Explaining symbols (like the snail) and words (like 'sosiaalikeskus')

Hello...

This is a list of the different words and symbols appearing on this forum: 'Sosiaalikeskus', 'Another scene is possible', Snails, and the Television set.

And here are the explanations for why:

Sosiaalikeskus - means 'social centre' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_center) in Finnish. The blog (http://sosiaalikeskus.wordpress.com/) related to this forum, also has 'sosiaalikeskus' in the url since it got started as a response to the exclusion I faced within a social centre project in Helsinki, Finland (http://satama.org/). I guess I'm still hoping for people relating to Sosiaalikeskus Satama to recognize me as a valid and contributing part of the project.

Another scene is possible - refers to the name of the previously mentioned blog, which in its turn is a reference to "Another world is possible" - the slogan of the European Social Forum (http://www.fse-esf.org/) and the World Social Forum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Social_Forum).

With changing the 'world' to 'scene', I'm hoping to change the strongly held belief within the 'scene' or the 'social change movements', 'alterglobalization movement' - or whatever you wish to call it - that we can't change the social relations within our groups and networks. There's a great sigh of resignation (as well as mega defensive reactions) coming out whenever the issues of internal hierarchies and exclusion are brought to the table.

With the motto 'Another scene is possible', I wish to bring attention to the fact that our interpersonal relations, and how we treat each other within the scene, is not something apart from the different world that we envision ourselves to live in.

'Scene' is also a reminder of the roles that we act out on a daily basis, and that we, just as in Forum Theatre - or Theatre of the Oppressed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_the_Oppressed), can try out many different scenarios. We don't have to be stuck in habit and endless repetition.

Snails - a symbol used by the Zapatistas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zapatista_Army_of_National_Liberation) - a snail of resistance - relating to the past of Mayan ancestors summoning the community by blowing a conch shell as a horn, and the spiral of the snail shell linking the past with the present, as well as representing a decentralized way of organizing communities - or caracoles, meaning snail; shell (http://www.stateofnature.org/theZapatistaCaracoles.html).

Like the snail, a revolution is a slow phenomenon, and organizing in new ways takes time, not something that we change or get into from one day to another.

A second meaning to the snail, would be how scared we are of revealing ourselves emotionally. The shell is our protection against the world, where we keep our feelings to ourselves. A place where we hide, and also a place where we are alone, and isolated.

I would like for this forum to be a place, where we, just as the snail, slowly come out of our shells and start feeling around and reach out to what's around us.

The Television Set - the television set displaying white noise, and screening "Members Online at the moment" is a reference to the dominant culture that I've been growing up with and been indoctrinated by. There is no need for guns and bombs when there's a television set making us want Burgers and Jeans and a happy shiny Clean White Western Life-Style. It's a reference to Gil Scott-Heron's The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, from 1972 (https://www.msu.edu/~miazgama/TheRevolutionWillNotBeTelevized.htm).

[and since i'm a feminist here's some more references on the references... Sarah Jones and "Your Revolution". Words: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmaWDCH2tBg with Beats, Check it out! : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCZxepRgMlo&feature=related]


In hope that the internet which has replaced the television in keeping us entertained and sedated, will also provide a forum for the ones willing to connect and start something different, the screen is also self-irony, being fully aware, that I spend many hours in front of a blinking screen in order to "connect".

Let's see what happens. I tried to make this forum a "cozy" place to hang out. Maybe we can make the pixels come alive. Maybe we can find strength and community here, to pass on to "real" life.

If not. At least it's a good prototype of what could be... A future distant from the gloomy Skulls and Bones and Black (http://www.crustpunks.com/images/conflict11.JPG) that I hope someday will be a thing of the past for the scene. A future with Snails and Stars and: Alive & Buzzing with - welcoming Diversity.