Think Again

2012 schedule - sign up or nominate discussion leaders

2012-01-16T22:16:00.000-08:00

The votes are in, and we have a schedule for 2012.

Next step: sign up to lead one of these discussions. It really only requires making sure we have some readings and a few good questions to kick off discussion. You can also nominate people to lead discussions, or suggest guest speakers. Leave suggestions or volunteer in the comments, or email me (Allie). We'll start with February if that is okay with everyone.

February	Is politics the new religion?
March	The Arab Spring
April	Earth stewardship
May	The election process in the U.S.
June	What is happening to men?
July	Is google making us smarter or dumber?
August	What is money? Understanding the economy
September	Human trafficking/modern-day slavery
October	Presidential candidates and their positions
November	A culture of isolation – why are we in silos?
December	Quantifying happiness
Alternate	Forgiveness and non-linear time

Voting time

2012-01-09T17:46:00.000-08:00

Leave your votes in the comments.

(... and feel free to flesh out any of these ideas, or to volunteer to lead a discussion!)

1) What is money?

Based on an episode of This American Life called "The Invention of Money." This could cover understanding some basic economic concepts as well as philosophical approaches to what money means/does to people, how it should be handled, and how we as individuals and societies relate to money. Current data show that the millennial generation may be developing habits of thrift reminiscent of those found among the Depression-era cohort -- what does this mean?

2) What is happening to men?

From the cover of the Atlantic to the recent Muppets movie, Americans everywhere seem to be soul-searching about "failure to launch." Women now outnumber men on college campuses, and some studies show that women in the youngest generation are out-earning the men their age. Three-quarters of the jobs lost during the recession were lost by men, in sectors like manufacturing and construction that are less likely to bounce back. One result is an increasingly lopsided marriage market; another is a national fixation on prolonged adolescence. Has the feminist movement had unintended consequences for men, or are there other factors causing this demographic dilemma?

3) Is Politics the New Religion?

This question comes from one of the findings of the recent book American Grace:How Religion Divides and Unites Us, which says that Americans are now more likely to change their religion to fit their politics than they are to change their politics to fit their religion. I think the discussion could be done in a way that would steer clear of partisan debate of granular policy issues and focus on the social/psychological phenomenon and what it might indicate about the current and future state of religion, politics, and democracy (and perhaps epistemology too) in America.

4) Is Google making us dumber? or smarter?

A perennial question as we continue to sort through implications of the digital revolution. There is evidence that our neural pathways are changing to adapt to the sheer volume of available information. On the one hand, this can hamper our ability to recall information, and the multitasking encouraged by the internet makes it harder to focus for long periods of time. On the other hand, experienced internet users may have more advanced decision-making skills and complex reasoning. What are the pros and cons of the deluge of information facing us daily? How do people handle it all, filter what is useful? What about internet/media addictions? What are the issues at stake in the ways search engines personalize searches, including privacy and polarization in our political discourse?

5) The Arab Spring

What is happening in the Middle East? What cultural and political factors are at play? This might be a great topic for a guest speaker who can give insight beyond the headlines and really pinpoint the relevant issues.

6) The artistic process.

What is creativity? Is it a gift or can it be learned? How does the creative process work? Where do ideas come from, and how are they developed?

7) The election process in the U.S.

Are there any elements of our presidential election process that need "fixing"? Should the same states get to lead off the voting every cycle? How should the "lead off" states be chosen? Should there be such a thing as "winner take all" states, or should all states award delegates proportional to the number of votes a candidate receives (as is the case in the early voting states this year)? What are the pros/cons of a long election cycle? Could the US benefit from having a shorter cycle (like England, for example)? Finally, to run for president successfully costs millions of dollars. What are the pros/cons of essentially requiring candidates to have that much money?

8) The 2012 candidates and their philosophies

What does each believe? Who would best serve our country? (We could focus this more as the election approached – perhaps and October discussion)

9) Human Trafficking

Aka slavery - it is alive and thriving in our country and elsewhere. What can we do to help stem the tide?

10) Earth Stewardship

What are we doing, and what more can we do, to better care for this great gift of earth? How can we better articulate and persuade those who don't see the value in doing so without putting them off? How have the choices we make in this area affected us and will effect us materially, socially, emotionally, and physically?

11) Forgiveness and its relationship to non-linear time  

12) Parenting

How to foster core competences that lead to successful adulthood

13) Emerging Adults Finding Authority

Is it avoided or denied? (Could this be combined with #2?)

14) Speaking Truth to Power

Examples and the implications for everyday life

15) A Culture of Isolation

Why are we in silos?

16) Quantifying Happiness

I've been reading lots of studies and hearing about people going to grad school to 'quantify happiness.' The HBR did a recent article, "The Science Behind the Smile," and other similar pieces discuss the science behind happiness. I have a friend who might be able to lead this discussion.

Which day of the week works best for you?

2012-01-01T23:25:00.001-08:00

Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday? Leave your vote in the comments.

(Also, if you have a preference on the week of the month -- second week, third week, etc. -- leave that in the comments, too. )

2012 Discussion ideas -- add yours!

2012-01-01T23:20:00.000-08:00

Here are a few ideas to get us started with discussion ideas for 2012. But we need more! Add yours in the comments section. Feel free to look back at posts from previous years to spark ideas.

We will collect as many ideas as we can Jan. 2-5. Then we'll vote on the top 12 from Jan. 6-8.

You do not have to lead the discussion on an idea you suggest, but you certainly may if you wish. If you see another idea from another person that you'd be interested in leading the discussion on, please indicate that. Also, if you have ideas for guest speakers or other visitors, the sky's the limit here.

So here are a few preliminary ideas. Add your own ideas, and feel free to flesh out any of these or take them in a new direction if you like:

1) What is money?

2) What is happening to men?

3) Is Politics the New Religion?

4) Is Google making us dumber? or smarter?

5) The Arab Spring

6) The artistic process.

What is creativity? Is it a gift or can it be learned? How does the creative process work? Where do ideas come from, and how are they developed?

7) Do we want to do anything election-oriented since there is a presidential election this year? Or would be we be better off avoiding politics? Any thoughts about this?

8) What other ideas do you have? Think science, art, ethics, religion, health, relationships, music, policy -- maybe something in education? globalization? The sky is the limit! Leave your ideas in the comments below, and indicate whether you'd be interested in leading any of these discussions.

December 13, 2011 - Music

2011-12-01T22:22:00.000-08:00

Discussion leader: Jay Griffith

Special guests: Eric and Brinn Chipman of the local band Matteo.

Recommended readings (and listenings)

From Eric:

Radiolab: Musical Language

What is music? Why does it move us? How does the brain process sound, and why are some people better at it than others?

http://www.radiolab.org/2007/sep/24/

The episode is called "Musical Language." It's an hour long, and if you have time, the whole thing is great. If you don't, though, it's worth just listening to the first section (here: http://www.radiolab.org/2007/sep/24/behaves-so-strangely/), which is 20 minutes.

We are going to talk a little bit about the differences in the way the Chinese (traditionally) approach music. Below is a video of a GuQin piece, this instrument is the one played by Confucius and is considered the most "sacred" of instruments. Also below is a sample of what a piece of traditional chinese music looked like, the actual notation that is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvhKTFzQG8Y

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Youlan.jpg

From Jay:

In addition, here's two more links to listen to, since music is all about listening—but often also seeing—so one can do both with the following:

http://daniellevitin.com/publicpage/videos/all-videos/

The first is 4 segments from the World Science Festival in 2009. Daniel Levitin, and other prominent neuroscientists along with Bobby McFerrin explore "Notes and Neurons." Bobby McFerrin keeps things entertaining but there is a lot of good exploration here on the subject at hand.

Really, most any of the videos on Daniel Levitin's site will apply to our discussion.

The next segment involves MRI's and the brain while performing and then is deciphered by a doctor and scientist. Quite interesting.

http://www.ted.com/talks/charles_limb_your_brain_on_improv.html

November 15 - FOOD

2011-11-14T19:25:00.000-08:00

Discussion leader: Brian Stucki

Here, at last, are the readings. They are not terribly long, but I think they provide some good perspective on the fundamental question I wish to discuss: "Can we feed the world without destroying it?" I would also like to suggest to people the films "Food, Inc.", and "Ingredients", which I believe are both available on Netflix instant view.

http://www.ecoliteracy.org/essays/pleasures-eating
An essay by my FAVORITE writer, Wendell Berry. He has been critiquing the assumptions and absurdities of our food system for longer than just about anyone.

http://www.perc.org/files/Local%20Food%20Critique.pdf
I wanted to include a contrarian perspective from my own, and this seemed to be the most rigorous attempt I could find to undermine the logic behind local eating. Published by the Mercatus Center.

http://www.simplespoonful.com/2008/12/07/myopia-in-mercatus-the-real-cost-of-free-trade/
http://www.simplespoonful.com/2008/12/16/food-miles-and-efficiency-mortal-enemies-or-misunderstood-friends/
These two are brief blog entries written as a response to the Mercatus Center article.

October 11 - Intelligence

2011-10-10T18:51:00.001-07:00

Facilitators: Mercedes White and Michael Carey

Mainstream Science on Intelligence
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=19eQWUFvfPF4gMNleXE752yv-9fReNdXGW39xPu6YqR5q9xCCQEuzwn9Crr8T&hl=en

Intelligence and Educational Achievement
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=17AsyXt30orKE5lXGlQ-MSqf72wHQ2jcW368h0nBESoM3XAWamgwV1tAzSZXp&hl=en

"The Flynn Effect: people are getting smarter?"
http://www.indiana.edu/~intell/flynneffect.shtml

"The glory of God is intelligence"
http://lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/93.36?lang=eng#35

Questions:

Is the development of intelligence a necessary part of spiritual growth?

Do smart people deserve the fruits of their intelligence, or do they owe society something because of their luck?

Is it more important to encourage the most intelligent among us, or to "close the achievement gap"?

There are measurable differences in average intelligence among different races. Does this mean that on average different races are more suitable for certain roles in society?

Are you doing anything to improve your intelligence? Is it working?

Tue Sept 13 2011 7:30p Wealth Redistribution

2011-09-05T13:46:00.000-07:00

Wealth Redistribution
Facilitated by Mitch & Tiffany Spence

- Is wealth redistribution a good thing? If so, what methods of redistribution are best?
- How well does the earned-income tax credit work at redistributing wealth?
- Why has mandated wealth redistribution consistently failed over and over in history?
- What, if any, alternatives work better?

1) Warren Buffet: Stop Coddling the Super-Rich

2) The New Resentment of the Poor

3) Is the US Welfare State growing or declining?

If you prefer, here are a couple short video clips:

4) Americans' redistribution of wealth to the poor (Robert Moffitt)

5) The life you could save (Stephen Colbert)

6) Class Warfare (John Stewart)

July 7, 2011 - Manliness

2011-07-07T08:44:00.000-07:00

In 2006 Harvey Mansfield wrote a book entitled "Manliness" where he defined the trait as "confidence and command in a situation of risk."

Is that a good definition? If so, why do we associate being confident and commanding in risky situations with men? Should we? Does it matter whether these qualities are gender-specific?

A couple of readings:

Interview with Harvey Mansfield (National Review)

Another Interview with Harvey Mansfield (Human Events)

7 Lessons in Manliness from the Greatest Generation (Art of Manliness Blog)

Optional

Debating Manliness

A rather heady piece that shows Walt Whitman being criticized for being crudely manly, but lacking true manliness. An interesting piece that highlights the nuanced definition of manliness as something more refined than the arguably carnal, base instincts that come with being male.

June 9, 2011 - Urban Design and Planning

2011-06-05T07:02:00.000-07:00

Field trip to Daybreak in South Jordan, Utah

Urban design encompasses such a broad scope of disciplines that it's hard to capture in a simple definition. Here's an attempt by urbandesign.org:

Urban design is about making connections between people and places, movement and urban form, nature and the built fabric. Urban design draws together the many strands of place-making, environmental stewardship, social equity and economic viability into the creation of places with distinct beauty and identity. Urban design is derived from but transcends planning and transportation policy, architectural design, development economics, engineering and landscape. It draws these and other strands together creating a vision for an area and then deploying the resources and skills needed to bring the vision to life.

Uhh...wow. Okay. For another illustration, see these 14 categories on RUDI.net, a resource catch-all for urban designers. It leads you to think, "What ISN'T urban design?"

Since you can't seem to swing a cat without hitting a topic that relates to urban design, where do we focus? Let's start with our field trip. Daybreak is a community that would not exist without the Kennecott mine. Daybreak is built on land that was originally purchased by Kennecott so they would have somewhere to deposit the tailings from their operations. That land could have sat dormant, been sold, or been repurposed. Kennecott chose to repurpose, and they built a city. Since Daybreak was a reaction to a need, rather than an idea conceived out of pure creative vision, one might say that Daybreak is a very lovely byproduct of the mining industry.

The concept of repurposing space is big in urban design (i.e. retrofitting, rebuilding, redesigning), so let's focus there.

1) Daybreak - a presentation with more information about how Daybreak came about. This presentation is old (from when Daybreak was first being built), but it has some good information and photos. Note that on pages 8, 10, 16, and 18, if you pass your cursor over the bottom of the image a menu will appear. You can click the icon that looks like a speaker and you will get a short, narrated slideshow. (The full presentation only has 18 pages, so if you click past the 18 pages, you'll see a page titled "CONSTRUCTION," which means you're into a new, unrelated presentation).

2) New Orleans after Katrina and East Germany after WWII by Jeffrey Deifendorf- This is a very interesting article from the Journal of Urban Design comparing the rebuilding efforts of New Orleans after Katrina with those of East Germany after WWII.

3) Retrofitting Suburbia - A TED talk by Ellen Dunham-Jones. Ms. Dunham-Jones talks about new ideas for failing malls, big-box stores, parking lots, etc. in the suburbs.

We can meet as a group in Salt Lake and carpool, and pick up some folks on the way from I-15 out to Daybreak. Leave a comment here or respond to Carri's email if you want to coordinate logistics.

Is power derived from the expression of sexuality through pornography, plastic surgery etc a paradox?

2011-05-05T05:43:00.000-07:00

This Miller Lite commercial would be viewed as a woman's right to express herself as a sexual being while others would argue by the very act of expressing herself in this way, we perpetuate a woman's place in society as simply a sexual tool for men and nothing more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttjV2xf4j_g&feature=related

Our culture has embraced a model of female sexuality that comes straight from pornography and strip clubs, in which the woman's job is to excite and titillate - to perform for men. According to Ariel Levy's "Female Chauvinist Pig", women have bought into this by altering their bodies surgically and cosmetically, and - more insidiously - by confusing sexual power with power, so that embracing this caricaturish form of sexuality becomes, in their minds, a perverse kind of feminism.

