Occupy Cairns (update)
  
Tenacious lingering remnants remain of the old paradigm at the final fringes of invasive colonialism.  The Southern Hemisphere - TROPICS of CAPRICORN  Monetising the resulting chaos is rude - but lucrative.  Militarising it is worse - and even more lucrative - which prompted us to take some measurements.   Cultural Mapping
 
 What was your first thought on hearing about the Occupy movement? 

 

Maiia   "My first thought to anything, as our long term readers know is cynicism. So what was the last hundred years of Cairns if not an occupation? Are we seeing a bold and aptly titled variation on the invasion theme? Globalism arrives physically and digitally.  Hot air stage time that used to be taken up by the Lords now being practised at community level.

DSCF2898 photo

 Seith Fourmile right @ Kathy Kelly in Cairns

 

The second thought was - Who's this falla putting up the forum? Where'd HE SPRING FROM? He's breezed in with no introduction, no credentials and not many skills - which need not matter, not in an inclusive, collaborative, community driven movement that 'occupy' purports to be.  He disappeared from the Indy-Media landscape as quickly and completely as he appeared.  It's orchestrated but have the orchestrators done their homework?  

 

Occupy supposedly came out of Adbusters. (Canada) Marketing in competition with our own discourse and tradition of community print projects. "Occupy Clear, Coherant & Thinking more like - that was my first response to Occupy"  There has probably been a loss of clarity - an effect of having too much information to process.  Divide and rule.   Fdder for the machine grist for the mill.

Thumbnail
 
George Riley at UMI Arts market on Esplanade (same day as Occupy rally). 
 
At the time (2011) did you see positive results as the movement began to build locally and take a place in the public imagination?  
     
Maiia: "It was an introduction to meetups enabled by mobile phone connection and facebook. Organised online and gathered in person.  Cairns Indy-Media began in the pre-digital era seeing the unique strengths and character of an idyllic tropical city - the place, the envronment, The PEOPLE and healthy longstanding community relationships -these have been empowered. 
 
The southern hemisphere tropics of Capricorn is a latitude fraught with atrocity, including weapons controlled exploitation of the natural resources, lands and peoples, and until recently most Australians were unaware of it. Thanks to the regime of Joh Bjelke Peterson, a sad media monopoly and poor access to tertiary level education.
 
We went online in 2003. By 2011 with a low population Cairns was well into the swing of using facebook as a communication tool that informs and reinforces the already strong established relationships. 

 

 So where are we now? What's been happening lately (2015)

 

Maiia: It's taken a long time for the dust to settle. Four years now.  From our perspective - running a respectful parallel with occupy, and beyond it to Sept 11 - 2000. What exactly are the issues of the day again?  Oh - the same old ones.  Why am I underwhelmed and unsurprised?  Especially from an Indigenous worldview.

 

I have concern about the phenomenon of backlash and the resulting justification of greater counter pseudoterror legislations turned against the Australian people. Also the economic repercussions of this.  And greater concern (i.e.: KONY) about how easy it is to manipulate public perception and a contrive a pack mentality. The 70s it aint! Connect, assist and be present to what is to avoid weak platforms of generalisation, stereotypeing, low standards and expectations. So you are not following a recipe for incompetence in a place already riddled with it.  

 

Our Occupy page evolved into CONTENT GENERATION - "Whether you're Rupert Murdoch or Rupert the Bear - the same priciples apply across media forms, systems and technologies.   Let's utilise the tools along with imagination and the ordinary human capacity for wisdom, discrimination, mercy, generosity and good will -toward a brave new paradigm of social, economic and restorative justice, human dignity and Nonviolence.  

  

  

 


 
Joomla Templates and Joomla Web Sites