A STATEMENT OF INTENT:
the purpose of the Drive-in is to disseminate subversion, create community, and spread joy.
we live in a time of negative chaos and authoritarian nonsense. we are watching the Great Western Machine die from the inside, and its death throes are causing real harm to those we love. there is no accounting for the damage that those in power will do before they are stopped. it is little comfort to intuit that change is coming, because change is incremental, and inevitably arrives later than needed. Until then we must fortify ourselves.
how do we do this? by reminding each other that there is no such thing as a Perfect System. all things made by humans are imperfect and break when pressure is applied to the right places. laughter, pointed criticism and derision is one way to apply this pressure.
coming together on a regular basis as friends, comrades and lovers is another. we remind each other that we are not alone in this howling vortex, that each one of us is a source of light and strength for each other.
lastly is joy, which we need, which we deserve. we deserve joy even in times of crazy darkness, even when our little efforts and silly games seem pointless. it is joy that makes it all worthwhile.
the Drive-in is a haven for these things, if nothing else. it would be folly to declare our puny efforts to be integral. but speaking for myself only, when i read about the ongoing horrible shit going on in the world, i start looking forward to DiS--putting together the playlist, choosing the movie and the videos and putting together the interstitials and picking out the pre-show materials, hoping it makes those who attend a little happier, feel a little bit less alone out there. i look forward to seeing my friends.
i don't mean to inflate the Drive-in's importance. i don't mean to imply that its existence overrides the necessity of critical activism, which i need to carry out more of on my part.
but i want to make sure that everyone knows the intent by which i and others continue to produce Drive-in content. we are in this for the long haul.
DiS has always been, and will always be, a refuge and a place of kinship and love.
Long Live the Fighters.