[hackerspaces] In defense of Noisebridge (even if I was never there!)

Thu Jul 3 20:16:34 CEST 2014

Well I think Colin raised an interesting question about the term
hackerspace.

We divide between hackerspace and makerspace because hardware hackers and
software hackers don't always get along.  An angle grinder pisses off some
software kids something fierce.

So there's immediately a question of specific focus in the name.

The question is, are there cultural definitions implied as well?

Hacker seems to denote hacker culture..  amateur / reuse / repurpose /
break / etc.

So... if you call yourself a hackerspace what cultural values are you
signing up for living with?

If you bake cakes that forward a political agenda about the right to wear
baby seal fur... can you call yourself a hackerspace?

Who is defining these values?

On Thu, Jul 3, 2014 at 2:13 PM, Naomi Most <pnaomi at gmail.com> wrote:

> "Asking for diversity in hackerspaces as a whole is going to lead to
> hackerspaces being looked down upon and will lead to Noisebridge-esque
> jokes being hackerspace-esque instead."
>
> You're saying that there shouldn't be diversity in how hackerspaces are
> run?
>
> --Naomi
>
>
> On Thu, Jul 3, 2014 at 11:11 AM, Randall G. Arnold
> <randall.arnold at texrat.net> wrote:
> > Ok, good point, "politics" is a broad term.  Let me qualify my
> statements by
> > saying we avoid city/state/federal *electoral* politics.  Of course
> politics
> > isn't completely avoidable in a generic sense.
> >
> > Randy
> >
> >> On July 3, 2014 at 1:08 PM Naomi Most <pnaomi at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >> Most of you are characterizing the issue of whether politics "belong"
> >> or "don't belong" in hackerspaces as if it's a binary issue.
> >>
> >> You need to see politics as one of the difficulty level selectors in
> >> the hackerspace game.
> >>
> >> Noisebridge plays on Nightmare mode.
> >>
> >> --Naomi
> >>
> >>
> >> On Thu, Jul 3, 2014 at 11:03 AM, Randall G. Arnold
> >> <randall.arnold at texrat.net> wrote:
> >> > And I go back to my belief that it's possible (and highly beneficial)
> to
> >> > craft maker Do Good missions that avoid politics entirely by sticking
> >> > with a
> >> > common, necessary goal that clearly cuts across political lines. In
> >> > Texas,
> >> > water is a huge one. It *used* to be politicized, but in recent years
> >> > those
> >> > artificial walls are crumbling. Water shortages don't care what
> >> > political
> >> > party you claim-- they fuck us all equally. The worse it gets, the
> >> > easier
> >> > it is to find common ground... and avoid the trappings of politics.
> >> >
> >> > Look, career politicians love to polarize. Many even get off on
> >> > agitating.
> >> > As an independent I've quite frankly had enough. So my goal is to
> climb
> >> > out
> >> > of the conventional trenches, quit playing their silly game and just
> Do
> >> > Good. And seek out and surround myself with like-minded people. To a
> >> > large
> >> > extent that's working well. And when I run into provocateurs, I just
> >> > grit
> >> > my teeth, smile and say "bless your heart".
> >> >
> >> > ;)
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > On July 3, 2014 at 12:42 PM matt <matt at nycresistor.com> wrote:
> >> >
> >> > Resistor has always had a 'leave the politics at the door' informal
> >> > policy.
> >> >
> >> > We don't tend to get involved in political shit. I mean occasionally
> we
> >> > all
> >> > agree something is bullshit, and occasionally someone vents some
> >> > political
> >> > frustration. But for the most part we've made sure to be welcoming to
> >> > all
> >> > political positions.
> >> > As someone who was christened by the divine paw of the bunny budha and
> >> > anointed the one true ruler of the solar system and protector of the
> >> > milky
> >> > way galaxy, I often find myself at odds with others political
> >> > situations.
> >> > But I've always been accepted at Resistor in spite of my unique
> >> > political
> >> > perspective.
> >> > We care more about hacking than any shared mandate.
> >> >
> >> > That being said, a community can form around many things. Including
> >> > social
> >> > and political causes. I could see no reason something like code for
> >> > america
> >> > couldn't become a community of like minded folks who cultivate a
> >> > community
> >> > promoting a social and political agenda. Would might maybe be great,
> >> > even
> >> > without the blessing of his divine hoppiness.
> >> > -Matt
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > On Thu, Jul 3, 2014 at 1:32 PM, Al Billings <albill at openbuddha.com>
> >> > wrote:
> >> >
> >> > Is your space welcoming to people, regardless of personal politics or
> do
> >> > you
> >> > have to be a specific kind of lefty/socialist/anarchist/hippy/whatever
> >> > in
> >> > order to be welcome?
> >> >
> >> > I say this as a socialist but I don’t want there to be a political
> >> > litmus
> >> > test on whether people are welcome in a space. My space has members
> who,
> >> > quietly on occasion, bitch about Obama and his “agenda” with an eye
> roll
> >> > from some other members. We have a communist or two and probably more
> >> > than a
> >> > few anarchists. Generally, I know someone for a year or more before I
> >> > even
> >> > realize their personal politics. Why? Because we’re there to hack, not
> >> > to
> >> > form a political party.
> >> >
> >> > There are definitely spaces where this isn’t the case. If you aren’t
> on
> >> > board with the specific local politics (which are usually a certain
> >> > specific
> >> > form of left leaning anarchism), you are shunned pretty heavily and
> >> > “don’t
> >> > fit in.” I’d rather have a Republican that wants to build a project
> from
> >> > salvaged computers than an anarchist that just wants to hang out in
> the
> >> > kitchen “food hacking.”
> >> >
> >> > Al
> >> >
> >> > On Jul 3, 2014, at 10:28 AM, Randall G. Arnold <
> >> > randall.arnold at texrat.net>
> >> > wrote:
> >> >
> >> > I disagree when you frame that as an absolute. Sure, there CAN be
> >> > negative
> >> > outcomes when a maker/hacker space or organization has fixing societal
> >> > problems as a goal, but it ain't necessarily so. It all comes down to
> >> > defining the goal(s), having people to support them and for members
> with
> >> > different goals to be respectful of each other and not get in each
> >> > other's
> >> > way.
> >> >
> >> > If as a makerspace member I put together a special interest group that
> >> > builds remote wildlife monitoring stations for helping horned lizard
> >> > conservation, and I don't disrupt anyone else in the process, then I'm
> >> > positively hacking the planet and no one gets hurt. Win-win.
> >> >
> >> > Al Billings
> >> > albill at openbuddha.com
> >> > http://makehacklearn.org
> >> >
> >> > _______________________________________________
> >> > Discuss mailing list
> >> > Discuss at lists.hackerspaces.org
> >> > http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Randall (Randy) Arnold
> >> > Developer and Enthusiast Advocate
> >> > http://texrat.net
> >> > +18177396806
> >> >
> >> > _______________________________________________
> >> > Discuss mailing list
> >> > Discuss at lists.hackerspaces.org
> >> > http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Naomi Theora Most
> >> naomi at nthmost.com
> >> +1-415-728-7490
> >>
> >> skype: nthmost
> >>
> >> http://twitter.com/nthmost
>
>
>
> --
> Naomi Theora Most
> naomi at nthmost.com
> +1-415-728-7490
>
> skype: nthmost
>
> http://twitter.com/nthmost
>
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