On November 10th, I woke up early and set about my internet ablutions: following links, catching up on things, recirculating information via Twitter, lending some insights of my own. It's become ritual: over the past two years my relationship to social media tools has vastly evolved, to a practice which I have come to believe is the key to citizenship in the human landscape shaping itself before our eyes.
I'd been working, in fact, on an essay, titled, 'Utopic Citizenship: Virtual Engagement and the Shifting Role of Public Intellectualism,' about this topic. It was my self-assignment for the day to finish this piece (something I will post very soon)...but the day, this time, this week, had other plans for me. It wasn't the moment to document and explain the engagement: it was time to sink my teeth into it.
With the occupy movement both gaining visibility and engaging more and more worldwide into conversations that are inspiring billions, I've been putting in overtime in this “lifework” (not to be confused with my job) – so many of us have been. This means writing and dialoguing, and asking and answering, and circulating and fact checking, and in our contemporary parlance: tweeting, and retweeting.
In fact, it's this that saw me committing hours to the completion of the citizenship essay, since this time was so incredibly ripe for encouraging others to do the same – but as violence peaked, the quiet of the essay couldn't hold me for long. There is only so much time in the day.
What happened the morning of the 10th is that I saw this video, of students at Berkeley, that site of protest history, being pushed back by police in riot gear. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD-UqqLeMTk
And I cried. I cried and cried and cried. Some small voice in my head starting singing the verse from the old protest song “It could've been me”: students in ohio, at kent and jackson state/ shot down by nameless fire/ one early week in may … and the fact is, I'm breaking down in tears again, as I write this.
I don't know if it's because I've borne a child, but there's something about what we're doing to the young people, not only the ones who protest, but the ones on the primary receiving levels of institutional greed and corruption that gets to me at a heart level, and I simply cannot be silent. Not that I was before, but whatever part of me sat on the fence and occasionally kept quiet for fear of losing position, title, or financial stability has burned in the sun.
What I saw when I saw that video were my own students – in some ways not so different from those at Berkeley, but in other ways vastly so: mine are mostly from low income, immigrant families, in many cases working FT in addition to carrying a full course load. With few exceptions they have come through school systems that put a premium on testing at the cost of critical thinking, and most see their schooling as purely a means of advancement to financial security. They have been taught to fear risktaking and thinking out of the box. And I knew that most likely none of them given the proclivities and channels both curricular and social of the public university system that they're in, that few of them would see this video.
But I also knew that even if they weren't on the front lines now, that this situation had the potential to escalate, to come TO their school and their communities, even if they didn't go of their own volition. Many of these students are no stranger to struggle – they've escaped it in their own countries, that's why they're here.
I run my class as a critical thinking bootcamp. I don't give grades until the semester closes. I think and say quite openly that it has the potential to be the most important class these students (often from science, architecture, or the social sciences) will take while they are in college – given that the majority of their classes will be based entirely around testing, with a emphasis on regurgitation.
In the class students are encouraged to learn to trust their voices, and to understand “formal” or “academic” writing not as “good” vs. their own “bad” or “unintelligent” thoughts, but rather as one of a catalogue of languages shaped by context. That the goal is clear communication, in any situation, and that at the core of this lives the ability to observe and critically parse both situations lived as well as information received via other media (not only written).
To encourage this type of thinking every class begins with silence, as I write a “thought question” of somewhat philosophical nature on the board, most of which are tangentially related to our assignments, but may also ask the larger questions, such as, “are humans ethical by nature”? Students write responses to these for 10-30 minutes, depending on the question and its curricular role. We follow this writing – only some of which is handed in, or posted to their individual blogs – with discussion about their thoughts on the question.
As I prepared for my monday morning class, the thought question I had previously had in mind – in fact, the entire curricular plan – suddenly seemed ...thin. If not irrelevant, then still lacking in gravity given the situation. And so, on the way to class I changed the plan. I would write a thought question inspired by what was happening in the movement. It would link to other conversations we've had – about their own free will, about intention, about self and institution, about the role of schooling, about what it means, outside of school, to learn.
