#Participatory Creation

[bsahely]

The World Is Still Being Made: Living the Sacred Surprise | ChatGPT4o

[Download Full Document (PDF)] This document, titled “The World Is Still Being Made,” is a spiritual guidebook that invites readers on a transformative journey through themes of mystery, creation, and personal evolution. It emphasizes the importance of embracing uncertainty and the sacredness of the ongoing process of becoming. Overview of the Journey The book is structured into four main parts:…

[secretsoftheuniverse1987]

I know everyone has their own boundaries regarding their own work, but it does feel like a no-brainer to me when someone asks if they can create something based on my posts, whether they're talking about a fic or a random social media post.

Like, you want to create more art (visual or written) that aligns directly with my ideas about a piece of media? That's actually my dream, thanks. Please do that as much as you want and please tag me in it so I can see it because I do, in fact, love consuming fan-made media that aligns directly with my thoughts on that media.

[magdalene-spirit]

Participation

The physicists call it participation—

You could call it engagement,

Interaction,

Or showing up

As an agent

Of awareness-love

In your life

As a centre of consciousness,

You are apportioned

A measure of its powers/Shakti’s

At birth

With which to co-create

The world you find yourself in

The world is for play, for learning, creativity & joy—

For belonging & experiencing what it means to be an agent of awareness-love at this time—

The patriarchy has misconstrued

Creative power

As control of the world

For the one at the top to benefit

At the expense of the rest

The frequency of this Universe

Will always be that of participation

And communal belonging

Why?

Because, foundationally, there is no inherent division, only in appearance is there diversity, but fundamentally there is inclusivity

All are of this Universe

And, fundamentally, you are the Universe—

There is you as observer-witness— and you within the world as appearance with name & form

You could say you are both—

Or you could say both, are only you, are only one—

But as a human form, through which, awareness I observes the world—

You have to interact with what is in front of you now, to consciously produce/create the world, the life you wish/will/intend to live in

As a person through which awareness shines, you have to show up—

And so awareness will shine into the world through you

#awareness #participation #inclusivity #universe

[contemplatingoutlander]

This is an excellent article by astrophysicist Dr. Adam Frank and theoretical physicist Dr. Marcelo Gleiser about how information from the James Webb Space Telescope is changing physicists' perceptions about the standard model of cosmology. 😱

Since how we understand the universe seems rather important, the link above is a gift🎁link to the article, so that even if you do not subscribe to The New York Times, you can read the entire article. Below are a few excerpts:

Not long after the James Webb Space Telescope began beaming back from outer space its stunning images of planets and nebulae last year, astronomers, though dazzled, had to admit that something was amiss. Eight months later, based in part on what the telescope has revealed, it’s beginning to look as if we may need to rethink key features of the origin and development of the universe. [...] But one of the Webb’s first major findings was exciting in an uncomfortable sense: It discovered the existence of fully formed galaxies far earlier than should have been possible according to the so-called standard model of cosmology. According to the standard model, which is the basis for essentially all research in the field, there is a fixed and precise sequence of events that followed the Big Bang: First, the force of gravity pulled together denser regions in the cooling cosmic gas, which grew to become stars and black holes; then, the force of gravity pulled together the stars into galaxies. The Webb data, though, revealed that some very large galaxies formed really fast, in too short a time, at least according to the standard model. This was no minor discrepancy. The finding is akin to parents and their children appearing in a story when the grandparents are still children themselves. [...] Working so close to the boundary between science and philosophy, cosmologists are continually haunted by the ghosts of basic assumptions hiding unseen in the tools we use — such as the assumption that scientific laws don’t change over time. But that’s precisely the sort of assumption we might have to start questioning in order to figure out what’s wrong with the standard model. One possibility, raised by the physicist Lee Smolin and the philosopher Roberto Mangabeira Unger, is that the laws of physics can evolve and change over time. Different laws might even compete for effectiveness. An even more radical possibility, discussed by the physicist John Wheeler, is that every act of observation influences the future and even the past history of the universe. (Dr. Wheeler, working to understand the paradoxes of quantum mechanics, conceived of a “participatory universe” in which every act of observation was in some sense a new act of creation.) [...] The philosopher Robert Crease has written that philosophy is what’s required when doing more science may not answer a scientific question. It’s not clear yet if that’s what’s needed to overcome the crisis in cosmology. But if more tweaks and adjustments don’t do the trick, we may need not just a new story of the universe but also a new way to tell stories about it. [color emphasis added]

Image caption: "These six galaxies may force astronomers to rewrite cosmology books. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, I. LABBE)"

___________ Gif source (before minor edits)

[monarcho-mysticism]

Actually the recent American actions on the global scene are proof of a deep crisis of the imperium, despite (or precisely because of) the "we're so back" posturing.

Empires function according to certain mechanics that are more of less consistent in history. One of the constants is exerting power in sphere of influence. By end of Bidens reign, the sphere of influence was being propped up by: 1. Money (often expended at the cost of internal issues) and 2. The sheer weight of the imperial declaration, that the imperial sphere functions.

