In the spirit of the Occupy movement, I'd like to make a proposal and put it out for discussion.
There is a post up today suggesting that we use the Mothership/Liveblog system for covering the movement here at DailyKos. A request was made to un-Rec diaries which were not the Mothership. (update: please note that the Mothership diarist did not suggest un-Rec'g other diaries. That request was made by others.)
I propose that the Occupy movement has an aspect to it, perhaps more than one aspect, which makes it different from most things we live blog and that we channel some liveblogging through a Mothership system, while also promoting first person reporting to the Rec List, as well.
The most important aspect of this, to me, in terms of the DailyKos community is this: we have a growing number of our own members who are actively participating in the movement.
This is very different from liveblogging something remote such as Fukushima or something which requires technical expertise, such as the BP Gulf crisis.
Our brothers and sisters who are putting their bodies and time and energy into this movement and then taking the precious time to report their personal experiences deserve to have their work featured on the front page rec list and not solely as one of a zilion links in a Mothership or Live Blog.
Full disclosure: I was at #occupywallstreet for 3 days and am now actively participating in #occupyboston - from which I will make my first report this evening. I fully expect to explore whether my proposal and my feelings on this subject are somehow self-serving. I hope they are not rooted in that and that I am speaking from a place of service to the larger community. I don't think, however, that my opinion on this topic can be unadulterated by ego. So, I put that out there before going on.
I'm not sure why we'd want to bury the diaries which demonstrate how closely linked the DailyKos community is to this movement. This movement could be one of the most profound of our time. It is already growing in leaps and bounds. From one city to 62 in a matter of weeks. From one hundred people sleeping in Liberty Square to thousands marching with them and more and more unions standing in solidarity.
The movement is coalescing around anger at financial abuse which serves a few and heaps misery on the vast majority of us. 99% of us. What could be more important than addressing that?
The financial/economic concerns are the current protest portion of the movement. The movement itself, though, is about a profound change in the way we function as a society. The occupations are modeling a different form of governance, altogether: participatory, leaderless, direct democracy. You really have to be in it for a while to get the power of it. Even in it, you are likely to face a lot of your own demons in terms of the brainwashing we have all received about how things "should" work. I have watched lots of people struggle with this at different rates.
This new model of governance is so profound that we need to be immersed in it at every possible turn to let it sink in and manifest transformation. Each one us must be transformed before can transform our society.
Due to the need for this, I am of a different opinion than others about censoring what goes on the rec list. Our entire community would be well served to immerse themselves in the experience of the movement. To see and tap into a different way of operating. To start to gain an understanding, via hearing from many different voices and perspectives, so that we can each be an ambassador for this by carrying the appreciation of it in our consciousness.
I can see using the Mothership/Liveblog model to post out templates of information such as links to web sites and places to donate. Also, for links to external stories on other blogs and in the professional media. But, when it comes to first person reports from our fellow Kossacks, I say,
Occupy the Rec List!