There should be an attractive blogroll over on this blog's main page from now on. This is a modern blogroll tool, related to blogrolls of twenty years ago but more powerful. My current idea is to shape a political focus for the RSS feeds that appear in my blogroll, especially feeds that manage to avoid the flood-the-zone propaganda methods common in right-wing and some other media today. Even better would be feeds that not only inform, but offer ways to get involved, ways to find other people to work with, ways to build skills for public life. I just got the blogroll operating, so I haven't done any of that shaping work as of 4/16/24. You can't make people become more active, reach out and form groups and alliances of groups, build skill sets for research and communication, shape or reshape their understanding of active citizenship, defend civic institutions that are under attack, build over time personal and group voices with reach and staying power, make powerful people understand that they aren't going away, that sort of stuff. You can't force people to do it, but I have a feeling you can tempt them and teach them and invite them too. Having good tools at hand is part of the picture, too. I have a feeling the new-fangled blogroll has a place in all this. #
Someone told me today that a cousin's family was holding a destination wedding. Sedona, October, past the worst of the heat. Theme: Western Chic. Americans used to get married with a bridesmaid or two, a groomsman or two. Now ten of each is fairly typical. They have to spend some big money on fancy clothing. They have to travel to the destination. But the new level of destination wedding is not just the destination but the theme. In this case, everyone is supposed to buy clothes to fit the theme. Women, the dresses better be cowgirlish and go down to the ankles. Men, boots would be good, but a bolo tie and a western shirt & vest might do in a pinch. Imagine 100 guests each buying travel and hotel reservations, clothes, wedding gifts, etc. What kind of life are we leading?#
There should be an attractive blogroll over on this blog's main page from now on. This is a modern blogroll tool, related to blogrolls of twenty years ago but more powerful. My current idea is to shape a political focus for the RSS feeds that appear in my blogroll, especially feeds that manage to avoid the flood-the-zone propaganda methods common in right-wing and some other media today. Even better would be feeds that not only inform, but offer ways to get involved, ways to find other people to work with, ways to build skills for public life. I just got the blogroll operating, so I haven't done any of that shaping work as of 4/16/24. You can't make people become more active, reach out and form groups and alliances of groups, build skill sets for research and communication, shape or reshape their understanding of active citizenship, defend civic institutions that are under attack, build over time personal and group voices with reach and staying power, make powerful people understand that they aren't going away, that sort of stuff. You can't force people to do it, but I have a feeling you can tempt them and teach them and invite them too. Having good tools at hand is part of the picture, too. I have a feeling the new-fangled blogroll has a place in all this. #
Someone told me today that a cousin's family was holding a destination wedding. Sedona, October, past the worst of the heat. Theme: Western Chic. Americans used to get married with a bridesmaid or two, a groomsman or two. Now ten of each is fairly typical. They have to spend some big money on fancy clothing. They have to travel to the destination. But the new level of destination wedding is not just the destination but the theme. In this case, everyone is supposed to buy clothes to fit the theme. Women, the dresses better be cowgirlish and go down to the ankles. Men, boots would be good, but a bolo tie and a western shirt & vest might do in a pinch. Imagine 100 guests each buying travel and hotel reservations, clothes, wedding gifts, etc. What kind of life are we leading?#