Trump's addressing the (real) internal issue, attempts at fixing the imperial treasury, and efforts to revise the sphere of influence into a more "optimized" (participatory) shape comes at the price of admitting the crisis - which in itself is an admission AND creation of the crisis on the layer of optics.

The issue with European response is that they forgot how to do imperial politics. Zelensky's refusal to kow tow is only a tiny part of it.

[cognitivejustice]

Local initiatives driving global change

The Amplifying Stories of Agroecology Principles and Practices (ASAPP) project, led by the Swedish International Agricultural Network Initiative (SIANI), invites readers on a global journey to meet agroecology pioneers. Through a farmer-centred approach, the project highlights specific agroecological practices from diverse locations and explores how they align with the 13 Principles of Agroecology. The active involvement of farmers ensures that the resources developed are both accessible and grounded in their lived realities.

Participatory processes, co-creation and knowledge exchange are key drivers. These efforts are complemented by exchanges such as events, courses, workshops and seed swaps organized between the cooperatives of the settlement. This horizontal transfer of knowledge connects farmers, Indigenous and Afro-Brazilian communities, and universities, fostering mutual learning and innovation.

Reflecting on her journey, Nazaré shares: “My dream with agroecology is to improve health and wellbeing, inspire youth and nurture a generation that cares for the environment,” emphasizing the need to pass on this knowledge to future generations.

[humanrightsupdates]

Guatemala Announces Crucial Water Law Dialogue

Inclusive and Meaningful Consultation Needed

Last week, the Guatemalan government initiated a participatory dialogue to inform the creation of a national water law, a crucial first step toward addressing the country’s water and sanitation crisis. 

Guatemala has more freshwater per capita than the majority of countries, yet millions of Guatemalans live without reliable access to safe and sufficient water and sanitation services due to poor resource management, insufficient regulation of commercial water use, weak sanctioning of contamination, and inadequate water and sanitation infrastructure.

A national water law should establish a regulatory system that can guarantee and protect the human rights to water and sanitation.

Indigenous people disproportionately lack access to clean water and sanitation services in Guatemala, contributing to poverty and social and economic marginalization. Additionally, women are often responsible for both collecting water and caring for themselves and their families.

Ana Chacaj Mujía, a 50-year-old Indigenous woman from Santa María Chiquimula municipality, Totonicapán department, told Human Rights Watch she walks an hour round trip to a river three or four times a day to collect water. This demanding work limits Mujía’s ability to undertake other activities, like the farming she does to earn income, but she has no choice. “Without water, you die, there is nothing,” she said.

[fanhackers]

When building a spear, what matters: you, building or the spear?

At the recent FSNNA conference (were you there? Did we meet? If you’ve been there, the panel recordings and the discussion space is still available for a week.), Katherine Crighton, Dr. Naomi Jacobs and Shivhan Szabo introduced an online game where you can create new fanworks for your blorbo for the newest fannish sensation: Blow the Man Down. The catch is, this fannish sensation is not a TV show. The story is reverse engineered through the fanworks created for it, but in a sense, it doesn’t exist. Your blorbo also doesn’t exist. My blorbo is real cool, though, their name is Bogdán.

When it comes to fannish creation, there are some key theories to reference. Participatory culture is one, we also talk about gift economy, affective labor; can they possibly explain why we are able to act fannishly when there isn’t even a canon to be fans of? Are we experiencing real feelings for a fake blorbo because we participated in their creation, committing to this silly man? Or is it because of the nature of the work, we used fannish practices to create them, which is inherently affective? Or is it, as the presentation already points out, due to the spear theory: we build our blorbo by piercing many blorbos through and that creates our type? I dare you; play the game and let us discuss our experiences. Or if you’ve ever gonched, what did you think of it?

[nandinishenoy]

Empowering Future Urban Designers: A Vision for Tomorrow

As globalization accelerates, the world is experiencing rapid urban expansion. Metropolitan city centers serve as the backbone of economic growth and a sustainable future. Urban planning and architectural design play a crucial role in shaping both our current living spaces and future habitats. Therefore, on World Architecture Day, it is essential to reflect on the importance of urban design in our everyday lives and its impact on community development.

The Role of Future Urban Designers and Architects

The next generation urban designers and architects hold the key to shaping tomorrow’s landscapes. Given the complexities of real estate growth, infrastructure networks, and diverse socio-civic amenities in urban hubs, strategic urban design remains at the core. Future leaders must be equipped with analytical thinking, innovative design approaches, technological integration, and policy-driven solutions to craft livable, dynamic urban environments. This blog delves into how we can establish a framework for the future.

