Pardon the quibbling, but...
By Stephen Roblin at Nov 23, 2010 |
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...does the term "participation" properly underscore the mission of IOPS?
The reason I ask is because the term "participation" can be misleading as it does not, in itself, distinguish between empowering and oppressive forms of participation. This may sound like quibbling, but perhaps it's worth considering for a moment (I could be wrong here).
Take markets, they involve considerable participation, even among those who are oppressed by them. The poor for example participate in markets everyday, purchasing basic commodities and/or contributing to production through their work. In fact, market proponents have cited this form of particpation as a reason why they are so "democratic" (certainly a clear debasement of the concept). In their view, no one's left out completely, except in the more extreme cases where individuals have zero dollars to cast their "votes" in the marketplace. We can take a take a more extreme example, slavery. It's not as if slaves were barred from participating in the system; without their coerced participation, the system would not exist.
The point is that a decent society is not one that simply offers "opportunities" to participate; it allows for forms of democratic, equitable, and self-managed participation, in short, empowering participation.
To wrap this up, I think a name like Organization for a Democratic Society is more meaningful. But "ODS" as an acronym is awkward, particularly if pronounced phonetically.



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By Stapes, John at Nov 25, 2010 15:54 PM
At the end of the day, a better word might be out there and I think it's a good idea to try to think of it.
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By Roblin, Stephen at Nov 25, 2010 17:41 PM
My response to this situation is twofold. On the one hand, it's important to revisit these terms and restore their original meaning so as to correct the historical record. On the other hand, it's important not to push people away because of "buzz words."
I guess it's a matter of timing and using common sense. It's probably best to save the conversation about how communists made great contributions during the labor struggle after an appeal has been made to someone on the basis of their grievances and how to overcome them.
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By Paul, Harpreet at Nov 23, 2010 18:30 PM
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By Roblin, Stephen at Nov 23, 2010 19:41 PM
That said, you may be right that the term "participation" is less contaminated than other concepts.
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By Paul, Harpreet at Nov 23, 2010 23:17 PM
As for the phonetics..."OPS" certainly has a better ring to it!
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