Is mobilisation about supporting towards civil disobedience? If so, I donât think that is interchangeable with âOutreachâ (as I understand âOutreachâ) as we would be missing all the other people who arenât focussed on actions (like me, for example).
Mobilisation is about movement building, actions is about actions.
1 Like
FYI, I got that impression from the Mass Mobilisations Manual linked to in âAus MMâ mattermost header.
Is a âwelcomerâ the same as a buddy? Or is the buddy a with-in the Local Group thing, and a welcomer is someone to go to if the newbie wants to ask about a bigger picture thing? A meta-buddy 
I was thinking more âmeta-buddyâ, though could be either.
The person needs to tailor their response to the needs of the newbie: they could want to join a local group, or they could have other skills for national teams, for example.
A few thoughts from my working life as a psychologist . Vocabulary is of huge importance in attracting people to the rebellion. There are serious prospects of gender and power bias in the vocabulary we use . My and others view is that the vocabulary "mobilisation " brings a heap of male and military cultural baggage from the patriarchy that I believe is harmful to rebels joining and staying in XR. If we use the vocabulary âmobilisationâ we can give the unintended and unspoken but powerful message that the locus of action is with the more powerful mobiliser who âdoes somethingâ to the others. The Rebels or potential rebels become the âObjectâ for the more important and powerful âmobilserâ.
Often in vocabulary, single word definitions, frequently ending in âizationâ or âologyâ or âtionâ have an unequal power basis. On the other hand; vocabulary that places the agency - and power - with the people we want to attract are ordinary words, and often groups of words, such as - come along to - join - find out about - see what you think.
We the recruiters can âinspireâ âencourageâ, âprovide help toâ - and that leaves space for the people we want to recruit to retain their feeling of agency, choice and power.
3 Likes
Just clarifying - the above comments are about vocabulary - NOT a reflection on the wonderful rebels that are working so hard in the âMass Mobilizationâ space. 
Thanks
for all you do
2 Likes
@Wattlemoss While you are right the term moblisation is often used in a military context (i.e. troop mobilisation) it is probably not an issue for XR. To confuse XRâ's use with the military use of the term is unlikely as it is obvious XR is not about war but preventing it through preserving global ecosystems - the breakdown of which will lead to war and increased conflict over food and resources if we do not act urgently. While I agree war has been one of the most common examples where large numbers of people have been mobilised (going back to Ancient Mesopotamia at least) I do not think it is the only context it has been used - or could be used. For XR the word has a specific meaning - when tens of thousands of people gather in the capitals of major cities to force political change. Anyone who familiarizes themselves with XR would realis this - so I personally do not feel there is any need to change the name - although others may have different views on the issue. This is what political mobilization looks like - when tens of thousands gathered in the cities of Eastern Europe to bring down Communism in the late 1980s. This is the kind of mobilization XR hopes to achieve in order to address the climate and ecological crisis:
I remember a talk with Liam from the UK a few months ago and he said that in the build up to April 2019 they thought they would only have a few hundred people show up. What actually drew the crowds were those few hundred blockading the roads - and the music and other festival like things they had set up where people could hang out and dance - while people blocked the roads. I am not sure if this is planned for later in the year. In my experience XR actions here have been putting the cart before the horse - never organizing a major disruptive action for there is insufficient capacity - which means the kind of event that produced the capacity in the UK never occurs.
When Mass Mob started here it was stated at the outset that a time and place would be designated - and actions leading up to that date would advertise it months in advance. When XR talks are given people would be told this is the date - and be there! This is something concrete people can do with a clear and decisive purpose - and which can be communicated through social and traditional media (the MM for past actions here has been vague with it not really being clear what is happening and when - accept that there will be a âweekâ of rebellion/events).
Is this more focused and concrete strategy happening in wave three? That would give two to three months to prepare and to let people know. For the last week of actions earlier this year friends said to me âthere is a lot on - I might go to one of the events on the weekend.â They had no idea it was about mass mobilization - they were interested in a workshop. There appeared to be no focused time and place to focus energies - with resources and events spread out over an entire week - and in different places around the city. There was no sense of a mass blockade with unity or purpose. Is this merely part of wave 2 capacity building - and unity of purpose is scheduled for wave 3?
My point being 100 people blocking the same place at the same time may be more effective that ten different actions with 10 arrests each spread over a week which only last for an hour or two each. Also it seems that such a blockade is what helps build capacity as more people come down to see what is happening out of curiosity - and if it can be maintained at least one night - then people have time to check it out and even join (it has its own momentum). This is how it worked in the UK - the small action built up over the first few hours and then days to make it a very large one. It seems as if always thinking XR in Australia lacks capacity the really bold actions that originally built capacity in the UK are never undertaken. Also when people see lots of little actions happening they may think they are ineffective. There is no focal point of action for people to direct their collective energies.
I still do not understand why planning is focused on having a week of Rebellion with different groups organising different actions. Shouldnât a date be chosen - say Oct the 8th at 8am - and have all of XR arrestables with support congregate in one or two places (in either Sydney and/or Melbourne). And it lasts as long as possible with the aim to get through the night. Once you have held a space for five or six hours - and set up musicians - then the crowds come - as it is compelling and effective. From what I have seen so far there is very little in XR actions that draw people into the city and the space being held. Not sure if these issues have been considered - but this seems to be the difference between what occurred in the UK and here in Australia? We are putting the cart before the horse - trying to build capacity - when it is the bold coordinated action of a few hundred that builds the capacity of thousands - on the day of the action - and not before (if we go by the UK example).
For example during the last week of actions in Melbourne a truck was parked in the middle of an intersection. What if this were done - and then 50 people sat around it and locked on? And then music began playing? It seems parking that truck there - while bold and brave - was a lost opportunity. How many people were arrested at different locations during that same week? What if they all were coordinated and in the same place - combined with the truck - which was equipped with speakers - which eventually creates a dance party? And once that is underway then the momentum and capacity builds. You need to show the public what a blockade is and means - for people to want to join it. Some photos of how this was done in the UK April 2019:
2 Likes
Agree
1 Like