Re: <nettime> Hackers: the political heroes of cyberspace + URL target for NeTstrike

[Patrice Riemens <patrice@xs4all.nl>]

Quoting ricardo dominguez <rdom@thing.net>:

> 
 > > So all in all, we are faced with a new threat, much worse than
 > > net.art, Hacktivism becoming the latest media item of affection and
 > > people like THEM becoming known as leading protagonists in this
 > > oh so very exciting field where technology, art and politics merge...
 > 
 > Damn!! Now Hacktivism is dead.
 > 
 > r
 > 
 > p.s. i know...it always/already was...
 > p.p.s. i know...it was only bad idea gone wrong
 > p.p.p.s i know...it should never have been attempted
 > p.p.p.p.s i know...never mix technology, art and politics
 > p.p.p.p.p.s i know...i forgot something else that is very important...


 Yes Ricardo, you did forget the most important thing: the personality cult
 that you created around the icon Ricardo Dominguez (and accessorily Stefan
 Wray), and how you made the whole concept of hacktivism, which,
 unsurprisingly, you guys did *not* invent, and which, in itself, was a
 good meme, into a media dud to be from the very moment you laid your hands
 on it. 

 The problem with you people (and that applies in equal measure to Paul
 Mobbs & the 'Electrohippies' EDT/Floodnet epigonism) is that you were for
 media attention from the very start. And you political ideas never went
 very much further than to create a cyberspace equivalent of the mass
 movements of old, with you of course as its avant-garde leaders. 

 You never bothered too much about the technical requirements and knowledge
 that is essential to make such a goal attainable, efficient, and above all
 purposeful in the electronic age. You were 'lectured' from many sides on
 this, but you always dismissed that as some kind of a-political hackers
 elitism. 

 For a very simple reason: you are not truly in the service of the
 people and the causes you pretend to support or represent. You have never
 believed in the self-organising and self-learning potential of the
 multitudes in cyberspace. Yours was old media wanabe activism, lamely
 actualised for mass media consumption.

 Now that hacktivism has gone supernova at last, may be the genuine
 (cyber)activist can (re)focus on what the Net and ITC does best: to
 associate, to organise, and to exchange information for social change. And
 to spread the word. This already enrages the powers that be to no end, and
 that poses challenges enough to the forces of change.

 You would do us all a great service if you folks would fold your
 buffooneries and join the ranks of serious activism. It's less
 spectacular, and your name will appear less often in the mainstream media.
 But it's more worthwhile and will get the cause (whatever we believe it to
 be, justice and peace may be?) more mileage.

 And last but not least, don't take this as a mere personnal attack. You
 are by far not the only one in history and present, who experiences some
 difficulty in separating the advancement of her/his own personna with that
 of the cause of her/his own choosing. And a measure of that is probably
 even necessary and beneficial. But your 'disturbance' had a bit too much
 of it. So please, quit and desist. Now.

 cheers,
 patrice and Mister Diiiino!

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