Hi, board. I used to hang out here in, oh, before 9/11 or something. Maybe a year after that? Can't remember... Anyway, could someone give me an update? What has happened here since? In, oh, about two or three sentences would be good. Please?
We all got really fucked off because we wanted a banhammer and some other stuff, and we were going to go do something else, but now we have one so I don't know.
Oh man. Oh man. You should have seen it, dude, I mean it was like, bigger than the freakin' moon or something. I couldn't believe it! Craziest goddam thing I ever saw. And then Jack Fear started cussin' at it! He smelled like Wild Turkey. I thought I was gonna plotz for real, man. It was wild.
wow, you've been away for a while! I take it you have not seen the Barb-e-store? You can get branded rulers, mouse mats, place mats, bibs, mugs, caps, t-shirts, a cut glass selection & they're working on a range of china figurines as we speak.
Also, a couple years ago some dude tried to warn us about the Jewish New World Order, but I thought he was talkin' about pro wrassilin', you know evil Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage and all, so I didn't pay much attention. Who knew the Macho Man was kosher? I thought for sure he was Zoroastrian or something, like that dude from Queen.
BioDynamo! I for one am excited you're back. The Head Shop went to shit, but there's always hope. I don't know what else happened, I haven't been here much.
We have pretty much withdrawn from the struggle, conceptually - the Head Shop going to shit - and organisationally; fear of stalking and a change in demographics resulted in fewer and fewer demonstrations, rallies and meetups. All that stuff has been sort of moved out onto other networks.
And now I've placed you. Indymedia Finland, yes? Welcome back!
Jokingly referred to as the first golden age of Barbelith, and a time when the barbeclique or barbelite accusations might actually have made a bit more sense. A group of eclectic subject experts in the Head Shop, activism planned in Switchboard, regular meetings in Gathering, and everybody having sex with everybody.
What's interesting is that, prior to 9/11 (used as a reference point only because of how soon thereafter the invasion of Aghanistan was being discussed), there was always something of a split over demonstrations like the May Day anti-capitalist stuff - with a certain number of posters always ready to believe the media/police reports of who started any aggro, to complain about people smashing up Starbucks, etc. It was during the period in which anti-war demonstrations were most frequent, most heavily attended and attended by the largest proportion of people who did not usually attend protests, that the Gathering was dominated by threads about the next march, etc.
So you're saying that what happens on the board in terms of level of activism to a certain degree mimics what's happened - or not, as it were - on the streets? If so maybe the fact that the Gathering is all about drinking, whether at gigs, in pubs, galleries or at moots reflects the increasing age and business/tiredness of a lot of long-time or invested posters?
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