Comments on: Connecting through communities http://davepress.net/2008/05/09/connecting-through-communities/ Open government and everything else Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:54:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jamal Jones http://davepress.net/2008/05/09/connecting-through-communities/comment-page-1/#comment-878 Jamal Jones Tue, 13 May 2008 01:44:21 +0000 http://davepress.net/?p=376#comment-878 I do enjoy reading this blog, and it's entertainingly written. But posts like this display what I think is a disappointing absence of the ability to be (just a little bit) critical. Just re-read this sentence: "... there is a real determination in both the private and public sectors to try and engage with communities and to take a community based approach to increasing participation, engagement and brand loyalty". Don't you see anything even slightly disconcerting about this? Do you really believe this has anything to do with actual democracy? I don't mean to be too critical - like I said, I do enjoy this blog. I just want to suggest that the values of our currently existing institutions do not necessarily reflect our values as human beings. I really, really recommend this talk by Michael Albert on participatory economics (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOGQWk4M13U). If you get a little time, it's well worth watching - not because you'll necessarily agree with it - but because it will encourage you to look at our existing institutions a little more critically. Anyway, let me know what you think. I do enjoy reading this blog, and it’s entertainingly written. But posts like this display what I think is a disappointing absence of the ability to be (just a little bit) critical.

Just re-read this sentence: “… there is a real determination in both the private and public sectors to try and engage with communities and to take a community based approach to increasing participation, engagement and brand loyalty”. Don’t you see anything even slightly disconcerting about this? Do you really believe this has anything to do with actual democracy?

I don’t mean to be too critical – like I said, I do enjoy this blog. I just want to suggest that the values of our currently existing institutions do not necessarily reflect our values as human beings. I really, really recommend this talk by Michael Albert on participatory economics (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOGQWk4M13U). If you get a little time, it’s well worth watching – not because you’ll necessarily agree with it – but because it will encourage you to look at our existing institutions a little more critically. Anyway, let me know what you think.

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