Read these snipets of Female Chauvinist pig which argues this point.

http://www.amazon.com/Female-Chauvinist-Pigs-Raunch-Culture/dp/0743284283/ref=ed_oe_p/104-1667823-7327149

However, we see the opposite argument from other feminists:As one prominent pro-pornography feminist scholar, Linda Williams, put it in a recent interview, "Really, who are [anti-pornography activists] to tell us where our sexual imaginations should go?"

A Feminist Defense of Pornography

by Wendy McElroy

The following article is from Free Inquiry magazine, Volume 17, Number 4.

"Pornography benefits women, both personally and politically." This sentence opens my book XXX: A Woman's Right to Pornography, and it constitutes a more extreme defense of pornography than most feminists are comfortable with. I arrived at this position after years of interviewing hundreds of sex workers.

Feminist Positions

Feminist positions on pornography currently break down into three rough categories. The most common one - at least, in academia - is that pornography is an expression of male culture through which women are commodified and exploited. A second view, the liberal position, combines a respect for free speech with the principle "a woman's body, a woman's right" and thus produces a defense of pornography along the lines of, "I don't approve of it, but everyone has the right to consume or produce words and images." A third view - a true defense of pornography - arises from feminists who have been labeled "pro-sex" and who argue that porn has benefits for women.

Little dialogue occurs between the three positions. Anti-pornography feminists treat women who disagree as either brainwashed dupes of patriarchy or as apologists for pornographers. In the anthology Sexual Liberals and the Attack on Feminism (1990), editor Dorchen Leidholdt claims that feminists who believe women make their own choices about pornography are spreading "a felicitous lie" (p. 131). In the same work, Sheila Jeffreys argues that "pro-sex" feminists are "eroticizing dominance and subordination." Wendy Stock accuses free speech feminists of identifying with their oppressors "much like ... concentration camp prisoners with their jailors" (p. 150). Andrea Dworkin accuses them of running a "sex protection racket" (p. 136) and maintains that no one who defends pornography can be a feminist.

The liberal feminists who are personally uncomfortable with pornography tend to be intimidated into silence. Those who continue to speak out, like American Civil Liberties Union President Nadine Strossen (Defending Pornography) are ignored. For example, Catharine MacKinnon has repeatedly refused to share a stage with Strossen or any woman who defends porn. "Pro-sex" feminists - many of whom are current or former sex-workers - often respond with anger, rather than arguments.

Peeling back the emotions, what are the substantive questions raised by each feminist perspective?

Anti-porn feminism

Page Mellish of Feminists Fighting Pornography has declared, "There's no feminist issue that isn't rooted in the porn problem." In her book Only Words, MacKinnon denies that pornography consists of words and images, both of which would be protected by the First Amendment. She considers pornography - in and of itself - to be an act of sexual violence. Why is pornography viewed as both the core issue of modern feminism and an inherent act of violence? The answer lies in radical feminist ideology, which Christina Hoff Sommers calls "gender feminism."

Gender feminism looks at history and sees an uninterrupted oppression of women by men that spans cultural barriers. To them, the only feasible explanation is that men and women are separate and antagonistic classes whose interests necessarily conflict. Male interests are expressed through and maintained by a capitalistic structure known as "patriarchy."

The root of the antagonism is so deep that it lies in male biology itself. For example, in the watershed book Against Our Will, Susan Brownmiller traces the inevitability of rape back to Neanderthal times when men began to use their penises as weapons. Brownmiller writes: "From prehistoric times to the present, I believe, rape has played a critical function. It is nothing more or less than a conscious process of intimidation by which all men keep all women in a state of fear." How Brownmiller acquired this knowledge of prehistoric sex is not known.

Another tenet of gender oppression is that sex is a social construct. Radical feminists reject what they call "sexual essentialism" - the notion that sex is a natural force based on biology that inclines women toward natural tendencies, such as motherhood. Even deeply felt sexual preferences, such as heterosexuality, are not biological. They spring from ideology.

Men construct women's sexuality through the words and images of society, which the French philosopher Foucault called the "texts" of society. After such construction, men commercialize women's sexuality and market it back in the form of pornography. In other words, through porn man defines woman sexually - a definition that determines every aspect of her role in society. To end the oppression, patriarchy and its texts must be destroyed.

Liberal feminism

Liberal feminism is a continuation of 1960s feminism that called for equality with men, who were not inherent oppressors so much as recalcitrant partners to be enlightened. Equality did not mean destroying the current system, but reforming it through such measures as affirmative action. The liberal principle "a woman's body, a woman's right" underlay arguments ranging from abortion rights to lifestyle freedoms like lesbianism. The stress was upon the act of choosing, rather than upon the content of any choice.

Liberal feminists share the general liberal bias toward free speech, but they are in flux on pornography. Some liberal organizations like Feminists for Free Expression (FFE) have consistently opposed censorship in any form. Some liberal feminists like Sallie Tisdale (Talk Dirty to Me) have staunchly defended sexual freedom. But many liberal feminists commonly reason as follows: "As a woman I am appalled by Playboy ... but as a writer I understand the need for free expression."

Such arguments are not pro-pornography. They are anticensorship ones based on several grounds, including: great works of art and literature would be banned; the First Amendment would be breached; political expression would be suppressed; and a creative culture requires freedom of speech.

Other liberal feminists, who have accepted many of the ideological assumptions of the anti-porn position, seem willing to sacrifice free speech for the greater good of protecting women. For example, they also condemn the free market for commercializing women as "body parts," which demeans women. In "A Capital Idea," an essay defending pornography, which sometimes seems to be an attack, Lisa Steel comments:

Sexist representation of women ... is all part of the same system that, in the service of profits, reduces society to "consumer groups." And marketing is every bit as conservative as the military ... we pay dearly for the "rights" of a few to make profits from the rest of us.

Such muddled and ambivalent "defenses" often offend the sex workers they are intended to protect.

Pro-sex feminism

Over the past decade, a growing number of feminists - labeled "pro sex" - have defended a woman's choice to participate in and to consume pornography. Some of these women, such as Nina Hartley, are current or ex-sex-workers who know firsthand that posing for pornography is an uncoerced choice that can be enriching. Pro-sex feminists retain a consistent interpretation of the principle "a woman's body, a woman's right" and insist that every peaceful choice a woman makes with her own body must be accorded full legal protection, if not respect.

Pro-sex arguments sometimes seem to overlap with liberal feminist ones. For example, both express concern over who will act as censor because subjective words, such as "degrading," will be interpreted to mean whatever the censor wishes.

The statute that banned Margaret Sanger because she used the words syphilis and gonorrhea is no different, in principle, than the one that interprets obscenity today. There will be no protection even for the classics of feminism, such as Our Bodies, Ourselves, which provided a generation of women with the first explicit view of their own biology. Inevitably, censorship will be used against the least popular views, against the weakest members of society ... including feminists and lesbians. When the Canadian Supreme Court decided in 1992 to protect women by restricting the importation of pornography, one of the first victims was the lesbian/gay Glad Day Bookstore, which had been on a police hit list. Among the books seized by Canadian customs were two books by Andrea Dworkin, Pornography: Men Possessing Women and Women Hating. Such an event should not have surprised Dworkin who declared inTake Back the Night, "There is not a feminist alive who could possibly look to the male legal system for real protection from the systematized sadism of men" (p. 257).

On the dangers of censoring pornography, pro-sex and liberal feminists often agree. On the possible benefits of pornography to women, they part company.

Dissecting Anti-Porn

Do the specific accusations hurled at pornography stand up under examination?

Pornography is degrading to women.

Degrading is a subjective term. I find commercials in which women become orgasmic over soapsuds to be tremendously degrading. The bottom line is that every woman has the right to define what is degrading and liberating for herself.

The assumed degradation is often linked to the "objectification" of women: that is, porn converts them into sexual objects. What does this mean? If taken literally, it means nothing because objects don't have sexuality; only beings do. But to say that porn portrays women as "sexual beings" makes for poor rhetoric. Usually, the term sex objects means showing women as body parts, reducing them to physical objects. What is wrong with this? Women are as much their bodies as they are their minds or souls. No one gets upset if you present women as "brains" or as spiritual beings. If I concentrated on a woman's sense of humor to the exclusion of her other characteristics, is this degrading? Why is it degrading to focus on her sexuality?

Pornography leads to violence against women.

A cause-and-effect relationship is drawn between men viewing pornography and men attacking women, especially in the form of rape. But studies and experts disagree as to whether any relationship exists between pornography and violence, between images and behavior. Even the pro-censorship Meese Commission Report admitted that the data connecting pornography to violence was unreliable.

Other studies, such as the one prepared by feminist Thelma McCormick in 1983 for the Metropolitan Toronto Task Force on Violence Against Women, find no pattern to connect porn and sex crimes. Incredibly, the Task Force suppressed the study and reassigned the project to a pro-censorship male, who returned the "correct" results. His study was published.

What of real-world feedback? In Japan, where pornography depicting graphic and brutal violence is widely available, rape is much lower per capita than in the United States, where violence in porn is severely restricted.

Pornography is violence because women are coerced into pornography.

Not one of the dozens of women depicted in pornographic materials with whom I spoke reported being coerced. Not one knew of a woman who had been. Nevertheless, I do not dismiss reports of violence: every industry has its abuses. And anyone who uses force or threats to make a woman perform should be charged with kidnapping, assault, and/or rape. Any such pictures or films should be confiscated and burned because no one has the right to benefit from the proceeds of a crime.

Pornography is violence because women who pose for porn are so traumatized by patriarchy they cannot give real consent.

Although women in pornography appear to be willing, anti-porn feminists know that no psychologically healthy woman would agree to the degradation of pornography. Therefore, if agreement seems to be present, it is because the women have "fallen in love with their own oppression" and must be rescued from themselves. A common characteristic of the porn actresses I have interviewed is a love of exhibitionism. Yet if such a woman declares her enjoyment in flaunting her body, anti-porn feminists claim she is not merely a unique human being who reacts from a different background or personality. She is psychologically damaged and no longer responsible for her actions. In essence, this is a denial of a woman's right to choose anything outside the narrow corridor of choices offered by political/sexual correctness. The right to choose hinges on the right to make a "wrong" choice, just as freedom of religion entails the right to be an atheist. After all, no one will prevent a woman from doing what he thinks she should do.

A Pro-Sex Defense

As a "pro-sex" feminist, I contend: Pornography benefits women, both personally and politically. It provides sexual information on at least three levels:

It gives a panoramic view of the world's sexual possibilities. This is true even of basic sexual information such as masturbation. It is not uncommon for women to reach adulthood without knowing how to give themselves pleasure.
It allows women to "safely" experience sexual alternatives and satisfy a healthy sexual curiosity. The world is a dangerous place. By contrast, pornography can be a source of solitary enlightenment.
It offers the emotional information that comes only from experiencing something either directly or vicariously. It provides us with a sense how it would "feel" to do something.

Pornography allows women to enjoy scenes and situations that would be anathema to them in real life. Take, for example, one of the most common fantasies reported by women - the fantasy of "being taken." The first thing to understand is that a rape fantasy does not represent a desire for the real thing. Why would a healthy woman daydream about being raped? Perhaps by losing control, she also sheds all sense of responsibility for and guilt over sex. Perhaps it is the exact opposite of the polite, gentle sex she has now. Perhaps it is flattering to imagine a particular man being so overwhelmed by her that he must have her. Perhaps she is curious. Perhaps she has some masochistic feelings that are vented through the fantasy. Is it better to bottle them up?

Pornography breaks cultural and political stereotypes, so that each woman can interpret sex for herself. Anti-feminists tell women to be ashamed of their appetites and urges. Pornography tells them to accept and enjoy them. Pornography can be good therapy. Pornography provides a sexual outlet for those who - for whatever reason - have no sexual partner. Perhaps they are away from home, recently widowed, isolated because of infirmity. Perhaps they simply choose to be alone. Couples also use pornography to enhance their relationship. Sometimes they do so on their own, watching videos and exploring their reactions together. Sometimes, the couples go to a sex therapist who advises them to use pornography as a way of opening up communication on sex. By sharing pornography, the couples are able to experience variety in their sex lives without having to commit adultery.

Pornography benefits women politically in many ways. Historically, pornography and feminism have been fellow travelers and natural allies. Although it is not possible to draw a cause-and-effect relationship between the rise of pornography and that of feminism, they both demand the same social conditions - namely, sexual freedom.

Pornography is free speech applied to the sexual realm. Freedom of speech is the ally of those who seek change: it is the enemy of those who seek to maintain control. Pornography, along with all other forms of sexual heresy, such as homosexuality, should have the same legal protection as political heresy. This protection is especially important to women, whose sexuality has been controlled by censorship through the centuries.

Viewing pornography may well have a cathartic effect on men who have violent urges toward women. If this is true, restricting pornography removes a protective barrier between women and abuse.

Legitimizing pornography would protect female sex-workers, who are stigmatized by our society. Anti-pornography feminists are actually undermining the safety of sex workers when they treat them as "indoctrinated women." Dr. Leonore Tiefer, a professor of psychology, observed in her essay "On Censorship and Women": "These women have appealed to feminists for support, not rejection. ... Sex industry workers, like all women, are striving for economic survival and a decent life, and if feminism means anything it means sisterhood and solidarity with these women."

The Purpose of Law

The porn debate is underscored by two fundamentally antagonistic views of the purpose of law in society.

The first view, to which pro-sex feminists subscribe, is that law should protect choice. "A woman's body, a woman's right" applies to every peaceful activity a woman chooses to engage in. The law should come into play only when a woman initiates force or has force initiated against her. The second view, to which both conservatives and anti-porn feminists subscribe, is that law should protect virtue. It should come into play whenever there has been a breach of public morality, or a breach of "women's class interests."

This is old whine in new battles. The issue at stake in the pornography debate is nothing less than the age-old conflict between individual freedom and social control.

Wendy McElroy's books include XXX: A Woman's Right to Pornography (see review on p. 62) and Sexual Correctness: The Gender-Feminist Attack on Women. The Reasonable Woman is due from Prometheus Books in Spring, 1998.

http://www.secularhumanism.org/library/fi/mcelroy_17_4.html. Retrieved on Oct. 16, 2004.

