I've always loved Kids in the Hall. I used to go and be part of the audience for the tapings of their old show here in Toronto, and their skits continue to pop into my head at all sorts of weird moments.

So yesterday I was recovering from an exciting event the day before, and still thinking about the intersection of community, technology, politics, and culture, when the KitH song "These are the Daves I know" jumped into my head.

Davids are wonderful human beings. I've known and loved many Davids in my three point three decades of this life. In fact Jesses have a unique relationship with Davids as Isiah chapter 11 describes Jesse as the father of David, Jesse of course described in that chapter as root.

Here in Toronto there has recently been a conflict brewing between two Daves I know, and last night as I saw this dispute seep into tweets, the Bruce McCulloch song got me thinking about Daves in general, and some of the Daves I know.

As in addition to being wonderful, Davids also tend to be powerful. And I must say I've known some rather powerful Davids. As it stands the mayor of Toronto is David Miller. I no longer like him that much, but I did contribute to his first successful mayoral campaign, and he's been in the news lately as he wants even more executive power.

However two other powerful Davids that are making waves in Toronto right now are David Crow and Dave Forde. I like both of these Daves, unfortunately I'm not sure they feel the same about each other, which is too bad, as united these two Davids could enable quite a bit of positive change.

David Crow is a local maverick who acts as the nucleus of the vibrant and influential TorCamp community. While I've been critical of Mr. Crow, I like him a lot, and respect his mind and work. He's been genuinely successful at connecting elements of this city that would otherwise have remained isolated and irrelevant. Even before getting hired by Microsoft, David had accumulated a level of personal and social power that was substantial. Now that he's backed by our modern day Goliath, this David is becoming a local titan, although I'm not sure how conscious of this he is.

Dave Forde on the other hand is someone who I've not known as long as David Crow, however I find quite a few similarities between the two. My attraction to both lies in their critical abilities and the combination of that insightful mind with a sharp wit. Mr. Forde runs Toronto Tech Week, which is affiliated with the city, but is its own kind of grassroots initiative that tries to bring together members of the tech industry in Toronto.

Unfortunately this dispute is playing out as Torcamp vs TorTechWeek when really the two are mutually compatible and serve different functions and constituencies. There's really no need to put down one or the other, but rather find ways in which they can learn from the lessons and gains that each make.

TorCamp has been criticized (by myself and others) for not being diverse enough, and not putting in enough energy/effort into brining in new people (especially those who don't live in the downtown core).

Toronto Tech Week on the other hand has been criticized for not being interactive enough, nor having the type of community involvement that TorCamp thrives on. Yet Toronto Tech Week has been able to reach out past the downtown core and involve people from all over the city and expanded tech industries.

This kind of reminds me of another powerful and charismatic Dave I know, David Meslin, a/k/a Mez. I've known Mez for well over a decade now, and I've had the pleasure of watching him come of age and grow into a powerful and popular local personality. From the media collective, to Reclaim the Streets, and the Portland parties, leading up to the Toronto Public Space Committee, although Mez has since moved on and is playing the role of wandering hermit and all around wise guy.

When Mez and I first started hanging out and collaborating in the mid-nineties I was rather critical of him. The media collective was a wild and open group that had a lot of arguments and conflicts, and there were times that those of us in the tao.ca crew were critical of Mez's politics and process.

However to give this particular David a ton of credit he totally listened, not just to us, but to anyone who wanted to tell him off, and over time he grew from an eager entrepreneur into a powerful organizer. Today I totally trust and admire Mez and I know that when the shit hits the fan he'll be there and I could look him in the eye and know that he's got my back.

Which brings me to another powerful David, this one named Fingrut. Like Mez I've known Fingrut for well over a decade, however this David has always preferred to play a more subtle and behind the scenes role. While everybody seems to know Mez, hardly anyone recognizes the contributions that Fingrut has made. Together David Fingrut and I started the media collective, and since then I've seen David involved in all sorts of incredible groups and initiatives. Yet to give him credit, his humility is so great that most people never really know (and like Mez, Fingrut is currently laying low, making like a hermit).

While Mez and Fingrut have always been friends, I can't help but see a parallel between these two Daves and the other two, Crow and Forde. Perhaps I'm projecting, but my hope would be for Crow and Forde to get along the way that Mez and Fingrut do.

Crow, like Mez, is a hero to the grassroots, and in a position of power that is public and influential. Forde, like Fingrut, is a behind the scenes kind of guy, who often doesn't get the credit he deserves, yet still has considerable power and influence.

I think the community as a whole would be better off if these two Daves could find a way to get along, and bring the debate into a constructive forum instead of allowing the conflict to escalate into people cutting each other up. A conversation I had with Mark got me thinking perhaps the community needs a clear and transparent dispute resolution process? Modeled after the aboriginal concept of restorative justice?

Mind you I'm not saying it's just about these two guys, obviously the community is much larger than them, I just wanted to talk about some of the Daves I know, and the lessons we can learn from them.

Of course now that I got singing the song, I realized I know some rather incredible Davids. Some of whom, like David All, I'm watching quite closely and learning a great deal from. Other Davids I'm sworn not to discuss or disclose what they do, but if I could I'm sure you'd agree they are rather powerful and influential as well.

What is it with Daves? I guess its best if we let Bruce explain...