Upgrading our Democracy starts here.Democracy 2.0: Millennial-Generated Change to American Governance is a comprehensive report developed by members of the Millennial Generation in an effort to reflect the six years of Mobilize.org’s civic engagement work.
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Monday, October 6, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
On blogging more often
Yea, I write all sorts of stuff for a living so I neglect my blog(s) (my company blog is also pretty sad right now). So, I decided I should blog more often. I also think I may use WordPress instead...can I say that on here? Will they kick me off blogspot?
So a few observations...
1) Name dropping on your cellphone at 7:22 p.m. on a Tuesday at LAX...who are you impressing lady? Me and the old guy who is asleep next to me?
2) I really wish baby carrots were a standard sale at the airport. I have been without those for the last week.
3) Annoyed when I get forwarded on my iphone (not by the forwarder but by the article itself) yet another article about how Millennials suck...I hope my response gets published this time.
4) I shop online a lot. Like right now.
5) Continental Airlines has a slogan flashing on their monitors: "Work hard. Fly right." That's why I do not fly continental. Oh, and they do not have mood lighting and plugs for my laptop. I even put up with the Southwest cattle call over flying Continental.
6) I am scanning emails and have a lot of bullshitting to do this week.
So a few observations...
1) Name dropping on your cellphone at 7:22 p.m. on a Tuesday at LAX...who are you impressing lady? Me and the old guy who is asleep next to me?
2) I really wish baby carrots were a standard sale at the airport. I have been without those for the last week.
3) Annoyed when I get forwarded on my iphone (not by the forwarder but by the article itself) yet another article about how Millennials suck...I hope my response gets published this time.
4) I shop online a lot. Like right now.
5) Continental Airlines has a slogan flashing on their monitors: "Work hard. Fly right." That's why I do not fly continental. Oh, and they do not have mood lighting and plugs for my laptop. I even put up with the Southwest cattle call over flying Continental.
6) I am scanning emails and have a lot of bullshitting to do this week.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Comfort in Division
I wanted to share this from another blog post I wrote on Leadership (Re)Defined, leadershipredefined.blogspot.com.
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Despite the chants of “Victory” and the illusion that the battle for America is over with Barack Obama clinching the Democratic presidential nomination, a man whose message is one of change, hope, and unification for a better America, we remain divided on many fronts. Yes, I have stated the obvious.
What remains concealed though, at times, is our comfort in division. Any time we can find a way to create an “Us v. Them” dichotomy, we seize the opportunity. Unfortunately, on the heels of what has been a remarkable primary season, a new division is being created: the Millennial Generation v. the Baby Boomers. Let’s get ready to rumble?
Yesterday, in the Huffington Post, Elizabeth Cermak implored Baby Boomers to “let go of the torch.” In the end of her piece discussing the impacts of the Millennial Generation in this election cycle (synonymous with Generation Y depending on who you get your age demographics from), she wrote,
“We Millennials have gotten our way in this primary, and Barack Obama's nomination is contagiously exciting to the vast majority of us. So I beg you, if you ever really believed that this country should pay more attention to the future desired and fought for by its young generation, support Barack Obama just out of your old respect for that idea regardless of your personal beliefs. Let go of your anger and the idea that a protest vote for John McCain in November would be better than voting for Obama just because you're frustrated you didn't get your way. That is a completely selfish and self-centered idea based only on the notion that this is still your country to steer. It isn't, so get down off the soapbox and hand over the torch. You may think that we're wrong, but what my generation wants is clear and we deserve our parent's respect just as much as your beliefs did.”
What she did, whether she realized it or not, is lay down the gauntlet in a battle that has been raging behind the scenes in American politics, the mounting tension between the Baby Boomers and the Millennials.
Baby Boomers have stereotyped Millennials as lazy and entitled. Their researchers, scholars, and media take every chance they can to explain to America what the Millennials are about. Millennials feel it is their time to step into the spotlight, in both the private and public sector, as well as on the political scene. The Boomers are recalcitrant to let the proverbial reigns completely go; Millennials have little patience.
Millennials cannot create Port Huron. We cannot relive the Free Speech movement at Berkeley. We cannot retool the Civil Rights Movement. We cannot recreate the culture of the 1960’s. We cannot replicate the same conditions, especially when the environment we have come to age in has been so entirely different from that of the Baby Boomers.
I have not seen the great political leaders of my time brutally assassinated in front of my eyes. I do not know what it is like to see thousands and thousands of young men come back in body bags or to pray their draft number was not called. I did not live 25 or more years of my life under the specter of the Cold War. So admittedly, there are some things I just do not know or do not understand. But as is evidenced by the growing division between the generations, ignorance, on either end, will not be bliss.
Whether anyone acknowledges it or Millennials themselves recognize it, we have our own set of experiences, ones that share some commonalities with that of the Baby Boomers. They experienced communism; we sat in front of the TV as people tore down the Berlin Wall. We saw the later chapters of our relations with the Middle East unfold. We saw the blowback of Cold War maneuvers in a post Cold War world. We have seen genocides, and the advent of terrorism in our backyard. We have grown up in a world of new wars: The War on Drugs, The War on Terror, The War on Poverty, and the newest of these, the War Against Global Warming. These are all experiences to which we ourselves will cling 25 years from now. It is hard to believe that we cannot find some way to bring the experiences of both generations together to move forward.
