Comments on: Social Movements Cannot Prevail Through Secrecy https://blog.p2pfoundation.net/social-movements-cannot-prevail-through-secrecy/2013/01/01 Researching, documenting and promoting peer to peer practices Wed, 02 Jan 2013 06:42:27 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.5.15 By: Michel Bauwens https://blog.p2pfoundation.net/social-movements-cannot-prevail-through-secrecy/2013/01/01/comment-page-1#comment-495352 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 06:42:27 +0000 http://blog.p2pfoundation.net/?p=28690#comment-495352 In reply to Frank.

I disagree. Even in the initial stages, especially in the initial stages, it is impossible to gather support without openness and the courage to take a stand and be known (except in violently repressive relationships); this does not mean that ‘everything’ should be done in public of course; infiltration and repression tactics are actually much more potent in small groups that have paranoid structures and practices .. it is precisely to counter them that openness is necessary.

]]> By: Frank https://blog.p2pfoundation.net/social-movements-cannot-prevail-through-secrecy/2013/01/01/comment-page-1#comment-495340 Tue, 01 Jan 2013 18:14:01 +0000 http://blog.p2pfoundation.net/?p=28690#comment-495340 This argument overlooks a very important aspect: before a movement can become large and powerful enough to actually make a public stand without getting obliterated by its enemies, it needs to grow, it needs to form consensus, strategies and coordinate tactics and it needs to gather financial and immaterial support from people at important nodes in the existing power structures. All these activities are very difficult if not impossible if carried out from the beginning in public, as the powers that oppose social change for the better have no problems sabotaging all these necessary preparations, and they do as we have seen time and again. So anonymity, encryption and the associated tools and practices _are_ needed, at least for the initial phases of social movements. It is far to easy to take then out early on if they neglect this.

Frank

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