Note: This message came out of a long Facebook Messenger group thread that was started before election night. As the discussion moved along, it became clear that none of what we were talking about would go anywhere unless the two sides had open lines of communication or, possibly, a safe middle ground where they could share ideas and information. Shane's message is what finally moved me to propose something, i.e. actually attempt to work on the problem.
“When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.” -- Hunter S. Thompson.
Some thoughts and a proposal
by Lee Chazen
We are in a strange time. There was an election in the U.S. that, as of this writing, has still not resolved peacefully. So many things have gone askew in the last several years. Yet, this can also be a great time for creatives, thinkers and problem solvers to step up. That’s why I’m writing to you. I have an idea of what we can do.
There is a huge communication problem. It is everywhere. Between people with different identities, groups, cultures, nations, haves, have-nots, political entities and on and on. We don’t have what I think Daniel Schactenburger recently referred to as an “information commons” or words to that effect. We don’t all go to the same sources for information.
Coming from a background in academic debate (high school, college, and coaching) I know that half of a debate can often just be about the criterion -- or having a clear understanding of what it is the two sides are debating about. If they do get to that sweet spot, it’s a fantastic debate! If they don’t, the judge will usually give them poor marks for having a lack of “clash.” One side is talking apples. The other side is talking oranges. It’s damn confusing! The problem we are having in America right now is that we don’t even know what the topic is or how to approach it. We are having a hard time even asking the right questions. And, even if we have the right questions, we don’t know how to ask them, how to frame them or the kind of language to use.
What are we talking about? What are the facts? Where did we get those facts? There seems to be less discussion around that and more discussion about the thing or trigger that just set us off.
That brings me to what I’m working on and why I’d like to invite you to a Zoom call.
I started a group about four years ago called GliderCell -- that emerged out of discussions with Ed Mulder. We both had ideas in the field of “emergence” and “self organizing systems.” l thought the group could be some kind of consultancy, solving problems in education, business or government. We would design frameworks, games or projects in order to make these systems more productive, engaging and democratic.
But, it’s a hard sell. People don’t know they need this kind of thing until they first understand the underlying concepts and WHY they work so well.
And, there’s an even bigger problem than this. There are people who have a great analysis of society and all its various malfunctions, but are not able to communicate this in plain language. Or, they can't seem to communicate the message to the right people -- whether they are in politics and business, where these things are sorely needed. I mean, absolutely needed!!
What if we were to strengthen this consultancy by bringing in top thinkers, educators, former journalists and “explainers” to help us get out of the mess we are in? Disinformation, poor educational models and not understanding how to critically examine information got us into this mess. An effective group can get us out of this.
If you would like to have a discussion around this, we will put together a Zoom call. Just leave your contact information in the comments section so that we can invite you.
There is a huge communication problem. It is everywhere. Between people with different identities, groups, cultures, nations, haves, have-nots, political entities and on and on. We don’t have what I think Daniel Schactenburger recently referred to as an “information commons” or words to that effect. We don’t all go to the same sources for information.
Coming from a background in academic debate (high school, college, and coaching) I know that half of a debate can often just be about the criterion -- or having a clear understanding of what it is the two sides are debating about. If they do get to that sweet spot, it’s a fantastic debate! If they don’t, the judge will usually give them poor marks for having a lack of “clash.” One side is talking apples. The other side is talking oranges. It’s damn confusing! The problem we are having in America right now is that we don’t even know what the topic is or how to approach it. We are having a hard time even asking the right questions. And, even if we have the right questions, we don’t know how to ask them, how to frame them or the kind of language to use.
What are we talking about? What are the facts? Where did we get those facts? There seems to be less discussion around that and more discussion about the thing or trigger that just set us off.
That brings me to what I’m working on and why I’d like to invite you to a Zoom call.
I started a group about four years ago called GliderCell -- that emerged out of discussions with Ed Mulder. We both had ideas in the field of “emergence” and “self organizing systems.” l thought the group could be some kind of consultancy, solving problems in education, business or government. We would design frameworks, games or projects in order to make these systems more productive, engaging and democratic.
But, it’s a hard sell. People don’t know they need this kind of thing until they first understand the underlying concepts and WHY they work so well.
And, there’s an even bigger problem than this. There are people who have a great analysis of society and all its various malfunctions, but are not able to communicate this in plain language. Or, they can't seem to communicate the message to the right people -- whether they are in politics and business, where these things are sorely needed. I mean, absolutely needed!!
What if we were to strengthen this consultancy by bringing in top thinkers, educators, former journalists and “explainers” to help us get out of the mess we are in? Disinformation, poor educational models and not understanding how to critically examine information got us into this mess. An effective group can get us out of this.
If you would like to have a discussion around this, we will put together a Zoom call. Just leave your contact information in the comments section so that we can invite you.
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