NOT REQUIRED:

This series is from "Killing Us Softly" - Jean Kilbourne. VERY INTERESTING.

Does the national debt matter? If yes, should we be taking action now to stabilize the growing debt?

2011-03-10T21:50:00.000-08:00

Date: April 12, 2011
Facilitator: KaLynne Harris

I have attached a link below to a Google document with this month's background reading. If the link does not work, cut and paste the address into your web browser to access the Google document. Please let me know if you have any problem reading the document.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B7jiFMav3BENZTBhZDhjNmItMWUyNi00MGY4LWIzMmQtZjA5NzdhZmRlNjRm&hl=en&authkey=COrP2bYP

Looking forward to the discussion,
KaLynne

The Role of Theology & Symbol in Religion

2011-02-26T21:14:00.000-08:00

Discussion Date: March 8th (Tuesday) 2011

Theology plays a critical role in every religion, at both the institutional and individual levels. How do different faith traditions and their adherents understand their theologies? How can these understandings be healthy or unhealthy? What are the pros and cons of orthodoxy? To what degree should theology be "flexible," and what do we mean by "flexible"? Part of my presentation would propose an understanding of theology as an inspired framework, as a touchstone that points us to deeper truths that connect us more closely to God. I'm concerned these days with "healthy" theology as well as the effects that "unhealthy" theology can have on people. My overriding concern is does theology help us become closer to God, or does it drive us away? What assumptions do we make about theology, and where do those assumptions lead us?

Readings (and questions to ponder as you are reading them):

What is the theological symbolism of the Mormon steeple?

https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/089-39-48.pdf

What consequences might follow if a religious movement lacks a strong orthodox theology ?

http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2009/0310/p09s01-coop.html

Can something be at once literal and symbolic? (short reading-Page 4 of PDF)

https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/108-02-05.pdf

Intersex--Medical Authority, Parents, and Individual Rights

2011-01-31T06:41:00.001-08:00

Hello all,

I thought I would provide a bit of vocabulary:

intersex- a broad term that can refer to several disorders related to ambiguous sexual identification. Two of the most common are Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) and Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS)

DSD- Disorders of Sex Development is an alternate term for intersex which has been promoted by intersex activists because of the confusion that the term "intersex" introduces with respect to gender identity.

sex assignment- surgery commonly performed on intersex infants to distinguish them as male or female

gonads- sex cell-producing organs, testes or ovaries

androgyny- refers to those without gender-specific sexual characteristics, or sexual
preferences, or gender identity, or a combination of these

ISNA- Intersex Society of North America

karyotype- having to do with the number and type of chromosomes

etiology- causes of a disorder or disease

virilization- the biological development of sex majorly determined by androgens

phenotype- physical manifestation of the genes

Readings:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/magazine/24intersexkids.html
http://www.intersexinitiative.org/articles/letter-outsidein.html

Excerpts from "Fixing Sex" by Katrina Karkazis. The last two scans are from another section of the book:

http://tinyurl.com/4jyt3lr

Optional:

http://www.isna.org/faq/frequency
http://www.isna.org/faq/conditions/ais
http://www.isna.org/faq/conditions/cah

January 18, 2011: Can Labor Save Us?

2011-01-05T22:28:00.000-08:00

Topic Host: Philip Graham

In 1935, at the height of economic turmoil, Congress enacted the Wagner Act (or National Labor Relations Act ). The Act allowed employees to organize collectively, which created a balancing of power, making employees and corporations "partners" in a successful economic recovery. Since the 1970s, unionization has been on the decline in the United States and apathy towards the same has risen to the point where, for example, some attribute the recent fall of the auto industry, in part, to overly powerful unions. Against this perfunctory backdrop, the question is if, in the current recession, a resurgence of unionization is the key, if not an essential, tool in rebuilding the economy.

The prep materials are intentionally non-academic and brief (don’t be fooled by the number of links) because in my opinion the essence and true discourse of labor issues does not necessarily occur in an intellectual vacuum, but are reasoned and decided on shop floors, in lunchrooms, and offices of ordinary people. Whether there should be a resurgence in unionization to improve the economy will not be determined by Congress but is left up to the average worker. These decisionmakers generally know little about profit margins, deficits, economic theories, and corporate bottom lines. These workers rely heavily on their instincts to determine if unionization will bring them added job security, financial gain, and strengthen the economy. We as individuals are among these workers and are charged with determining if Labor Can Save Us! Our discussion circle is akin to a shop floor where opinions, beliefs, and feelings are cast about and form the basis of a vote to institute a union or not.

As you review the materials, contemplate the following:

1. How is the socioeconomic climate of the Great Depression (where unionization helped with the economic recovery) different from today’s Great Recession? Do these differences support or refute claims that unionization is the key to overcoming the recession? Consider:
a. Globalization / International competition
b. Foreign cheap labor
c. Inflation and your cost of living

2. How might your own economic situation be improved or worsen by unionization?

3. Typically those who favor union activity in a recession point to the ability of unions to secure higher wages, which then allow workers to help spend the country out of a recession.

4. The National Labor Relations Act (1935) was established to empower unions and to equalize the power imbalance between employees and corporations - is this necessary in today’s recession?

5. Do unions have the same negotiating power that they did in the 1930s? Why or why not?

6. What about the unemployed, can unions help to put people back to work?

Time permitting, before the discussion I will post a rough outline / additional questions that may be considered and addressed when we meet. My apologies to those kinesthetic learners, I could not find anything for your benefit but will continue to look and post anything I find.

Background:
http://memory.loc.gov/learn///features/timeline/depwwii/unions/unions.html

Pros:
http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/2009/02/efca_factsheets.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/09/AR2010090903780.html

Cons:
http://money.cnn.com/2009/05/29/autos/uaw_changes/index.htm
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/04/business/04labor.html
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129626972

Mixed:
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/36862/20100720/unions-in-recession.htm

Clips:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yklnwfE7yCc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYiKdJoSsb8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwbzxemJZIc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj5OT3z1VGA&playnext=1&list=PL11933867CF946C25&index=15

Quotes:
“The unions might be good for the people who are in the unions but it doesn't do a thing for the people who are unemployed. Because the union keeps down the number of jobs, it doesn't do a thing for them.”
- Interview with Brian Lamb, In Depth Book TV (2000)

"The strongest argument for free enterprise is that it prevents anybody from having too much power. Whether that person is a government official, a trade union official, or a business executive. If forces them to put up or shut up. They either have to deliver the goods, produce something that people are willing to pay for, are willing to buy, or else they have to go into a different business."
- "Free to Choose" (1980), segment 2 of 10, "The Tyranny of Control"

"This is an issue for not just the labor movement, but for our country as a whole," he declared. "Germany has been hit with the same economic crisis that hit us, but the suffering you see there is far less than the suffering you see here. The crucial difference," Cohen said, "is the higher degree of workers' rights in that country. Yes, we need a second stimulus and yes we need to fix regulations, but we must move ahead on workers' rights, particularly the right to collective bargaining, and that is why we are pushing so hard for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act."
- "Worker rights are key to economic recovery, union leaders say." (2010)

Supplemental Reading (not required)
http://www.businessweek.com/archives/1994/b337360.arc.htm

2011 Topics Results!

2010-12-31T09:52:00.000-08:00

12 votes: Wealth Redistribution (#15)
11 votes: National Debt and Deficit (#4)
9 votes: Manliness (#9)
8 votes: Labor (#8)
7 votes: Intersex (#2), Theology in religion (#5), Food (#16), Intelligence (#10),
6 votes: Child Choice (#3), Music Theory (#19), Paradox of sexual freedom (#18)

Field Trip: Urban Design (d)
(other votes pasted below)

Since we have 12 topics, we will assign them all and not have a floating month this year.

Please comment below if you are interested in hosting a topic. If you are not interested in hosting, but you are aware of some resources you could send to the topic host, please indicate that as well.

Most of the topic hosts will end up being the person who suggested the topic, but if you are interested, even if you did not suggest the topic, feel free to volunteer. If more than one person is interested in hosting a topic, we'll work together to figure it out.

The topic host's job is to thoughtfully select approximately one-hour's worth of prep materials the month prior to their topic, and to make those materials available on the blog. The topic host also comes prepared with a discussion guide (including specific questions, references to the prep materials, additional insights, etc.) to keep the discussion focused and moving. The topic host may prepare a short "presentation" on the topic (10 minutes or less) if she or he wishes (or invite an "expert" to do the 10-minute presentation), but remember the point of us getting together is for the members of the group to talk to and learn from each other.

Other votes:
5 votes: Rape as a weapon of war (#17), Numbers in Nature (#11), Happiness (#8)
4 votes: Legalizing marijuana (#1), Defining terms (#6), Generations (#12)
3 votes: Fashion (#13), Left-Handers (#14)
2 votes: Children (#3a)

Field Trips
3 votes: mountain spot (l.)
2 votes: nature hike (e.), Masonic temple (j.)

2011 Topics - CAST YOUR VOTE

2010-12-28T09:02:00.000-08:00

Here they are. Leave a comment with your vote for your top 10. You should choose nine topics between 1 and 19, plus a field trip (20a. - 20l.). Voting ends at 8:00 am Dec. 31.

As usual, we will assign eleven topics and leave one month open for a current event or a runner-up. This year one of the months will be a field trip.

1) Legalized Marijuana in the U.S.
Is its illegality having the same effects that prohibition had on alcohol--increased crime and crime prevention costs? And a look at the drug itself: Is marijuana really a "gateway drug"? Is it more/less dangerous to use than alcohol?

2) Intersex
Some individuals are born with ambiguous female and male physical characteristics. Early 20th century doctors sometimes chose the gender without consent of the parents and performed an operation immediately. How do these individuals cope today? Are they attracted to both sexes as adults?

3) Child Choice
What determines how many children people choose to have and how does this “child choice” change nations (their environments, economies and cultures)? How do income, education, cultural norms influence the “child choice”? What are the impacts of decreasing reproduction on the industrialized world? Perhaps compare Japan, the US and Brazil as case studies. [Further commentary on this topic from another member of the group: Is it men or women making the reproductive choices in these various countries? Does it change from country to country? I've heard from a sociologist that wealthier people in the U.S. tend to have fewer children. Is this true in Brazil, Japan?]

3a) Another angle on this topic: Children. Why having them is not about economics; Not about the environment; Not about fashion and self fulfillment; Not about self perpetuation. Having children is about self-realization.

4) National Debt and Deficit
What about the national debt? Should we be concerned about the size of the national debt and does it matter who owns the debt? Is it advisable to continue to increase deficits and the debt in the short-term? Economists seem to have various opinions on the debt and I envision selecting readings from economists with differing opinions on this topic to start the discussion.

5) The role of theology in religion
Theology plays a critical role in every religion, at both the institutional and individual levels. How do different faith traditions and their adherents understand their theologies? How can these understandings be healthy or unhealthy? What are the pros and cons of orthodoxy? To what degree should theology be "flexible," and what do we mean by "flexible"? Part of my presentation would propose an understanding of theology as an inspired framework, as a touchstone that points us to deeper truths that connect us more closely to God. I'm concerned these days with "healthy" theology as well as the effects that "unhealthy" theology can have on people. My overriding concern is does theology help us become closer to God, or does it drive us away? What assumptions do we make about theology, and where do those assumptions lead us?

6) Theology, religion, church, and spirituality—defining terms
How do these tools help and hinder people understand God and his will?

7) Can Labor Save Us?
In 1935, at the height of economic turmoil, Congress enacted the Wagner Act (or National Labor Relations Act ). The Act allowed employees to organize collectively, which created a balancing of power, making employees and corporations "partners" in a successful economic recovery. Since the 1970s, unionization has been on the decline in the United States and apathy towards the same has risen to the point where, for example, some attribute the recent fall of the auto industry, in part, to overly powerful unions. Against this perfunctory backdrop, the question is if, in the current recession, a resurgence of unionization is the key, if not an essential, tool in rebuilding the economy.

8) Happiness (vote for this if you like any of the ideas below. The topic host can pick and choose)
• I would really like to discuss ways to MEASURE happiness if possible. That seems to be the struggle now. There's this movement called the Fun Theory. Is someone having fun a sure indicator of happiness? If so can that be measured? The Fun Theory tries to measure it.
• I think how we spend our time brings happiness--do we in the U.S. need to slow down and make more free time? Is it possible to support a family or yourself by living an "alternative lifestyle" and work less than 40 hours a week (without being rich already) taking more time for socializing, being outside. Compare the typical full-time American adult to a traditional 1950s hunter-gatherer in remote Africa. Who works harder--time wise? Who is more happy/healthy?
• I saw a piece on Stephen Colbert featuring a book called "The Story of Stuff". It encouraged reducing materialism. Our physical possessions take time, and money, could owning less make us happier, less stressed out, more available for desirable pursuits? Could we use a "possession cleanse"?

9) Manliness
What is manliness? Is it dying? Should we mourn its loss? The concept of manliness conjures up pictures of courage, strength, and honor. Don’t we want more of that, and not less? Harvey Mansfield has written eloquently and provocatively in defense of manliness. He writes, for example, that efforts to create a “gender-neutral” society have taken a toll on true manliness without meeting their real purpose of maximizing greater equality (women have joined the workforce in droves, for example, but they still do all the housework). How can we encourage manliness and gender equality?

10) Intelligence
What determines intelligence and who gets to decide? We could talk about IQ tests, the multicultural dimensions of IQ scores and what the IQ test is blind to. What are other models of intelligence (i.e. how do you measure musical or athletic intelligence)? Explore ideas about intellectual capital.

11) Numbers in Nature
Mathematical patterns show up all over in nature. It would be interesting to become familiar with some of these patterns and why scientists think this happens. The Golden Section is one of the more studied and proven theories of numbers or fractions in nature and how it repeats itself. Also, Fibonacci Numbers and the Golden Spiral. They are in sunflowers, seashells, and artichokes to name just a few. What do such common natural mathematical patterns say about us and the nature of the world we live in?

12) The Greatest Generation, Baby Boomers, Builders, Generation X, Generation Y, and the E generation
What differentiates these generations and what aspects of growing up in different times affect us? We could have representatives from each age group give opinions. How does advertising/media affect our perspectives and myth-making about the generations? Explore the phenomenon of having nostalgia for a time you did not experience.

13) Fashion
It would be interesting to see exactly how we are influenced and where that influence is really coming from. Do those crazy expensive designs we see on the runway really have an impact on popular fashion and who decides what the trends are?

