[matilda] Re: Doug the man and atw

[Mr Jase Malgod]

>It just seems to someone on the outside looking in that clowns, parties, beaurocratic meetings and coffee making is not relevant and is not taken seriously by the 200 people who do have real power to change things.

So you are suggesting we should just limit our actions to appealing to those 
200? That seems a waste of time given they don't listen to anything but 
wealth and power. Granted actions should appeal to a wide section of people, 
but the action is also limited by, as you pointed out, who gets involved. 
And besides which what you listed isn't what goes on at Matilda, so it seems 
you haven't been reading all of the mailing list, just the main flows. 

You claim our conversations are a sign of beuraucracy and so therefore 
capitalism, does this mean all conversation is such a thing? We need to talk 
to find agreement, to find common ground. To assume that everyone will think 
one way is to be facist, to find agreement is the true meaning of democracy. 
It isn't an easy thing though. 

>I can't put my acheivements on a public mailing list but I have done some and made some changes for the better and influenced the way that some people with more power than I have are doing things. 

Lots of people at Matilda have done the same, many more outside Matilda have 
also. What I would argue is that those with more power are wearing the 
emporer's clothes, their power is not real, so we should not just focus on 
what they can do for us but what we can do for ourselves. 

> The best thing anyone young enough with a concience can do is to do what I said: do a politics degree and go into the heart of Mordor and chuck the bloody ring down the mountain.

I would argue that surely it is not the politics degree, but the involvement 
in politics, for which you do not need a degree... 

> I haven't had the time as a single mum with kids at school to come from outside Sheffield to Matilda, I was thinking of doing you all a mural as I have done a few before and am quite nifty at it but I may as well go and do one at the old folks home.

I think it would be better to have a mural at the old folks home, Matilda 
has more than enough options whereas many spaces are bereft of individual 
expression. 

Please recognise that Matilda is a big group of disperate forces, i.e. 
people, that cannot be simplified, it is not a 'club' with a 'label'. Your 
approach is one of prejudice, I would suggest at least having a look about 
before dismissing those involved. The Thursday social is open to all, from 
infants up, beyond that there are various groups and meetings... it is a 
thing made of people, not of stone, and you are welcome to join in (as you 
already have been doing) for whatever time. 

Best wishes, 

Jason