[IMC-US] Ted's intro again?

[TDForsyth]

Let's see if this works! :)

Hey everyone,

Forgive the lateness of this email as I’ve been pretty sick the last couple of days. The National Conference on Media Reform (NCMR) apparently poisoned my being. Anyway…

Name’s Ted AKA HuggyBear. You decide.

I work with Chicago IMC and other groups such as: the Chicagoland Anarchist Network, Midwest Books to Prisoners, Pomegranate Radical Health Collective, and Pilsen Food Not Bombs.

I joined the list at the behest of Mr. bht in order to get more acquainted with the workings of the IMC US site and to be a possible future contributor.

I was in St. Louis for the NCMR and I think almost all of my criticisms can be found in other peoples’ comments. Coming away from that weekend I was disappointed, severely disappointed.  Coming into it I had no expectations because I have never attended one of these before but I knew shit was going to be going down sooner or later because the opening plenary focused on white males having a masturbatory session on how great they were and how great the audience was for supporting them and their tireless efforts to make things right in the media reform world. There were exceptions, as there usually are, such as Malkia Cyril and Sydney Levy to name two.

The best part of this conference for me was the IMC caucus held after the bullshit Independent Media Maker caucus, the fact that about 50 people were able to accomplish goals in a respectful and attentive manner, and that people kicked butt and got a computer bank out there for people to use at the conference.

I don’t think the IMCs should be asking for panels next year. I do think the NCMR people need to contact us if they value our input and want us to be another part of this media battle. However, I did see this weekend as an amazing opportunity to do some serious outreach. Next year, if the NCMR doesn’t want to provide a bank of free computers, we should be there ready to go when we get on site. People want to “be the media.” That was a huge buzzword phrase yet there was no equipment for them to get hands-on training using those devices to really become the media. We need to come to these things with cameras and microphones for recording and go out into the community and see what’s up. Then bring people back and show them how to edit their material and post it to the site. That’s how they become the media by being active in it, not simply bandying about buzzwords and giving money to MoveOn-type-.orgs or any other liberal excuse for acquiescing to this fucked up system of control and
domination.

But I’ll get off my soap box for a few…

<3

Ted-