[P2P-F] a short response to queries about the p2p'f workings in WSF

[Roberto Verzola]

I recommend reading this piece by Taleb: 

https://medium.com/@nntaled/the-most-intolerant-wins-the-dictatorship-of-the-small-minority-3f1f83ce4e15?source=email-d80265cba47d-1471304020228-digest.reader------0-3&sectionName=suggested

It is almost funny, if he weren't talking about very serious matters. He explains, for instance, the conditions under which an persistent, intolerant minority can dictate the norms of society. Very relevant to the exchanges going on.

Roberto


On Mon, 15 Aug 2016 15:20:21 +0700
Michel Bauwens <michel at p2pfoundation.net> wrote:

> Kevin may yet respond to Orsan queries and the suspicions that the p2p-f is
> setting the agenda in the WSF and elswhere.
> 
> My understanding of the events at the WSF is that they were organized by a
> large team of commoners from different countries but under the impulse
> originally of Kevin and Elizabetta, who took a personal initiative on this.
> 
> The process was done entirely openly on hackpads and mailings lists with
> everyone welcome to contribute which was in the end several dozen people
> who did a really great job. My understanding is that Orsan did not wish to
> contribute to these efforts, which was entirely his decision. Kevin asked
> us to use our server to open a mailing list to help this project. This does
> not mean that these events were orchestrated in any particular way by the
> P2P Foundation, though various sympathizers of our work, such as Kevin,
> will have contributed a lot of time and effort to make it happen, along
> with many others from other organizations as well as non-affiliated.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But here is my take, so that people may understand better how we function
> in that regard. The questions from Orsan seem to be predicated on a in my
> view old-fashioned view of conspirational hierarchical organizations that
> does not reflect our practice.
> 
> I very emphatically want to declare that there was not a single meeting as
> p2p-f in which any decisions were made outside of that process on the
> hackpad and mailing list, and outside of the free dialogue of all the
> contributors. I was personally not involved at all except for a requested
> intervention on coops which I did not fullfil for health reasons.
> 
> 
> so here is a one paragraph summary explanation:
> 
> "It is important to realize that the p2p-f is an organized network and not
> a NGO (the 'stichting' is just a legal structure to be able to accept
> research grants etc ..). As a network , there is no membership but people
> can self-declare themselves symphatizers and as long as they stay in the
> broad framework of pluralistic support for p2p and the commons, there will
> be no objection to it (just as they did with occupy for example). So
> individuals in our network are free to declare their affiliation to the
> p2p-f in personal capacity. They may call themselves members or
> contributors, but there is no formal membership. This does not mean they
> represent the whole of the network. It also means they are not 'dispatched'
> by the P2P-F with a specific agenda. In addition, because of the accrued
> prestige of our work for a decade, we are often asked to add our name to
> the organizational rosters and sponsors of an event. This is often of
> mutual benefit and so readily accepted. Here also, it does not mean that
> the P2P Foundation is necessarily a co-organizer on the ground, though
> symphatizes may have contributed and collaborated to the event in different
> fashions. Today, the core group of the p2p-f consists of 6 individuals
> operating on a shoestring budget, and mostly they are responsible for their
> own income. We intend at some point to function in a more organizational
> way but this is still a very emergent practice so far. Most of the time, we
> operate as a service organization and act upon invitation and requests,
> this means we are sure that what we are doing is useful for the social
> movement we support, since they directly reflect their expressed needs."
> 
> I hope this makes sense,
> 
> Michel
> 
> -- 
> Check out the Commons Transition Plan here at: http://commonstransition.org
> 
> 
> P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net  - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net
> 
> <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates:
> http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens
> 
> #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/


-- 
Roberto Verzola <rverzola at gn.apc.org>