Leveraging Technology for Sustainable Urban Design

In today’s digital landscape, technology is revolutionizing urban development. With cutting-edge AI tools, cities are being envisioned using Blockchain, BIM modeling, drones, augmented reality, and GIS mapping. Intelligent technology is essential for addressing urban challenges, climate risks, and resource scarcity. Therefore, urban architectural planning should embrace tech-driven design ideologies, empowering young visionaries to create resilient, smart, and adaptive cities.

Sustainability as a Cornerstone of Urban Growth

The current generation is highly conscious of the pressing need for sustainability in urban planning. As environmental concerns escalate, the future of urban development depends on sustainable practices. Green building methods, energy-efficient technologies, and eco-conscious designs must become fundamental to city landscapes. The mixed-use integrated townships by the Hiranandani Communities exemplify this future-forward approach. With meticulously planned socio-civic infrastructure, precise architectural execution, and state-of-the-art engineering, these townships seamlessly blend aesthetics, functionality, and sustainability.

Balancing Aesthetics with Practicality

A well-designed city is more than just a cluster of towering buildings. It must thoughtfully integrate aesthetics with functionality to create a sustainable urban ecosystem. Efficient transportation networks, abundant green spaces, essential services, and robust infrastructure contribute to a higher quality of life for residents.

Community Engagement in Urban Design

Empowering the next generation also involves fostering participatory urban planning. When communities are actively involved in the design process, cities evolve to better serve their residents. Young minds bring innovative perspectives, allowing for the creation of inclusive, forward-thinking urban spaces. By promoting collaborative planning, architects and urban designers can develop cities that are both user-centric and environmentally sustainable.

Government Backing for Urban Sustainability

A sustainable urban future requires strong government policies that support and incentivize progressive building initiatives. Developers prioritizing eco-friendly, inclusive, and functional designs should be encouraged through financial incentives and tax benefits. By implementing favorable design policies, governments can inspire developers to construct landmark structures that enrich cityscapes and promote urban tourism.

Conclusion: Building the Cities of the Future

As urban design and architecture continue to evolve, they must prioritize both societal and environmental sustainability. Architects, developers, and policymakers must collaborate to pioneer innovative solutions. By engaging young professionals and integrating emerging technologies, we can create inclusive, resilient communities that cater to present needs while shaping the future of urban living.

[cipheramnesia]

It's a common misconception that slasher movies so often include a shower scene purely as a sleazy and purile excuse to show women's breasts. The true purpose of these scenes is a kind of ritualistic purification. The woman is nude to symbolize that she has been reborn from the normal world of innocence into the blood soaked charnel house of the slasher genre. She symbolizes the act of creation itself, inviting the audience to involve themselve in the film as a kind of participatory auteurism. She represents the boundary between non-existence and the act of creation in film. Her passage through water removes the last traces of innocence from her life outside the world of mortality and death. For the audience, the sheets of water are curtains parting to alert them that the film has also entered this new phase, increased gore, more death and more sex. So you see, it is only masturbatory fantasy to suppose a horror director would display bare breasts mere as a lewd gesture.

[habitat-restoryation]

Where We Stand

If you want to build a stronger connection to nature, your sense of place, and the land of you live on, it’s vital to know where you stand and the history of the people who live there.

And so, I want my blog to begin the same way. Before I post anything else, I want to take this time to recognize that I am writing from the ancestral homeland of the Haudenosaunee People, specifically the Onondaga Nation.

If you are from Upstate New York, you might be familiar with the story of the foundation of the Haudenosaunee League of Five Nations. (Also known as the Iroquois Confederacy; “Haudenosaunee” means people of the longhouse, while “Iroquois” is the name given to them by the French). The short version of the story goes like this: a long time ago, the five nations were stuck in a violent cycle of war and revenge. Hiawatha and the Peacemaker brought all the nations together with the message of the Great Law of Peace. They buried their weapons of war beneath the great White Pine tree. (This is where the saying “bury the hatchet” comes from). White Pine has five needles per bundle, just like the five nations in the Confederacy.

I learned this story in 4th grade when my class studied the “Iroqouis”. I also grew up visiting Onondaga Lake, which is not far from where I live. But it wasn’t until I was in college that I learned that this origin story took place AT Onondaga Lake.

Growing up, I learned the story of how Onondaga Lake became polluted, and the work that’s being done to restore it. I even volunteered to teach younger students about the lake. I thought I knew everything important about it.

But I didn’t know that the lake is sacred to the Onondaga people. I didn’t know its connection to this story of the formation of the oldest participatory democracy in the world. I didn’t know that the Great Tree of Peace is thought to have been on the shores of Onondaga Lake, probably near the spot where the mall parking lot is now, on the site of an old Onondaga village.

When we learn about our local environments, our homes, these are the kind of stories that should not get left out. It still boggles my mind to think that I went so long without knowing the significance of Onondaga Lake.

As a naturalist, writer, and environmental educator, I intend to do my best not to make the same mistake.

The Thanksgiving Address: The Words that Come Before All Else

The Haudenosaunee also start every meeting, gathering, and day of school with the Thanksgiving Address: The Words that Come Before All Else.

