Matt Taibbi gets it: There was a lot of snickering in media circles, even by me, when I heard the protesters talking about how Liberty Square was offering a model for a new society, with free food and health care and so on. Obviously, a bunch of kids taking donations and giving away free food is not a long-term model for a new economic system. But now, I get it. People want to go someplace for at least five minutes where no one is trying to bleed you or sell you something. It may not be a real model for …
I was down at Occupy Vancouver today with my daughter. We stopped by in the morning when things were quiet, chatting with some of the security people. It’s getting cold and stressful down there. People are short with each other, there are dangerous people coming and going and the security people, some of whom are trained body guards and bouncers, and doing their best to restrain themselves while they keep order. They were telling me that they need to but together a proposal for a General Assembly that is about people exercising collective resonsibility for safe and individual responsibility for …
A lot of work I am doing these days centres on supporting activists. Whether it is through the Art of Social Justice, the work of addressing addictions related stigma in the health system, running a pro-action Cafe for the BC Government Employees Union Human Rights and Equity Conference, changing the conversation about immigration in the United States I am surrounded by people both within and outside of systems and corporate structures that are engaged in changing things. Over the course of the fall I’ve been thinking alot about what I have been learning about action from these folks. I think …
I was down at #occupyvancouver yesterday getting the lay of the land and looking around. Couldn’t help comparing it to New York and noticed a couple of key differences. First, lots of tents. Yesterday was pouring rain and most people were inside their tents, pitched on palettes to keep them off the wet ground. Thank you City of Vancouver for letting people have their tents. Also noticed not a single police officer anywhere. There were yellow vested security volunteers from the occupy camp, walking around and checking on people. But not a single police car in sight and not a …
“If you really knew how beautiful you are, you would fall at your own feet” – Byron Katie Working with some organizations, people and communities these days that are going through hard times. Not everyone is dealing with it very well. There is sniping and infighting and distrust and alarm. The narcissism of small difference. But as a consultant that comes and goes with these organizations, I am continually struck by the latent resourcefulness and beauty that lies within the people and the groups I work with. Sometimes I think that my job is just to help groups see themselves, …