CyberReport by Gene Thomas by Gene

art dance exhibits human_rights theater interviews music netcast rave Interviews Craig Newmark Mark Pesce Interview Digiterai and nukes Small World Connection RU Sirius interview Wavy Gravy Peace Chain Claire Greenfelder Denise Caruso Mark Pesce Digital Be-In is brought to you by Verbum. Verbum has no liability for content whatsoever. No, you can't resell anything on this site without Verbum's permission. Copyright 1997 - 1998 Verbum and David Gross. All Rights Reserved.

Wavy Gravy, America's comic spirit since the Summer of Love, has a long connection to the Digital Be-in, having been introduced to the yearly event by Timothy Leary. He's at home in Berkeley today, recovering from back surgery, but he's sent a videotaped message of good wishes with a song he's written and a reading of a poem by Judy Chicago to express his feelings about Human Rights, and his support for the Be-In's theme: Human Rights in Cyberspace. "I'm glad they've selected a theme that has such outreach, and such importance, " he said. For Wavy, cyberspace is a fundamental way of expanding human rights: "it helps get the word out, it's communication and very important. The more everyone knows what there is to be known, the less they can be manipulated by tyrants. " Wavy himself, has a strong presence in cyberspace, though he couldn't recall his exact address: "just put 'Wavy Gravy' into a search engine, and you'll find plenty. " Gravy's site has won awards for its design. But concern for others is what motivates Wavy. He runs a summer camp for children called Camp Winnarainbow, (which has its own web page), and although the camp teaches clown skills, it also teaches experiential lessons in human rights. "One technique we use is pretty effective. On a certain night we feed all the kids beans and rice, except for one table. That table gets waiters, and great, fancy food. It brings up some strong feelings. Afterwards, the kids have a lot to talk about, and a sense of how things are distributed in the world. " Wavy is also what he calls the "FUN-d Raiser" for the Seva Project (also represented on the Web), which was originally founded by doctors and other health workers who contributed to the first eradication of a major disease with their work against small pox. Today the Seva Project does community-building with the Sandinistas and work against diabetes on Native American reservations. Wavy describes the personal rewards for his connection to the project--"I just had a buffalo named after me". But for Wavy, human rights is the basic focus of his work: "I saw some graffiti on an outhouse in Kansas that expressed it best: 'Freedom is self-control, nothing more and nothing less', it made the hair on my arms stand up when I read that. " Even so, Wavy says you've got to keep it all fun. "If you don't have a sense of humor, it just isn't fun anymore „ that's what's kept me sane. " Does that mean that Wavy considers himself sane? "Well, it's like Fire Sign Theater used to say: 'crazy yes, but not insane. '"