[IMC-Process] Re: [New-imc] Online form: Proposed new IMC! (housing.indymedia.org)

[John Windmueller]

> > are the dc imc people on board with this?
> 
> This would not be a local IMC. This is subject-oriented.

This isn't an issue that's been brought up at any recent dc imc
meetings.  So at least to my knowledge, no formal discussions or
decisions for or against this proposal have happened.  But then again,
this seems like something that starts as a global imc proposal and isn't
directly related to the dc imc--or rather, it isn't related to the dc
imc any more so than any other imc in the network.  

Personally, I'm on the fence and genuinely undecided about the use of
subject-oriented IMC's.  I don't think that what Chuck is advocating in
anyway competes or somehow opposes the local collective--this isn't an
"Alternate DC IMC" being suggested.   Chuck has the benefit of having an
active local IMC collective--and I'd hope that having a "housing imc"
wouldn't preclude him from being involved with the dc imc for local
housing issues--but other folks might not have the benefits or resources
of a local community imc, and moreover some social issues have
significant structural roots best addressed beyond the community level.


That said, I also appreciate the IMC's structure of generally pushing
the work and focus to the community and face-to-face level.  I'd hate to
see that lost if there was a flurry of subject oriented imc's that
cropped up and then sapped energy and attention away from the community
level of producing media and collaborating face-to-face with one
another.  One of the benefits of having local collectives with folks
that meet and form relations is that it helps humanize the process.
Virtual relationships and collaboration is fine in theory, and even has
its own set of advantages, but my own experience is that so far we're
still all struggling at being able to do this well.  Bad behavior and
escalating conflicts is all too easy in the relative anonymity of
cyber-communication.  I think it's a bit analogous to the sort of bad
behavior we see between motorists here in the US--relative anonymity and
a lack of ongoing inter-dependent relationship building can yield some
icky results.  (And yes, leave it to someone in the US to make an
analogy involving cars.)  

I don't think Chuck's proposal in intent or action would stop face to
face interaction--and after all, Chuck recently posted about the
potential usefulness of a face-to-face imc network meeting.  If we do go
down the addition of subject-oriented imc's route, I just hope we'd find
a way to balance that with the interest of keeping imc fundamentally
community oriented (both in media focus and in working dynamics).  

Finally, since IMC is an all-volunteer endeavor, I'd hate to say no to a
group of folks who are passionate about an idea and are willing to put
their time and energy into it.  At the community level we usually make
sure there is a significant community of folks with interest and passion
around starting an imc.  If a similar community exists around a given
issue (I wasn't clear from Chuck's message if that group had coalesced
or not) I wouldn't want to stand in the way of that good work getting
done.  

Again, while I'm leaning toward supporting the proposal, I'd want to
hear more discussion about the introduction of subject-oriented imc's
into the network.  I also note sure if it's the sort of imc-wide policy
decision that best gets made just through the "new imc" process--it
seems like the sort of significant change that would require the
discussion and decision across the imc network (in contrast to most "new
imc" proposals which are simply rubber stamping new collectives that
meet the typical criteria and are usually not raised in the general
collective meetings of IMC's across the network).  

John
p.s. While the dc imc hasn't discussed this issue as a group, it is up
to some exciting stuff... we're in the midst of moving into a new
permanent space and having a retreat to revision the dc imc (purpose,
goals, inclusiveness, how we organize and structure ourselves, use of
our new space, etc.).