Notes on our Seventh Meeting

UPDATE: Our friends at RGV No State have once again been kind enough to host the audio recording of this meeting. You can find it and the previous recording here.

Date: December 12, 2010
Time: 6-8pm
Location: South Texas College, J 1.208
Attendance: 17

The Rio Grande Valley Zeitgeist Movement held it's seventh general meeting in McAllen, Texas on Wednesday evening. This was one of our most well attended meetings, and we discussed some important upcoming events both to our local group and the global movement efforts.

Our main topic of discussion was regarding the upcoming McAllen Artwalk event coming up this Friday, between 6 and 10 PM along Main St. Our general plans are to arrive early so we can set up our table and chairs near a location with electrical power. Many members will be producing and distributing flyers, DVD's, banners, Tshirts with relevant designs and even musical performances. More importantly, we will be engaging directly with the public and attempting to help people understand our ideas and direction. This has lead to some members having concerns about the unity and tone of our message, and we ask that any member who has an objection to anything that we distribute to others on behalf of our organization to notify us immediately so we can discuss and alter the document if neccessary to better conform to the Movement's goals. I encourage all of our members to provide feedback on the proposed flyer designs that have been posted in our discussion and alert us about any potential problems that you may see. Previous experience has shown that many people are aware of the films or the movement, but unaware that we had a local chapter. We will also likely be encountering those individuals who are critical of our ideas, and attempting to help allay their fears or help them to better understand what we are trying to accomplish. This will be a challenge for all of us involved, but a necessary and ultimately rewarding one, for helping others understand is important to enhancing our own comprehension. I encourage everyone who supports the movement to stop by and let us know that you are in the community. I also hope that those who have serious questions or concerns to come engage us directly so that we can help each other find common ground and a better understanding for all involved.

Our second main topic of discussion was that of the upcoming screening of Zeitgeist Moving Forward. We will be confirming our available time slots with the STC venues sometime in the coming weeks, and that will help inform our decisions regarding what specific times we wish to show the film, and if we can dedicate time to showing the previous films and lectures as well. As I have mentioned in the Google Groups discussion platform, I have inquired with Cine El Rey as to their venue availability and pricing structure, and they informed me that a free to public non-profit screening will cost $600 per screening day. This is opposed to a $2000 dollar fee for screenings that charge a ticket price. I will continue to communicate with the venue representatives to determine if a different arrangement can be made, and hopefully we can secure this venue as well. One member brought up the possibility that we can screen the film in the Boarder Theater in Mission. We will look into that possibility very soon. The major commercial theater venues will continue to be considered for this and future events, but the outlook does not look good for their cooperation. Another member indicated that the Edinburg Public Library would be able to host a non-profit organization, so this will be another venue we will pursue. We will continue to post progress on this project as it occurs.

Lastly, we continued our efforts in better honing our argument and persuasion skills by discussing some recent criticisms and concerns that our members have been considering. We were fortunate enough to be provided with a copy of The Zeitgeist Movement Manual which was copied and printed by one of our newest members. I hope all who attended get a chance to read the relevant sections of the document and see if it aids us in our upcoming activism. We also discussed the official movement documents and how they fit in with our techniques and arguments for our cause. There is a great deal of information both in the Member guide and the Venus Project FAQ's that will be vital to know and understand if we are to effectively be conversant and persuasive on a variety of issues. The better informed we are, the better we can inform others.

We concluded with a discussion of some late breaking Venus Project news regarding the Pangea organization in Greece. They have garnered a full endorsement from Jacque Fresco and Roxanne Meadows and are working towards the initial stages of a Resource Based Economy. This is significant news in regards to just how soon we can start thinking of this movement's goals coming to fruition. As we continue to monitor and assess their efforts, we can gain confidence in ability of this new system to truly resolve fundamental issues and  bring true hope to those who have been waiting for it for such a long time.

The next meeting will likely be on December 18th, and we will announce the details of that meeting as they emerge. Thank you for your time and attention, and I hope to see you this Friday in McAllen. Please remember to dress warmly and bring beverages and a snack if you plan on staying for an extended period of time. Let's have a safe and fruitful event for all of us involved!