When I entered the classroom, I wrote in chalk across the old blackboard the following:
November 14, 2011
Today's thought question:
PART 1
Consider your relationship to global, national, and local institutions. In
what ways do you presume the continued operational success of these bodies?
How have these relationships, and this presumption, kept you in a state of
complacency? Is your survival dependant on that continuation/success? What
would you do if the game were to change? what skills would you wish you
had/need most?
PART 2
IMAGINE THIS SCENARIO: It is not only your last day of school, but THE last
day of school, ever. What do you do? Do you "become an engineer"? What does
this mean?
As they began to write, I noted that part of the point of these long, multipart questions is to force their critical reasoning and verbalized responses to become more complex.
I reminded them that considering the macro and micro implications of these questions was necessary as they addressed them...warning against answering in list form. It's important, I think, for them to not only enter the work of the question but to be able, too, to recognize the role of the exercise. Curricular transparency is key – so they can replicate it without me. I am merely a guide.
Our discussion was lively. There was much more to be said. I asked them to write about it more at length, and then as I often do, followed our class session with an email.
FROM: Lynne DeSilva-Johnson
TO: wtl_f2011
DATE: Mon, Nov 14, 2011 at 12:14 PM
SUBJECT: For Wednesday, etc.
Hello Everyone --
Today's question and attendant lecture weren't meant to leave you depressed
but with your vocabulary loosened: who are you without the words
"institution" provides you? Without a degree, a job title, a family
position, etc.... what if the question, "what do you do?" was simply
that... what do you DO? And do you feel like this answer is a good
representation of your intentions, desires, and ideals? If not...why not?
I do want you to review the question, and give me a 1 1/2 - 2 page CRITICAL
RESPONSE on your blogs on monday. If anyone feels like they want to share
some of their thoughts on the google group, or engage the class in
conversation about ideas or questions in class monday, I am open to that
to. This question is for you -- I want it to be as helpful as it can be.
Use it, change it, make it yours.
ONWARD!
PROF LDJ
What happens next is that I wake up yet another morning early, 5:30 again, with no need for an alarm. And what I find is the accounts (at this point still via only my independent news sources and in particular live streams from the ground) of the 2 am break up of OWS at Zucotti park. And then I am crying, again. I spend hours deep in the work, knowing that New York is not yet awake and that in fact the rest of the country, given the time differences, will be in bed for some time. Europe is on the ball, already organizing in London, but suddenly there is the scent of chaos, of danger. And I think of my daughter and her Daddies, and how I'm so glad I will get to see her face on this day of negativity, and then I think of my students, and if there's more I can do... and there is.
If what I want for them is self-reliance, self-education and to understand what it means to be critically engaged in their work and in the world as citizens of humanity, then this is no time for the lessons to stop. It's time for the lessons to BEGIN. Not only would I share with them what I was learning but I would encourage them to become involved – at the very least in dialogue with each other. Over our group forum online I often send out questions or links (TED talks are very popular) that we discuss and share, and at best the students do the same without prodding. I would, in this case, set the ball rolling: send them over to my twitter feed, and begin a dialogue.
Here we could take theory into practice: How to best “read” all this “information” swirling everywhere? Who to listen to? What are the “viable” sources? Is any of this reliable? How do we separate fact from fiction? Where do I find accurate information? And, then, how do I critically evaluate it? And, too, how do I write about it? In a situation with such a high level of emotion, our conversations about language choice – both on the evaluative and the writing side – become immediately visible...as does our “rhetoric” lesson, so many times over.
