I want to start a workers' owned and controlled co-operative. The idea is to support businesses in transition to free software and European operated digital services. It got some initial traction on the fediverse and I feel like we might be off to a good start. I'm very excited! Now, because I believe that some level of ideological alignment is necessary, and because I'm a certified nerd 🤓 I wrote the following manifesto as a guide to how and with whom I want to work. It's my personal statement, and I have no right to impose it on anyone else, but if you significantly disagree with any part of it, then we probably shouldn't work together. That is unless you can change my mind first. Here it goes.
All those principles are important, but the order matters, because life is complicated and full of edge cases. Mostly fairness, honesty and freedom reinforce each other, but sometimes they clash and have to be negotiated. For example freedom of speech is very important, but it doesn't absolve spreading lies and misinformation. You are free to be wrong. To err is human. But it's only ok to say wrong things if you honestly believe what you say, and only if you are willing to change your mind. Willful ignorance is just lying to yourself. So in my eyes honesty trumps freedom. Honesty is a mean to discover truth (whatever it might be), and knowing truth should be a mean to foster fairness. For example it is not fair to tell young children about the horrors of war. Or if you are an atheist like me, it's not fair to tell a dying believer that there is no afterlife. If you are using truth to harm others, or even being honest, but in a disrespectful way, you are no friend of mine and I won't do business with you.
There is no freedom in poverty. My motivation to start a workers owned and controlled business is partially political and ideological (it's a fair deal), but it's meant to be a vehicle to earn money and we need to be honest about it. See what I did there 😉
Centralized, proprietary software systems are fundamentally unfair, hostile to freedom and often sustained by lies and used to spread misinformation. So loosening their grip on us and people around us is useful work.
Positive means effective and that harmful side effects don't outweight usefulness of our work.
Please join the co-op to support other memebers in their work. Naturally this way you will be supported too. On the contrary, if we all come to primarily get support, we are going to drift apart.
Trust is something to be earned. I'm going to earn your trust by supporting you the best I can, by being honest and fair, and by respecting your freedom. Please try to do the same.
You don't need to earn my respect, but you might loose it, especially if you behave in a disrespectful way toward others.
The institution of boss is incompatible with freedom and fairness. Leadership and authority should be freelly given, and when abused - taken away.