This is a problem that started a while ago and what we are seeing are the effects. When I was in grad school, I had a professor who actually was ringing the bells so to speak that one day all of this was going to happen. This was back in the 90s, and thinking back it is easy to scoff that the message. Sadly, we are living in a private world as opposed to a public world. I am not talking about those in the blogosphere, we as a society have become self-absorbed with the private and the personal. Look at the ads on TV, we bought into the idea of doing things in the comfort of our own homes. We are so individualized we have eroded our own civil society, which now we have cut all and any ties of mutual interdependence and reciprocal obligation.

We are not public citizens any more we are private consumers. We talk about safety not in sense of community but which gated community we will live. These places are intentionally designed as limited access, they are closed places that are restricted to homogenous groups. We have become accustom to using underground tunnel system or walkways to go from building to another so we no longer have to be out in the streets.

The blogosphere is just another extension of our privatized world. What we need to do is refocus on how we can be more effective in using the blogosphere, how we can get to a collective society. Instead of seeing blogs as places to read, it must be seen as the modern day tools of the town paper or pamphlets, the manifestos that motivated people to collective action.

Hey that would be cool, the next one is on Aug 18, it is always a pleasure to get the chance to put a face to a blogger, especially one behind the bandanna!!

i guess this is why i sometimes make the point of doing things in the 3D world. we type so much as if it is moving about adn going places, and not to say that blogging does not do a world of good; it can and does. but i think its true that every time someone goes out and meets up with others, they come back like this: energized. you at hutto, kai at his meeting of “angry asians,” BA at amc. i think blog society sometimes feels like a crowd jammed in a big room of noise and smoke. and we need to get out there and bump into people, move the frame around. it’s not just that its a place specifically, its that it is not virtual action, but actual action.

that said, i really would like to bring my camera next time there is a vigil. maybe i can join you next time.

of course, all the people matter. the ones on the street and at vigils, and even the ones who dont blog or protest and are just trying to live their lives.

way to rep it bro. i’m glad you caught a second breath.

Our government isn’t perfect, but it’s still a lot more accountable to the people and responsive to public pressure than any private prison corporation. So any privatization of our prisons imperils the rights of the people detained. For me, this is especially troubling in this case because so many of the people being held haven’t committed any crimes.