I recently finished Alexander Maksik's great book, “You Deserve Nothing,” in which a teacher is told by his administrator that it is not his job to make students feel uncomfortable through the asking of hard questions. He is told that he must keep the philosophical queries brought up by literature and other texts entirely clinical, and not engage his students in bringing it home, to their lives, and to themselves. He wholeheartedly disagrees, and so do I. Because I work at a public institution, at times I have been scared to openly discuss issues of enormous import with my students – even moreso, I have been scared to openly engage, publicly, with what I feel are the most important and long lasting directions of my curriculum. But no longer. Below, you see some of this week's dialogue – and that, in fact, several of these students have gotten quite involved. I am proud of them – mostly for thinking. It makes me feel like were there to be no more school... they might be ok. And then I will have done, as my twitter handle says, onlywhatican.
FROM: Lynne DeSilva-Johnson
TO: wtl_f2011
DATE: Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 7:41 AM
SUBJECT: FYI
Woke up at 5:30 as usual, to discover that the cops had broken down occupy wall street at 2am last night, with baton force, in full riot gear, using chemical sprays to clear the area. They threw everything, including tents, medical supplies, food, and over 5000 books from their library into sanitation bins and arrested hundreds. No warning was given, and two police busses parked so that the press stationed there could not film or take pictures of the "clean up."a council member from washington heights was beaten and arrested for participating. You can go to my twitter stream if you want links and information. Start with this: http://www.twitvid.com/SGWD9 taken and sent from someone's camera phone since the press don't have almost anything. Here's my stream.
...just in case you think that the media can or is depicting what's really going on, right here, in your own city. Please be careful traveling near or through lower manhattan, and frankly, everywhere today. Also, this is student action week. Faculty CUNY wide are in support of these actions. Please consider getting involved or going to meetings to at least listen. I plan to go down to washington square park tomorrow at 12:30 to hear arundhati roy and if you want you can come with me.
I have never in my life incited political action in my students, and I generally am skeptical of tradition political activism/civil disobedience as an effective tool in today's landscape. However. This movement is different. What's happening on the ground is accompanied by a rich, diverse, and extraordinary back end of research, work, and intention worldwide, in an attempt to wake up the complacent and stop the blindness amongst the populace. It is potentially one of the most important turning points, at least in the US, you may experience in your lifetime. I suggest you don't end up wishing you'd taken part.
PROF LDJ
FROM: STUDENT 1
TO: wtl_f2011
DATE: Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 8:56 AM
SUBJECT: Re: FYI
Heres a bit of a playback:
* 2:44 a.m. Defiant occupiers barricaded Liberty Square kitchen
* 2:44 a.m. NYPD destroys OWS Library. 5,000 donated books in dumpster.
* 2:42 a.m. Brooklyn Bridge confirmed closed
* 2:38 a.m. 400-500 marching north to Foley Square
* 2:32 a.m. All subways but R shut down
* 2:29 a.m. Press helicopters evicted from airspace. NYTimes reporter arrested.
* 2:27 a.m. Rally at bull statue
* 2:22 a.m. Frontpage coverage from New York Times
* 2:15 a.m. Occupiers who have been dispersed are regrouping at Foley Square
* 2:10 a.m. Press barred from entering Liberty Square
* 2:07 a.m. Pepper spray deployed -- reports of at least one reporter sprayed
*3:36 a.m. Kitchen tent reported teargassed. Police moving in with zip cuffs.
*3:33 a.m. Bulldozers moving in
*3:16 a.m. Occupiers linking arms around riot police
*3:15 a.m. NYPD destroying personal items. Occupiers prevented from leaving with their possessions.
*3:13 a.m. NYPD deploying sound cannon
*3:08 a.m. heard on livestream: "they're bringing in the hoses."
*3:05 a.m. NYPD cutting down trees in Liberty Square
*2:55 a.m. NYC council-member Ydanis RodrÃguez arrested and bleeding from head.
* 2:03 a.m. Massive Police Presence at Canal and Broadway
* 1:43 a.m. Helicopters overhead.
* 1:38 a.m. Unconfirmed reports of snipers on rooftops.