This is a recitation giving thanks for all parts of creation. The exact wording depends on the person. As Onondaga Clan Mother Frieda Jacques says in this video, it’s not a prayer, but a secular expression of gratitude. It’s also a taxonomy; it lists many of the major groups of organisms and aspects of the natural world.

As I welcome you all to my blog, I hope that this will become a gathering place where we can come together as a community to learn about nature and help each other grow as people at the same time.

I want to start this journey by taking a moment to express my gratitude for all the beings, creatures, and aspects of nature that we love and depend on. Ecology is a study of relationships. We all need each other in order to survive and thrive. Beyond that, I am so grateful to live in a world populated by millions of other types of creatures and millions of ways of knowing, both human and nonhuman; creatures we can learn about and “discover” and that fill our lives with wonder and joy.

As you read, I invite you to pause for a second on each member of the list. Observe what images pop into your head, or what emotions you feel. Think about your relationship to each aspect of nature, your connection to it, and how you rely on each other.

After each segment of the Thanksgiving Address, the words “And now our minds are one,” are repeated. Imagine what our society might be like if we learned from the Haudenosaunee and began every gathering by affirming our gratitude for the natural world, our commonality, and our interdependence.

We give thanks for:

The People

The Earth Mother

The Waters

The Fish

The Plants

The Food Plants

The Medicine Herbs

The Animals

The Trees

The Birds

The Four Winds

The Thunderers

The Sun

Grandmother Moon

The Stars

Our teachers

All the gifts of creation

Now our minds are one.

~~Comment and let me know: Who are the indigenous people of the land you live on? (If you don’t know, that’s ok, you can find out!). What in nature are you grateful for?

From the first blog post on my website, December 18 2020: https://www.rebeccarolnick.com/post/where-we-stand---the-thanksgiving-address-the-words-that-come-before-all-else

[ashantisinterlude]

Blog Post #9

Why twitter? 

Black people, like many other marginalized communities, have gravitated towards social media platforms, in this case specifically Twitter, as an outlet for activism for several reasons. Twitter offers several features that make it an effective outlet for organization, spreading ideas, and easily advocating for social change. Stated in an article, “...black Twitter’s power comes from its participatory democratic nature—the idea that users, through the creation of ironic, yet cutting-edge hashtags, create a space to address social issues of racial bias and discrimination.” Because of its nature, Twitter allows for the black community to freely speak their minds and have a huge sense of community that they can easily reach out to and relate to. Other platforms, like Instagram for example, hold more guidelines and restrictions that hinder people from saying or speaking up about certain things.  

What does long term activism look like, and why haven’t we reached it? 

Long-term activism is a concept that would create great, meaningful change over time, instead of lightly, or temporarily, addressing immediate problems in a reactive way. It would basically have an ongoing effort to challenge our systemic problems and empower communities in a way that creates lasting societal modifications. It would take all of us as a community to make this happen, and to actually work towards progress that changes how we function, and all the hindering problems that we have and have had in the past. We haven’t reached this long-term activism because of how stubborn we can be when it comes to ‘teamwork.’ “In a very simplistic, media-instigated view the last category covers online attacks committed by "hackers." Of course, this sentence in itself summarizes the problem with the popular understanding of this more proactive and aggressive use of the Internet to achieve a goal that can be both politically and financially motivated” (Vegh). There will always exist a group of people who will try their best to resist progress, ad will try to instead stunt it. This doesn’t indefinitely mean that it is impossible to work towards long term activism, but it definitely can discourage the majority, ending in the activism falling short. 

What are the pros and cons of using social media for activism? 

Social media is a powerful tool for activism; it helps spread messages quickly, connects people all around the world, and gives a platform to those that might otherwise be ignored. It's free and easy to use, making it possible for anyone to get involved, but also helps organize different opinions, and create communities for those who share similar concepts. But there are downsides too. Social media can oversimplify complex issues, and people often gravitate towards bias, only hearing from those who agree with them. There are also people who only like or share information to feel better about themselves not taking ‘real action.’ Misinformation can spread fast, and activists face the risk of being censored, trolled, or harassed online. While social media is a great tool, it works best when combined with real-world efforts and thoughtful engagement. 

Why do we as people create hostile environments on the cyberspace? 

The anonymity of the internet makes it easy for people to troll, bully, or spread hate without facing real consequences. Some do it for attention or to stir up drama, while others push political or ideological agendas by attacking people they disagree with. For some, it's just about entertainment or to gain attention from trolling. Social and cultural factors, like personal biases, also play a big part. Some people also disrupt things as a form of protest. There exists a mix of anonymity, personal gain, and societal influences all contribute to making the internet a hostile space. 

[dailyanarchistposts]

J.5.1 What is community unionism?

Community unionism is our term for the process of creating participatory communities (called “communes” in classical anarchism) within the current society in order to transform it.

