[P2P-F] weak vs strong ties as wrong dilemma

Fri Feb 4 04:44:34 CET 2011

Michel, I really agree. As I said sometime last month, I hope that
P2PF might become some form of political movement here in the
industrial midwest that can be taken seriously (as opposed to
progressive groups that are dismissed and marginalised, and
neo-liberal politics that basically puts political activity in service
of big corporations).

Transition movement is a great example. I've talked here locally and
in Cleveland about the idea of a P2P political network (*not* "party")
and there is definitely interest. The idea is that P2P politics is
part of the whole of existence, not a division of human activity. We
can decide together anywhere, at any time, to do anything within our
abilities to do it. More transitionally and closer to existing
bureaucracies, we can also start using tools and system like "shadow
government" to start keeping track and feedback loops of what is
happening.

Over in Wisconsin, Sheldon Rampton and Co.have also made some serious
progress in coordinated social transparency with
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=SourceWatch and nearer to
home http://arborwiki.org is an example of a way for people to engage
based on the place that they are in. The global network that is P2PF
is a missing component that I see that could aid in bridging the gaps
in global/local organizing (realizing of course that there would be
much work and building to be done to make that happen).

On Thu, Feb 3, 2011 at 6:59 PM, Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004 at gmail.com> wrote:
> hi Sam,
>
> I agree, with the geo-local focus, but it is not enough, we also need
> globa-local forms of popular organisation ... I think the transition
> movement is exemplary in that regard, combining strong local focus with a
> global movement
>
> Michel
>
> On Fri, Feb 4, 2011 at 3:53 AM, Samuel Rose <samuel.rose at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> On Thu, Feb 3, 2011 at 3:17 PM, Dennis E. Hamilton
>> <dennis.hamilton at acm.org> wrote:
>> > I am fascinated by the current explorations concerning social media and
>> > how community formation and spontaneity are enabled.  I find a great deal to
>> > digest, and much thoughtful analysis in the recent threads.
>> >
>> > Although it is not material to the clarification of weak and strong ties
>> > as a false dichotomy, this one passage brought me up short:
>> >
>> > " ...what is destroying our opportunities for individuality and
>> > creativity, subverting us from realizing our human potential is not that we
>> > are tweeting about trivialities, but that the governance of our planet has
>> > been taken away from us."
>> >
>> > The hyperbole is appealing, but I wonder if there is something more
>> > important here.  When, if ever, have "we" possessed the governance of our
>> > planet?  Indeed, what can it possibly mean to give ontological standing to
>> > the notion of planetary governance and suggest that it has ever existed?
>> >
>> > I ask this because is it perhaps more the case that we have before us
>> > the opportunity to gain something, not that we ever lost it.
>> >
>> >  - Dennis
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>> I see you  point and it is a good one.
>>
>> There are some ways in which we lost at least some freedom over our
>> environments over time as the industrial revolution emerged. I can
>> think of the example of a farmer in Canada, who's ancestors came to
>> Canada generations ago to seek freedom from tyranny in Europe, and who
>> is now subject to legal system manipulations from companies like
>> Monsanto that threaten to take away his livelihood and force him to
>> buy and use products he never wanted to use in his operations (because
>> their patented strains of corn contaminated his and Monsanto came out
>> and discovered this)
>>
>> For me, the meat of the article is the idea that weak ties and strong
>> ties is the wrong dilemma to focus on. I think this is true. I think
>> we need ties that are geo-physical local *and* "network" local (people
>> around the world that have any degree of connection with you that you
>> at least become aware of them). Fracturing and isolation weaken the
>> value people can get out of all of their connections.
>>
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: p2p-foundation-bounces at lists.ourproject.org
>> > [mailto:p2p-foundation-bounces at lists.ourproject.org] On Behalf Of Michel
>> > Bauwens
>> >
>> > <https://lists.ourproject.org/pipermail/p2p-foundation/2011-February/000401.html>
>> > Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2011 07:01
>> > To: p2p-foundation
>> > Subject: [P2P-F] weak vs strong ties as wrong dilemma
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net  -
>> > http://blog.p2pfoundation.net
>> >
>> > Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss:
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>> >
>> > Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens;
>> > http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
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>> >
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> --
>> Sam Rose
>> Future Forward Institute and Forward Foundation
>> Tel:+1(517) 639-1552
>> Cel: +1-(517)-974-6451
>> skype: samuelrose
>> email: samuel.rose at gmail.com
>> http://forwardfound.org
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>> http://hollymeadcapital.com
>> http://p2pfoundation.net
>> http://socialmediaclassroom.com
>>
>> "The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human
>> ambition." - Carl Sagan
>>
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>
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>
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-- 
--
Sam Rose
Future Forward Institute and Forward Foundation
Tel:+1(517) 639-1552
Cel: +1-(517)-974-6451
skype: samuelrose
email: samuel.rose at gmail.com
http://forwardfound.org
http://futureforwardinstitute.org
http://hollymeadcapital.com
http://p2pfoundation.net
http://socialmediaclassroom.com

"The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human
ambition." - Carl Sagan