would start asking me what to do. So I said: ‘No. Go ahead and shoot if you want to, but I’m not going to tell you.’ And the others calmed him down.” Giving in would have defeated the purpose of persuading the strikers that they had the knowledge to make the decision themselves. But Horton sometimes told another story. When he was once asked to speak to a group of Tennessee farmers about organizing a cooperative, he knew, he said, that since “their expectation was that I would speak as an expert… if I didn’t speak, and said, ‘let’s have a discussion about this,’ they’d say, that this guy doesn’t know anything.” So Horton “made a speech, the best speech I could. Then after it was over, while we were still there, I said, let’s discuss what I have said. Well now, that was just one step removed, but close enough to their expectation that I was able to carry them along… You do have to make concessions like that.” What better time to make a concession than when you’re looking down the barrel of a gun? Horton presumably knew that he could get away with refusing to be an expert in the first situation and not in the second. Perhaps the difference was that he was unknown to the farmers and was known to the strikers. But one could argue that a relationship with a history could tolerate aberrant exercises of leadership while first impressions die harder. In other words, extracting rules from the stories that Horton tells is difficult. When to lead and when to defer, when to ask leadings questions and when to remain silent, when to focus on the limited objective and when to encourage people to see the circumscribed character of that objective – the answers depend on the situation and are not always readily evident.” – Francesca Polletta, Freedom Is an Endless Meeting: Democracy in American Social Movements  

[naxalbari1967]

Can someone explain socialism?

Capital is something you own that earns you money just for owning it, like a factory or a rental house. Capitalists are people who own capital. They can use the money they make from owning capital to buy more capital. This creates a runaway cycle. The richer they get, the more control they gain. Eventually they dominate entire countries and become the ruling class, known as the bourgeoisie. Once they exhaust domestic markets, they seek profit by exploiting other countries. This is how capitalism naturally leads to imperialism.

The other class is the working class. If you live on wages or a salary, you are part of the proletariat. Since the industrial revolution, workers no longer own their tools. They do not keep all the value they produce. The capitalist takes a cut simply for owning the means of production, which they usually inherited or bought using unearned wealth.

Socialism means ending private ownership of capital. Workers reclaim control over tools, factories, and production. The working class becomes the ruling class. They participate in government and in workplace decisions through direct democracy. Socialism does not mean the end of the state immediately. According to Marxism Leninism, the state is the part of the government that uses violence. In capitalism, it protects the rich from the poor. In socialism, it protects the working class from sabotage by capitalists and from counterrevolution, both internal and external.

State violence is unpleasant, but as long as there is a threat to the revolution, it is necessary. Otherwise the old ruling class returns and imposes the far deadlier violence of capitalism. The more equal a society becomes, the less force is needed. Once there is no class division, the state is no longer necessary and fades away. Administration remains but no longer exists to serve a class interest.

Marxism Leninism differs from democratic socialism in its position on revolution. It argues that the ruling class will not allow the workers to vote them out. Elections in capitalist countries are rigged to protect elite interests. A real revolution replaces the whole system. This requires action and force, not just voting for the least bad candidate. That may feel authoritarian, but it is less violent than the everyday suffering caused by capitalism. A socialist revolution gives workers real power, not just illusions of it.

Marx and Lenin called for an armed and organized working class to take power and run the country directly. This is more participatory than liberal democracy. Still, there is debate and tension within the left. Cooperation between socialists, anarchists, and communists is desirable, but history shows deep disagreements.

In Marxism Leninism, socialism is the path to communism. You do not start with a perfect system. You build it under pressure, facing contradictions and changing conditions. This is guided by dialectical materialism, the Marxist method of analyzing society through class struggle and physical reality rather than abstract ideals. Marxism is not a fixed doctrine. It is a scientific method that evolves through practice and critical debate.

Socialist countries often trade with capitalist ones or keep markets to survive and develop. Others aim for full self sufficiency. The key is worker control. You cannot privately own capital. That does not mean you lose your toothbrush or your home. It means no one can own factories or land that other people work on.

In socialism, workers receive the full value of their labor. What was once profit now returns as services and goods. People who cannot work are supported, and those who can are expected to contribute. The goal is not punishment but solidarity.

Communism is the final stage. No class divide. No state. No money. No borders.