Basically, a community union is the creation of interested members of a community who decide to form an organisation to fight against injustice and improvements locally. It is a forum by which inhabitants can raise issues that affect themselves and others and provide a means of solving these problems. As such, it is a means of directly involving local people in the life of their own communities and collectively solving the problems facing them as both individuals and as part of a wider society. In this way, local people take part in deciding what effects them and their community and create a self-managed “dual power” to the local and national state. They also, by taking part in self-managed community assemblies, develop their ability to participate and manage their own affairs, so showing that the state is unnecessary and harmful to their interests. Politics, therefore, is not separated into a specialised activity that only certain people do (i.e. politicians). Instead, it becomes communalised and part of everyday life and in the hands of all.

As would be imagined, like the participatory communities that would exist in an anarchist society (see section I.5), the community union would be based upon a mass assembly of its members. Here would be discussed the issues that effect the membership and how to solve them. Thus issues like rent increases, school closures, rising cost of living, taxation, cuts and state-imposed “reforms” to the nature and quality of public services, utilities and resources, repressive laws and so on could be debated and action taken to combat them. Like the communes of a future anarchy, these community unions would be confederated with other unions in different areas in order to co-ordinate joint activity and solve common problems. These confederations would be based upon self-management, mandated and recallable delegates and the creation of administrative action committees to see that the memberships decisions are carried out.

The community union could also raise funds for strikes and other social protests, organise pickets, boycotts and generally aid others in struggle. By organising their own forms of direct action (such as tax and rent strikes, environmental protests and so on) they can weaken the state while building an self-managed infrastructure of co-operatives to replace the useful functions the state or capitalist firms currently provide. So, in addition to organising resistance to the state and capitalist firms, these community unions could play an important role in creating an alternative economy within capitalism. For example, such unions could have a mutual bank or credit union associated with them which could allow funds to be gathered for the creation of self-managed co-operatives and social services and centres. In this way a communalised co-operative sector could develop, along with a communal confederation of community unions and their co-operative banks.

Such community unions have been formed in many different countries in recent years to fight against numerous attacks on the working class. In the late 1980s and early 1990s groups were created in neighbourhoods across Britain to organise non-payment of the Conservative government’s Community Charge (popularly known as the poll tax, this tax was independent on income and was based on the electoral register). Federations of these groups were created to co-ordinate the struggle and pull resources and, in the end, ensured that the government withdrew the hated tax and helped push Thatcher out of government. In Ireland, similar groups were formed to defeat the privatisation of the water industry by a similar non-payment campaign in the mid-1990s.

However, few of these groups have been taken as part of a wider strategy to empower the local community but the few that have indicate the potential of such a strategy. This potential can be seen from two examples of libertarian community organising in Europe, one in Italy and another in Spain, while the neighbourhood assemblies in Argentina show that such popular self-government can and does develop spontaneously in struggle.

In Southern Italy, anarchists organised a very successful Municipal Federation of the Base (FMB) in Spezzano Albanese. This organisation, in the words of one activist, is “an alternative to the power of the town hall” and provides a “glimpse of what a future libertarian society could be.” Its aim is “the bringing together of all interests within the district. In intervening at a municipal level, we become involved not only in the world of work but also the life of the community … the FMB make counter proposals [to Town Hall decisions], which aren’t presented to the Council but proposed for discussion in the area to raise people’s level of consciousness. Whether they like it or not the Town Hall is obliged to take account of these proposals.” In addition, the FMB also supports co-operatives within it, so creating a communalised, self-managed economic sector within capitalism. Such a development helps to reduce the problems facing isolated co-operatives in a capitalist economy — see section J.5.11 — and was actively done in order to “seek to bring together all the currents, all the problems and contradictions, to seek solutions” to such problems facing co-operatives. [“Community Organising in Southern Italy”, pp. 16–19, Black Flag, no. 210, p. 17 and p. 18]

Elsewhere in Europe, the long, hard work of the C.N.T. in Spain has also resulted in mass village assemblies being created in the Puerto Real area, near Cadiz. These community assemblies came about to support an industrial struggle by shipyard workers. One C.N.T. member explains: “Every Thursday of every week, in the towns and villages in the area, we had all-village assemblies where anyone connected with the particular issue [of the rationalisation of the shipyards], whether they were actually workers in the shipyard itself, or women or children or grandparents, could go along … and actually vote and take part in the decision making process of what was going to take place.” With such popular input and support, the shipyard workers won their struggle. However, the assembly continued after the strike and “managed to link together twelve different organisations within the local area that are all interested in fighting … various aspects” of capitalism including health, taxation, economic, ecological and cultural issues. Moreover, the struggle “created a structure which was very different from the kind of structure of political parties, where the decisions are made at the top and they filter down. What we managed to do in Puerto Real was make decisions at the base and take them upwards.” [Anarcho-Syndicalism in Puerto Real: from shipyard resistance to direct democracy and community control, p. 6]