* 1:34 a.m. CBS News Helicopter Livestream
* 1:27 a.m. Unconfirmed reports that police are planning to sweep everyone.
* 1:20 a.m. Subway stops are closed.
* 1:20 a.m. Brooklyn bridge is closed.
* 1:20 a.m. Occupiers chanting "This is what a police state looks like."
* 1:20 a.m. Police are in riot gear.
* 1:20 a.m. Police are bringing in bulldozers.
FROM: STUDENT 2
TO: wtl_f2011
DATE: Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 2:53 PM
SUBJECT: Re: Re: FYI
OccupyWallst's facebook page just posted this:
The movement created by the occupation of Wall Street isn't about a park in New York city, it is about all of us. For too long we've allowed our rights to be stepped on. Our futures and financial freedoms have been sold to predatory companies that profit from our hardship and strangle our economy. We've allowed our government to be bought while the ceaseless turning of war machines in foreign lands ravage resources and destroy the environment. We cannot allow this system to stand anymore.
Occupy Wall Street has initiated a dialog which has, in just two months, raised awareness across the globe. Individuals are unplugging themselves from junk media and are getting plugged into a conversation that is of vital importance. Some are taking to the streets, possibly for the first time in their lives, to stand up for their rights and exercise their freedom.
Mayor Bloomberg and the NYPD can evict, brutalize and oppress the citizens of New York City but they cannot stop this movement. It is bigger than New York and it isn't going anywhere.
Stand up for your rights. Stand with the 99%!
FROM: Lynne DeSilva-Johnson
TO: wtl_f2011
DATE: Thurs, Nov 17, 2011 at 1:11 PM
SUBJECT: Re: Re: FYI
Thank you both for sharing. It's both very exciting and scary so do be careful. I'm glad to see some of you
are getting involved, if not on the ground than at least in circulating information.
Where did you get the above?
FROM: STUDENT 3
TO: wtl_f2011
DATE: Thurs, Nov 17, 2011 at 2:23 PM
SUBJECT: It's a great day
THE DAY OF ACTION!! it is very exciting to see how people raised to protest against big corporations and the government.
it remind me about the ARAB SPRING that started in December 2010 when many people fight and die for EQUALITY AND RIGHTS!!
Its great to see that such social revolution has started in America.
FROM: Lynne DeSilva-Johnson
TO: wtl_f2011
DATE: Thurs, Nov 17, 2011 at 7:18 PM
SUBJECT: Re: It's a great day
The leader of the egyptian protests spoke in support of occupy today, and this work is very much in keeping with the arab spring, in particular regarding the relationship of accessible media. If you have family and friends in other countries they will tell you immediately that they have little to no access to information regarding what is going on in NY right now.
The break ups of the protests across the country and the tactics they are using are coming from the Department of Homeland Security. There have been reports that polics are using DARPA technologies in some of the work, despite official denial. http://www.raven1.net/mcf/news/mc-ss-sc.htm
There are live streams constantly from the people on the ground. CUNY students from all campuses protesting everything from tuition hikes to mistreatment of faculty played a big part in today, and I'm proud of your classmates and my colleagues for standing up.
I've been trying to circulate as much information as possible, from working at home today. As always, check my twitter stream to get you started.
Also - please be careful. Cops are everywhere. If you are even NEAR one of the protests there is possibility of trouble.
FROM: STUDENT 2
TO: wtl_f2011
DATE: Thurs, Nov 17, 2011 at 8:28 PM
SUBJECT: Re: Re: It's a great day
Hey today was a great day indeed, Wish there was more compassion though. I uploaded a video I shot this morning at wall st, and williams of the police using excessive force: http://youtu.be/rOG4ZvaspCc . Really sad to see the NYPD for the most part was ok but there was a few super dickheads that just wanted to attack. Oh well Foley square was packed lots of solidarity. It was an eventful day to say the least. The world is watching also please note that they are trying to pass legislation to give authorities right to censor the internet. Demand for Progress (http://demandprogress.org/) has been covering this issue please investigate the Protect IP Act the internet blacklist, the attempt to censor our internet and give big corporations the power to basically auction off bandwidth which will lead to sites that have the most money having quicker load speeds whilst others who can't pay having lower bandwidth effectively cutting them off from larger audiences.