[cognitivejustice]

The new Task Team was formed by the WMO World Weather Research Programme and the WMO Services Department with support from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Both the FAO and the UNESCO collaborated with WMO on the workshop, which featured case studies that use indigenous and local knowledge in agriculture in Latin America, in forestry in Southeast Asia, in fisheries and hunting in the Arctic, and in livestock management in Eastern Africa.

The case studies demonstrated the benefits of using indigenous and local knowledge to enhance uptake, use and ownership of information by smallholder farmers as well as to better target their needs. During the workshop, the Task Team defined a clear roadmap to produce a position paper to highlight the need to strengthen climate resilience by blending climate science and Indigenous and local knowledge. This will enhance information uptake and contribute to preserving cultural heritage and ensuring food security. A project proposal for co-design and co-production of climate services with Indigenous peoples and local knowledge will also be produced based on participatory approaches and cases presented at the workshop and the feedback of participants. 

The Task Team’s work will contribute to upholding and including the voices of indigenous, and local communities in decision-making. The roadmap and project proposal will acknowledge the important contribution if indigenous, and local communities to effective locally-led meteorological services that enhance community-based monitoring and strengthen local languages, knowledge and cultural practices.  

[sourcreammachine]

LABOUR PARTY MANIFESTO 2024 SUMMARY ie, the agenda of the party that'll win

tldr: Milton Keynes, by which i mean it's keynesianism but really boring. it's the principle of keynes, but with its ambitions scaled so far back that it no longer even qualifies as social democracy

you’ve probably heard that they want to increase spending without increasing tax. the theory goes that state investments reap dividends — the deficits you run will grow the economy, so your dividends will go up, so debts will always be repaid. this how this manifesto can justify being so scant on revenue-raising, the existing sources of revenue should automatically reap more over time

but, keynesianism is very fundamentally sociodemocratic. state expenditure goes to big-ticket economic infrastructure to improve AND to public services, to improve health and wealth, which serves to grow the economy further – a slightly cold but contextually understandable framing for the fact that stamping out poverty and delivering vital public services is a moral imperative and a good thing

this wheezy manifesto fails in all that, fundamentally. there are spending plans for public services but they are tiny compared to the big-ticket economic investments. it's keynesian theory in liberal practice, and i say that derogatorily. it's the same neoliberal system with the smallest yank back towards un-neo liberalism to try to save it from itself

literally, in the Innsmouth debate last week starmer was asked why he wouldn't raise taxes on high-earners to fund the beleaguered public services that've been crushed and broken, and starmer gave a coward's answer, saying it wasn't the right thing to do, in the poorest town in the country, in front of an audience of fishpeople, not an audience of aristocrats and six-figure salarymen

which serves my point. this isn't a manifesto of enlightened, committed socioliberalism, far from it: this is a manifesto of cowardice. rumours suggested it could've been about 30 pages long, around a third of the typical length. and while it's not that short, it's been padded to hell and back with justifications, waffle, and masses of promises with no policy to make them so. even objectively non-economic policy is anaemic, with scant plans for reform, scant plans for social policy, and scant plans for anything

labour alleges it's plan is to decentralise power and end the autophagic hypercentralist leadership. but no, that couldn't be further from the truth. sir kid starver is running for president. he wants a blank cheque. he wants the right to make decisions. he "changed the labour party" to centralise power to override internal power controls, and not because he's an evil scheming autocrat, but because he has zero faith in democracy. they are the decisionmakers. they are the governors. participatory democracy is impossible, shut up and do your job: putting them in power

it’s also the only manifesto i’ve found a typo in, on page 125. naughty naughty

💷ECONOMY

LITERALLY NO TAX PROPOSALS

abolish nondoms and 'end the use of offshore trusts'

restore the industrial strategy council quango with legal authorities

make the independent minimum wage commission 'account for the cost of living', maybe raising it one maybe two bob idk, and abolish the age bands so everyone gets the adult wage

ban zerohour contracts, ban fire-rehire, strengthen rights to to sick pay, parental leave and protections from unfair dismissal

extend the oil/gas windfall tax for five more years, raise it by three percent, and close loopholes

"people who can work should work, and there will be consequences for those who do not fulfil their obligations"

reform the work capability assessment system, though based on above, it'll be to get more and quicker rejections

not increase the internationally tiny business tax for the entire parliament, letting the invisible hand wank everyone off

more registration/reportage requirements at HMRC, tactical focus on the tax avoidance of corporations and the rich [which like, aint that how it's supposed to be already?]