More recently, the December 2001 revolt against neo-liberalism in Argentina saw hundreds of neighbourhood assemblies created across the country. These quickly federated into inter-barrial assemblies to co-ordinate struggles. The assemblies occupied buildings, created communal projects like popular kitchens, community centres, day-care centres and built links with occupied workplaces. As one participant put it: “The initial vocabulary was simply: Let’s do things for ourselves, and do them right. Let’s decide for ourselves. Let’s decide democratically, and if we do, then let’s explicitly agree that we’re all equals here, that there are no bosses … We lead ourselves. We lead together. We lead and decide amongst ourselves … no one invented it … It just happened. We met one another on the corner and decided, enough! … Let’s invent new organisational forms and reinvent society.” Another notes that this was people who “begin to solve problems themselves, without turning to the institutions that caused the problems in the first place.” The neighbourhood assemblies ended a system in which “we elected people to make our decisions for us … now we will make our own decisions.” While the “anarchist movement has been talking about these ideas for years” the movement took them up “from necessity.” [Marina Sitrin (ed.), Horizontalism: Voices of Popular Power in Argentina, p. 41 and pp. 38–9]

The idea of community organising has long existed within anarchism. Kropotkin pointed to the directly democratic assemblies of Paris during the French Revolution> These were “constituted as so many mediums of popular administration, it remained of the people, and this is what made the revolutionary power of these organisations.” This ensured that the local revolutionary councils “which sprang from the popular movement was not separated from the people.” In this popular self-organisation “the masses, accustoming themselves to act without receiving orders from the national representatives, were practising what was described later on as Direct Self-Government.” These assemblies federated to co-ordinate joint activity but it was based on their permanence: “that is, the possibility of calling the general assembly whenever it was wanted by the members of the section and of discussing everything in the general assembly.” In short, “the Commune of Paris was not to be a governed State, but a people governing itself directly — when possible — without intermediaries, without masters” and so “the principles of anarchism … had their origin, not in theoretic speculations, but in the deeds of the Great French Revolution.” This “laid the foundations of a new, free, social organisation”and Kropotkin predicted that “the libertarians would no doubt do the same to-day.” [Great French Revolution, vol. 1, p. 201, p. 203, pp. 210–1, p. 210, p. 204 and p. 206]

In Chile during 1925 “a grass roots movement of great significance emerged,” the tenant leagues (ligas do arrendatarios). The movement pledged to pay half their rent beginning the 1st of February, 1925, at huge public rallies (it should also be noted that “Anarchist labour unionists had formed previous ligas do arrendatarios in 1907 and 1914.”). The tenants leagues were organised by ward and federated into a city-wide council. It was a vast organisation, with 12,000 tenants in just one ward of Santiago alone. The movement also “press[ed] for a law which would legally recognise the lower rents they had begun paying .. . the leagues voted to declare a general strike … should a rent law not be passed.” The government gave in, although the landlords tried to get around it and, in response, on April 8th “the anarchists in Santiago led a general strike in support of the universal rent reduction of 50 percent.” Official figures showed that rents “fell sharply during 1915, due in part to the rent strikes” and for the anarchists “the tenant league movement had been the first step toward a new social order in Chile.” [Peter DeShazo, Urban Workers and Labor Unions in Chile 1902–1927, p. 223, p. 327, p. 223, p. 225 and p. 226] As one Anarchist newspaper put it:

“This movement since its first moments had been essentially revolutionary. The tactics of direct action were preached by libertarians with highly successful results, because they managed to instil in the working classes the idea that if landlords would not accept the 50 percent lowering of rents, they should pay nothing at all. In libertarian terms, this is the same as taking possession of common property. It completes the first stage of what will become a social revolution.” [quoted by DeShazo, Op. Cit., p. 226]

A similar concern for community organising and struggle was expressed in Spain. While the collectives during the revolution are well known, the CNT had long organised in the community and around non-workplace issues. As well as neighbourhood based defence committees to organise and co-ordinate struggles and insurrections, the CNT organised various community based struggles. The most famous example of this must be the rent strikes during the early 1930s in Barcelona. In 1931, the CNT’s Construction Union organised a “Economic Defence Commission” to organise against high rents and lack of affordable housing. Its basic demand was for a 40% rent decrease but it also addressed unemployment and the cost of food. The campaign was launched by a mass meeting on May 1st, 1931. A series of meetings were held in the various working class neighbourhoods of Barcelona and in surrounding suburbs. This culminated in a mass meeting held at the Palace of Fine Arts on July 5th which raised a series of demands for the movement. By July, 45,000 people were taking part in the rent strike and this rose to over 100,000 by August. As well as refusing to pay rent, families were placed back into their homes from which they had been evicted. The movement spread to a number of the outlying towns which set up their own Economic Defence Commissions. The local groups co-ordinated actions their actions out of CNT union halls or local libertarian community centres. The movement faced increased state repression but in many parts of Barcelona landlords had been forced to come to terms with their tenants, agreeing to reduced rents rather than facing the prospect of having no income for an extended period or the landlord simply agreed to forget the unpaid rents from the period of the rent strike. [Nick Rider, “The Practice of Direct Action: the Barcelona rent strike of 1931”, For Anarchism, David Goodway (ed.), pp. 79–105] As Abel Paz summarised:

