Yo! Rich Hollywood "Big Shots." Wanna make a real difference?

I want to spark a social revolution, and am trying to do my part. But now I have the unwelcome task of asking for your help. Normally I wouldn't think of demeaning myself like this, but we don't live in normal times. So I seek your assistance because I'm broke; you're rich. You are connected insiders; I am an atomized outcast. I've got brains; you've got celebrity. I've got guts; you've got your esthetician's number on speed dial. You are "beautiful" trend-setters; I'm a grubby punk rock micro-publishing activist.

But we do have at least one thing in common. We know that a criminal gang has hijacked our federal government. They're plundering our treasure and killing innocents to perpetrate illegal wars. They have grievously wounded our national reputation, made a grotesque mockery of our civil liberties, and have put us all in grave danger. In other words, this situation is fucked up and something must be done.

The harsh news is this "something" must be "done" by us, the people. The happy news is that, with a bit of cooperation, we can. And I know of no better place to solicit help than from deep inside the bowels of the Great Satan itself: Hollywood. Y'all most definitely be part of the problem. Here's your chance to put your natural do-gooder instincts to work and become part of the solution. Instead of idly bitching about the assholes who've driven our nation--indeed our planet--onto the fast-track towards hell, you glittering celebs can join us grubby grassroots people to demand they step aside as we take back the reigns of our republic.

How? First we undermine their propaganda machine, also known as the corporate-owned and government-controlled media. A good place to start is by reading and signing the Bill of Citizens’ Media Rights. Next, you can call at least 3 of your elected representatives and demand they read and sign it too. After that, you can call all of your "friends" and cajole them to also read and sign this bill.

Next we can begin building an organic, hyperlinked grassroots media network. Fortunately we have wonderful resources at our disposal to help accomplish such a mission: free information processing and publishing tools conceived, developed and maintained by a global community of volunteer hackers. Think of these technologies as akin to transforming an ordinary, crappy little website into an online micro-publishing & communications center. On steroids. These tools enable ordinary citizens and community-based organizations--like churches, cooperatives, schools, unions, political and activist groups--to easily publish, broadcast, narrowcast, podcast or otherwise distribute news, information and commentary.

The fly in the ointment? It's that most small community organizations have neither the expertise, nor the budget to figure out how to use these powerful technologies, which are, after all, mostly developed by geeks for geeks. Installation and user manuals are written in "Geek," which is incomprehensible to most folks. ("It's all 'Geek' to me.") In fact, most people are unaware these technologies even exist.

This is too bad, because what small community organizations do have is a wealth of information and expertise locked up in their committed cadre of volunteers and poorly-paid staff. These people work at the community level, and are intimately acquainted with the concerns, issues, and problems in their communities. But all too often these folks are not heard in the halls of power. That's because, unlike big transnational corporations, they can't hire fancy K Street lobbyists to represent their interests in Washington D.C.

What they can afford, however, is free (open source) technology. This is especially true if someone can train them how to use it. That someone is me, and others like me, who can speak both Geek and English. Right now relatively few of us exist. Scarcer still are simple and useful training materials for using these powerful free technologies. It's urgent that we create more of both.

Imagine, for just a moment, a network of hyperlinked and empowered citizens working at the grassroots level, bringing to light the concerns of communities everywhere. A beautiful picture begins to emerge. Real interests of real people come into focus. Regular citizens experience a real joy as issues and concerns near and dear to their hearts, like universal health care or better schools, are acted upon.

Gutenberg's printing press revolutionized literacy throughout Europe shortly after its invention, and ushered in the Age of Enlightenment. Today, at the dawn of the 21st Century, you have the opportunity to help usher in the Age of Hyper-Enlightenment by working to ensure that each community organization has its own 21st Century equivalent of Gutenberg's printing press, and the skills to use it.

Now here's where things get interesting. As we reclaim our "good citizen" responsibilities by taking the initiative to better inform ourselves, then acting on that information, a whole new picture of the society we live in emerges. The dense fog of disinformation, imposed by a squalid empire of corporate-owned mass media, begins to clear. Replacing it is the bright light of mass reality. Little by little, all manner of outrages perpetrated upon ordinary citizens by the masters of manipulation are exposed. As a result, corrupt politicians lose elections, predatory corporations go bankrupt, and we ordinary citizens forge an economic, political and social alliance that best represents our interests.

Now back to my appeal for help. I need at least one or two of you to conjure up someone willing to underwrite my fledgling media organization, Open Media Center. You may have guessed by now that I'm neither an experienced schmoozer nor much of a "people person." And I'm unquestionably allergic to writing grant proposals and business plans. Therefore I've tried to fund my little organization all by myself, but now I'm flat broke. Normally this wouldn't bother me, but time is precious and the moment to act is now. If you want to maintain the fantasy that you're a social change agent and a force for good, then email me and I'll show you how you can keep your delusions of grandeur and make a valid contribution to society at the same time.

On the other hand you may choose to ignore my plea. You may not want to have anything to do with helping create a micro-publishing infrastructure that lets a thousand communities bloom. If so, when the revolution comes remember this: You coulda had class. You coulda been a contender.

Dave Myers
Open Media Center | Open Manifesto
Portland, Oregon