A Space Outside: What a let down... : Melbourne Indymedia

A Space Outside: What a let down, more feral homogeny!

I’ve just gone through the ASO calendar of events and its idyllic ‘sleaves rolled up’ propaganda which rants on how another world is happening. It is clear that past the delightfully forbidden taste of catch phrases the culture ASO is encouraging is predominantly designed for themselves and friends of themselves.

That’s not a huge issue really- ‘a fest for our mates’, like ‘State of Emergency’. But the ASO is selling participatory activism as some salve for everyone else when it’s obvious it’s not in consultation with the needs and concerns of its neighbours.

ASO just demonstrates that the anti-capitalist movement hasn’t grown to learn much more than it knew when it started in the 90s. The culture of resistance has just passed on to the next round of university students. After all, that’s where the meetings are being held, not a community setting like a Neighbourhood House. Do you think the labyrinth of Melbourne University is a particularly attractive venue for disenfranchised Melbourne community members to commute to attend? Your political focus is narrowly myopic and betrays the lack of diversity within the ASO collective.

And yeah, Bono is a dick, but is that your strongest introductory sound bite? Move on.

A lot of people walked away from the global anti-capitalist protest movement to work radically on a local level because of this kind of counter culture trend setting which rewards nepotism and cannot negotiate true pluralism.

So what then, recreate the glory days of J18, Seattle, S11? The movie schedule traces the footsteps overseas activists and squatted social centres in much the same way the PM takes political cues from the States.

I know you. You are as good at dismissing dissent as you are at fighting for it. Activists have a piss poor track record with critical thinking skills, especially when they reflect back. I would go as far to argue that in your designs for a festival you are recreating the very structures which you’ve targeted to dismantle, albeit in a different form. And even further, that the agenda of the ASO and StopG20 is reactionary in its architecture and not proactively setting the discourse for emerging important issues. Issues which can demonstrate a relationship between what is happening here at home, regionally and how that connects globally.

In the righteousness of counter culture there is an implicit tone of division which leaves out vital participants who so desperately need an authentic representative social forum. At the upcoming party note the homogeny, take stock of the narrow spectrum of cultural diversity in the room and remember the citizens of the world you are fighting for are not represented there. Go back home, knock on the door of your neighbour who you don’t know the name of and bring them to ASO. Make space for them, share the power of your clique, and table the local perceptions of strangers.

None of what I’m saying hasn’t been discussed from within our ‘ranks’ through various other collectives around the world, but sadly it appears the organisers of ASO have apparently chosen a repeat episode instead of innovation.