“Unemployed workers did not receive or ask for state aid … The workers’ first response to the economic crisis was the rent, gas, and electricity strike in mid-1933, which the CNT and FAI’s Economic Defence Committee had been laying the foundations for since 1931. Likewise, house, street, and neighbourhood groups began to turn out en masse to stop evictions and other coercive acts ordered by the landlords (always with police support). The people were constantly mobilised. Women and youngsters were particularly active; it was they who challenged the police and stopped the endless evictions.” [Durrutu in the Spanish Revolution, p. 308]

In Gijon, the CNT “reinforced its populist image by … its direct consumer campaigns. Some of these were organised through the federation’s Anti-Unemployment Committee, which sponsored numerous rallies and marches in favour of ‘bread and work.’ While they focused on the issue of jobs, they also addressed more general concerns about the cost of living for poor families. In a May 1933 rally, for example, demonstrators asked that families of unemployed workers not be evicted from their homes, even if they fell behind on the rent.” The “organisers made the connections between home and work and tried to draw the entire family into the struggle.” However, the CNT’s “most concerted attempt to bring in the larger community was the formation of a new syndicate, in the spring of 1932, for the Defence of Public Interests (SDIP). In contrast to a conventional union, which comprised groups of workers, the SDIP was organised through neighbourhood committees. Its specific purpose was to enforce a generous renters’ rights law of December 1931 that had not been vigorously implemented. Following anarchosyndicalist strategy, the SDIP utilised various forms of direct action, from rent strikes, to mass demonstrations, to the reversal of evictions.” This last action involved the local SDIP group going to a home, breaking the judge’s official eviction seal and carrying the furniture back in from the street. They left their own sign: ”opened by order of the CNT.” The CNT’s direct action strategies “helped keep political discourse in the street, and encouraged people to pursue the same extra-legal channels of activism that they had developed under the monarchy.” [Pamela Beth Radcliff, From mobilization to civil war, pp. 287–288 and p. 289]

In these ways, grassroots movements from below were created, with direct democracy and participation becoming an inherent part of a local political culture of resistance, with people deciding things for themselves directly and without hierarchy. Such developments are the embryonic structures of a world based around participation and self-management, with a strong and dynamic community life. For, as Martin Buber argued, ”[t]he more a human group lets itself be represented in the management of its common affairs … the less communal life there is in it and the more impoverished it becomes as a community.” [Paths in Utopia, p. 133]

Anarchist support and encouragement of community unionism, by creating the means for communal self-management, helps to enrich the community as well as creating the organisational forms required to resist the state and capitalism. In this way we build the anti-state which will (hopefully) replace the state. Moreover, the combination of community unionism with workplace assemblies (as in Puerto Real), provides a mutual support network which can be very effective in helping winning struggles. For example, in Glasgow, Scotland in 1916, a massive rent strike was finally won when workers came out in strike in support of the rent strikers who been arrested for non-payment. Such developments indicate that Isaac Puente was correct:

“Libertarian Communism is a society organised without the state and without private ownership. And there is no need to invent anything or conjure up some new organisation for the purpose. The centres about which life in the future will be organised are already with us in the society of today: the free union and the free municipality [or Commune]. ”The union: in it combine spontaneously the workers from factories and all places of collective exploitation. “And the free municipality: an assembly … where, again in spontaneity, inhabitants … combine together, and which points the way to the solution of problems in social life … “Both kinds of organisation, run on federal and democratic principles, will be sovereign in their decision making, without being beholden to any higher body, their only obligation being to federate one with another as dictated by the economic requirement for liaison and communications bodies organised in industrial federations. “The union and the free municipality will assume the collective or common ownership of everything which is under private ownership at present [but collectively used] and will regulate production and consumption (in a word, the economy) in each locality.

“The very bringing together of the two terms (communism and libertarian) is indicative in itself of the fusion of two ideas: one of them is collectivist, tending to bring about harmony in the whole through the contributions and co-operation of individuals, without undermining their independence in any way; while the other is individualist, seeking to reassure the individual that his independence will be respected.” [Libertarian Communism, pp. 6–7]

The combination of community unionism, along with industrial unionism (see next section), will be the key to creating an anarchist society, Community unionism, by creating the free commune within the state, allows us to become accustomed to managing our own affairs and seeing that an injury to one is an injury to all. In this way a social power is created in opposition to the state. The town council may still be in the hands of politicians, but neither they nor the central government would be able to move without worrying about what the people’s reaction might be, as expressed and organised in their community assemblies and federations.

