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Communications from the DRC, their silence speaks volumes

 
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Montgomery
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Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Posts: 15

PostPosted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 3:46 pm    Post subject: Communications from the DRC, their silence speaks volumes Reply with quote

There has been a quiet debate in this and the other popular forums about the quality of communication between the explorer community and the DRC. On the whole this has been one-way -- from “us” to “them” -- and which is the best method of communicating to the DRC has also been debated.

As you may or may not know, I have stood firmly on the side urging caution against sit-ins in general and in particular impromptu protests for the sake of protesting. I have made passionate pleas for careful, thoughtful, organized communications with input from interested members of the community and delivered with respect. One such communication, the Pento letter, was delivered two weeks ago and as of this date there has been no response of any kind.

A few days ago I requested that the D’net send this message to Cate, Laxman, Kodama, Sutherland, Engberg, and White:

Quote:
To Cate Alexander and the members of the D'ni Restoration Council:

My compliments on the recent work you and your teams have done, and the new areas you have made available to the explorer community. Thank you!

Several of us composed and sent a letter to you about a week and a half ago requesting some information about your plans regarding the Age, Pento. We realize you are very busy and possibly stretched too thin to pen a full response. However, it would be most helpful if you would at least acknowledge receipt of our letter, and indicate whether or not we can expect some response from you in the near future.

Thank you for your time,
Montgomery (KI #175538)

I am prepared to wait a week for a response to this note. However, frankly, I have little hope.

The recent Douglas Sharper vigil in the Great Tree Bevin illustrated something quite clearly to me: While Douglas himself did not appear in the hood -- as Yeesha did on a similar vigil upon which the Sharper vigil was modeled -- he did return to the cavern at the height of the vigil for a “meeting with the DRC” as reported by Nick White, who did visit the vigil. I don’t believe anybody really expected Sharper to link in on the top of the fountain in a white robe sporting a halo; the vigil was frankly tongue-in-cheek. But by inviting Sharper to a meeting simultaneous with this “sit-in” and announcing his arrival to the 60+ crowd as if he was a rock star and we were his groupies, the DRC has clearly cast the mold for all further communications. If we want something, we need merely to gather in large numbers.

I caution you! Do not abuse this opportunity. Because of the nature of our KIs and the size of many of our neighborhoods, “flash crowds” are becoming more and more common. I pray they do not become popular. I repeat what I have said before: discuss, come to some level of agreement, then organize and promote. Use the tools available, in particular the D’net.

Consider the differences between the successful sit-ins and the failures. On the side of Success was Brian Fioca’s now-famous sit-in during the original Prologue, which ultimately resulted in not only the removal of barriers, but the formation of the Great Tree. Then there are the well-organized and promoted vigils for Yeesha and Sharper. On the other side is the impromptu sit-in at the Museum. As for Tweek’s protest to restore the DRC forums, I see this as both a failure and a success. Low turn-out, an initial lack of a unified message and the crashing by counter-protesters with their own agenda actually firmed Cate’s resolve to pull the forums. Later, when the sit-in had moved to the Bevin and gotten its message straight, Engberg used it to bolster his argument with Cate, and ultimately prevailed.

So what is the next step? I say we organize a vigil for the DRC itself. Gather at an appointed time and place in great numbers and wait until Cate and/or members of the DRC appear, then discuss with them our message (which we first need to agree upon) that we need better communication. I suggest we hold a town-hall meeting, use the services of the D’net to moderate it so our time is used most effectively, and agree on the best course. If the DRC shows up, so much the better. If not, we take what we can from the meeting and promote a vigil in the DRC Bevin of our choice.

We can use my suggestion of a Pro-DRC group as a starting point, or discard that altogether; I offer it only as one possible option.

Comments encouraged and welcome.
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