unify employment law / workers' protections authorities into a single enforcement body, "we will strengthen the collective voice of workers, including through their trade unions" [clarification needed]

programme to get under-21 neets into free training or work programmes with a focus on mental health

£7b centralised national wealth fund for economic investment including automotive gigafactories and steel

new state energy company, long an ephemeral promise of theirs, now confirmed to be backend-only, responsible for building and maintaining infrastructures, while the private companies remain responsible for selling the electricity to the people

remove planning restrictions on datacentres

strengthen Equality Act regulations for gender, racial and disability pay imbalances, increasing workers' ability to sue the pants off their employers

create a regulatory innovation office to coordinate new regulations for rapidly moving economic sectors, ie big tech, with a specific pledge to introduce 'binding regulation on the handful of companies developing the most powerful ai models”

aim to double the size of the cooperative/mutual sector

turn a blind eye to the City just like all other major parties

🏥PUBLIC SERVICES

free breakfasts in primary schools, but not lunches

put misogyny on the curriculum

i mean like. teaching about misogyny. that it's bad

reform royal mail 'so that workers and customers can have a stronger voice', implying preventing its privatisation to that czech billionaire

found the national care service

recruit 8500 mental health staff, reform the mental health acts

6500 more 'expert' teachers [citation needed]

double the number of CT and MRI machines

'end HIV cases by 2030'. they won't do it tho

mental health professionals in every school

build a boatload of new inhouse integrated features into the NHS app, with an inhouse appointment system, local service referrals, vaccination reminders and a pool of personal medical guidelines and treatment information

convert some colleges into specialist technical colleges

3,000 "new" nurseries glued onto primary school sites

finally end the "charity" status of for-profit private schools to make private parents pay their fair share

ok, here's the bulk of labour's trans policy, and the unfortunate reason why i've chosen to list it under public services: they've pledged to reform the Gender Recognition system, per them, "to remove indignities for trans people who deserve recognition and acceptance; whilst retaining the need for a diagnosis of gender dysphoria from a specialist doctor". they continue with an equally cowardly statement to 'support the implementation of single-sex exceptions'. this is a coward's position because the labour leadership is terrified of the commentariat and the terf cult it stands by. that's also why there's a fleeting line to "implement the expert recommendations of the cass review". lmao, they should call him wes fleeting. truth is, they have no plan to reform gender recognition. the abolition of the transmedicalist clause is the minimum amount of feasible and meaningful reform that could have any sort of political momentum, but that minimum is over the line for the terfs and will cause commentariat outrage. the labour right has no ability to change the situation of trans people by staying on the fence, they'd have to commit to supporting the struggle for freedom — and their choice is to stay on the fence

reintroduce the age-gated fag ban, maybe raising it from 2006 to like 2008

limit the number of branded items of uniform schools can require

replace ofsted headline grades with a 'report card system', 'bring multi-academy trusts into the inspection system' but not abolish the indefensible MAT system

🏠HOUSING

ban no-fault evictions, introduce more powers for renters to challenge rent increases

reintroduce mandatory housebuilding targets, national target to build 1.5M in five years

abolish leaseholds, ban flat leaseholds and replace them with commonholds

scramble and deploy more planning officers to local councils, which are to keep stronger housebuilding plans, and with combined authorities given full power (and requirement) to plan and housebuild with their funding

reform compulsory purchase compensation laws to force the price of appropriations down to actual value rather than speculative value

explicit threat to nimby councils: "we will ensure local communities continue to shape housebuilding in their area, but where necessary [we] will not be afraid to make full use of intervention powers to build the houses we need"

prioritise brownfield development [clarification needed] but release and build on 'grey belt', their neologism for shit green belt that nobody wants

ensure social housing is central to the building scheme

ban new developments being sold to international buyers before construction ends, ie, slowing the hypergentrification of luxury districts, though possibly not fixing these areas or even doing enough to stop the trend

new New Towns, which'll be 'part of a series of large-scale new communities' [clarification needed]

