[governance] Comments on Rio - Suggestions for Delhi - main

[McTim]

On Thu, Feb 14, 2008 at 1:52 PM, Parminder <parminder at itforchange.net> wrote:
>
>  McTim
>
>  Though you have advised against our carrying on this discussion, there is
>  something I just must comment on
>
>
> > 1) Internet admin bodies are squarely within the realm of CS,
>
>
> No way, forget it. No body that exercises power in realms that directly
>  affect other people (and a considerable number of them, all internet users)
>  can be considered CS.

Well that's just silly. Consider for a second the Board of a
non-profit, non-state hospital composed entirely of volunteers.  They
wield considerable "power" that affects others, but are certainly CS,
no?

Every development NGO operating here in Uganda exercises power (who
they feed, who gets their bed nets, what their education curriculum
is, etc, etc)  Are you suggesting that none of these is CS?

 Even by the definition you picked (at
>  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Society#Definition )it wont pass.

It passes in my book, and the LSE seems to agree with me!

Where in any of the below definitions of CS does it mention the
criteria of "not exercising(sic) power in realms that directly
affect other people"?

http://tinyurl.com/25jtfl

admittedly, this is only the first 14 results on Google, and only in
English, but all the Internet admin orgs I have ever worked with pass
muster according to each of the 15 definitions I have offered.

 Tell me
>  one category in this definition where any body exercises direct and explicit
>  (and not merely implicitly) power on any group/ community outside the body.

You mean these categories:

"registered charities, development non-governmental organizations,
community groups, women's organizations, faith-based organizations,
professional associations, trade unions, self-help groups, social
movements, business associations, coalitions and advocacy groups"??

If so, I will pick one as you asked and give an example. Trade Unions,
when they strike, certainly exercise power over those not in the trade
union (If I can't get to work because of someone else's action, I
would say that is an exercise of power.

>  Please do not misuse the term CS in this manner.

see above 14 other definitions, I think it is you who are outside the
mainstream in defining CS according to this criteria.

>
>  I can still understand someone arguing that one can be CS and still be on
>  these bodies, but to say these bodies are a part of the CS is just the
>  limit.

So you are not only taking it upon yourself to define CS for this
group, but you are giving me "limits" on what I can believe or say?

If that is the case, I will happily unsubscribe from this group, and
spend my time exercising "power" by participating in the Internet
admin bodies (which most on this list refuse to participate in
despited repeated invitations) that are actively practicing EC.

-- 
Cheers,

McTim
$ whois -h whois.afrinic.net mctim
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