14) Left-Handers: What is up with them?
Left-handed people are disproportionately represented in high-ranking political offices, corporate boardrooms, and in influential art circles. Is this just a strange coincidence or is there more there?

15) Wealth Redistribution
Is wealth redistribution a good thing? If so, what methods of redistribution are best? (i.e. how well does the earned-income tax credit work at redistributing wealth?) [Further comment on this topic from another member of the group: Why has mandated wealth redistribution consistently failed over and over throughout history? What, if any, alternatives work better?]

16) Food—the stuff life is made of
How, what, and where food is grown, processed, and delivered affects us economically, environmentally, physically, spiritually, and socially. But few believe it. I would like us to explore how the food we are consuming affects us in all these areas.

17) Rape as a weapon of war
The United Nations recognizes rape as a tactic of war and a threat to international security. In a resolution denouncing rape as a weapon of war, the Security Council noted that “women and girls are particularly targeted by the use of sexual violence, including as a tactic of war to humiliate, dominate, instill fear in, disperse and/or forcibly relocate civilian members of a community or ethnic group.” Major-General Patrick Cammaert, former commander of UN peacekeeping forces in the eastern Congo, has said, “It has probably become more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier in armed conflict.” Why is rape as a weapon so powerful? What does it do to the fabric of a community? What is being done to strategically combat rape as a weapon?

18) Paradox of sexual freedom
Birth control makes it possible for women to have sex with far less risk of getting pregnant. Because of the pill, women clearly have more choice and more sexual freedom. One could argue, however, that with that freedom has come greater exploitation of women through pornography and relationships that lack commitment. Is that true? What are the implications?

19) Music theory
Why and how is music the most common and powerful mind altering drug next to sex?

20) Field Trip ideas
For the field trip, we will still study up on some relevant materials to educate ourselves prior to the field trip, and perhaps dedicate some time after the field trip or at the beginning of the next month’s group to discuss the experience. Vote for the ONE field trip you are most interested in.
a. Music studio
b. Backstage of a theater or the opera (sets, costumes, lights, etc.)
c. Interactive craft/art creative night
d. Urban design (study up on Greenbelt, Maryland and maybe visit Daybreak or other designed community)
e. Nature hike with an expert
f. Gilgal gardens
g. Hawk watch
h. City dump/recycling or other waste processing facility
i. Kennecott mine
j. Masonic temple
k. Factories in North Salt Lake
l. Go to a mountain spot where we do nature writing (a la Rachel Carson in the personal essay vein), then we read our essays to each other at the next group meeting.
m. Ben Behunin (potter). He has made his living doing this for the past 15 years. He has just published his third book in a series about a young potter. They are delightful and thought provoking. He has a whimsical home and studio in Sugar House. It would be worth your time to see the studio and the art he creates. It is both irreverent and inspiring. His love for live and art is fun and infectious. Yet he is also very practical. I have heard him speak to a group before and he can share some remarkable insights about following your dreams and passions while staying true to your ideals.

2011 TOPICS

2010-12-21T06:57:00.000-08:00

Please help refine the potential topics for 2011 and then vote on them. Here's the schedule:

Dec. 21 - 27: Refine Topics (or add new ones)
Dec. 28 - 29: Vote on Topics
Dec. 29 -31: Confirm Topic Hosts and assign topics to specific 2011 dates

The topics as they were submitted or discussed in our December Think Again are below. The topics may seem a bit muddled because I took very rough notes during the conversation and tried to include those notes below. Hope it's not too confusing.

Anyone can refine any idea, whether it was originally your idea or not. Just take the topic idea and shape it into something fairly narrow in scope (so it can be covered in a 2-hour session). Post your refined version as a comment. Any of these topics could be approached from different angles, so it's okay if one of the ideas gets "refined" more than once - it will just give us more choices for the vote. For simplicity sake, I recommend this format:

TITLE
1 - 3 sentence description of the specific question or concept or phenomenon you want us to explore. If you already have some ideas about source materials or a guest expert or other "feature" you want to include, feel free to mention it. If you want to host the topic (i.e. get all the prep materials together and facilitate the discussion), indicate that, too. You do not have to host the topic you suggest.

On the 28th, I will post the new, revised list for voting. If you want a topic to make it into the final vote, make sure you refine it and re-post it. Thanks!

1) Children and population trends. Demographic shifts in the developing world versus industrialized nations.

2) National debt and the deficit. What is the difference? Does it matter as much as people think?

3) Labor Unions. Relevance in today’s economic environment?

4) Tea Parties and Marijuana: Why the right stole the show in 2010.
a. Rick’s tea party friend who could come share perspective

5) Generally, what brings people happiness?
a. What is NOT happiness? Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning. Bhutan – Gross National Happiness

6) What is social entrepreneurship and does it work?
a. Where a market is applied. Market-driven incentives in healthcare, for example.

7) What determines intelligence and who gets to decide? We could talk about IQ tests, the multicultural dimensions of IQ scores, other models of intelligence, like Musical and Athletic intelligence, etc.
a. For-profit colleges? Explore ideas about intellectual capital. Rick has a book on IQ (talent is overrated). Focus on IQ test. What is it blind to? Attitudes about intelligence.

8) "Numbers in Nature" Mathematical patterns show up all over in nature. It would be interesting to become familiar with some of these patterns and why scientists think this happens.
a. Philosophy of science. Music and math. Dana, Philip, Laura know some people.

9) The Greatest Generation, Baby Boomers, Builders, Generation X, Generation Y, and the E generation. What differentiates these generations and what aspects of growing up in different times affects us? We could have representatives from each age group give opinions.
a. How advertising/media affects our perspectives, myth-making, the phenomenon of having nostalgia for a time you did not experience

10) Prescription vs. Restriction: The advantages and disadvantages of government regulation.

11) Fashion

12) Left-Handers: What is up with them? Left-handed people are disproportionately represented in high-ranking political offices, corporate boardrooms, and in influential art circles. Is this just a strange coincidence or is there more there?

13) Meditation. Buddhism. Mindfulness

14) Is wealth redistribution a good thing? And, if so, what methods of redistribution are best?
a. Earned-income tax credit

15) I would like us to explore the connections between the food we are consuming, how we obtain it, and what it is helping (or not helping) us become physcially, spiritually, and socially.
a. Raw milk - Brian

16) Interpreting the Constitution: Does our current government overreach the powers granted to them therein?

17) Rape as a weapon of war

18) The United States Constitution:is it a Bible or a general guide book? How does the constitution impact our government? What has allowed it to last for over 200 years? (my dad used to work at the National Archives, and I could ask him to moderate)
a. Civil rights law, 10th amendment, immigration and the states vs. federal government

19) One more idea that just came to me as I was working, listening to NPR and then some fun folk music came on. I started moving to the music, tapping my foot, and practically dancing with my butt in my chair. What's with that? What is it about music that makes it a body mover and mood changer? I'd like to know the science behind this.

20) Paradox of sexual freedom. More rights. More pornography.

21) Field Trip ideas (During the discussion, people talked about having prep materials and a short discussion as part of the field trip. Or to study and dialogue about a topic one month and then do a relevant field trip the following month.)
a. Music studio
b. Backstage of a theater or the opera (sets, costumes, lights, etc.)
c. Interactive craft/art creative night
d. Urban design (study up on Greenbelt, Maryland and maybe visit Daybreak or other designed community)
e. Nature hike with an expert
f. Gilgal gardens
g. Hawk watch
h. City dump/recycling or other waste processing facility
i. Kennecot
j. Masonic temple
k. Factories in North Salt Lake
l. Ben Behunin (potter). He has made his living doing this for the past 15 years. He has just published his third book in a series about a young potter. They are delightful and thought provoking. He has a whimsical home and studio in Sugar House. It would be worth your time to see the studio and the art he creates. It is both irreverent and inspiring. His love for live and art is fun and infectious. Yet he is also very practical. I have heard him speak to a group before and he can share some remarkable insights about following your dreams and passions while staying true to your ideals.

December 7, 2010: New Topics for 2011

2010-11-14T20:48:00.000-08:00

Time to pick topics again!

On Dec. 7 we will get together to mingle and merry-make while we discuss our topics for 2011 (think "party" more than "dialogue"). Please bring a little something tasty and festive to share with the group. Sweets or savories welcome!

It would be great to have at least 25 topics to choose from. Suggest a topic as a comment on this post. Include a draft title and any questions or curiosities you have that led you to suggest the topic. For example:

Tea Parties and Marijuana: Why the right stole the show in 2010.

"Numbers in Nature" Mathematical patterns show up all over in nature. It would be interesting to become familiar with some of these patterns and why scientists think this happens.

Left-Handers: What is up with them?
Left-handed people are disproportionately represented in high-ranking political offices, corporate boardrooms, and in influential art circles. Is this just a strange coincidence or is there more there?

You can throw out a one-liner, or get as detailed as you like in your explanation of the topic. We'll compile the suggestions and discuss them on Dec. 7. We'll pick one for January, and vote on the rest throughout December via the blog.

November 2, 2010: The Creative Spark

2010-10-15T13:17:00.000-07:00

How does creativity work? How do you get more of it in your life?

Check out the links below and leave a comment with your thoughts or any additional resources you want to pass along to help frame our dialogue on the 2nd.

Julia Cameron's website about discovering your creative self.

Elizabeth Gilbert's 20-minute talk on nurturing creativity.

Amy Tan's 20-minute talk on creativity: something out of nothing.

October 5, 2010: Bowling Alone: The Decline of Social Capital

2010-10-03T12:41:00.000-07:00

Topic Host: Carri Hulet

Societal well-being can be measured in a number of ways. One measure is "physical capital," or the value of all the material goods in circulation. Another is "human capital," the aggregate value of the education and skills that members of the society possess.

For Tuesday's discussion, we are interested in the value of "social capital," or the value of social networks (i.e. who you know and spend time with). In society, if a lot of people know and spend time with a lot of people, social capital is high. If the reverse is true, social capital is low. The value of these networks is often judged by how diverse the network (see the New Yorker cartoon above for a little tongue-in-cheek criticism of that notion).

Research shows that social capital has dramatically decreased in the United States since the mid-1960s and there is strong evidence that this loss of social capital has surprisingly far-reaching negative effects on our health, safety, and general well-being.

Our discussion will focus on the following questions:
What is social capital?
Why does social capital matter?
What can we do to increase social capital?

Most of the scholarship on this topic has come from research by Robert Putnam, the author of the book for which this session is named, "Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community." Professor Putnam also organized a multi-year research group on this topic called The Saguaro Seminar (http://www.hks.harvard.edu/saguaro/). The result of their work was published in a book called "Better Together: Restoring the American Community." Most of our readings come from Putnam and his colleagues in these endeavors.

For Tuesday, please:
1) Read an overview of social capital research: FAQs from the Better Together website
http://www.bettertogether.org/faqs.htm#saguaro

2) Read these factoids from the Saguaro Seminar's website:
http://www.hks.harvard.edu/saguaro/factoids.htm#

3) Look through this list and come prepared to talk about what you think of one or two of the suggestions.
150 things you can do to build social capital
http://www.bettertogether.org/150ways.htm

Optional

1) This PDF is the transcript from a talk Putnam gave at an OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) Conference. The whole thing is worth reading, but for our discussion it would be most helpful for you to become familiar with the charts on pp. 16 - 32 and understand what they're telling us. Putnam describes each of these charts in pp. 10 - 14.
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/25/6/1825848.pdf

2) Read the first few pages of Chapter One of "Bowling Alone"
http://books.simonandschuster.com/Bowling-Alone/Robert-D-Putnam/9780743203043/browse_inside

3) Read some recent research on the "Effect of Facebook on Social Capital"
http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol12/issue4/ellison.html

4) Listen to this 7-minute interview from NPR's All Things Considered with Robert Putnam (You will need RealPlayer)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1074874

September 7, 2010 - Depression in Utah: Unhappy in "Happy Valley"

2010-08-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

3 discussion questions:

1. Is depression a mental illness caused by a biological/genetic chemical imbalance or by disappointment over unmet expectations? Types of depression: Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Depression, Post-Partum Depression, Dysthymia, or simple sadness and discouragement, etc.

2. Does Utah culture emphasize expectations of happiness, perfection, and wealth? Are our expectations too high?

3. Is depression in Utah caused by the LDS faith, misinterpretations of religious expectations, toxic perfectionism, real or perceived religious condemnation?

Required readings:

Utah is one of the happiest states, and one of the most depressed. We have the highest rate of depression but also the lowest rate of alcoholism. Is depression caused by cultural factors or something else?
Depression in Utah
Dr. Jack L. Jensen. Dr. Cameron R. John. Haylee Adamson. Utah Valley University. Argosy University . Utah: The Happiest or Most Depressed State?
The role of pharmaceuticals in treating depression: Are antidepressants overprescribed for perceived inadequacies rather than actual depression?
Unhappy In Utah. Study: 'Beehive State' Leads Nation in Anti-Depressant Prescriptions
by David Hancock, cbsnews.com (June 3, 2002)
Many are prescribed antidepressants but there is still a stigma about using them in Utah.
Two Studies Find Depression Widespread in Utah
by Russell Goldman (March 7, 2008)
How can we implement better mental health resources to treat depression in Utah?
Utah leads the nation in rates of depression
by James Thalman, The Deseret Morning News (Nov. 29, 2007)

Optional Reading

Depression in older adults: level of depression correlated with level of church activity.
Church attendance and new episodes of major depression in a community study of older adults: The Cache county study.
The Journals of Gerontology: Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences.

August 3, 2010: Guns

2010-07-30T11:48:00.000-07:00

This pinch-hit topic has come up a number of times over the last couple of years. Some people have asked "Do guns make us safer?" and "What is the fascination with guns?" On Tuesday we will explore these and other questions.

Jay Griffith and Tiffany and Mitch Spence will lead the discussion. Jay has arranged for his brother-in-law, Tony Latham, a retired Fish and Game Officer and 19-year firearms instructor to join by phone to contribute to the discussion.

Prep Materials:

Listen to a 45-minute interview with Dan Baum, a writer and Liberal Democrat who is the author of an article in this month's Harper's Magazine called "Happiness is a Worn Gun" about his love of guns and his life as an atypical carrier of a concealed weapons permit.

Read "Do Guns Save Lives?", a short Time article from 1989 that succinctly captures some of the key points of the debate.

OPTIONALLY, you could do some quick wiki reading on the 2nd Amendment and gun politics

Read the comment below from Jay for an introduction to his perspective on this topic.