FROM: STUDENT 4
TO: wtl_f2011
DATE: Thurs, Nov 17, 2011 at 8:36 PM
SUBJECT: Re: Re: FYI
No matter your views on the protests, I think you would agree that it's very frustrating to see how police are treating the citizens who's taxes pay for their pensions. How do you justify pepper spraying an 85yr old woman.
FROM: STUDENT 1
TO: wtl_f2011
DATE: Thurs, Nov 17, 2011 at 9:04 PM
SUBJECT: Re: Re: FYI
occupywallstreet.org. They usually have timed reports... I was there that night bringing some donations over with my car as well.
The NYPD hardly gave enough time to evacuate. MOST of the donations that had been given (food, clothing, water, medical supplies, etc) were disposed of by the NYPD in a manner which gave the impression that they came with the intention of not only ridding the area of tents and "cleaning", but of getting rid of supplies necessary for tending to all of the protesters health/survival and overall wellbeing.
They're trying to break the movement apart...
Very frustrating stuff..
FROM: STUDENT 4
TO: wtl_f2011
DATE: Thurs, Nov 17, 2011 at 11:20 PM
SUBJECT: Re: Re: FYI
Does anyone else find it laughable that the Mayor decided a couple of days ago at 2am that it was suddenly time to "clean up" Liberty Square and could wait not a minute longer? He was "concerned" about the protesters' health and decided their wellbeing is paramount, their first amendment rights, secondary. Worried about cleanliness? I guess unlike most of us he doesn't frequent the subways. It also just so happens that other Occupy protests across the nation were cracked down on just hours earlier. Coincidence? I think no. This is bigger than the Mayor of NYC though, but I would have thought those in power would have learned from Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and even Syria that suppressing the people's voices often has adverse effects. If no one ever questioned the status quo, none of us would enjoy the freedoms and liberties we have, or perhaps more aptly put, had. But make no mistake those who are already well off have no need to, for lack of a better phrase, bite the hand that feeds them, and the task to purge the system of corruption falls upon the middle class; the backbone of this country - it always has and sadly, always will. I have a gut feeling that any action intended to stymie the movement will only serve to fuel it. And why not? Isn't it the people's god given right to protest? Especially when they do so peacefully? What will our children and those who come after them write about us? Will they say we lived in a democratic state, or laugh at our folly for accepting a lie. Isn't this what democracy looks like?
FROM: STUDENT 5
TO: wtl_f2011
DATE: Fri, Nov 18, 2011 at 7:32 AM
SUBJECT: Re: Re: FYI
Even though the action he took might have been harsh, the mayor had enough patient to wait 2 months before removing the protesters from the park. You also have to remember the park is a privately owned property, even though it is available to the public. I feel the protested should not be pressuring in New York City, but instead continue their moment and move to pressure Washington D.C. if they want to make the difference. The value of the protest is thinning out and, not moving forward for better future action and create change will soon be regrettable.
FROM: Lynne DeS
TO: wtl_f2011
DATE: Fri, Nov 18, 2011 at 8:30 AM
SUBJECT: Re: Re: FYI
Be careful with your facts. Even in his middle of the night press release, circulated right before the initial removal from the park, the mayor only said that the removal of protesters would be temporary, and would be let back in (which they have been). The issue about the actions taken are that they are violent, with cops across the country using unlawful antiterrorism tactics against peaceful protesters, and also that in so doing there have been steps to create a media blackout, going so far as to not only block ground but air media (the NYPD and the city restricted airspace above lower manhattan during the raid as well as creating the barricade against the press).
