[FC-discuss] FreeCulture.org is now Students for Free Culture

[Elizabeth Stark]

So IIRC you're no longer a formal student. Do you think that your role
in this organization should be lessened as a result?

I completely disagree in not having the org more open to non-official
students. Our group at Harvard and here in Boston has always welcomed
whoever is interested in getting involved with free culture-related
issues, and happily so. That doesn't mean that we haven't done
campus-specific projects (we have), but we've also been able to build
a network of people around the area interested in free culture, which
is an extremely valuable resource.

On 10/2/07, Gavin Baker <gavin at freeculture.org> wrote:
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> Elizabeth Stark wrote:
> > We've actually worked quite successfully in Boston *with* students and
> > in universities as well as *beyond* academia. While it probably makes
> > sense at this point to be primarily university chapter-focused, I
> > don't see why others can't get involved.
>
> Chapters absolutely can outreach beyond their campuses. For instance, if
> a chapter hosts a CopyNight event, it _has_ to be open to everyone.
> There is generally no reason not to invite the general public to film
> screenings, events, and the like.
>
> Similarly, Students for Free Culture will maintain solidarity with the
> free culture movement in general.
>
> Because we organize students at college campuses doesn't mean we can
> never leave campus. But it should point to the priorities for our time,
> effort, and resources, not to mention our identity and message.
>
> > I'd like to define "student"
> > as broadly as possible -- essentially, anyone with a willingness to
> > learn.
>
> I don't think there is much value in intentionally non-obvious
> terminology. Without denying the important role of self-learners in
> society, there is a particular social place and status of formal
> students. That status carries a number of characteristics, such that
> organizing students has particular value and is strategic in its own right.
> - --
> Gavin Baker
> Students for Free Culture
> http://freeculture.org/
> gavin at freeculture.org
>
>
> >
> > -E
> >
> > On 10/2/07, Fred Benenson <fred.benenson at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> Yes, it's a shame that some people can't find value in campus organizing as
> >> there's surely precedent.
> >>
> >> Crosbie: why not consider an organization such as iCommons which has much
> >> broader goals and membership?
> >>
> >> F
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On 10/2/07, Thomas (TJ) Olsen <tj at tjolsen.net> wrote:
> >>> absolutely disagree--students and academia in this country and globally
> >>> have a long history of great activism and creative output
> >>>
> >>> tj
> >>> ----- Original Message -----
> >>> From: "Crosbie Fitch" < crosbie at cyberspaceengineers.org>
> >>> To: "'Discussion of Free Culture in general and this organization
> >>> inparticular'" <discuss at freeculture.org>
> >>> Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2007 6:52 PM
> >>> Subject: Re: [FC-discuss] FreeCulture.org is now Students for Free Culture
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>> I would have thought "Artists for Free Culture" would have been better.
> >>>>
> >>>> Or even "Free Citizens for Free Culture"
> >>>>
> >>>> I would suspect that the popular conception of a student is a passive
> >>>> receptacles for knowledge, only expected to start doing anything
> >>>> significantly productive/creative until after they've ceased being a
> >>>> student.
> >>>>
> >>>> The last thing a passive receptacle needs is the freedom to publish
> >> copies
> >>>> or derivatives. People will assume students are just after broader
> >>>> educational exemptions for using the library photocopier.
> >>>>
> >>>> So 'Students for Free Culture' comes across as if it was "Couch Potatoes
> >>>> for
> >>>> Free Culture".
> >>>>
> >>>> At worst "Students can't afford much, so we should get the world's
> >> culture
> >>>> free of charge. Thanks."
> >>>>
> >>>> The best light it can be put in is "Typically militant students having
> >> the
> >>>> luxury of being able to agitate against cultural oppression of the
> >> masses"
> >>>> What's so special about a student?
> >>>>
> >>>> That's what I want to know.
> >>>>
> >>>> If you say 'many people showed up who were not aware that we were a
> >>>> student
> >>>> organization', perhaps instead of concluding that you need to strengthen
> >>>> the
> >>>> student angle, you could have concluded that you should ditch the
> >> student
> >>>> angle (even if students do constitute the key demographic most able to
> >>>> perceive the corruption in copyright and patent).
> >>>>
> >>>> The last thing a body that champions cultural freedom should be is
> >>>> exclusive.
> >>>>
> >>>> If only FreeCulture.org was now 'Everyone for Free Culture'
> >>>>
> >>>> "We found people were confused when we said it was a student
> >> organisation,
> >>>> so we've stopped saying that. We now just say it's an open and
> >> egalitarian
> >>>> organisation that welcomes everyone interested in promoting cultural
> >>>> freedom"
> >>>> _______________________________________________
> >>>> Discuss mailing list
> >>>> Discuss at freeculture.org
> >>>> http://freeculture.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discuss
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>> _______________________________________________
> >>> Discuss mailing list
> >>> Discuss at freeculture.org
> >>> http://freeculture.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discuss
> >>>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Discuss mailing list
> >> Discuss at freeculture.org
> >> http://freeculture.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discuss
> >>
> >>
> > _______________________________________________
> > Discuss mailing list
> > Discuss at freeculture.org
> > http://freeculture.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discuss
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