🚄TRANSPORT

simply wait for the franchise-concession system to lapse, established in 2020 when the private franchise system collapsed, then give british rail the contracts as a single island-wide renationalised train operator with a unified consumer frontend

return to local councils the ability to franchise their own bus networks (ie, not centrally fund their doing so) and let them create their own unified travel networks (like the bee in Manchester)

expand freightrail

devolve to mayors rail british rail planning for their areas

restore the 2030 ban of new petrol cars, build more ev chargers

👮FORCE

raise defence spending to 2.5% GDP

points-based immigration system and restrict visas, ban employers who break migrant labour laws from hiring any migrant again, intelligence border command 'hundreds of new' officers to stamp down on desperate people wanting a better life, new home office unit for mass deportations

recognise palestine… but no commitment to do it immediately or unambiguously, only “as part of the process” etc etc etc. “push” for an immediate ceasefire

'Respect Orders', ASBOs 2, with power to ban people from entering town centres

'force' fly-tippers and 'vandals' to 'clean up the mess they have created'

mandatory referral to reoffending programmes for young people caught with knives

end the sengoku period by enacting katanagari

SVU in every police force, 'using tactics normally reserved for terrorists and organised crime

upgrade any and all hate crimes to aggravated offences, though not actually amend the definition. Brianna Ghey's slaughter was, under the letter of the current law, not a hate crime, despite one of her killers openly admitting to targeting her due to her being transgender

ban conversion therapy including for trans people

make spiking a specific criminal offence

extend protection against domestic violence in marriages to cohabitees

reduce relations with china

'build on the online safety act', not ruling out the potential for a bad internet bill

massive building of new prisons

"labour is committed to reducing gambling-related harm. recognising the evolution of the gambling landscape since 2005, labour will reform gambling regulation, strengthening protections. we will continue to work with the industry on how to ensure responsible gambling" is the entire section on gambling. don't get me wrong, this is scandalous. the country's gambling laws are lax beyond words and an international laughing stock. The House have not hidden their infiltration of the labour party lobbies - their biggest catch is probably Tom Watson, former deputy leader-turned-gambling lobbyist, who waged civil war on corbyn, founded the major caucus against him, and so commands major respect from the labour right MPs who'll be in the new government. this pathetic paragraph means The House can continue to demolish lives for the next five years at least and the public health emergency will continue to burn. i fucking BEG prime minister starmer to remove all equivocation from the first two sentences of this paragraph, and throw the third in the bin. a punt on the game, a night in the bingo hall, the lottery are all brilliant and beloved, but The House being let loose to make money on people's lives makes it an enemy of public health.

continue to be the american empire’s prettiest bitch

🌱CLIMATE

zero-carbon electricity by 2030**: quadruple offshore wind, triple solar, double onshore wind, rollout Small Modular Reactors

**two asterisks: first to maintain a 'strategic reserve' of gas stations for energy security, and second "ensure a phased and responsible transition" to not Thatcher the communities that're employed in gas. idk, it seems like you can't do that in six short years without a radical plan

commitment to upgrading the Grid (a long-looming problem), which may well push through projects that annoy the nimbys

no new licenses for oil extraction, no new coal licenses, permaban on fracking

three new national forests, plant millions of trees, expand protected wetlands, woodlands and Pete Boggs, seed new woodland

LEAVE WATER PRIVATE despite the shit situation (shituation), but ban bonuses of dumping bosses and criminalise repeat dumping

introduce a land-use framework for economical usage of land, a policy shared by the liberals

end the badger cull, ban trailhunting, ban trophy imports, ban puppy farming

🗳️DEMOCRACY

votes at sixteen

immediately evict all 92 hereditary Filth, but keep the 25 bishops

immediately introduce an 80-year age limit for the Filth, with evictions occurring at the end of the parliament the Filth turns 80. also introduce minimum attendance requirements, and eviction for rulebreaking. 308 of the 709 filth who aren't hereditary or bishops are 75 or older right now

"Whilst this action to modernise the House of [Filth] will be an improvement, Labour is committed to replacing the House of [Filth] with an alternative second chamber that is more representative of the regions and nations. Labour will consult on proposals, seeking the input of the British public on how politics can best serve them." okay. look. i know you're intelligent enough to see that this paragraph is just a get-out-of-jail-free card. president starmer has no plans to replace the Filth with democracy, because the patronage spoils system is too useful for his closed-door regime. that's also why there's nothing about electoral reform, the dumb bad stupid system simply serves him and regime-minded political operators too well. democracy is for chumps. end of story. sorry peasants

keep the indefensible voter id system

new council of all first ministers and mayors for some reason

more combined authorities, with devolution of transport, adult education, housing, and 'employment support', give the new CAs 'strong governance arrangements' and renew those of the existing ones so the CA areas have better governments

create a commons modernisation committee to modernise the commons' useless old practises, with its purview including replacing the pairing system with proxying

ban on MP second jobs in advisory or consultancy roles, task the (above) committee in restricting other second jobs, 'enforcing restrictions on ministers lobbying for the companies they used to regulate' [clarification needed]

