Greetings,

desptie being distinctly uncomfortable with the idea of being labelled any one thing in particular, i appreciate that i may well be one of the folk that the original question of this thread applies to.

And, alas, i dont have any answers for you. By way of analogy, the situation of being resistant to the dominant culture is a little like being one of the unlucky few Germans during the 30s who saw what was coming. Obviously the consequences of getting out of line for me are not likley to be lethal, but they can very much mean the end of a career, loss of any kind of social standing, and a consequent loss of any real capacity to do anything.

In some situations this may well be a worthwhile sacrifice to make. In a great many it is not. So what to do? For i it has been a case of trying to work myself into a position wher the way that i think has the greatest capacity to effect some kind of change. It is a strategy of being patient and waiting for opportunities, of maximising every little advantage and covering up as many vulnerabilities as possible. It is a strategy of trying to stay aware of things and on top of the possibilities as they arise, of making alliances with folk who may not be on exactly the same trod, but who are looking towards similar objectives. In short it is the classic approach to combat that has been adopted by the less powerful from the earliest times, only minus the use of violence.

Cant say that i am particulalry effective, but with enough people eating away at babylon from the insides, who knows what is possible. Times right now are tough, the conservative forces are in ascendency, but all things pass...

And I hope that you are feeling better Bantu Kelani, the board is a poorer place, in my opinion, without teh warming glow of your fire!

love and life
paul