2010-07-18T20:56:00.000-07:00

Friends, this is Carri. My apologies, but I have the topic in August and I will not be able to attend because of work. I need someone to fill in.

We could come up with a new topic, or switch with another that is upcoming.

September's topic is "Depression in Utah" and Emily is the topic host.
October is "Half-Baked and Happy" and I am the topic host (Carri).
November is "The Creative Spark" and Tyler is the topic host.
(December we do not have a topic. Instead we mix, mingle, and discuss topics for 2011.)

Tyler or Emily could trade with me for September or November, but then I would be hosting two months in a row and that is not fun for anyone.

My preference is to take August's original topic - "Bowling Alone" about the breakdown of the American community - and do it in October instead of "Half-Baked and Happy." That would mean some brave soul could prepare an entirely new topic for August 3. Any takers? Submit your idea as a comment. If we get more than one, we'll take a quick blog vote this Thursday, July 22).

What say ye?

July 6: "Everything was Better Back When Everything was Worse"

2010-06-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

“The world I am trying to understand, is one in which men think they want one thing and then upon getting it, find out to their dismay that they don’t want it nearly as much as they thought or don’t want it at all and that something else, of which they were hardly aware, is what they really want.” -- Albert O. Hirschman

July's topic is going to explore the idea that in this blessed age of abundance, too many choices can paralyze our ability to be satisfied and happy with our decisions...and perhaps, like the anonymous girl said in the teaser video above, prevent us from making decisions altogether.

Were we happier and more easily satisfied back when we had one option when it came to the fit of our jeans? When there was only one movie playing at the local theatre? When your cell phone was a single function device? This topic is inspired by Barry Schwartz's book "The Paradox of Choice." Please come prepared having watched/read the following:

1. Barry Schwartz's TED talk in which he presents his ideas (20 min)
2. 2009 Time Magazine article -- "expectation inflation" and how that affects our happiness.
3. 2004 New Yorker article -- "Select All" mentions Schwartz's book but also points out how, these days, simply being a decision maker can put you ahead.

Prioritized Optional (but highly enjoyable and recommended) Preparation:

1. Malcolm Gladwell's TED talk argues how choices and variety is what saved Ragu and revolutionized the American food industry (18 min) -- should we then embrace diversity? Is this a counter argument to what Schwartz is saying?

2. 2010 New York Times Article -- Do more choices offer more freedom or is it a recipe for misery?

3. 2005 Interview with Barry Schwartz that focuses on how his theory affects the consumer...are you a maximizer?

Hope to see you there!

June 1, 2010: Is Doubt Necessary for Faith?

2010-05-26T21:50:00.001-07:00

A disturbing trend in our society is that of intelligent people who decide to abandon belief in religion and God. Too often the culprit of such decisions is that the faith communities of which they are a part do not look upon doubt as a virtue, leaving these people to feel as if there is no place for them. What would happen if these faith communities decided to decriminalize doubt? How might a religious community and its members be affected if they began to emphasize doubt as an important, even necessary, component for increasing one's faith?

READING #1
An article from the summer 2009 issue of Sunstone Magazine will form the basis of our discussion. The paper is written by Boyd Petersen, a religious studies professor at Utah Valley University and the son-in-law of Hugh Nibley, a prominent Mormon scholar recently deceased. Boyd's article is based on conversations and surveys he has done with his students over the years. Their stories are stunning and will tug at your emotions and your intellect. The question Boyd addresses is: "How can doubt be healthy rather than destructive to one's faith?" TO ACCESS THIS ARTICLE ONLINE click here.

READING #2
The second reading for our discussion is an article I wrote for the same summer 2009 issue of Sunstone. The foundation for my article is a series of oral interviews I conducted with 6 Mormon intellectuals. Each of these people at one point seriously considered leaving the Mormon Church, but all ultimately decided to stay committed. My article tells their crisis of faith stories, then asks this question: "How and why did they decide to stay committed Mormons?" In exploring this question I deal head on with my own crisis of faith experience and explain why I consider it to be one of the greatest blessings of my life. TO ACCESS THIS ARTICLE ONLINE click here.

A BIT OF CONTEXT
As both of these articles discuss the "doubting" experiences of real people, I hope they will help us move beyond theory and get to the heart of what can be an extremely painful and/or wonderful human experience. These are powerful stories, and I think many of us will relate to them on some level. During our discussion, I would like everyone to feel safe to discuss personal experiences. These issues can be sensitive of course, so an environment of openness, trust, and confidentiality is essential.

Note that both of these documents discuss the "doubting" experience primarily within the Mormon context. However, I hope our discussion can branch out to include other faith traditions, as well as viewpoints from agnosticism and atheism, which, depending on how you define faith, are also very interested in the questions these issues raise.

I look forward to our discussion. This is meaningful stuff, and there are few topics I enjoy discussing more!

May 4, 2010: The Power of Humor to Persuade, to Heal, and to Educate

2010-04-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

How does a well-played bit of humor immediately disarm an opponent? Why does laughing actually make you feel better? Why are viewers of comedy shows the most informed citizens in the country?

It turns out that there is a lot to explore about what is going on in our cognitive and physiological functions when something tickles our funny bone.

Humor Heals

Humor & Immunity and Humor & Pain by Rod A. Martin (2007)
Read pages 317 - 324 (note that some of the text is missing because it's on google books, but the available information is really interesting and enough to get us started in dialogue).

Is it true that laughing is good for your health?
Half-page article from the University of Wisconsin-Madison

MyHyena.com - an example of a handful of web sites I found dedicated to the idea that humor heals. Just peruse the site a bit for some interesting anecdotal information.

Humor Persuades

The Power to Persuade by Kevin Dutton (Scientific American Mind, March/April 2010)
Pages 24 - 31. This article is not exclusively about humor, but it makes an interesting point about how the persuasive function of humor has to do with creating mental "incongruity." The whole article is worth the read, but we'll focus on the short section about incongruity on page 28.

OPTIONAL - Humor as a Double-Edged Sword: Four Functions of Humor in Communication by John C. Meyer (Communication Theory, Volume 10 Issue 3, 2000)
For being an article about humor, this abstract sure is dry. But it makes some interesting claims about how humor, as a tool of persuasion, can both divide and unite.

Humor Educates

Political Punch Lines by Jessica Bloustein, Newsweek Web Exclusive Sept. 11, 2008
The money quote from this article is "The Pew Research Center recently found that audiences for "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" were better informed about the world around them than the general population, scoring in the highest percentile on knowledge of current events."
Thank you, Jon Stewart, for teaching us more about Yemen than so-called respectable sources of news.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Terror 2.0 by Yemen - Sad Libs

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor

Tea Party

Pay attention to the subtle messages about the American economy that you would normally pick up subconsciously from this snippet from The Onion (excuse the obnoxious ad for the first 10 seconds).

Ford Unveils New Car For Cash-Strapped Buyers: The 1993 Taurus

April 6, 2010- Applying the Sermon on the Mount to Modern Life

2010-03-23T06:47:00.000-07:00

Topic Host: Ed Iversen

I will be leading a discussion on radical ideas in the Sermon on the Mount and how they might relate to world and personal conflict and materialism. Please read Matthew chapters 5-7 from the New Testament and come prepared to share your ideas and feelings relating to 1) personal, community and world conflicts; and 2) materialism.

This book, written by E. Stanley Jones in 1931, is part of the inspiration for this topic.

March 2, 2010: Divorce

2010-02-15T21:50:00.000-08:00

Topic Host: Tyler Asman

In March we will be discussing the ins and outs of divorce (and consequently, of marriage, too). Some questions to explore include:

- When did the rising trend in rates of divorce begin, and why?
- Divorce may be more acceptable, but is a change in societal norms too simple an explanation?
- If we're so bad at staying married, why do we keep getting into it in the first place?
- What are the biggest contributors to divorce?
- How can divorce be avoided?
- How to marry well and do a good job staying married.

Please post a comment if you have any interesting resources you would like to share.

Or, if there is a particular angle/question you'd like explore, let's hear it!

Here are some background materials to review:
A very brief outline of an Austrian study

http://www.divorcereform.org/why.html - why divorce rates increased

http://www.divorcestatistics.org/ - quick stats

http://www.divorcereform.org/cor.html - correlation of other factor (age, religion, education, etc.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/magazine/06marriage-t.html - NY Time Mag article on improving marriage and perceived problems

Myths of divorce

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/6857918/Facebook-fuelling-divorce-research-claims.html - mostly I thought this was funny....

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700008578/Step-away-from-the-altar-New-book-examines-why-people-get-married-when-they-know-it-wont-last.html?pg=1

Feb 2, 2010 Healthcare Reform Discussion Materials

2010-01-08T15:08:00.000-08:00

Presenter: KaLynne Harris
For those of you who don't know me, I am a dermatology resident physician at the University of Utah with an interest in healthcare reform. Thanks for the invitation to discuss one of my interests. I am looking forward to the discussion!

Now for the discussion:

The U.S. House and Senate are currently in the midst of formulating a final healthcare bill intended to "reform" an industry that makes up nearly 20% of the national economy.

The readings/viewings below are meant to serve as a primer for a provocative discussion. I hope the discussion will examine 1) what are the problems with the current system, 2) what are the solutions being proposed by Congress, 3) what are other possible solutions and 4) how much will legislative process influence the final reform effort?

Please feel free to review as much or as little of the information below as you wish. If time is limited, I'd recommend reviewing the first three documents first.

1. Basic overview of the House and Senate bills.
http://www.kff.org/healthreform/upload/housesenatebill_final.pdf

2. Two different comentaries on healthcare reform strategies.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/magazine/19healthcare-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200909/health-care

3. Two New Yorker articles looking at the pros and cons of regional variation in our vast healthcare system.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/12/14/091214fa_fact_gawande?currentPage=1

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/01/090601fa_fact_gawande

4. Two Frontline episodes relating to healthcare. The first examines other healthcare systems around the world and the second places healthcare within the larger context of government finances.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/view/?utm_campaign=homepage&utm_medium=proglist&utm_source=proglist

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tentrillion/view/?utm_campaign=searchpage&utm_medium=videosearch&utm_source=videosearch

5. Finally, for the political junkies like me, a discussion between two progressives about the current healthcare bills and an article about the sticking points between the House and Senate bills.
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/12182009/watch.html

http://healthcarereform.nejm.org/?p=2723

February 2nd: Healthcare Reform: What's Wrong and Where do We Go from Here?

2010-01-05T22:20:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned tonight, I understand that someone named Kalynne will be leading next month's discussion on Healthcare Reform, but until she provides us with some materials, I wanted to share some of my recent favorite articles on the topic, starting with one entitled, "How American Health Care Killed My Father" from the Atlantic, which does a great job of exploring and explaining one the big reasons that I believe we have so many problems in our healthcare system: Patients are not the customers of healthcare. Patients buy insurance, and insurance companies and increasingly more often the federal government are the true customers of healthcare. Neither patients nor doctors often know the costs (or prices) of the services being delivered. The costs are hidden from us and we are led to believe that someone else is paying. The truth is that we all pay. It's a long article, but, for me at least, a fascinating read, so I wanted to post it now and give you all plenty of time to read it before next month.

Obviously I have my own biases and welcome everyone's comments and perspectives. I hope that we can get people from all sides of this issue involved throughout the month and in next month's discussion: healthcare providers, patients, insurers, administrators, etc.

January 5, 2010: Poverty

2010-01-04T21:46:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2010 - the dawn of a new year and a new decade full of hope, possibility, and the opportunity to confront big questions anew. From poverty to humor to healthcare, divorce, and doubt - the year for our group is promising (see sidebar for the topic schedule).

We start with poverty - a problem that feels so pervasive, so systemic that it is hard to know where to start. In fact, when our topic host, John Hoffmire, suggested this subject, one of his questions was: "Why do so many of us feel that poverty will never go away?"

We will ask that big question, and dig into some strategies to address poverty both internationally and domestically.

John will give a brief presentation and then lead the discussion. John is the Director of the Center on Business and Poverty at the University of Wisconsin. Please peruse the web site to familiarize yourself with the Center's work. In particular, read through the research questions they are addressing.

Results

2009-12-20T21:01:00.000-08:00

2010 is looking good! Thanks for your participation suggesting topics and voting on them.

We'll assign the top 10 or 11 topics to months in 2010 and get back to you soon with a schedule.

Our next gathering is in two weeks - Tuesday, Jan. 5.

F - 10
G - 10
Q - 9
C - 8
J - 7
N - 7
A - 6
I - 6
K - 6
U - 6
X - 6
D - 5
O - 5
M - 5
H - 4
P - 4
R - 4
B - 3
L - 3
S - 3
T - 3
W - 3
E - 1
V - 1

F) The Power of Humor
How humor has been used to persuade, to disarm, and to heal.

G) Bowling Alone
Discussion of the breakdown of the American community, based primarily on Robert Putnam's work regarding social capital http://www.bowlingalone.com/.

Q) Is Doubt Necessary for Faith?
A disturbing trend in our society is that of intelligent people who decide to abandon belief in religion and God. Too often the culprit of such decisions is that the faith communities of which they are a part do not look upon doubt as a virtue, leaving these people to feel as if there is no place for them. What would happen if these faith communities decided to decriminalize doubt? How might a religious community be affected if it began to emphasize doubt as an important, even necessary, component for increasing one's faith?

C) Healthcare Reform: What's Wrong and Where Do We Go From Here?
The U.S. Congress is currently in the midst of debating a massive healthcare reform bill that would make drastic changes to an industry that makes up a huge portion of our national economy. What are the problems with the current system, what are the solutions being proposed by Congress and what are some of the other solutions not being proposed by Congress?

J) Poverty
What works to address poverty internationally and domestically? Why do so many of us feel that poverty will never go away?

N) Everything was Better Back when Everything was Worse:
There are pros and cons to living in an age where we have more choices and opportunities than we've ever had before. Does diversity provide us with happiness or are we paralyzed by too many choices?

A) Why Americans Like Divorce Almost as Much as We Like Marriage
I'd like to talk about how we explain a nearly 50% failure rate in a multi-million dollar industry. Or simply explore the question: "Why divorce?!" We've been warned, we know what we're getting into. Why do we keep failing at it?

I) Half-Baked and Happy?
Some say that these days most of us don't do things well, and we get away with it. The premium on quality has been sacrificed to the premium on efficiency. We have learned to leverage technology to get significant output from very small effort. Is this true? If so, what is gained and what is lost in a culture where it is so easy to get so much of something for virtually nothing?

