I'm pretty sure I don't get the internet.
Sure, I appreciate having such an abundance of information at my fingertips at a moments' notice. I love how that information is organized in a way that empowers individuals.
But I still don't understand quite how on-line politics and off-line politics meet. I sometimes see it and occasionally I recognize it, but I don't quite get it. In an effort to see an example from up close, I'm helping alivingston plan a Chicago DK meetup this Sunday afternoon. More below...
I can see that the internet provides an incredible community for those of us who feel cut adrift by the current government, who feel angry, unrepresented, disenfranchised.
I see how it provides remarkable tools for us to come together, frame messages, prod the media, and raise money.
I see that it allows us to educate ourselves about issues and candidates in a way that would have seemed patently impossible a decade ago.
I see that it's created a platform and voice for a progressive movement that our country was hungering for.
I see that it's taken a giant step toward moving our political discourse away from flat platitudes.
But as someone who loves eye contact and believes in actual physical neighborhoods, I'm still trying to come to grips with how on-line communities interact with off-line ones. I can see there's tremendous potential there, but that's about all. I still don't get it.
Here's what I get: apathy is the enemy. Lack of community is the enemy. Not voting is the enemy. Nonparticipation is the enemy. Disillusionment with the possibility our system holds (as opposed to disillusionment with the people who currently operate our system!) is the enemy.
In other words, disengagement is the enemy. The opportunity to engage more people in politics and public life is really what keeps me going; here we are, sitting on the greatest tool for that ever invented, and I'm not sure what to make of it. That's just absurd.
So come teach me on Sunday. I'll get my eye contact fix, and we'll see what this community looks like when you take it off-line. We'll talk politics, we'll talk about the internet, we'll drink a margarita, and we'll get ready to put our noses to the grindstone for the final 30 day push to victory. Can't wait to meet y'all there!
Date: October 8, 2006
Time: 5:00 pm
Place: Blue Agave, raised level (this has been reserved -- here's a link with some more info about the place, including map/directions)
Address: just off intersection of State and Maple.
(Not to complicate, but two addresses are given since it's an intersection)
1 West Maple Street, Chicago IL, 60610
1050 N. State Street, Chicago IL, 60610
Blue Agave phone: 312.335.8900
To maximize turnout, we'd like to keep posting about this all week. If anyone wants to volunter to post a diary about this event, let us know in the comments. Thanks!
Oh, and for those of you planning to participate in the Tammy Duckworth canvass that day, there should be plenty of time to get from one to the other -- see you at both of them!