nettime: The Media Collective (Toronto)

[Geert Lovink <geert@xs4all.nl>]

From: Jesse Hirsh - jesse@lglobal.com - http://www.lglobal.com/TAO/

'Bringing Culture Back To Resistance'
The Media Collective (Toronto, Canada)

The Media Collective is a spontaneous, dynamic, holistic organization,
that includes the universe as its membership. We are artists, activists,
and people interested in reclaiming our environment, reclaiming our
minds, and thus reclaiming our lives. The Collective itself is a conduit
for change.

The term 'Media'  does not refer to an institution, or a technological
artefact, but rather to the environment in which we all live. Media are
the methods in which we communicate with ourselves, each other, and the
world at large. As we communicate, we forge the material reality in which
we exist.

Centuries of empire, appropriation, and exploitation have consolidated
and centralized control of the majority of media. Corporate concentration
manifests itself as the realization of a true media monopoly, declaring
the birth of a new regime, and the end of history.
His story has robbed us of our sovereignty, robbed us of our land, robbed
us of our voice, and may soon rob us of our minds.

"and behind the most creative aspect of that insurrection looms a
band of reality hackers, merry pranksters, ontological anarchists,
psychedellic warriors, and intelligence agents; the bastard progeny of
Toronoto's own McLuhan: The Media Collective"

The Media Collective is a spontaneous proclamation of the self.
It is an uprising of the free individual spirit, shedding the chains of
mental colonialization, screaming shouts of joy with the self-realization
of identity.
We break the homogeneity of the media monopoly by expressing ourselves
with our own media. We take back our media, taking back our freedom,
igniting a chain-reaction of self-expression, a revolution of many minds
uniting against a common enemy.

We use guerrilla tactics and any means necessary to defend our freedom of
speech which is not defined according to profitability. We are involved
in video, mirco-power broadcasting, radio, art, graffiti, zines,
performance art, food, street theatre, cartoons, faxing, fasting,
civil-disobedience, newspapers, music, hacking, phreaking, luddism, the
web, television, writing, email, video-conferencing, elite-crashing,
talking, loving, reading, ranting, telephony, protesting, analysis, and
straight-out revolution.

We are the virus of human liberation. We spread through the minds of all
people, spreading the desire for freedom and happiness. Everybody is the
media collective, and everybody can speak on behalf of the media
collective. We must all take responsibility for our future, and we must
all take an active part in our future.

We are the virus of unity. All may take claim under our banner as all are
subject to media, and all have an interest in controlling their own
media. We seek to decentralize power by decreasing the degree of
mediation between us. Together we can all help each other help ourselves.

We are the virus of language. We subvert the institution via the medium
on which it was built.  Education accompanies transformation as the
living language flows among free people. We spread the word and
propagate the message of freedom.

We are the virus of action. We lead by example, allowing our actions to
be the spark that ignites hearts and minds to strive for freedom. We are the
convergence of thought and action, ideas and initiative, I and I bringing
down babylon.

The Media Collective is an ambiguous, and amorphous organization. Our
members participate in primarily spontaneous actions, covering a wide
range of media and minds. Individuals make actions, the collective is the
forum in which to share these individual experiences.

The Media Collective meets on the 27th of each month. The meetings act as
a forum for members to exchange experiences, thoughts, ideas, and actions.

Members outside of Toronto are encouraged to organize local meetings,
events, and take part in their own spontaneous actions.
Send comments, questions, and reports to media@lglobal.com

"And one day all the slaves ran free,
Something inside of them died.
The only thing I could do was be me
And get on that train and ride."


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