This article was first published in 1995.
This is the 1997 version: re-sculpted as a new manifesto for Thee Data Base.

Knowing Is Not Enough : Thee Second Manifesto ov Thee Data Base

July 1997 C.E.

There are probably many of you reading this that have not encountered Thee Data Base before. One of the biggest problems we have encountered in trying to promote the zine is trying to answer the question, "What is Thee Data Base?". We usually spin some inadequate reply such as "well, it's a kind of fanzine, except we're not really fans of anything, except that we are fans of some things, but they're not in here, it's kind of a political disco conspiracy fortean thing"

It's probably better that we don't actually define ourselves too much. But it would be fair to ask, "What's the point? Exactly what is the purpose of the zine?" And have we, since our Xerox beginnings in 1993, achieved what we set out to do?

The opening editorial in issue one said that TDB was set up to provide a "forum for the free exchange of information and opinions". It started as an honest attempt to establish a notice-board for ideas, prompted perhaps by what we had read in the press or by what was worrying us at the time. It was genuinely altruistic - we had the resources and the time that we suspected other people did not have, so we thought "let's get people talking".

It came as a some surprise when the magazine turned into such a success. We built a strong mailing list and were soon producing 1,500 copies of each issue, distributed far and wide across the You-K and beyond. The last paper based issue was published in January 1996.
So why the reason for this outrageous hiatus?

Truth is, we're older and slightly wiser. The powerful naivetŽ that spurned the magazine has disappeared. When we marched against road closures we knew that we were kicking against the pricks, against an uncaring media and an uncaring populace. When we branded McDonalds the most corrupt multi-national in the world, we waited for the world to listen. Previously unpopular issues such as those were responsible, in some part, for launching Thee Data Base. Now, they are national causes, championed in the broadsheets. Swampy, The Great Unwashed, has somehow become a national hero. Apathy is being eroded. TDB wanted to push unfriendly and uncompromising ideas into popular culture, to open eyes, to crowbar minds and to make the comfortable feel uncomfortable. To a point, that desire has been realised. As we thrashed away at our laptops, the world was changing. The names and faces may have changed, but the purpose of TDB has not. There are just as many challenging ideas that need an airing, there are just as many heroes and bastards that need exposed. And our message remains the same: Knowing Is Not Enough.

What do we mean by that?

Knowing that you can do better than sitting watching endless hours of TV is not enough. Knowing that corruption and greed are the basis on which much of this country is built on is not enough. Knowing that the war on drugs is a shambolic and hypocritical attempt to restrict the freedom of the individual is not enough. Knowing that radical philosophers and artists have been, and will be, ostracised for centuries is not enough. Knowledge of any kind must be acted upon in order to effect a change in ourselves. That in turn may one day effect a change in the world around us.

TDB can offer the facts, the opinions, that, for the most part, would be more effectively assimilated with a simultaneous plan of action. Such action takes many forms from further reading, to protest writing, to spreading the word, to changing one's spending habits, to abstaining from television and so forth. TDB will continue to connect and motivate a disparate network of people and will continue to provide a central point of contact and exchange.

And so, are we likely to see the analogue, off-line publication ever again?

The internet, through email, newsgroups, IRCs and the web, is the most effective form of network communication that the world has ever seen. The cost to publish on the net and the time it involves is far less than that of a paper-based magazine. The methods and costs of distribution make the dissemination of information faster and more economical.

However, it has been said that the new rich and poor in the world will be those with access to technology versus those who do not. We do not and cannot ever assume that, in the near future, everyone will have net access. We cannot allow the internet to be our only mouthpiece. Paper and ink is still alive and kicking.

I suspect that the format of a re-launched TDB will change - the look and feel will differ and the focus will shift. Our concerns may be more intimate, more personal, but they will certainly remain uncompromising.

As ever, TDB goes nowhere without the support of its network. There are many things you can do to assist us.

1. Write. We need articles for the web site, for the e-zine and ultimately for the off-line magazine. By now, you will have a feel for TDB - you know where our interests lie. Please do not allow that to restrict you. We deal with innovative, contemplative, original and challenging ideas. That may simply be passing on information from other sources (books, newspapers, other magazines -whatever) or it may be an opportunity to explore your own thoughts, to air opinions in a forum that will avoid being judgmental.

2. Spread the word. Gather a list of your friends with email addresses - pass them on to us or ask them to subscribe to TDB e-zine. Pass on this web address to any and all people that you think might be interested and might benefit from it. Submit it to magazines in your area, post in it newsgroups and if you have a web site, make a link to us (we will be only too glad to make a reciprocal link back again).

3. Join our Distribution Support. This may take the form of sending us as many stamps as you can (a new PO Box will appear in London soon - watch this space) or by agreeing to take a batch of magazines and spreading them around in your area. TDB is a free publication (and always will be), and as such distribution is a costly business to us. We make no money from TDB, but simultaneously we don't want to end up bankrupt. Please help with distribution in whatever way you can.

Feedback and correspondence to TDB is encouraged.

Don't lurk - live.

[stuart b]