#thought pieces

[wonderlandleighleigh]

If you have 37 minutes to spare, may I recommend Breadsword’s vid on Dr. Strangelove? It’s not new or anything, it’s just really good.

[sipatsequoyah]

(via Systems Change: Transformative Solutions for Pressing Social Problems in LA - YouTube)

[sipatsequoyah]

(via Kelly Ann McKercher — — CoDesign and Power — Social Design Sydney Aug 2020 - YouTube)

[sipatsequoyah]

(via Guest Opinion | Rick Cole: Ten Grand Challenges to Transform Pasadena’s Future – Pasadena Now)

[sipatsequoyah]

It’s because a pitch is a really weird way to communicate. Its basic premise is that time is scarce and power is unequal. Even if concise and well-organized, the information comes in a one-way rush that forces the listener into an uncomfortable, passive role. The listener starts to fidget and look around, and the talker slides into the role of the supplicant who knows her time is slipping away. Anxiety and/or annoyance ensue, and it takes great social skills on the part of somebody for it to end well.

The Pitch Is Dead. Long Live the Conversation.

[sipatsequoyah]

Joel Westheimer, University of Ottawa Joseph Kahne, Mills College Excerpted from “What Kind of Citizen? The Politics of Educating for Democracy” American Educational Research Journal. Volume 41 No. 2, Summer 2004, 237-269.

The notion of democracy occupies a privileged place in our society. Everyone believes democracy is desirable. Indeed, educators, policymakers, politicians, and community activists alike pursue dozens of agendas for change under the banner of furthering democracy. The nature of their underlying beliefs, however, differ. For some, a commitment to democracy is associated with liberal notions of freedom, while for others democracy is primarily about equality or equality of opportunity. For some, civil society is the key, while others place their hope for social change in healthy free markets. For some, good citizens in a democracy volunteer, while for others they take active parts in political processes by voting, forming committees, protesting, and working on campaigns. It is not surprising, then, that the growing number of educational programs that seek to further democracy by nurturing “good” citizens embody a similarly broad variety of goals and practices.

[sipatsequoyah]

Ayana: What I actually encourage people to do to figure out where they as individuals can be most useful, is to think of it like a Venn diagram. So there's three overlapping circles, and one circle is: what are you good at? Like, what skills, resources, networks, reach, influence are you bringing to the table? What you got? And then the next circle is: what is the work that needs doing? Like, which climate solution are you gonna focus on? And how does that overlap with the skills that you have? And then the third circle would be: what brings you joy? Like, what gets you out of bed in the morning? Because this is the work of our lifetime, right?

Is Your Carbon Footprint BS? | How to Save a Planet