I should never engage someone in such a way that I think they are beneath me because they have views that differ from mine significantly. That should be obvious. But somehow I have to say it.
If it is the case that I read more or write more or do more political analysis than a lot of people—besides the fact that I’ve spent a good portion of my adult life not reading or writing and not thinking critically and not being involved in my communities—-by no means should I be arrogant about that.
There are people that know so many practical and intellectual things that I don’t know. So I’ll be happier and more useful if I’m humble. If I want to be useful by providing a service of thinking analytically about cultural and political issues, I have to learn to listen well.
I need to keep in mind that I so far have had the time to do this, while other people are busy doing things that are as useful or more useful than the reading and writing I’ve been doing. If it seems to me that someone is not informed or misinformed or that they haven’t thought thru the positions they express (such as I have done many times in my life), I shouldn’t be frustrated and outraged because that person might be doing useful things as being, for example, a mechanic or a gardner or as a parent, some of which I’m not doing.
If I am to be useful, I need to provide a service in terms of helping to bring people together amid divisiveness, and that service mentality is useful in terms of building a small business. I don’t want to have to be reminded by my own blunders that many people know a lot more than I do on many subjects. So, I need others to help me and I must help others.
The bedroack for inquiry, for me, in terms of public engagement in-person, and in terms of research thru reading, seems to be our common ground as beings on Earth.
11-30-2016
I’ll try UnityPeddler.org/com because I think I’ll be more effective if the domain, site name jibes with what I do for a living. And by doing that, I may be more likely to turn my pedicabbing into a community organizing tool.
3-3-2015
During time spent in the counter-RNC in Tampa and counter DNC in Charlotte, NC in 2012, I spent a lot of time away from interacting with people at the encampments due to going to a coffee shop to listen to audio recorded interviews, and transcribe the content. Thee was also, as was usually the case with using audio recorders, a lot of time and energy taken away from writing. In this sense, there seems social and intellectual drawbacks of using audio recorders. So, I intend to improve at thorough note-taking and writing a finished piece wherever I happen to be.
2-20-2015
I notice on play back of an audio recording I interrupt the interviewee. Break the habit of trying to drag out the conversation with my questions. Just listen. Let them talk.
(1) Ask, “What do you care about?”
(2) Genuinely listen, and tell them why I am asking, if they want to know (I’m asking as part of helping to promote community, by helping to build constructive relationships among people who care about similar causes; and promote collaboration among people of diverse causes.)
(3) File, post, or send the audio, photographic, and/or written material to (a) community websites and other social media; (b) websites of organizations dealing with that issue; (c) online and physical media outlets; and (d) post the content to a website that enables people I’ve talked with to engage one another online, and hopefully engage one another in-person so as to collaborate on community projects.
Some fellow activists might not like this approach due to thinking that it doesn’t involve taking a stand on anything.
But taking this approach doesn’t mean you can’t take a specific stand on some other day. Also, people are bound to ask, “What do YOU care about?” I’ve found that out already from the many interviews I did for WCRS FM 102.1/ 98.3 and The Columbus Free Press from late 2008 to late 2012.
When someone asks “Well, what do YOU care about?” we can tell them. And if the conversation has gotten to that point after we’ve genuinely listened to what someone else cares about, we’re probably more likely to get our own points across.
I realize this approach isn’t for everyone, but it’s part of my attempt to, at long last, after much indecision, to resume work for WCRS FM 102.1/ 98.3 and The Columbus Free Press.
The approach of asking people what they care about is something that I can do w/ practically anyone, anywhere, anytime, whether I have an audio recorder or am using only pen and paper.
This theme may be refreshing to some or many people in the sense that I’m not trying to sell them or convince them about anything but, instead, am making myself receptive to what they have to communicate.
As for the specialization in my media work that I mentioned previously, it is to be found in me focusing on helping to bring people together.
Obviously, on not even a small fraction of ecological (which includes social) issues can I be an expert/insider reporter.
But I currently know enough and can learn enough about a wide variety of issues necessary for helping to promote alliances within and among many causes.
Leave a Reply