[omegaphilosophia]

The Philosophy of Economic Development

Economic development refers to the process through which a country or region improves its economic, social, and political well-being. It goes beyond mere economic growth, focusing on broader improvements such as quality of life, equitable access to resources, and sustainability. The philosophy of economic development involves the exploration of values, principles, and strategies that guide efforts to elevate living standards, reduce inequality, and promote social justice.

Core Principles of Economic Development

Human Well-being and Quality of Life Economic development is not just about increasing wealth, but improving the overall quality of life. This involves not only economic metrics like income and employment but also health, education, access to basic services, and environmental sustainability.

Sustainability Sustainable economic development ensures that current growth does not come at the expense of future generations. This encompasses responsible resource management, environmental protection, and long-term social stability.

Equity and Inclusiveness Development should aim to reduce inequality, ensuring that the benefits of growth are shared equitably among all segments of society. This often includes addressing poverty, gender inequality, and regional disparities.

Freedom and Empowerment The philosophy of economic development values individuals’ freedom to choose their path in life. This involves creating an environment where people can access opportunities, make decisions, and have control over their economic futures.

Participation and Democracy Genuine development is participatory and involves empowering local communities. Democratic governance structures enable people to take part in the decisions that affect their lives, ensuring that development initiatives reflect local needs and aspirations.

Philosophical Approaches to Economic Development

Neoliberalism Neoliberal thinkers advocate for minimal state intervention in the economy, believing that market forces, competition, and private enterprise lead to more efficient allocation of resources. They argue that deregulation, privatization, and free trade stimulate economic growth and improve living standards.

Structuralism Structuralist approaches, rooted in the works of economists like Raul Prebisch, argue that development requires transforming the economic structure of a society. This may involve diversifying economies away from primary exports and fostering industrialization, technology, and education. Structuralism also advocates for addressing historical inequalities between developed and developing nations.

Dependency Theory Dependency theory critiques the global economic system, arguing that poorer nations remain economically dependent on wealthier ones. It asserts that economic development cannot occur without addressing global inequality and suggests that developing countries should resist exploitative international systems and focus on self-sufficiency.

Capabilities Approach Developed by philosophers like Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum, the capabilities approach focuses on expanding individuals' abilities to achieve their well-being. Development is seen not just as economic output but as the expansion of freedoms, opportunities, and capacities to lead a fulfilling life.

Human Development and Well-being Human development, as championed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), emphasizes improving people’s lives through access to health, education, and economic opportunities. It expands the concept of development beyond GDP growth, focusing on broader human development indicators.

Ethical Considerations in Economic Development

Justice and Fairness Economic development often raises ethical questions about fairness and justice. How do we ensure that the fruits of development reach the most marginalized? Are the benefits of growth distributed equitably?

Cultural Sensitivity Globalization and development may clash with local traditions and ways of life. How can development policies respect cultural diversity while promoting progress?

Environmental Responsibility The growth that drives economic development can often harm the environment. Ethical economic development seeks to balance economic success with ecological sustainability, protecting ecosystems and promoting green technology.

Rights-Based Development Some philosophies assert that economic development should be driven by respect for human rights, focusing on the right to work, access to education, the right to food, and social security. Rights-based frameworks aim to ensure that development benefits all people, particularly the most disadvantaged.

Challenges and Criticisms

Economic Inequality While economic development can lead to prosperity, it often exacerbates social inequality. The gap between the rich and poor, both within nations and globally, remains a persistent challenge in achieving truly inclusive development.

Sustainability Issues Rapid economic development can result in environmental degradation, depletion of natural resources, and long-term ecological damage. The challenge lies in balancing immediate economic gains with the need for environmental stewardship.