Running track in my youth, I remember the importance of passing the baton on to a teammate who was responsible for running the next leg of the race. As I approached the person who, outside of my control, would determine a piece of my future, I had to be sure they knew I was coming with that baton and that they had a firm grip on it before I let go.
Millennials have the baton at the tip of their fingers. Individuals like Cermak want the Baby Boomers to open their clenched fist on the baton that is 21st century America. Many Millennials feel they will have to run the next leg of this political and cultural race ever so much faster. This is not a feeling that I can disagree with, as many members of my generation, including myself, believe there is so much more to be done to bring about change in America. But, it will take both generations to pass the baton to move forward. The comfort in generational division brings with it the inherent risk that the baton will be dropped. And together, we will have to watch our common future, real change, whiz by as we fumble to pick it up.
-----------
Despite the chants of “Victory” and the illusion that the battle for America is over with Barack Obama clinching the Democratic presidential nomination, a man whose message is one of change, hope, and unification for a better America, we remain divided on many fronts. Yes, I have stated the obvious.
What remains concealed though, at times, is our comfort in division. Any time we can find a way to create an “Us v. Them” dichotomy, we seize the opportunity. Unfortunately, on the heels of what has been a remarkable primary season, a new division is being created: the Millennial Generation v. the Baby Boomers. Let’s get ready to rumble?
Yesterday, in the Huffington Post, Elizabeth Cermak implored Baby Boomers to “let go of the torch.” In the end of her piece discussing the impacts of the Millennial Generation in this election cycle (synonymous with Generation Y depending on who you get your age demographics from), she wrote,
“We Millennials have gotten our way in this primary, and Barack Obama's nomination is contagiously exciting to the vast majority of us. So I beg you, if you ever really believed that this country should pay more attention to the future desired and fought for by its young generation, support Barack Obama just out of your old respect for that idea regardless of your personal beliefs. Let go of your anger and the idea that a protest vote for John McCain in November would be better than voting for Obama just because you're frustrated you didn't get your way. That is a completely selfish and self-centered idea based only on the notion that this is still your country to steer. It isn't, so get down off the soapbox and hand over the torch. You may think that we're wrong, but what my generation wants is clear and we deserve our parent's respect just as much as your beliefs did.”
What she did, whether she realized it or not, is lay down the gauntlet in a battle that has been raging behind the scenes in American politics, the mounting tension between the Baby Boomers and the Millennials.
Baby Boomers have stereotyped Millennials as lazy and entitled. Their researchers, scholars, and media take every chance they can to explain to America what the Millennials are about. Millennials feel it is their time to step into the spotlight, in both the private and public sector, as well as on the political scene. The Boomers are recalcitrant to let the proverbial reigns completely go; Millennials have little patience.
Millennials cannot create Port Huron. We cannot relive the Free Speech movement at Berkeley. We cannot retool the Civil Rights Movement. We cannot recreate the culture of the 1960’s. We cannot replicate the same conditions, especially when the environment we have come to age in has been so entirely different from that of the Baby Boomers.
I have not seen the great political leaders of my time brutally assassinated in front of my eyes. I do not know what it is like to see thousands and thousands of young men come back in body bags or to pray their draft number was not called. I did not live 25 or more years of my life under the specter of the Cold War. So admittedly, there are some things I just do not know or do not understand. But as is evidenced by the growing division between the generations, ignorance, on either end, will not be bliss.
Whether anyone acknowledges it or Millennials themselves recognize it, we have our own set of experiences, ones that share some commonalities with that of the Baby Boomers. They experienced communism; we sat in front of the TV as people tore down the Berlin Wall. We saw the later chapters of our relations with the Middle East unfold. We saw the blowback of Cold War maneuvers in a post Cold War world. We have seen genocides, and the advent of terrorism in our backyard. We have grown up in a world of new wars: The War on Drugs, The War on Terror, The War on Poverty, and the newest of these, the War Against Global Warming. These are all experiences to which we ourselves will cling 25 years from now. It is hard to believe that we cannot find some way to bring the experiences of both generations together to move forward.
Running track in my youth, I remember the importance of passing the baton on to a teammate who was responsible for running the next leg of the race. As I approached the person who, outside of my control, would determine a piece of my future, I had to be sure they knew I was coming with that baton and that they had a firm grip on it before I let go.
Millennials have the baton at the tip of their fingers. Individuals like Cermak want the Baby Boomers to open their clenched fist on the baton that is 21st century America. Many Millennials feel they will have to run the next leg of this political and cultural race ever so much faster. This is not a feeling that I can disagree with, as many members of my generation, including myself, believe there is so much more to be done to bring about change in America. But, it will take both generations to pass the baton to move forward. The comfort in generational division brings with it the inherent risk that the baton will be dropped. And together, we will have to watch our common future, real change, whiz by as we fumble to pick it up.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
FCC...Yea, You Know Me
I am blogging from the FCC hearing being held at Stanford today concerning Net Neutrality. Despite the warnings to get here early, I am sad more people are not here with t-minus six minutes til the hearing starts.