These are wartime tactics used to incite riots in peaceful protest groups that are gaining traction, so that there might be viable reason to come down on them. When the mayor removed the protesters, there was a court order in place that they could remain. The police's actions were not only illegal in terms of abuse, they were in contempt of court.
There are protests in almost every major city not only in this country, but around the world, in solidarity with this movement. And in this case, the target is not the government, per se, but big business, and the demonstrable center of that world is in fact Wall Street, not Washington.
In general, I am not a "political" person, which means I do not get involved in conversations about politics (i.e., left right candidates etc.) but this is a movement about something much larger, about control of not only citizens but government by moneyed interests. The successes of the movement are largely not on the ground but have been inspired and activated by it.
As a result of this, original occupy gathering (and now the groups in support everywhere, both physical and virtual) there is a worldwide dialogue open about the state of affairs and our ability to create change in our lives in western countries as well, where daily injustice is less visible than in the Arab World, where the string of protests that made up the "Arab Spring" -- incredibly similar in their use of social media for both journalistic and dialogic purposes -- have inspired and allowed for great changes, originated in the citizenry of those countries.
The conversation extends of course, too, to the global reach of the wealthy interests which may have their root in the United States or the Wall Street system [international corporations] in terms of imperialist military practices long in place worldwide, which is why the people involved in the protests in Third World countries have been so vocally in support of what is happening here.
The people down at OWS (and the other gatherings) are bodies and faces of continued pressure, physical reminders of engagement. Every day they remain the conversation grows, as people begin to hear and see the dialogue. As their work and aims becomes more visible, and gain traction, as per the cycle of every revolutionary movement, the powers that be will ALWAYS need to try to prove how they are hurting the citizens/business/undermining safety (even when this isn't the case) and use propaganda to create fear, hopefully inspiring a movement to destroy itself.
No: I do not think that every person involved in the protest can explain what, exactly, is going on, or what, exactly, they would want to change if they were put in charge. But do they need to be? You're in school but you probably couldn't run it -- yet by being there you physically support the system that you're in, and that's what's happening here. A removal of support, bodily, from one system, and a placing of that body into another system of understanding and work.
The country was founded on the principles at hand here, and as long as they remain peaceful it is paramount that the protesters are allowed to continue to speak and gather. When they cease to be able to is when we will finally admit we are no longer a democracy.
FROM: STUDENT 2
TO: wtl_f2011
DATE: Fri, Nov 18, 2011 at 8:45 AM
SUBJECT: Re: Re: FYI
The protest should apply more pressure to NYC since NYC is one of the most economically unequal states in the USA. With 40K homeless people and our own mayor worth 10 Bilion + I think that they should place the most pressure here specifically since this is the home of all the major banks that were too big to fail and since the bail out have not gotten any smaller but have ironically gotten even bigger. The park is open to the public and the manner in which Bloomberg did the raid was completely uncivilized. He destroyed peoples property with little or no regard for it. Destroyed the People's Library!! Really why destroy books? That was very symbolic that you would destroy books shows alot of our current administration. Also his lame excuse of doing it for the public safety and health is such a lie! How interesting enough that on that day several other occupy encampments got evicted or shut down. The Mayor of Oakland in an interview admitted that she was in contact with other mayors about the raids. This was a collaborated effort to destroy the movement before it's three month anniversary. The value of the protest has not thinned out, (evidenced by the many who not only retook the park the next day but the thousands that I saw at foley square both students and teachers union) the protest is evolving and getting stronger from my perspective. Noami Klein in an interview credits OWS for being instrumental in geting the obama administration to postpone the decision on the Keystone Tar Sands Pipeline project until 2013 effectively killing the project. Occupy Homes has spawned off saving people from being evicted and foreclosure through not allowing the Sherifs department to evict