Cultural Imperialism Economic development often brings Western-style capitalism, technology, and values into non-Western societies, leading to criticisms of cultural imperialism. These critiques question whether true development is possible without compromising cultural identity.

Political Corruption and Mismanagement In many countries, political corruption, ineffective governance, and the lack of infrastructure can hinder the success of economic development initiatives. Ensuring transparent, accountable leadership is essential for sustainable progress.

Conclusion

The philosophy of economic development encompasses diverse theories and practices aimed at improving the well-being of individuals and societies. At its core, it recognizes that economic growth is not an end in itself but a means to greater human flourishing. By addressing the ethical, social, and environmental dimensions of development, philosophers and policymakers alike strive to create an equitable, just, and sustainable future for all.

[carldenversblog]

More than a uniform: calling for a purpose

"I attribute my success to this—I never gave or took any excuse." This famous quote of Florence Nightingale carries with me the essence of what it means to truly succeed, not just in our future careers, but in life. Her firm dedication, in the face of appalling conditions during the Crimean War, transformed nursing from a haphazard practice into a respected profession. This profound commitment to service is the very foundation upon which we build our own careers as future health professionals. It is a legacy, a journey that I have to respect and keep going. One quote that sticks with me. A journey that requires personal responsibility, persistence, commitment, and accountability. I stand here today in front of all of us for a journey that begins here, with compassion, dedication, and personal commitment to service. A journey where I fully take responsibility for the care of a patient as well as guarantee that every step, no matter how small, is done with purpose, precision, and accuracy. A journey not only to help others but to inspire.

The role of future nurses is far beyond assessing the patient and taking care of it. In this modern time, future nurses are about showing empathy towards the patient. Ability not only to understand but also share feelings and emotions.  According to the national library of medicine, nurse–patient communication is the foremost step in providing professional care. Nurses' effective commutation is an effective and powerful tool to create a well atmosphere, comfort, happiness, and vitality to reduce the patient's grief and suffering. As a future nurse, I must establish empathetic communication. And needed to use it to understand others and share their feelings, thoughts, and experience. Moreover, empathy plays a crucial role in effective nurses-patient communication (Kelly & Kelly, 2013). Patients who felt understood and supported by their nurses experienced reduced anxiety, faster recovery times, and increased satisfaction with their care (journal advanced nursing, n d.). 

In the field of health care that is constantly and continuously changing and evolving. As a future nurse, we need to  provide the highest quality care. I must commit to learning new by embracing technology and research to provide the best practice needed by the patient. As a future health professional, I must have lifelong and personal growth. According to Griscti and Jacono (2006) Reflective skills, creativity, and critical thinking, which are required to transform knowledge into practice, are requirements that need to be stressed in teaching. I must encourage myself to be a lifelong learner to ensure the safety of every patient, future nurse and provider's current knowledge. Furthermore, to continue education programmes more effectively, I must have a more participatory role in health care learning, making continuous education attainable and realistic.

As a future nurse, I am not just a health care provider but also an advocate. We have a responsibility to standard ND speak up to our patients regardless of their background, I ensure  that all of my patients receive the highest quality care they deserve. 

We are not merely learning the science of healing, but the art of compassion, understanding, and leadership. In the years to come, we will not only care for the physical needs of our patients but also champion their rights, their dignity, and their voices. According to Advent Health, nurses in all occupations have a responsibility to make sure patients are receiving high levels of care. Striving  to ensure that services, policies, and regulations focus on meeting patients’ needs while keeping them safe. As future nurse advocates, ensuring that doctors are recommending the most cost-effective treatment options for patients. For instance. In addition, nurse advocates can help patients make a decision based on what is best for their health as well as what they can afford. Advocating for the safety and wellness of patients, nurses contribute to work environments with higher standards, better regulations, and patient-centered policies. The American Nurses Association said that the code of ethics of nurses considers patient advocacy to be the one of the most important roles of the nurse in individual safety. Making sure that the patient's decision and rights are safeguarded. And empower the voiceless individual. Making advancement for the nursing profession, improving health outcomes for patients and communities, and enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the health-care system.

As nursing students, we have the ability to engage in powerful ways.  We can change the healthcare system by embracing empathy, making a commitment to lifelong learning, and speaking up as advocates.  We should not undervalue the influence that any of us can have, both individually and collectively.  Let's be the nursing generation that redefines advocacy, quality, and compassion.  One patient, one community, and one act of kindness at a time, let's make our impact on the world.  Because we are nurses, we are more than just healthcare professionals.

