I'm wondering how you're planning to successfully work with a combination of Lego and political views, because let's be fair, that's what LibertyLUG will essentially be about. The only thing that can make people say "I want to become a member of LibertyLUG!" would be an opportunity to express their political views through MOCs.
I think that is a strong appeal since most lego communities try to avoid those issues and this could be an outlet. I don't think that's the ONLY appeal, nor do I think that 'political' MOCs are the only thing we would do. But I do think most politics would show up in MOCs, and not so much in other activities since our group guidelines stress professionalism and being active.
The past has shown us this can be done very well but always has a flipside. As with political art, writing, etcetera, there will always be people who oppose these views, and if you're not catering to a certain group, wouldn't this cause conflict within LibertyLUG eventually?
If people feel that we are obligated to cover their issues, that might be a problem since we don't believe in being forced to do things. If an opposing view exists, perhaps they will form their own group, or produce their own MOC, or publish their own critiques. That's the nice thing about liberty, and it's why we've established this as a foundation of the LUG.
I may see it wrong, so be sure to note that this is just the way I see it and I realize I can be wrong. But the way I've seen it happen on other LUG sites is that no matter how well built political MOCs are, there are always people who get offended by them, even if just for the sake of getting offended or arguing for that matter. They will retort in saying they're just expressing their own political views and there really is no civilized way to end or repress it.
I've seen this before with artwork and artists who defend what they do with what seem like excuses/cop-outs. I like to state my reasons for a piece if I believe it's going to arouse passions, but I hardly ever create that kind of work. Again, let me say we're not expecting all of our output to be political in nature, let alone controversial. Creating MOCs is just one element of our liberty-oriented group.
For example, in Classic-Castle we can all disagree and argue but in the end we're all Lego Castle fans, or we quite simply wouldn't be here. Classic-Spacers can argue all they want (and they do a lot), but in the end if they see a well-built space ship, they'll all admire it equally and agree on how great it is.
Exactly. And I really enjoy the way such focus builds a nice, tight-knit community. For LibertyLUG, we're not suggesting people have license to do whatever they want without consequences. I really hope people have moved beyond creating obscene or bigoted art and then hiding behind the justification that it's a 'freedom of speech' issue. That is not our intent. We seek the opportunity to use our freedoms to express the virtues of liberty, peace, etc, and point out injustice, tyranny.
what binds LibertyLUG members together? What makes them say "Yes we both support the same thing" when we know expressing political views can offend and cause arguments?
You have insight into Classic Castle and what keeps its members together. To explain this association to an outsider is not unlike explaining the association of liberty advocates to those who don't follow such issues. People rooted in the philosophy and history of liberty are like Lego fans: They may have their own way of approaching the subject (writing, activism, debate, etc), as lego has fan-based themes which people organize around (space, castle, and cross pollinating to create new themes/subthemes), but they have common bonds in the core philosophy, just as with Lego groups there is a core philosophy of improving skill and technique, and enjoying the community with friends. And, just like Lego fans, each individual brings their own interests to the table. The common thread should be a support for voluntary action, whatever your ideology may be.
I don't believe you are undermining the LUG. You're helping me explain in greater detail. Much appreciated Aliencat!
DS
