[hackerspaces] Hacking the Spaces: A critical acclaim of what was, is and could be a hackerspace (or hacklab, for that matter)

[Kris Gesling]

well ive finally had time to actually read through all the emails and I love
that this discussion is happening, i only hope that as people have said,
something positive can come out of it all. I'll hopefully keep it brief...

I agree with whoever it was that almost everything has a political aspect
and yes that does include citizenship. Most people in the world have
citizenship but even if you don't have citizenship anywhere you can bet
that's because of some politics as well.

I think that a diversity of views is the only way to go, if I never got to
talk to any socially conservative raging capitalists then I would never have
my own ideas challenged and there would be no way for them to evolve. The
way in which many hackerspaces organise (i dont want to say all as i just
dont know about each and every one) is political merely because of the
nature of our organisations. The system that we live in holds capital and
profit as the primary measures of success and yet many (if not most) people
involved in hackerspaces don't do it for the money. I believe in
hackerspaces because they are about challenging ideas and seeking knowledge
for the sake of knowledge itself, not for some vocational, profit driven
gain like most of our tertiary education systems have become. People in
hackerspaces seem so willing to share and open their spaces for others to
come and learn as well, we are rebuilding communities in a time when society
is pushing us toward individualism, where our only community comes in the
forms of naive patriotism.

I may be wrong about hackerspaces, there may be those who are a bunch of
individuals developing products to make money but then even that would be
political as its supporting the dominant paradigm of society.

Politics is merely the distribution and use of power, everything you do will
have a political consequence. Help a little old lady across the street? What
does that say about the capability of old women that you felt they needed
your assistance. What does it say about our communities that you were
willing to offer it? Is it an inherently good act?

I think this discussion itself is evidence that politics are alive and well
in hackerspaces all over the place, I don't think that means we have to run
out and vote for Obama I think its a politic that is based more
fundamentally in everyday human interactions and they are so much more
powerful than which dickhead has power in government at the time.

Hopefully that didn't stray too much and made at least a little bit of
sense.

Now lets all have a cuddle</hippy rant>
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