[argyrocratie]

"Thus many collectives did not compete with each other for profits, as surpluses were pooled and distributed on a wider basis than the individual collective.

This process went on in many different unions and collectives and, unsurprisingly, the forms of co-ordination agreed to lead to different forms of organisation in different areas and industries, as would be expected in a free society. However, the two most important forms can be termed syndicalisation and confederationalism (we will ignore the forms created by the collectivisation decree as these were not created by the workers themselves).

Syndicalisation (our term) meant that the CNT’s industrial union ran the whole industry. This solution was tried by the woodworkers’ union after extensive debate. One section of the union, “dominated by the FAI, maintained that anarchist self-management meant that the workers should set up and operate autonomous centres of production so as to avoid the threat of bureaucratisation.” However, those in favour of syndicalisation won the day and production was organised in the hands of the union, with administration posts and delegate meetings elected by the rank and file. However, the “major failure … (and which supported the original anarchist objection) was that the union became like a large firm” and its “structure grew increasingly rigid.” [Ronald Fraser, Blood of Spain, p. 222] According to one militant, “From the outside it began to look like an American or German trust” and the workers found it difficult to secure any changes and “felt they weren’t particularly involved in decision making.” [quoted by Fraser, Op. Cit., p. 222 and p. 223] However, this did not stop workers re-electing almost all posts at the first Annual General Assembly.

In the end, the major difference between the union-run industry and a capitalist firm organisationally appeared to be that workers could vote for (and recall) the industry management at relatively regular General Assembly meetings. While a vast improvement on capitalism, it is hardly the best example of participatory self-management in action.

(...)

The other important form of co-operation was what we will term confederalisation. This system was based on horizontal links between workplaces (via the CNT union) and allowed a maximum of self-management and mutual aid. This form of co-operation was practised by the Badalona textile industry (and had been defeated in the woodworkers’ union). It was based upon each workplace being run by its elected management, selling its own production, getting its own orders and receiving the proceeds. However, “everything each mill did was reported to the union which charted progress and kept statistics. If the union felt that a particular factory was not acting in the best interests of the collectivised industry as a whole, the enterprise was informed and asked to change course.”

This system ensured that the “dangers of the big ‘union trust’ as of the atomised collective were avoided.” [Fraser, Op. Cit., p. 229] According to one militant, the union “acted more as a socialist control of collectivised industry than as a direct hierarchised executive.” The federation of collectives created “the first social security system in Spain” (which included retirement pay, free medicines, sick and maternity pay) and a compensation fund was organised “to permit the economically weaker collectives to pay their workers, the amount each collective contributed being in direct proportion to the number of workers employed.” [quoted by Fraser, Op. Cit., p. 229]

As can be seen, the industrial collectives co-ordinated their activity in many ways, with varying degrees of success."

I.8.4 How were the Spanish industrial collectives co-ordinated?

[sophieinwonderland]

thought you would appreciate the data in this study, its a small sample size but, its nice to see it among the scientific literature, using the word plural, acknowledging endos leaving behind the structural model of dissociation, and advocating for a better understanding of plurals and dissociative trans people.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S246874992300042X?dgcid=coauthor

thank you for the good work you do citing sources and combatting misinfo towards endos.

im traumagenic, but my partner is a tulpamancer, and i cant get over the hate they suffer.

good luck, and keep going strong ✌️

Thanks!

It's moments like this that I'm sad Sci-Hub doesn't work for articles past 2021. 😢

Even still, the introduction was interesting even if that's basically all that's available.

The first thing I check on a lot of these articles is just the authors.

And I'm happy to see that these look like mostly new names from reputable clinics and universities. As it concerns debates about endogenic plurality, I'm glad to have more people researching this across the field.

More acknowledgement by more people is incredibly vital.

Beyond that, I love that the connection between plurality and gender is being explored here with the goal of helping systems who are seeking gender-affirming care.