them cause of the sheer number of people present. This has forced banks back to the renegotiating table. Theres talk of occupy heading to protest against fracking on the delaware basin this coming Nov 21. We need to stop that by the way since it wil put our water a risk. So the movement is growing and evolving and becoming more effective and I doubt it wil die out! Movements across the world work in solidarity with OWS, both the May 15 movements from Spain even as far as in Japan they had activist protest yesterday in solidarity with OWS about their grievances. Let us not forget Greece or our neighbors Canada, in which a discussion has opened up their with occupy Toronto and they will meet with former mayor David Miller, Professors, officials from the World Economic Forum, and an occupy Toronto representative, titled "Occupied Economies: Designing Solutions to Global Problems." At the end of the day the change lies with us individually, like Ghandi said, whether or not we agree with the methods that the protestors are using, we mus be the change we wish to see in the world or at least try to be. If you dont agree with the tactics used by OWS fine but you should be outraged at the level of violence, and sheer disregard for the peaceful protestors health and safety that the police have used. We are increasing seeing forms of military inspired tactics from our police. As we chanted yesterday to the cops, "There's no Riot here why are you in Riot Gear!" (Interesting to note when the students in Penn State rioted over the firing of Paterno not one arrests not one case of police brutality since the police did nothing they just watched this students go crazy like shit on fire whilst at UC Berkley students got beaton in a peaceful protest and countless of arrests) .They have repeated now kicked the press out whilst committing these heinous crimes and cleared air space so that they may act with impunity. This should worry EVERYONE! During the last Olympic games China kicked all press out of Tibet as it cracked down on peaceful Buddhist Monks protesting. See any parallels? These raids under dark both physically and metaphorically since not even the press was allowed to report what was happening ont he ground have no place in a democratic society! During the Protest in the Bay Area over the rapid transit police officer killing an unarmed man and teen in the space of 6 months they shut down cell phone service! This was hardly reported but they shut down cell phone service to try and dismantle the organization of the protest. I digress though here is Noami Klein interview in which she credits OWS for being instrumental in Obama administration postponing decision on keystone tar sands pipeline until 2013: http://www.democracynow.org/2011/11/11/naomi_klein_obama_delays_keystone_xl and
and heres the link to the story about the Bay Area Transit Police shutting down cell phone service to disrupt protesting of their killing two innocent people in 6 months: http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2011/8/17/san_francisco_bay_areas_bart_pulls_a_mubarak .
FROM: Lynne DeSilva-Johnson
TO: wtl_f2011
DATE: Fri, Nov 18, 2011 at 8:58 AM
SUBJECT: Re: Re: FYI
I'm glad, again, that you're involved, but here is a clear moment in which you can see language issues (in "the game").
Class, use this as an example: compare the tone of what is written here to what I just sent you. It's early, I understand, and the writer is heated especially by his personal involvement but I think you all know that I am, also, VERY heated about this.
However: the type of language chosen, the lack of differentiation of paragraphs/thoughts, the exclamation points -- all create an emotional landscape here that eventually works against the writer (or speaker) if the audience is already potentially not in assent.
The conversations that are making change are not really the ones on the ground, though some people may be having and doing both. The screaming of one liners, even when the words are right on and in fact worthy of inclusion in intelligent dialogue, has as its primary intention the inspiration and encouragement of a crowd, and the keeping up of morale -- as well as, if possible, sending a message to the media.
However, STUDENT 2 is right about much of what he's pointing to here -- though he's given a glimmer of what scares me in any crowd situation: the heat of emotion making dialogue more difficult and divisory. You know how in a personal argument, the louder you or the other person yells, the more emotional either party gets, the less anyone hears? This is that times 10,000.
Part of the reason I don't always choose to personally be on the ground is because I feel like I have more power as a verbal intermediary, passionately but calmly spreading information and opening dialogue (as we are doing here). ALL of this is relevant to your work in my class, so I do hope you're paying attention.
We couldn't have asked for a better stage for the evaluation of communication strategies and their efficacy.
PROF LDJ
