Writing in WorldChanging.Com, philosopher Edward Wolf says the key to being in tune with social change in 2007 will not be what we think, but how we think. “Politics resembles a battle of brands more than an exchange of ideas,” Wolf observes.
“The blogosphere has blown the doors of civic conversation wide open
but hardly elevated the dialogue, as almost any comment string
confirms. But that may be changing as social networking and open-source
tools reshape the ‘spaces’ in which people interact. Can new leaders
emerge in such spaces?” He thinks so and advises watching for leaders
who “embody humility, not those who merely espouse it.”
Writing in the same WorldChanging series, Jason Kottke calls for a True Cost rating on food and products, like the nutritional information on a cereal box or the Energy Star rating on a refrigerator. True Cost,
as he points out, would allow consumers to make legitimately informed
decisions about how they spend their money. When True Cost is factored
in, conflict diamonds become a more morally charged choice, as does
clothing made in sweatshops. Organic blueberries flown in from Chile
may be healthier for your toddler, but how much carbon dioxide was
released into the atmosphere to get them to your kitchen? What’s the
energy cost of living in the suburbs, compared to living downtown? Do
the people who made the clock hanging on the wall get paid a fair wage
and receive health care? Just how bad for the environment (and for me!)
is the laptop on which I’m typing or the cell phone on which I’m
talking?
::Tullycast:: 