K) The Creative Spark
Exploring our collective beliefs about the source/nature of creativity and how it serves us...or doesn't. Why the tortured artist? Why the doubts about pursuing creative endeavors? http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

U) The Sermon on the Mount as it Applies to Modern Life

X) Depression in Utah
I have read recently an article about depression in Utah. Utah ranks the highest of all the states in the United States for the most cases of major depression. Utah was also in the top 5 for antidepressant prescriptions. (Utah also ranked lowest for illegal drug and alcohol use, incidentally). What it is about utah that makes more people depressed? Is it genetic? Are our expectations about life too high? Is it toxic perfectionism? Some aspect of Utah culture? Or is it that people in other states mask the symptoms of depression with illegal drugs and alcohol?

Rock the Vote 2010

2009-12-14T21:56:00.000-08:00

Topics, you ask? Why yes. 24 of them - in order of appearance.

Impressive, folks. Thanks to those who submitted. There are some super ideas here.

Post a comment. Vote for your favorites. Up to 10.

Polls close Thursday at midnight. We'll assign the winners to a specific month next year and hope that whoever gets assigned to January 5th either has no life over the holidays or is uncommonly bright.

A) Why Americans Like Divorce Almost as Much as We Like Marriage
I'd like to talk about how we explain a nearly 50% failure rate in a multi-million dollar industry. Or simply explore the question: "Why divorce?!" We've been warned, we know what we're getting into. Why do we keep failing at it?

- Tyler Asman

B) Why Rape?

We have seen an increasing use of women's bodies as weapons of war. What is the perceived power in this? I want to explore religious, societal and historical belief of women, that allows and perpetuates this abhorrent weaponization.

- Dana Allison

C) Healthcare Reform: What's Wrong and Where Do We Go From Here?

The U.S. Congress is currently in the midst of debating a massive healthcare reform bill that would make drastic changes to an industry that makes up a huge portion of our national economy. What are the problems with the current system, what are the solutions being proposed by Congress and what are some of the other solutions not being proposed by Congress?

- Jake Tripp

D) Field Trip

I just thought it would be fun to choose a topic where we could go somewhere prior to the discussion and get a hands-on learning experience. Similar to what we did with our "Art" topic earlier this year.

Could be combined with another topic. My suggestions included: symphony, opera, theater a museum, or the zoo. Would be open to other possibilities.

- Jake Tripp

E) Electronic Medical Records: The Computer Will See You Now

Presidents from George W. Bush to Barack Obama and legislators from Hilary Clinton to Newt Gingrich have championed the advent of electronic medical records as a means of lowering healthcare costs and increasing healthcare quality. What is an electronic medical record and how can they help? What are their shortcomings and downsides?

- Jake Tripp

F) The Power of Humor

How humor has been used to persuade, to disarm, and to heal.

- Carri Hulet

G) Bowling Alone
Discussion of the breakdown of the American community, based primarily on Robert Putnam's work regarding social capital http://www.bowlingalone.com/.

- Carri Hulet

H) How Did This Get in My House?

Following production lines for a few representative goods. Maybe a food, a car, an iPod. Something along these lines: http://www.storyofstuff.com/.

- Carri Hulet

I) Half-Baked and Happy?

Some say that these days most of us don't do things well, and we get away with it. The premium on quality has been sacrificed to the premium on efficiency. We have learned to leverage technology to get significant output from very small effort. Is this true? If so, what is gained and what is lost in a culture where it is so easy to get so much of something for virtually nothing?

-Carri Hulet

J) Poverty

What works to address poverty internationally and domestically? Why do so many of us feel that poverty will never go away?

- John Hoffmire

K) The Creative Spark

Exploring our collective beliefs about the source/nature of creativity and how it serves us...or doesn't. Why the tortured artist? Why the doubts about pursuing creative endeavors? http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

- Tyler Asman

L) Just a Story...The Death of Cultural Mythology

What cultural myths are we, as a civilization, reinterpreting today (through technology, science, history, biology, etc) and how will this dissolving of mythology affect future generations?

- Mikell Stringham

M) The Right Brain Revolution

How and why the corporate world is moving away from an information-based culture to a conceptual one where creativity and aestheticism dominate the landscape.

- Laura Durham

O) Does Capitalism Kill Creativity?

Capitalism is often praised for its ability to spur creativity. Yet how many future Picassos are crunching numbers in the accountant's office? How many Steinbecks are holed up in advertising agencies? Capitalism is directly responsible for helping countries become economic powers in record time. But is there collateral damage when our artists are forced to take jobs they don't love just to put food on the table?

- Matt Connelly

P) Are We Deleting our History Into Cyberspace?

Handwritten documents such as personal letters and memos used to form the foundation for historical research. These rich primary sources gave us an intimate glimpse into the most critical conversations of individuals and organizations. However, with the advent of email, many of these important conversations are deleted or left to rot on remote servers, forever inaccessible to researchers or even loved ones who want to write family history. What can we do to solve this problem? Is there a way we can take advantage of this fantastic new communication tool without sacrificing our history?

- Matt Connelly

R) How is healthy food the foundation of a happy life and a healthy society? Or is it?
Ruminate on and discuss Michael Pollan's writings.

- Jay Griffith

S) Do all animals have a right to be happy and fulfilled?

Explore our relationship with our fellow creatures. How does our treatment of animals affect us and reflect on us?

- Jay Griffith

T) A little here, a little there
Everyone bring 2 or 3 descriptions of things they have done or do that demonstrate respect and care for the natural world. The hope is that by sharing our experiences we can inspire each other in addition to learning new possibilities or learning what doesn't work. There is also an implicit "why" to each choice or behavior that would be worth exploring as well as the tradeoffs to doing or not doing certain activities. The intent would not be to create guilt, but rather come away with something new and the feeling—"hey I could try doing that."

- Jay Griffith

U) The Sermon on the Mount as it Applies to Modern Life

- Ed Iversen

V) How can the powers of heaven help us achieve great things?

- Ed Iversen

W) Global Warming
Is our automobile dependent culture contributing to it? Is it just a natural part of the earth's warming and cooling cycles? Is it just a political tool? How can the US enforce better environmental practices on developing countries if we are historically to blame for damages to the environment?

- Emily Evans

X) Depression in Utah

I have read recently an article about depression in Utah. Utah ranks the highest of all the states in the United States for the most cases of major depression. Utah was also in the top 5 for antidepressant prescriptions. (Utah also ranked lowest for illegal drug and alcohol use, incidentally). What it is about utah that makes more people depressed? Is it genetic? Are our expectations about life too high? Is it toxic perfectionism? Some aspect of Utah culture? Or is it that people in other states mask the symptoms of depression with illegal drugs and alcohol?

- Emily Evans

Topics for 2010

2009-12-04T07:53:00.000-08:00

It's time to pick our topics for 2010!

We're also looking for your opinion on changing the format. It has been suggested that we switch to more of a presentation/discussion format than a strict dialogue format. The presenter could be one of us or a guest speaker. She/He/They would give a 20 - 30 minute presentation and then there would be a group discussion. The topic hosts would still provide some advance readings so people could get up to speed before the discussion, but there would not be the same expectation to prepare as in the past. If you have an opinion on this, please let us know!

To suggest a topic, please comment below.

You can suggest as many topics as your little heart desires until Friday, December 11th.

We'll put them up for a vote and take the top 10 ideas. We'll leave two months open in case some interesting current event comes up and we need to shift things around. If not, we'll fill in with the topics that came in 11th and 12th.

Remember, you don't have to host the topic just because you suggested it, but you do get first dibs.

For consistency and to make it easier for all of us to evaluate the topics, please follow this format:

Title
1 - 2 sentence description of a possible approach to the topic (you're not tying it down - the approach will be refined or could significantly change later, but this gives people an idea of what you think it interesting about this topic).

Here's a great example from Tyler, who suggested this earlier this week:

Why American's Like Divorce Almost as Much as We Like Marriage
I'd like to talk about how we explain a nearly 50% failure rate in a multi-million dollar industry. Or simply explore the question: "Why divorce?!" We've been warned, we know what we're getting in to, why do we keep failing at it?

December 1, 2009: International Aid

2009-11-22T21:11:00.000-08:00

In the introduction to Carol Lancaster's book, Foreign Aid: Diplomacy, Development, Domestic Politics, it states: "A twentieth-century innovation, foreign aid has become a familiar and even expected element in international relations. But scholars and government officials continue to debate why countries provide it: some claim that it is primarily a tool of diplomacy, some argue that it is largely intended to support development in poor countries, and still others point out its myriad newer uses."

There are a few interesting take-away messages from this brief statement: 1) The concept of foreign aid is new - a "twentieth-century innovation," 2) Foreign aid is commonplace, and 3) Foreign aid is controversial.

In our dialogue group there are a number of individuals engaged in projects and organizations that provide foreign aid, so in addition to the readings, we expect some interesting personal perspectives on the value of providing international aid and the associated risks.

Please plan for about an hour for the readings. You'll want to look at the optional pieces as well. They round out the readings nicely.

Foreign Aid: Diplomacy, Development, Domestic Politics
(Read Chapter One)
by Carol Lancaster

Why Development Aid Fails, by Rupert Taylor

US and Foreign Aid Assistance
from globalissues.org

OPTIONAL READINGS
Foreign Aid - Who Actually Benefits?
blog post on e.the.people

Volunteers Send Aid through Burma's Backdoor
Christian Science Monitor

U.S. Delays Somalia Aid, Fearing it is Feeding Terrorists
NYTimes, October 1

November 3: You Are What You Eat

2009-10-21T22:13:00.000-07:00

During the past 20 years the rate of obesity in the United States has dramatically increased. The raising trend in obesity has been observed in children, women, and men of all populations and ethnic groups. The CDC provides an excellent snap shot into the growing epidemic, http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html There are and continues to be many assumptions as to what are the driving forces behind the obesity epidemic with reduced physical activity and increased caloric intake being seen as the major drivers. But could there be additional drivers, are there factors in our human makeup that maybe the cause of this trend. Why is it that some can eat all their heart desires and never gain a pound (we all have those friends), food for thought.

Readings:
Food for thought. What you eat depends on your sex and eating companions
Food for Thought_What You Eat Depends on Your Sex and Eating Companions

Consumption stereotypes and impression management: How you are what you eat
Consumption Stereotypes and Impression Management

October 6th, 2009: The Future of Education

2009-09-28T08:29:00.000-07:00

Education includes such a broad spectrum of topics that it would be impossible to touch on all the changes and innovations happening in the field right now, but I've tried to pick 2 topic areas that are interesting to me.

The first article by Paul Tough talks about early intervention, nonschool interventions, and then gives a brief introduction to the Harlem Children's Zone project, about which he recently wrote an entire book: 24/7 School Reform

Somewhat related to that article is this article by David Whitman, about what he calls "The New Paternalism", talking about the success of schools that, along with traditional schooling, also enforce strict behavioral policies and require students to learn manners and treat one another respectfully: An Appeal to Authority

Optional, but good and a very quick read: For some further information on these topics, here's a brief NYTimes article about the Harlem Children's Zone and paternalistic education: The Harlem Miracle

Optional: A recent episode of the fantastic radio show, "This American Life", had a 30-minute segment on the Harlem Children's Zone, which can be listened to free online here: Going Big

Some questions to think about as you read these articles:

Are significantly improved test scores a fair trade for highly structured schools that are more restrictive than traditional public schools?
Do improved test scores equate to improved education?
Is this model of education sustainable on a larger scale? Clearly this model requires more funding than is available to most schools, and requires teachers willing to be more invested than is the norm.

As a 2nd topic, in 2007, Utah legislators passed a private school vouchers program to provide vouchers of varying amounts (based on family income) to families who wanted to take their children out of public schools and enroll them in private schools. That voucher program never went into effect, as Utah voters voted to repeal the program that fall.

Here's a website that does an okay job of summing up the arguments for and against private school voucher programs: SoYouWanna Learn About School Vouchers (point #3 is just a repeat of #2, not a good sign for whatever type of school the person who made this page went to)

Some questions to think about:

What should be the government's role in education?
Do private school voucher programs provide options to students from poor homes? or are they just a sneaky way for rich families to get more money?
Would vouchers lead to more competition in the realm of education? If so, would that competition improve the overall quality of education in our country?

Sept 1, 2009: Broadcasting Your Life

2009-08-19T07:02:00.000-07:00

Blogging, Tweeting and Facebooking:
"The easiest kind of relationship is with ten thousand people, the hardest is with one." -- Joan Baez

For many, the explosion of social media has increased the amount of time we spend communicating through our computers and hand-held devices. Some believe these advances enhance our relationships while others see this trend as isolating, making us less human.

Do our social and interpersonal skills suffer as we choose to broadcast our activities and experiences as the latest news story? Do we have an increased sense of self importance? Has our sense of respect, propriety, and privacy been clouded? Is our dedication to a virtual "audience" imposing on our availability and attention to those we actually spend face time with?

The readings for this month are varied, but fun. We'll have a more focused discussion based on the questions above and I'm sure, your personal experiences.

Please browse what interests you in this study:
http://cse.stanford.edu/class/cs201/projects-97-98/effect-on-interpersonal-skills/frame.html

How many "friends" do you have?
http://www.economist.com/sciencetechnology/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13176775

The unique and intermittent dialect of "text talk"
http://www-usr.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/texttalk.html

Optional:

Message board on what other people think about conversation becoming a lost art:
http://www.helium.com/debates/202535-is-conversation-becoming-a-lost-art/side_by_side

I want to leave you with this 4 min TED talk. The idea of distraction and our reality not being nearly as interesting as the story we're going to tell is relevant:

(If you're currently in Reader, you won't be able to watch the video).

August 4, 2009: What Determines Attraction?

2009-07-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

One thing the world does not lack is experts on the nature of love. Ask five people what determines attraction and you'll get five theories based on all kinds of selective evidence and personal experience. But is attraction really so peculiar to each couple, or are there universals? Are there biological predispositions, or do environmental factors like timing, scarcity, and competition make all the difference?

In our dialogue this month, we approach the topic from a scientific approach first. Emily Bates, our in-house geneticist, will be giving a 20-minute presentation on some scientific approaches to the question of attraction, and then facilitate the dialogue the remainder of the time.

Please add some comments in advance of the discussion regarding your interest in the topic. What questions would you like to discuss? Have you read anything that you think illuminates this topic? What would you like to get out of the dialogue on August 4?

