Creating a Digital Movement
“As technology advances, it reverses the characteristics of every situation again and again. The age of automation is going to be the age of ‘do it yourself.”
Marshall McLuhan
In The Medium is the Massage McLuhan suggests that our world is moving into a digital age. Written in 1967 he made predictions of a ‘global village’ a place where people can come together, across geographical & cultural borders, to share ideas and experience media simultaneously. He believed this would bring our world closer together and prelude a more harmonious existence on this earth. Forty years later we are still embroiled in wars which, at their core, speak to the inability of the global village to overcome greed and hate.
We who believe in peace are the global majority. And yet, our President is unresponsive and mainstream media continue to trumpet his call to war. How, without satellites and TV stations, can we make our voices heard above the gatekeepers? The lessons from Media still apply: we are in the age of automation, we must ‘do it ourselves’.
The genius of the internet is the decentralization of power and information. In other words, YOU have the power to share the information. Every time you pass on an action alert to your network, every time you research a subject, every time you publish your opinion – you are unseating the status quo. You are saying NO to watered down information ‘from the ground’ in Iraq. You are saying NO to the lies perpetrated by the Bush administration.
Instead, you are saying YES to the peace movement. We will never have a satellite (or the money to rent one) so we depend on you to broadcast our message of peace to the global village. I urge you to take on this challenge. Go to our website, do your research and remember that every moment is a teaching moment. Take action, online or otherwise, and tell people what you did encouraging them to join the movement.
You are frustrated by the lack of movement in a progressive direction – I understand. We long for peace and justice while our world seems to become less and less oriented towards those goals. There is no alternative than to ‘sound my (our) barbaric YAWP over the rooftops of the world.’ (Walt Whitman) demanding we be heard. The Internet is the best way to unite our voices so they cannot ignore us. We have the power share our goals with the world and expand our knowledge of that world – use it.
How is it we cannot seem to organize all the many organizations which have grown up against this admiinistration and particularlly this war in Iraq?
Some have pulled a few together like MoveOn and Answer.
How do we do it?
Who has the know how to pull them together in an organized effort against this criminal adminstration and this outrageous war?
Can PEACE ACION take it on?
Why not?
The reason the “ruling class”, defined as the 1% that, among otherss, owns over 65% of the assets of this country, can do essentially what it wants is that it has a SYSTEM, that is an organized view of the world and of the ways to control it.
By contrast, we are “one issue” oriented.
So, even though we may occasionally win battles, we systematically lose the war and I don’t see much hope for any significant change.
For instance, the teaching profession has gone along with the “dumbing down” of the people with a particular emphasis on downplaying logical common sense. (For instance, search for TIMSS, a federal site describing the state of high school students in mathematics.) So, the population at large is reduced to relying on “experts”. And as long as the population is not capable to decide on issues–-as Chomsky has pointed out, most are deciddable on the basis of common sense but do require a bit of looking at the logical consequences–the experts will be self-appointed and self-serving.
Etc (I could go on)
Regards
–Schremmer
I don’t know how we get this movement moving. The media does its best not to air anything that shows a growing movement toward peace. I have a hard time watching reports of protesters being hauled off and arrested for daring to stand up and saying NO! I see our freedom of speach and the right to peacefully assemble being taken away. I fear for my children and grandchildren that they may never know the freedom to stand up for what they believe. I am so tired of hearing that we will bring our men and women home this summer, this fall, etc. I want this ended now, I don’t in any way shape or form believe in next month, next year line. I sometimes wonder how many of us believe what we are being told. I am so tired of war and bloodshed, and the consequences of such. The toll on human beings is a nightmare to me.
Finding alternative newsites on the Internet has helped to keep me from despair during the last 7 years. Answering Action Alerts has been a positive means for me to contribute to the peace movement, the environment, human rights and other worthy causes. I make click donations every night to fight hunger, help children, plant trees, fight breast cancer, rescue animals, and many more , for the last seven years. I have signed petitions, sent comments to Congress and encouraged friends and family to do the same. I devote 3 hours every night on my computer to do what I can to make a difference in these dark times. I am retired on long-term disability. I can no longer go out and join marches and rallys. Nevertheless, I have my computer and I have time to use it. Whether the Mainstream Media likes it or not, we can be a voice for truth, for justice, for compassion, and for peace. Our numbers grow every day. Their numbers decrease. Millions have found that the Internet and news sites like Truthout and Common Dreams tell the real story. Encourage your friends and family to visit these sites; and to make click donations. We WILL succeed in overcoming the arrogance of spin and lies that have led to so much death and destruction. We WILL prevail.
I am from Germany, thanks for your work “creating a digital Peace movement”.
With my peace.blog in Germany I try to find people to think positive and to create a world of peace around us. “Peacebuilding” is very important. To find friends, to make friends – to talk to those, you always thought you should talk to. Love your enemy is very difficult but you can try… try to make friends – don’t make enemies out of nothing! Sometimes easy actions are the most useful ones.
I am against wappons, against war, against power.
The internet is important to expressing our rights, but we have become the shadow group. Get out in the light of day, do not be afraid, those who chooose to control us are cowards. Tell your self satiating representatives, friends, and relatives they are full of shit. Defend innocent victims of occupation and war. Deny your abilities and talent to those who victimize others. Recognize the lies and expose the truths, loudly and vehemently. Know who and why our governments and corporations are so destructive. Make them accountable to the same laws we are expected to live by, change their greedy perspective of the world. Peace is achievable-Tough Love can make it possible.
So many wonderful comments — I am humbled by your insightful responses. Jjay, Peace Action does organize into coalitions. To start we are a part of United for Peace & Justice, the Iraq/Iran policy group (which includes Code Pink, Military Families Speak Out, Iraq Veterans Against the War, and a host of others), we are also part of a Nuclear Weapons Working Group (includes Union of Concerned Scientists, Council for a Livable World, and the Friends Committee on National Legislation). On top of this, Jjay, WE ARE A NETWORK ourselves. I have no doubt that you are a part of a local peace action group doing work on that level and sharing strategies through the national office. The groups that you mentioned are high press and high budget. They work only with themselves and petition other orgs to come out and be a part of their movement — they are notorious around the beltway for being counter productive in the larger network.
Thank you to all of you who have come to participate in the discussion (let’s keep it up)! A big thanks to Patricia and people like her who despite many hurdles are doing their part on a daily basis to make this world a better place.
In Peace,
Barb
Dear Members of the Peace Action Organization and all friends,
With all respect to your position and role, I do address this letter to you calling unto your attention to the present opportunity we all share for the creation of a suitable atmosphere for the promotion of cooperation and understanding among Members State and other Countries with the official proposal of Global Peace and Ceasefire to the United Nation as detailed on http://www.peace365.org on the basis of the UN General Assembly Resolution 55/282 (A/Res/55/282), http://www.peaceoneday.org/page/unresolution , put forward by the UK and Costa Rican governments.
We have been invited by the United Nation in paragraph 3 of the aforementioned resolution to cooperate with the United Nations in the establishment of the global ceasefire:
3. Invites all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system,
regional and non-governmental organisations and individuals to commemorate, in an appropriate manner, the International Day of Peace, including
through education and public awareness to cooperate with the United Nations in the establishment of the global ceasefire.
I do therefore humbly request you to be informed of possibilities and ufficial steps within the Peace Action Organization to create appropriate means of the above mentioned message’s application to appropriate government departments in cooperation with the United Nations to commemorate and strengthen the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples.
Please keep in touch
Looking forward to hear from you soon.
In Peace
giuseppe, marek and Supporters