The people who work in the Netroots are united right now by one thin
g, opposition to the present government. But, as Washington pundits love to repeat endlessly, opposition alone won’t win. (Richard Stallman is at right.)
What will win is an optimistic message, an alternative myth, one that relates to what people feel in their hearts and what they need to grow.
That’s what open source politics is about, in one word.
Optimism.
Optimism works in politics, and it works in economics. Optimism in politics brings people together. In economics it leads to growth.
Open source politics, policy based on Internet values and myths, can deliver the rapid changes we need to deal with our real problems – the environment, energy.
It can help us deal with our real threats – China, India.
(That’s Eric Raymond. He and Stallman might be a Marx and Engels for the 21st century, although their politics are quite different. Which is jus the point.)
Those who have been on the Internet for any period of time know what those values are, intuitively:
- Give first. Share knowledge.
- Collaborate. Work together.
- Come to consensus, not just a narrow majority.
We also know what the Internet needs, what people need, in order for these values to grow:
- Bandwidth.
- Competition and choices
- Free use of the past to build the future.
The Open Source Myth, and Open Source Values, are a coherent response to the challenges facing us. They answer the question of Iraq brilliantly, by changing the subject.
We can’t win the war of ideas in Iraq, or anywhere, through our military might. We can only win it by engaging, as free people, and that’s the only way Iraq can win as well.
The Open Source Myth also answers the challenge of the Global War, again by changing the subject. We will defend, but we don’t need to attack, because we can replace whatever is lost. We will attack with our ideals, with our culture, with our science and our engineering. The idea that the wealth of the world’s great minds, working together, can’t beat a bunch of ragheads living in caves – that’s the abomination. Paranoia is not working. Let’s find something else.
If you’re having trouble with the above paragraphs, that’s fine. The Open Source Myth is not programmatic. Like any political myth, it tells you how to proceed, not what to do.
Use the open source myth and you will find the answers you are looking for.
