Comments on: Sticks and Stones http://hildygottlieb.com/2008/07/08/sticks-and-stones/ Practical tools, support and inspiration for changing the world Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:29:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Hildy http://hildygottlieb.com/2008/07/08/sticks-and-stones/#comment-9430 Hildy Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:11:28 +0000 http://hildygottlieb.com/?p=155#comment-9430 Ray: Living and working in New Orleans as you do, it is completely understandable. It is also why our mission statement at the Community-Driven Institute is what it is - that we believe the Community Benefit Sector holds the keys to transforming our world. While government has the potential to be that agent of community transformation, the influence of politics means that government can never decide whether transformation (or sometimes merely supporting and protecting its citizenry!) is, in fact, its role. The Community Benefit Sector is, in my opinion, the logical place to lead such transformation, simply because we have no restraints that tell us we cannot do so. No politics, no profit-motive - just pure desire to do good. What immense potential that is! Thanks for continuing to fight the good fight! Hildy Ray:
Living and working in New Orleans as you do, it is completely understandable. It is also why our mission statement at the Community-Driven Institute is what it is - that we believe the Community Benefit Sector holds the keys to transforming our world.

While government has the potential to be that agent of community transformation, the influence of politics means that government can never decide whether transformation (or sometimes merely supporting and protecting its citizenry!) is, in fact, its role.

The Community Benefit Sector is, in my opinion, the logical place to lead such transformation, simply because we have no restraints that tell us we cannot do so. No politics, no profit-motive - just pure desire to do good. What immense potential that is!

Thanks for continuing to fight the good fight!
Hildy

]]> By: Ray Nichols http://hildygottlieb.com/2008/07/08/sticks-and-stones/#comment-9418 Ray Nichols Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:05:47 +0000 http://hildygottlieb.com/?p=155#comment-9418 As someone trying my best to be a "Mature Thinking Adult", I'm finding that elections and politics in general have little to do with my reality. Whoever gets elected must be dealt with and who can predict how all that will come out. So I'm kind of avoiding policics as we try to cope with the almost total failure of government in our neck of the woods. In the meantime... Ray As someone trying my best to be a “Mature Thinking Adult”, I’m finding that elections and politics in general have little to do with my reality. Whoever gets elected must be dealt with and who can predict how all that will come out. So I’m kind of avoiding policics as we try to cope with the almost total failure of government in our neck of the woods. In the meantime…

Ray

]]> By: Hildy http://hildygottlieb.com/2008/07/08/sticks-and-stones/#comment-9135 Hildy Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:53:55 +0000 http://hildygottlieb.com/?p=155#comment-9135 Dr. K: Wonderfully said, including and especially your last line! And many thanks for the well-considered approach to the subject at your blog. Hildy Dr. K:
Wonderfully said, including and especially your last line! And many thanks for the well-considered approach to the subject at your blog.
Hildy

]]> By: Dr. K. http://hildygottlieb.com/2008/07/08/sticks-and-stones/#comment-9132 Dr. K. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:33:45 +0000 http://hildygottlieb.com/?p=155#comment-9132 Hi Hildy, I like your blog, and you are spot on with this. Words do matter. The words we choose are symbols for our experience, and symbols carry profound are quick conveyers of deep and sometimes multiple meaning and mixed messages(phonological abiguity=the sound of a word means something different than the way the word appears) Words frame our meaning so others can understand our meaning, and when we change the words we use, we change the responses that we get. So the words we choose to represent our ideas are critical to our ability to persuade others, and fundamental to what we find persuasive. This flipfloppy issue is an important one for another reason, too. A foolish inconsistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, but inconsistency itself is a signal to many minds about character and trustworthiness. I'm currently running a blog series on it at DrKBlog.com, starting with the claim against McCain, then about Obama, leading to my Wednesday post addressing the cost of inconsistency in persuasive communication. I love that this issue is getting so much attention right now. It seems we (most of us, not all of us) are finally getting down to exploring and understanding the issue and meaning of changing positions, and the specific issues on which positions change, rather than simply pinning the tail on the donkey (as happened with Gore and then Kerry) I am hoping for a higher level of discourse amongst my fellow citizens in the runup to this election. Trickery and mere accusations of flipfloppery are the low road. Here's to an informed electorate making a wise choice in our next election. Hi Hildy,

I like your blog, and you are spot on with this. Words do matter. The words we choose are symbols for our experience, and symbols carry profound are quick conveyers of deep and sometimes multiple meaning and mixed messages(phonological abiguity=the sound of a word means something different than the way the word appears) Words frame our meaning so others can understand our meaning, and when we change the words we use, we change the responses that we get. So the words we choose to represent our ideas are critical to our ability to persuade others, and fundamental to what we find persuasive.

This flipfloppy issue is an important one for another reason, too. A foolish inconsistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, but inconsistency itself is a signal to many minds about character and trustworthiness. I’m currently running a blog series on it at DrKBlog.com, starting with the claim against McCain, then about Obama, leading to my Wednesday post addressing the cost of inconsistency in persuasive communication.

I love that this issue is getting so much attention right now. It seems we (most of us, not all of us) are finally getting down to exploring and understanding the issue and meaning of changing positions, and the specific issues on which positions change, rather than simply pinning the tail on the donkey (as happened with Gore and then Kerry) I am hoping for a higher level of discourse amongst my fellow citizens in the runup to this election. Trickery and mere accusations of flipfloppery are the low road. Here’s to an informed electorate making a wise choice in our next election.

]]> By: Hildy http://hildygottlieb.com/2008/07/08/sticks-and-stones/#comment-9074 Hildy Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:29:00 +0000 http://hildygottlieb.com/?p=155#comment-9074 Ron: Thanks for your note. My comment at Alternet was not aimed at McCain specifically, but at the use of language overall. Prior to the <a href="http://www.alternet.org/election08/90956/" rel="nofollow">McCain Flip-Flopper article you refer to</a>, I watched as Obama was labeled with the same ridiculous label. And so my comment was not aimed at whether or not McCain is a flip-flopper, but whether it is the most important thing to focus our limited attention spans on as we choose the leader that will help us build the future of our world. Name-calling may keep campaign consultants making good money. But it's a lousy way to create the future we want for our world. That is what my comment was intended to convey. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to clarify that! Ron:
Thanks for your note. My comment at Alternet was not aimed at McCain specifically, but at the use of language overall. Prior to the McCain Flip-Flopper article you refer to, I watched as Obama was labeled with the same ridiculous label. And so my comment was not aimed at whether or not McCain is a flip-flopper, but whether it is the most important thing to focus our limited attention spans on as we choose the leader that will help us build the future of our world.

Name-calling may keep campaign consultants making good money. But it’s a lousy way to create the future we want for our world.

That is what my comment was intended to convey. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to clarify that!

]]> By: Ron http://hildygottlieb.com/2008/07/08/sticks-and-stones/#comment-9071 Ron Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:15:55 +0000 http://hildygottlieb.com/?p=155#comment-9071 Hildy, A "mature thinking adult" doesn't constantly change his mind, or forget what answer he gave yesterday, or even which football team he wrote about in his book. I read your comment in another blog... McCain isn't a "mature thinking adult", he has gone past that, and is becoming an embarrassment to the GOP. Hopefully, they have a backup plan for the convention. Hildy,
A “mature thinking adult” doesn’t constantly change his mind, or forget what answer he gave yesterday, or even which football team he wrote about in his book. I read your comment in another blog… McCain isn’t a “mature thinking adult”, he has gone past that, and is becoming an embarrassment to the GOP. Hopefully, they have a backup plan for the convention.

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