Please feel free to contact Emily directly if you want to discuss anything offline. Her email address is eabates at gmail dot com.

July 7, 2009: Aging Populations

2009-06-29T22:19:00.000-07:00

This month we think about the implications of people living longer and having fewer children.

Our readings come from The Atlantic and The Economist.

Those of you who attended our first dialogue group in January, 2008, will recognize The Atlantic article, "No Country for Young Men," by Megan McArdle, which has a focus on the aging population in the United States. The article is short, and a good introduction to the topic.

The Economist piece is actually a comprehensive special report on aging from a global perspective. There are eight articles in the special report. Please choose two from the following list for your preparation.

You can also download the entire report as a PDF if you are interested in having all of the articles (you click the button that says "View PDF" under the Philips logo). It is free this week, but you will probably have to pay for it later.

See you Tuesday at 7:30!

May 26, 2009: The Future of Marriage

2009-05-19T21:41:00.001-07:00

There are a number of ways in which marriage is changing, but the most political marriage question of our day is clearly gay marriage. In the United States, the legal questions regarding gay marriage are being debated and decided at the state level, which means that each of us will soon (if you have not already) have the democratic opportunity to support or oppose a proposed policy on gay marriage. In our dialogue this month, we challenge ourselves to explore gay marriage policy options with the hope that each person will feel better equipped to form an informed, personal opinion about public policy on gay marriage.

Our readings come from two thinkers with opposing perspectives on the issue, but a joint agreement on a policy proposal. We will read the introductions to each of their books, and the Op-Ed they wrote together for the New York Times. Everyone is encouraged to do some of his or her own research on various gay marriage policies around the county and the world in order to enrich our discussion.

pgs. 1 - 9 Introduction to Jonathan Rauch's book, "Gay Marriage: Why it is good for gays, good for straights, and good for America"

pgs. 1 - 10 Introduction to David Blankenhorn's book, "The Future of Marriage"

The NYT Op-Ed that Rauch and Blankenhorn authored together

Springville Museum Tour this Saturday

2009-04-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

The Salt Lake Gallery Association is organizing a bus trip to the Springville Museum of Art where the director, Vern Swanson, will provide a short introduction to the exhibits.

Details:

Saturday, May 2nd;

Leaving at 11:45 am

Returning to Salt Lake by 4:30 pm.

Meet at the SDI parking lot right behind the Rio Grande Depot on 300 South and 500 West.

The buses are already paid for by the SLGA and TRASA Urban Arts Collective.

If you want to meet the group at the Springville Art Museum, show up at 1 PM. Tell them you're with the Gallery Association tour. Maybe drop the name "Cheryl."

Although the permanent collection is available for viewing, we will focus on the 85th Spring Salon. This is a well-known juried exhibition for Utah artists which features all styles of artistic expression.

There will also be an exhibit called Redrock, Sage and Pinon with an accompanying book by Drs. Vern G. Swanson and Donna Poulton, Painters of Utah’s Canyons and Deserts.

The exhibit, which spans over 100 years, includes such artists as Maynard Dixon, John Fery and Alfred Lambourne. Featuring the raw and untamed beauty of the Wild West, each work highlights the depth and wonder of canyons and deserts unique to Utah. With the striking contrast of the bright blue sky against the red rock, it is no wonder why artists were drawn to the National Parks and Monuments including Zion National Park, Bryce National Park, Backcountry Arches, Bridges, and Monuments, the Grand Staircase-Escalante and Capitol Reef.

Please invite anyone that would be interested in joining! If you are interested in reserving seats on the bus, please email kristina@slga.info ASAP.

April 28, 2009: Visual Arts - How to Feel the Love

2009-04-20T22:59:00.001-07:00

Oh you who loved elementary school, this is your month. Time for a FIELD TRIP and SHOW & TELL, kiddos.

The prep work for April's Think Again is to visit a visual arts museum or gallery. You can go somewhere on your own (need ideas?) or meet with other Think Again groupies at the UMFA at the University of Utah on SATURDAY, APRIL 25 at 1:30 pm for the half hour tour called Highlights of the Collection. Meet at the place where the tour starts at 1:20 pm. Call the museum at 801-581-7332 if you have any questions about the tour.

Wherever you go, take a notebook on your visit and make notes on what you like and don't like. Try to articulate what draws you to certain pieces and what drives you away from others. If you are allowed to take photos, snap a few so you can share them with the group on Tuesday.

At the actual dialogue on April 28, bring your thoughts to share from your museum/gallery visit and if you can, any visual examples of art you love or hate (doesn't have to be from your field trip, but could be) so we can look at a few pieces together and discuss them. You could bring actual paintings or prints or photos, a book, or digital files we can throw up on the projector.

We will draw on the knowledge of the group to explore that well-worn mystery, "What is good art, and how do you know?"

April's Topic

2009-04-07T22:50:00.000-07:00

When we chose topics for 2009, we left April and September open so we could add one on the fly.

Suggest a topic, or vote on someone else's suggestion by APRIL 10.

March 31, 2009: It's Time to Talk About Sex

2009-03-01T12:30:00.000-08:00

March 31 2009 Topic

Sexual Responsibility:How Are Individuals and Society Helped or Hurt by Personal Sexual Choices

I'm excited for this discussion. I'd like for it to be open, frank, and thought-provoking. While morality can and should come up, I hope to avoid excessive moralizing and would rather use our time to identify and discuss the questions critical for helping each of us to develop our personal moral opinions about sex.

The core questions of our discussion are:

What does it mean to be sexually responsible?
How are individuals and society helped by personal sexual choices?
How are individuals and society hurt by personal sexual choices?

Required Readings & Video:(4 short readings and 1 short video, all totaling about 45 minutes; all documents and video located online):

1. What Are the Major Issues Involved in Sexual Responsibility?

These issues will form the foundation of our discussion. I have compiled a summary of some of the critical issues and questions we could discuss. This is a required reading. Please read this before you read any of the other required readings, because it will provide important context. 15 minutes to read. To access online click here.

2. The Pill and The Sexual Revolution

“Birth Control Pills Helped Empower Women, Changed the World” Source: Sandy Cohen, The Religious Consultation on Population Health, Reproduction, and Ethics, July 17, 2005. 10 minutes to read. To access online click here.

3. Sexual Morality

Our discussion will focus primarily on the following sections of this article about sexual morality: Freedom vs. Oppression, Population Control, Religious Morality, and Democratic Balance. 15 minutes to read. To access online click here.

4. Abstinence Before Marriage, Full Fidelity After

As an example of a conservative religious viewpoint on sexual responsibility and marriage, advocating complete abstinence before marriage and full fidelity after, please see The Proclamation on the Family, issued in 1995 by the Mormon Church. 5 minutes to read. To access online click here.
Purity Balls and Purity Pledges: An increasingly popular trend among conservative Christians is purity pledges and purity balls, where teenage girls pledge to themselves and their fathers that they will abstain from sex until marriage. To see a 3 minute YouTube video of a purity ball and an interview of a teenage girl participant click here.
Optional: New York Times article detailing purity balls and purity pledges. 10 minutes to read. To access online click here.

February 24, 2009: Voices of The Great Depression

2009-02-08T18:15:00.001-08:00

For February's Think Again dialogue, we'll try to get a taste of life during The Great Depression and draw some lessons that have relevance to the current economic downturn.

The question is not whether our experience will be "as bad," or "the same" as the 1930s, but what the voices from that time can teach us today, regardless of the severity, duration, or nature of our crisis.

A few questions to consider as we prepare for the dialogue: What was gained and what was lost in that time? Who was hardest hit - women, blacks, children, white men, migrants, laborers? If all we know about that time comes from artists (writers, journalists, painters, photographers, musicians, etc.), what attention should we give to the creative chroniclers of our day? Feel free to add questions you would like to explore in the comments.

The prep work includes 30 minutes of audio and 30 - 45 minutes of reading/looking at art.

1) Introduction to the book, "First-Person America" by Ann Banks (pdf - sorry for the poor quality)
While this is an introduction to a book from which I have not included any readings, the themes discussed, and the general overview of the value of first-hand accounts from the time is an excellent introduction to the other materials we are listening to and reading. Just read the parts in the red boxes.

2) Studs Terkel interviews
The Chicago Public Radio program "This American Life" compiled about 30 minutes of recordings from interviews Studs Terkel did with people who lived through the depression. The program is one hour long, but the interviews start about five minutes into the program (5:30 - 37:35). You can listen directly from your computer for free by clicking "Full Episode," or download the episode for $1 and listen to it on your MP3 player.

3) Dorthea Lange's "Migrant Mother" (1936) (pdf - sorry for the poor quality)
The story of this iconic photo.

4) Posters from the WPA
Just peruse this site. There are no specific posters assigned.
Here's some background: WPA, and the Federal Art Project

OPTIONAL--------------------------------------------------------
Excerpts from The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan
In the dark years of the Depression, giant, relentless dust storms overtook the Plains states and parts of Canada due to a combination of drought and erosion from poor agricultural practices. This 2006 book by Timothy Egan contains first-hand accounts from survivors, and makes an interesting argument about the twin threats of natural resource depletion and economic recession. See the Introduction through page 10 and Don Hartwell's experience pp. 242 - 251

For more audio from Studs Terkel, see http://www.studsterkel.org/htimes.php

And the winners are...

2009-01-25T21:55:00.000-08:00

Here’s a tentative schedule for 2009. I assigned the top nine topics and left two months open so we can decide as a group if we want to pick from the remaining topics, or create new ones. We will discuss this schedule at January’s dialogue and make sure it works for the topic hosts.

February: Lessons From the Great Depression: What Should We Know Going Into Recession?
March: Sexual Responsibility: How is Society Helped or Hindered by Personal Sexual Choices?
April: OPEN
May: The Future of Marriage: What will "the institution" of marriage look like in 20 years?
June: Aging Boomers: Understanding the Economic Impacts of a Nation of Retirees
July: What Determines Attraction?
August: Texting, Email, Blogs, and the Fall of the English Language
September: OPEN
October: The Future of Education
November: How Americans View Food
December: Is the World Better or Worse Off Because of International Aid?

Here's the vote tally, FYI:
(13) Sexual Responsibility: How is Society Helped or Hindered by Personal Sexual Choices?
(13) The Future of Marriage: What will "the institution" of marriage look like in 20 years?
(11) Texting, Email, Blogs, and the Fall of the English Language
(11) Is the World Better or Worse Off Because of International Aid?
(11) What Determines Attraction?
(11) Aging Boomers: Understanding the Economic Impacts of a Nation of Retirees
(10) The Future of Education
(10) How Americans View Food
(10) Lessons From the Great Depression: What Should We Know Going Into Recession?

POTENTIAL TOPICS FOR THE OPEN MONTHS:
(9) Comedy and Politics: How Spoofs Shape Public Opinion
(9) How Do We Communicate with Our Loved Ones?
(8) The Utah State Budget: Where Do Our Tax Dollars Go?
(8) Can Poetry Save Corporate America?
(8) How to Enjoy Art
(7) State of Technology in Health Care
(6) The Odyssey Years: How Gen X is Experiencing Adulthood
(6) Is Political Correctness Emasculating Men?
(6) Unintended Consequences of the Iraq War
(6) Exploring the Cultural Shifts in America following the 1950s
(3) New Forms of Art: Beyond Music & Painting
(1) Laura's suggestion in her comment: exploring the lack of privacy in a world of blogs and Facebook, and the effect on personal relationships

January 27, 2009: Technology & Education

2009-01-06T05:46:00.001-08:00

Topic Host: Tiffany Ivins

In your opinion, is the "right to education" a basic human right? Why or why not? In your opinion, does technology enable better *access* to free, high-quality educational opportunity and are the costs (economic, social, cultural) worth the benefits?

To prepare for our dialogue session, please spend about 30 minutes doing the following:

1) Browse 2 links on "Right to Education" and the 4 As (the right to education must be available, accessible, acceptable and adaptable):
http://right-to-education.org/node/46
http://right-to-education.org/node/226

2) Watch this 4 minute video on Youth-Managed Resource Centers (YMRC) in Nepal.

3) Browse this website to learn about projects where information and communication technologies (ICT) are central to social and economic development.

4) Find out what is happening with Open Educational Resources, Open Content and Open CourseWare.

If you are still interested, here are some more links (not mandatory for discussion, but interesting):

Testimony to the Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education (Wiley, 7 pages)

UNESCO Open Training Platform

MIT OCW

Open University (UK) Open Content Initiative

Rice Connexions

Carnegie Mellon Open Learning Initiative

National Repository of Online Courses

2009 Suggested Topics

2008-12-14T19:15:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all who attended dialogue group this week. Great start to our conversation on Technology in the Developing World, and fantastic brainstorming for the 2009 topics.

Please note that we have changed the date and time. Starting in January, we will meet from 7:30 - 9:30 pm on the last Tuesday of every month.

The last 10 minutes of each meeting will be dedicated to a teaser on the next month's topic. The upcoming topic's host will have the assignments selected and ready to present.

For January 27, we will continue the discussion on Technology in the Developing World, hosted by Tiffany Ivins.

The remaining 11 months will be determined by popular vote from the 20 suggestions below. Keep in mind that the topic descriptions are rough - just enough to give the general gist. The topic host will refine the focus once the topics are chosen. Please list your TOP TEN choices in the comments by Monday, January 5.

2009 SUGGESTED TOPICS

1) Comedy and Politics: How Spoofs Shape Public Opinion

Effect of SNL, late shows, The Onion, etc. on political choices (i.e. What would people think of Sarah Palin if not for Tina Fey, and would it have changed the way they voted?)

2) Texting, Email, Blogs, and the Fall of the English Language

do u thnk ppl care enuf 2 lrn propr english n duz it mttr?

3) The Utah State Budget: Where Do Our Tax Dollars Go?

4) The Future of Marriage: What will "the institution" of marriage look like in 20 years?

Causes and effects of rising divorce rates
Possible effects of gay marriage

5) Unintended Consequences of the Iraq War

Shifts in global perceptions of the U.S.
Economic impacts

6) Sexual Responsibility: How is Society Helped or Hindered by Personal Sexual Choices?

Effects on STDs, dating norms, abortion, birth control, etc.
Defining sexual responsibility: what does it mean?
How have attitudes toward sexuality changed over the last century and has that been for the better or worse?

7) Lessons From the Great Depression: What Should We Know Going Into Recession?

Listen to recordings and read stories from real people who lived it
Shifts in perspective due to poverty (spirituality, prejudice, pride)

8) Can Poetry Save Corporate America?