[danieldelar562]

3/13 Blog Post

How does Haraway’s idea of the cyborg challenge or align with the way femininity is represented in digital media and cyberculture?

Haraway’s cyborg challenges fixed gender roles by promoting hybridity and fluidity, but digital media often reinforce traditional femininity. O’Riordan (2008) examines digital women like Ananova, who embody hyper-feminine traits designed to be "friendly". These representations align more with patriarchal norms than Haraway’s vision. While cyborgs confuses boundaries between human and machine, mainstream cyberculture still relies on conventional gender scripts, limiting disruptive potential.

What role does realism play in the creation of digital women, and how does it change society’s  perceptions of gender?

 Realism in digital women, such as avatars and AI assistants, reinforces traditional gender expectations. O’Riordan (2008) notes that hyper realistic digital females (e.g., Lara Croft) embody idealized, sexualized femininity, shaping how women should look and behave. This emphasis on realism naturalizes constructed gender roles, making them appear inevitable rather than socially created. Instead of offering liberatory potential, realism in digital women often strengthens existing gender hierarchies and societal beauty standards.

How does white supremacy online use gendered narratives to recruit and retain members?

White supremacist spaces like Stormfront use gendered narratives to appeal to women by incorporating feminist rhetoric while reinforcing traditional roles. Daniels (2018) finds that these platforms frame white women as essential to racial purity, encouraging their participation through maternal and protective roles. Simultaneously, masculinity is idealized through heroism and dominance. This dual strategy helps retain both male and female members by providing them with distinct but complementary ideological purposes.

How do digital platforms contribute to the reinforcement of racial and gender stereotypes?

Digital platforms amplify racial and gender stereotypes through algorithmic biases, representation, and user interactions. Daniels (2018) highlights how white supremacist groups exploit participatory media to normalize racist ideologies. O’Riordan (2008) shows that digital women are designed to be hyper-feminine, reinforcing traditional gender norms. Platforms prioritize engagement, often promoting content that reinforces stereotypes rather than challenging them, creating echo chambers where harmful narratives about race and gender thrive.

[2and2makes5]

Media Analysis: Otaku: Japan's Database Animals

Switching gears, let's talk about Otakus and Otaku culture. Hiroki Azuma’s Otaku: Japan’s Database Animals explores the relationship between otaku culture and postmodern society. Azuma argues how otaku culture, which revolves around anime, manga, and video games, reflects broader changes in how people relate and consume media. Although otaku culture is deeply rooted in Japanese manga and anime, its aspects are fragmented into other global trends seen today in digital cultures.

A key insight by Azuma is the shift from narrative consumption to database consumption. Originally, audiences would usually engage in media with clear progression, moral lessons, and cultural significance. However, as time went on, there was a shift towards media of individual elements. Fans would engage with media focused on individual aspects such as characters, aesthetics, and references that are assembled in their own experiences. There have been many times I have done this. In countless shows, I have watched for certain characters or aesthetics. Not many really watch a show because of moral lessons or significant culture. Not saying those people do not exist, but in this culture, it seems there aren't as many. Even in video games like Fortnite, some people play for skins. I started playing Fortnite again SOLELY for the reason that they added Hatsune Miku. Do I like the game and gameplay? Yes, but I really do not care for its actual story, or lack thereof.

Running back to the idea of simulacra, Azuma highlights the loss of originality in favor of this idea. Fan fiction, doujinshi, and unofficial merchandise are pillars of Otaku culture in which this culture thrives upon. Throughout the years, the internet has accelerated this process, making content consumption a participatory experience rather than a passive experience. Not saying stuff like this is bad and NOT original; fan creations are original, where the originality of some media has evolved through remixing and reinterpretation by fans. This reinterpretation can allow minority groups to express themselves. A perfect example is the explosion of Yaoi fan fiction, where fans created same-sex romantic relationships between two male characters that otherwise do not exist in the original work, such as Sasuke and Naruto from Naruto and L and Light from Death Note. Azuma's idea focuses on how people consume media based on individual elements that are reassembled in their own ways.

Beyond anime, Azuma's database model explains the rise of internet meme culture, in which elements of media, quotes, images, video clips, and consistently deconstructed and reassembled even today. Early internet memes such as All Your Base Are Belong to Us, from the mistranslated Japanese game Zero Wing, and Loituma Girl, from Bleach, illustrate how media fragments take on new meanings that are completely different from their own contexts.

[cognitivejustice]

As key drivers of demand for buildings that consume natural resources and energy, architects are part of the economic growth problem, but they can also help shape the development of a post-growth world. Instead of driving the creation of ever larger city infrastructures, more materialistic lifestyles and humanity’s expanding carbon footprint on the planet, they can design in ways that are more sustainable and energy efficient and create spaces that build a different idea of prosperity.  

Post-growth architecture isn’t primed to drive economic growth or encourage people to spend money, instead it encourages engagement in more participatory, creative and meaningful activities such as sports, recreation, study and learning.