Class felt more inspirational today. We’re discussing the Colombian experimental village of Gaviotas, our last reading. It’s nice to know there are alternatives, and leads me to a conclusion that we must offer mainstream America a realistic alternative if we are to succeed in changing people’s minds. It won’t happen quickly, but the key seems to stay away from emotions like bitterness and cynicism, and genuinely hope things get better. I’ve seen some heavy sadness occasionally during the weekend seminars. It’s warranted, but it reminds me that we have a life to live, and that while we undertake any mission, we have to take a step back once in a while to really enjoy the beautiful things that life has to offer.
Democratic loss
I didn’t think the Democrats would lose so badly. Winners: Mark Pryor, Rick Larsen, and Ron Blagojevich became the first Democratic governor in Illinois since… well, since probably before I moved to Illinois in 1978 (when Jim Thompson was governor).
The 12 hour day; Wellstone
I’m writing this as a whole month because I’m doing nothing else but working 12 hours a day. During this time, I’ve created 55 brochures in 5 1/2 weeks. The atmosphere is hectic, fast paced and high pressured: I love it. During this time, Paul Wellstone died. This hit the office hard. Several people cried. To me, he seemed like one of very few people in office with strong principles for the common good, as opposed to many others’ strong principles for special interests.
Hysteria
In Newt Gingrich’s “Contract with America”, the definition of marriage as that of a only a man and a woman was filed as the “act to restore dignity to the human family”. Now that’s marketing, sort of like the USA PATRIOT Act, with it’s surveillance measures seems anything but. It’s amazing that a generation that was alive when Senator Joe McCarthy was weeding out alleged Communist influence during a period of hysteria seems to be repeating the same mistakes since 911. It’s an irrational lashing out – so primitive.I saw ‘Spirited Away’. The movie is a completely beautiful, original story using traditional, hand-drawn animation techniques.
350,000
350,000 march in London! There’s protest coverage in all major media outlets for the IMF/World Bank meeting in Washington DC. It’s nice to see that – I don’t understand why Tony Blair is so pro-war… he’s criticized in British newspapers for being a puppet of Dubya. I can see how one might easily draw that conclusion.
Marketing Sustainability to the Masses
After much deliberation, I come up with a thesis: Marketing Sustainability to the Masses. It seems like so much green advertising isn’t directed at those who most need to hear or see it. I don’t know any of my regular joe friends in the Midwest who’d pick up a copy of Mother Jones or Utne Reader, much less use it to line their bird feeder. I think also of Michael Moore, who I believe to be our most mainstream left-advocating speaker, and his use of humor and “regular guyness” to achieve a point without coming off as a Tiva-wearing hippie. He breaks the left’s stereotypes. I like that. For the left to succeed in their goals, they’ll have to reach out to a wider audience by offering solid alternatives to business-as-usual. I hear a lot of complaining, but not much offering. James Carville calls it “framing the debate”. The debate for sustainability needs to be framed in such a way to favor the left, but come off in a new and better context in which to discuss these issues.
Product Launch
“It’s not a good idea to launch a new product in August.” That product? A possibly Iraqi war… I read an article somewhere talking about Bush’s former alcoholism, and that maybe his unwillingness to budge on the issue, aside from the obvious benefits of oil, is due to his possible thoughts that his dad doesn’t have that much respect for him, and he’s perceived as the dumber link to Jeb. The Democrats have been scared in this respect: they don’t say a word for fear of pro-war voters’ backlash. If they can take the Senate and get more votes in the House, maybe there’s a chance they’ll speak up.There doesn’t seem to be a big difference between George Will and Dennis Miller when it comes to the subject of war. Both are so pro-war it’s spooky. Even Charlie Rose was taken a bit aback when George Will talked about pre-emptive strikes and bombing, bombing, bombing. Miller seems to have spent a bit too much time emceeing Monday Night Football on ABC. He sounds like most of the nuts on television now. Again, the Democrats say nothing.