The poet, author, and lecturer David Whyte powerfully and charismatically argues that art (poetry in particular) can revive the soul that has been lost in modern-day work life. The assignments would include excerpts from his lectures and passages from his poetry.

9) Is Political Correctness Emasculating Men?

Can men still be men in a politically correct world, and if not, what is being lost?
Effects of current norms on chivalry, bravery, responsibility for family

10) State of Technology in Health Care

Proliferation of digital records (National Health Care Network)
Ethical Dilemmas (i.e. protecting privacy when medical records are more readily available)
National Health Care

11) How Do We Communicate with Our Loved Ones?

Five Love Languages
Differences in ability to communicate with friends versus spouses, parents, siblings, etc.
Effect of cultural background on communication

12) How to Enjoy Art

Field trip! Visit an art museum or other cultural event together, led by an informed guide

13) The Future of Education

New Ideas? What reforms are out there and how are they working?
Obama’s agenda – what is it? How is it playing out?

14) New Forms of Art: Beyond Music & Painting

Video games; graffiti; body art; Bodyworlds; technology: websites, advertising; personal expression, etc.
Evolution of art over time
Who benefits?

15) What determines attraction?

Evolutionary link to survival?
Influence of media on attraction?
Appearance, behaviors, self-perception
Gender differences

16) How Americans View Food

Health effects: obesity, eating disorders, etc.
Fast food: always eating on the go
Large portions, culture of abundance
How technology has affected the way we view food

17) The Odyssey Years: How Gen X is Experiencing Adulthood

Perceptions of accountability and responsibility
People getting multiple degrees because they don’t know what they want to do (grad school = snooze button on life)?
No culture of stable jobs or loyalty to a company

18) Exploring the Cultural Shifts in America following the 1950s

Were the 1950s really golden?
Moral changes
Educational changes
Community cohesiveness
Sexual revolution

19) Aging Boomers: Understanding the Economic Impacts of a Nation of Retirees

Medicare
Social security
What to do with 20 good years of retirement?

20) Is the World Better or Worse Off Because of International Aid?

Do wealthy nations have a moral obligation to help?
Motives?
Methods?
What are the risks and benefits of helping or not helping?

Technology in the Developing World/Party Night

2008-12-09T17:52:00.000-08:00

For our combined November/December dialogue, we'll have a shorter discussion so we can have time to pick topics for next year and generally make merry with each other over wassail and jingly bells.

Come prepared with some ideas for topics you'd like to discuss next year.

Wednesday, Dec. 10
7 - 9 pm
Mitch and Tiffany's
4348 S Jupiter Dr (3760 E.)
SLC, UT 84124

Tiffany Ivins will lead the mini-dialogue on Technology in the Developing World, but there is no assigned reading this time so you can bring anyone you think would want to join us. We'd like to spice up and diversify the group a little, so please bring friends!

The Economic Crisis

2008-10-15T22:05:00.000-07:00

Topic Host: Carri Hulet

October 29

The assignment this month is not reading - it is listening. Both assignments are from the Chicago Public Radio show This American Life. The first, called "The Giant Pool of Money," aired on May 9, 2008 and demystifies the chain of events that led to the sub-prime mortgage crisis. The second, named creatively "Another Frightening Show About the Economy" aired on October 3, 2008 and explains the swings in the markets, the bailout, and generally elucidates some of the queer madness we're sorting through day by day. Get some tissues because both episodes will make you want to cry (at least, that's the effect they had on me).

You can get This American Life as a free podcast, but I believe in order to listen to the back episodes, you have to pay for the downloadable file or just plug in and listen free from your computer. You'll find the episodes at http://thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Archive.aspx?year=2008

#355 The Giant Pool of Money 5-9-2008
#365 Another Frightening Show About the Economy 10-3-2008

Forgiveness in the Aftermath of War

2008-09-16T18:46:00.000-07:00

Topic Host: Carri Hulet

The topic for this month concerns societal rebuilding after war, and focuses specifically on the subject of forgiveness. The topic of forgiveness in the context of the aftermath of war is both deeply personal, and highly political, and will be interesting to discuss in light of the current geopolitical climate around the world. The United States, our allies, and various ethnic and tribal groups have been engaged in a tremendously controversial war in Iraq for several years. A great deal of hatred has developed in the hearts of those who have suffered or been otherwise affected by the crisis. Our purpose here is not to debate whether this anger and hatred is justifiable (though that would be an interesting discussion, too); rather, it is to acknowledge that the hatred exists and anticipate that in the coming years it will be dealt with one way or another.

The assigned reading, "Between Vengeance and Forgiveness," by Martha Minow is a piece that offers some insight on ways that individuals in post-conflict societies cope with their sense of injustice. It is a reading that profoundly affected me when I first read it a few years ago, and is the only required reading for this month. The second article is an excellent case-study about a successful post-war rebuilding effort in Mali*. It does not deal directly with forgiveness, but it does provide useful context for our discussion, and is optional reading.

*The optional piece is titled "Peace and Aid: The 'Programme Mali Nord' and the Search for Peace in Northern Mali" by Henner Papendieck and Barbara Rocksloh-Papendieck

Only Ugly People Read Good: How you're still only as smart as your jeans. Aug 6.

2008-07-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, August 6, 2008 7-8:30 pm

Topic Host: Mike Morrill

I apologzie for the lateness of the articles everyone, I have been busy trying to finish my thesis. The first three pieces relate to women and their underrepresentation in the physical sciences. I'd like to hone in on what this phenomena means to us as individuals and as a nation (which includes it possibly not meaning anything at all).

From another direction, I've included a couple articles on body image, its effects on how we perceive nonphysical traits.

If a connection can be found between these loosely related topics, I think it would contain some great lessons. Sadly, I was unable to find a good piece relating to that junction. Carri articulates that question as follows:

What's missing for me, however, is some argument about whether body image in an industry that is purely physical can have anything interesting to teach us about the gender expectations in an industry that is purely intellectual...(or vice versa).

I'd like everyone to think about that point. If we come up with some questions worth asking, great. If not, there is still plenty to discuss.

I can't wait to hear what everyone has to say,
Mike

A NYT overview of Women in Science
Dr. Woods, an administrator in the College of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, reminded the young women of research in which academics were asked to judge the otherwise identical résumés of people who were identified as Ken, Karen or K. In these studies, she said, Ken consistently comes out on top. “You are in a male-dominated field,” Dr. Woods said. “You have to present yourself in a way that assures them you know your technical stuff.”

The axe is sharp on both sides.What is the purpose of "equality" in the physical sciences? Equal opportunity or equal representation?

How it works.

The Dumber you Act, The More Promotions You Get: The Feminine Dilbert Principle.

But Why Male Models?
“I personally think that it’s the consumer that’s doing this, and fashion is just responding,” said Kelly Cutrone, the founder of People’s Revolution, a fashion branding and production company. “No one wants a beautiful women or a beautiful man anymore.” In terms of image, the current preference is for beauty that is not fully evolved. “People are afraid to look over 21 or make any statement of what it means to be adult,” Ms. Cutrone said.

The Larry Summers speech that got him fired*
"There may also be elements, by the way, of differing, there is some, particularly in some attributes, that bear on engineering, there is reasonably strong evidence of taste differences between little girls and little boys that are not easy to attribute to socialization."

Are they more than heels or aren't they?*
They are a diverse group. Stacey Gardner, the usual holder of suitcase No. 2, graduated from law school and says she passed the California bar exam in 2005. Pilar Lastra, No. 14, was Playboy’s Miss August 2004. Aliké Boggan, No. 20, interprets services for the hearing-impaired at her church. Aubrie Lemon, who usually carries No. 23 but who was No. 6 at a recent taping, plays the harp and says she passed the qualifying exam for Mensa. “It’s nice to kind of exercise my brain a little bit and show I still have it up there,” Ms. Lemon said. “It can just go numb if you sit here for 10 or 12 hours. But a lot of us here are very smart. You would be surprised because we all have this Barbie-doll facade.”

*Optional articles

Opera: Is it Relevant?

2008-06-10T23:18:00.000-07:00

Dialogue for June 25th
7-9 PM
Directions below

Greetings all-
Sorry this is up a bit later than I had hoped, but I have a fair excuse. We did finally get to meet our new baby girl, Jane, who arrived on Sunday June 1st. So there has been little sleep in our world. Ann, Jane and big brother Colin are all doing well.
So here are the materials for our discussion on THE RELEVANCE OF OPERA IN THE MODERN AGE. Don't get overwhelmed- I know it looks like a lot, but the articles are short and I hope the viewing/listening will be fun and at least a little compelling. I was originally planning on having a playlist right on the blog, but I decided that since opera is as much a visual medium as it is aural, that it would be better to use the joy of youtube.
Here is what I propose we all do to be prepared:
1. Read the articles. Like I said, they are all 1-2 pagers. Shouldn't be a major time drain.
2. Watch the playlist on Youtube. It is comprised of 14 excerpts, about 1'15'' minutes all in all. I've arranged them in roughly chronological order, so you may be able to make some observations about the development of the genre. I have also included a LISTENING GUIDE for you to download. You can find it embedded below. This contains translation of the texts where needed and a short description/comment on each excerpt. I've tried to refrain from making value judgements in my commentary because I want everyone to feel totally free to have their own opinions (not that this group should have any trouble with that). If you hate something, I want you to feel totally free to hate it. If you have the time and inclination, might I suggest that you watch the playlist through once without the guide, and then watch it again with the guide. I'd be interested in hearing how a little context changes your experience. If you are not so inclined, once through is fine, but once through is MANDATORY. I want everyone to have opinions about these works. Jot them down if you'd like, or make mental notes, but I want us to be able to talk in detail about what moved us, what we hated, what didn't make sense or was perplexing, etc. And of course, as you watch, be thinking about the issue of relevance. Is it relevant to you? If not, could it be made relevant? Feel free to make comments/ask questions on the blog as well.

OK- here's the stuff.

1. "Is Opera Still Relevant" by Philip Kennicott
2. "A Patience to Listen, Alive and Well" by Anthony Tommasini (critic for NY Times)
3. "The Future of Classical Music- episode 3: Bigger Problems" by Greg Sandow
4. "Bocelli Seeks Legitimacy (and Bucks) in Boheme" by Anthony Tommasini
5. "In Search of the Next Great American Opera" by Anne Midgette

To access the youtube playlist follow these instructions:
1. Go to youtube.com
2. User name is slcdialogue. Password is password1234
3. Click on the link at the top that says SLCdialogue
4. Click on the "playlists" link
5. Enjoy. Apparently I sifted through about 360 youtube videos to bring you these 14.

Below you will find the listening guide. I know it's small and illegible. Just click on the maximize button on the upper right and it will go full screen.

Listening Guide june 08 - Upload a Document to Scribd

Nuclear Weapon Proliferation

2008-05-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

Topic Host: Shannon Stowell

May 28, 2008

"A growing number of diplomats and policy analysts now express satisfaction that earlier predictions of a widely nuclearized world have been proved wrong, but it is largely just the timing that was off. Non-proliferation functionaries would earnestly disagree with such a gloomy assessment, as they must because of the business they are in. It is natural that they cite their successes, and necessary that they struggle on. But despite the occasional collapse of nuclear-weapons programs, and the inconveniencing of programs in place,... over the years few can have harbored illusions about the trend. Proliferation is a ratcheting affair that moves in fits and starts, and often slips backwards, but gradually and incrementally progresses. Diplomatic efforts to suppress it are weakened by national jealousies, UN-style dithering, higher geopolitical priorities, the sheer volume of international trade, and, at the most fundamental level, the inability of the Great Powers themselves to disarm. In a world where perhaps ten countries have already acquired the bomb, and another thirty have the capacity to build one relatively fast, rational reasons for choosing that path will now and then arise. If even Pakistan can go nuclear, almost any other nation can as well."
-- William Langewiesche, from "The Point of No Return"

U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation: http://cns.miis.edu/pubs/npr/vol14/143/143weiss.pdf
North Korea: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2340405.stm and attached file
Iran: Attached file via email
Additional Readings (for anyone interested):
The Wrath of Khan: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200511/aq-khan
The Point of No Return: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200601/aq-khan

The Intentions of Founders of the United States

2008-04-07T21:15:00.000-07:00

Topic Host: Ryan Mendenhall

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

I thought it quite backwards if we were going to discuss the original intent of the founding fathers and we didn't go back to hear what THEY had to say. So, the materials that I have grouped together are from them and not modern commentaries on what their intent was.

US Constitution
Declaration of Independence
George Washington's Farewell Address
John Adam's Thoughts on Government

And, for you overachievers, the supplemental reading is: The Massachusetts Constitution of 1780, about which Ryan says, "The Massachusetts Constitution is very insightful for the personal beliefs of the people of Massachusetts and John Adams himself.

Millenials: What changes do the rising generation bring to the workplace and, by extension, society in general?

2008-03-12T17:42:00.000-07:00

Topic Host: Mollee Lamb

Prep Materials:
The Tethered Generation by Kathryn Tyler HR Magazine May 2007
http://www.shrm.org/hrmagazine/articles/0507/0507cover.asp
Managing Demographic Risk by Rainer Strack, Jens Baier, and Anders FahlanderHarvard Business Review Feb. 1, 2008 (electronic download available for $6.50 at http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/)
optional: The Next 20 Years: How Customer and Workforce Attitudes Will Evolve by Neil Howe and William StraussHarvard Business Review July 1, 2007 (electronic download available for $6.50 at http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/)

Role shifts, mothering, gender, and visual art

2008-02-01T07:07:00.000-08:00

Topic Host:
Leah Moses Gandhi

Prep materials:
http://mosesgandhi.wordpress.com/2007/12/18/maternicity/
http://segullah.org/summer2007/nursing/
http://mosesgandhi.wordpress.com/2007/12/22/on-children-kahlil-gibran/
http://mosesgandhi.wordpress.com/2007/09/13/a-challenge-whose-proportions-are-heroic/
http://mosesgandhi.wordpress.com/2007/04/17/riding-the-third-wave/
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7829860
http://montagecreative.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html
http://mosesgandhi.wordpress.com/thesis/

Election year issues: aging population, race relations, public schools, American values in crisis

2008-01-11T07:04:00.000-08:00

Topic Host:
Carri Hulet

Prep materials:
Articles from The Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200801/sotu-opener http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200801/miller-education http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200801/aging-boomers http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200801/jena6 http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200801/guantanamo-photos