For those who identify as both transgender and plural, the likelihood of receiving affirming care is low. Medical and mental health care often does not meet the needs of the transgender community, frequently reinforcing stigma (Noonan et al., 2018; Rees, Crowe & Harris, 2020). People with dissociative symptoms also have trouble accessing mental health care (Nester, Hawkins & Brand, 2022). Providers’ implicit biases regarding both gender identity and plurality may contribute to these disparities, leading to non-affirming treatment (Price et al., 2022). There is movement toward a more inclusive, affirming approach to this population, one which does not start with an underlying assumption of pathology. One transgender and plural mental health care practitioner noted that dissociation for them was not unreal or pathological (Henkin, 1998). Ribáry, László, Demetrovics and Maraz (2017) interviewed six systems and concluded that, in this cohort, “most systems function relatively well in everyday life” (p.1). The 13 participants with DID in Hunter's study (2016) reported they preferred a client directed approach that honored their subjective experience. Yarbrough (2018) observed that many plural systems did not experience distress from the existence of other internal headmates, and recommended shared decision making among headmates when pursuing treatment. Rivera (2002) concluded that transgender clients with dissociation could “make reasoned choices and they could live relatively peacefully” (p. 51) about gender, asserting that while mental health clinicians should assess for DID, clinicians should not presume that dissociation precludes transgender clients from providing adequate informed consent for transition-related treatment.

I hope research like this helps will help better inform healthcare for systems. This is obviously specific to gender-affirming care but other care, but with luck it can impact result in research into other forms as well.

Added it to my new Studies and Research page.

Thanks again for sharing! 😁

[ethanswgstblog]

Blog #2 due 2/6

What role does the digital economy play in shaping cyberfeminist practices?

The digital economy plays a crucial role in shaping cyberfeminist practices by both creating opportunities for empowerment and reinforcing existing inequalities. By providing these opportunities, women were able to slowly become more aware and familiar of online media. With the addition of women joining the online platforms, Daniels agreed that it was “a crucial medium for movement toward gender equity.” These technological advancements were not only for women in the US but also for women around the world 

How does the concept of “identity tourism” function in cyberfeminist forums, and what are its limitations?

In cyberfeminist discussions, Lisa Nakamura defines identity tourism as the process by which users "try on" identities of marginalized groups, which can lead to the appropriation and distortion of those identities rather than meaningful engagement (Daniels, 2009). While early cyberfeminists saw the internet as a space for identity fluidity, identity tourism exposes its limitations allowing privileged users to adopt marginalized identities without facing real-world oppression. Rather than fostering genuine understanding, this often reinforces stereotypes and power imbalances, prompting cyberfeminists to advocate for ethical engagement over superficial appropriation.

What alternative approaches could be implemented to ensure that technology is used to empower rather than police vulnerable populations?

To ensure that technology empowers rather than polices vulnerable populations, several key approaches must be implemented, including increased transparency, community involvement, a shift from surveillance to support, and stronger legal protections. As Eubanks highlights, automated decision-making systems often lack public oversight, making it crucial to clarify how algorithms function, who they impact, and the rationale behind their decisions. Additionally, rather than allowing policymakers and private companies to dictate digital systems, participatory design should involve those most affected such as welfare recipients and low-income families in shaping these technologies. Another could be that technology should also be used to improve access to essential services rather than predict fraud or police marginalized groups, streamlining benefits enrollment and reducing barriers to aid instead of reinforcing punitive measures. Furthermore, given that many automated systems disproportionately target vulnerable populations, policy reforms are necessary to establish ethical guidelines for AI and machine learning in public service programs. By implementing these approaches, technology can shift from a tool of control to one of empowerment

In what ways do automated fraud detection systems disproportionately target marginalized communities?

As Eubanks explains, low-income individuals are more frequently subjected to digital monitoring and fraud detection due to systemic biases, government policies aimed at reducing welfare fraud, and the increasing use of automated decision-making systems that disproportionately scrutinize marginalized populations. She mentioned that her untraditional family was denied access to their insurance company due to some missing digits and believed it to be a computer AI problem (Eubanks). Another way automated fraud detection systems targeted these communities was through historical biases in data collections. Some AI models rely on past data which can ultimately reveal people's racial and economic inequalities and target them. 

Daniels, J. (2009). Rethinking cyberfeminism(s): Race, gender, and embodiment. WSQ: Women’s Studies Quarterly, 37(1–2), 101–124. https://doi.org/10.1353/wsq.0.0158

Eubanks, V. (2018). Red Flags. In Automating inequality: How high-tech tools profile, police, and punish the poor (pp. 9–28). essay, Tantor Media.