The hearing is broken up into two panels: one focused on Network Management and Consumer Expectations and another one focused on Consumer Access to Emerging Internet Technologies and Applications.
Many of the panelists from the Net Neutrality Symposium my law school bulletin, the Intellectual Property Law Bulletin, hosted in January including George Ou, Markham Erickson, and George Ford.
More to come...Larry is here too.
The hearing is broken up into two panels: one focused on Network Management and Consumer Expectations and another one focused on Consumer Access to Emerging Internet Technologies and Applications.
Many of the panelists from the Net Neutrality Symposium my law school bulletin, the Intellectual Property Law Bulletin, hosted in January including George Ou, Markham Erickson, and George Ford.
More to come...Larry is here too.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Baracking the Vote?
Let me first comment that I will be ordering this hoodie.
BUT...
The reason I comment on this is because this "hoodie" presents a unique situation: A for-profit company taking the logo/trademark of a national non-profit corporation and using it for profit by selling apparel.
I am on IP overload.
The first thing that may jump to mind is consumer confusion. If this case, people may think that Rock the Vote, the non-profit whose trademark has been slightly modified in an effort to sell apparel supporting Barack Obama, has endorsed Barack Obama.
Although the company using the logo is not in direct competition with the organization, it may confuse parties regarding the work of Rock the Vote, which is primarily a youth voter engagement organization that works with all youth despite party affiliation (yes, the organization does have a progressive tinge.)
So what happens in this instance? If Rock the Vote were to care, could they successfully pursue a trademark claim against Barackawear.com?
When it is two companies, it would seem a little more clear cut. And normally, it is a non-profit trading on the mark of a for-profit, merely to gain recognition of a campaign for social good (Think of Greenpeace's Kleenex ad on YouTube).
Food for IP geek thought.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Framing Net Neutrality
I just presented at the Local Media, Democracy, & Justice Summit at Cal Tech today. Along with Media Alliance's Tracy Rosenberg, we discussed the issue of Network Neutrality and Digital Inclusion.
One part of the discussion went a point I often grapple with when it comes to issues that appear uber-technical at first glance, but in their essence, can be boiled down to simple values and language that is digestible to the average American.
The discussion was this: Why frame the debate using the moniker "Net Neutrality?"
I understand that with the issues involved, content discrimination, traffic shaping, and tiered access, we really do want networks that are "neutral." But there has to be a better way to frame this debate to enable the public to come to judgment. The public must come to judgment, and take some sort of stance/action, before Congress is to pass anything bearing resemblance to the Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2008, or its predecessor legislation.
Further, how do we build a united front on this issue when people are concerned, such as independent artists who want their content protected and not shared illegally over a file sharing application, with the prospect of a neutral net where no one is looking for what they feel is economically-crippling file sharing?
The problem is that the Commons movement does not have a united front. We cannot just assume all supporters share the same points of view when it comes to copyright, privacy, "net neutrality," and other issues that arise in the discussion on how we manage the Internet "commons."
One part of the discussion went a point I often grapple with when it comes to issues that appear uber-technical at first glance, but in their essence, can be boiled down to simple values and language that is digestible to the average American.
The discussion was this: Why frame the debate using the moniker "Net Neutrality?"
I understand that with the issues involved, content discrimination, traffic shaping, and tiered access, we really do want networks that are "neutral." But there has to be a better way to frame this debate to enable the public to come to judgment. The public must come to judgment, and take some sort of stance/action, before Congress is to pass anything bearing resemblance to the Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2008, or its predecessor legislation.
Further, how do we build a united front on this issue when people are concerned, such as independent artists who want their content protected and not shared illegally over a file sharing application, with the prospect of a neutral net where no one is looking for what they feel is economically-crippling file sharing?
The problem is that the Commons movement does not have a united front. We cannot just assume all supporters share the same points of view when it comes to copyright, privacy, "net neutrality," and other issues that arise in the discussion on how we manage the Internet "commons."
Friday, February 8, 2008
Save the “Street”
In another turn at eroding America’s cultural fabric, the Bush Administration proposed drastic cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in the federal budget proposal. While slashing the funds this non-profit organization receives in half, the budget also does not commit to funding past this budget cycle.
I grew up watching PBS, as did many of my contemporaries. This is not just a fight to save the broadcasting of my childhood favorites, Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. I want to implore upon everyone what we stand to lose.
PBS is all things to all people. As a child, its educational programs teach children the three “R’s” they need in today’s world: Reading, Writing, and my addition, Reason (this also includes the arithmetic). Shows like Reading Rainbow, Sesame Street, and Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood not only impart letters and numbers upon children, but teach children how to navigate life, treat others with dignity and respect, and inspire curiosity.
As children continue to grow, shows like the 1990’s Ghostwriter, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, and my personal favorite, Wishbone, further develop skills and provide wholesome entertainment for the 7-12 age demographic.
Even if one departs from “save the children” arguments, PBS has broadcasting for all ages. The Nightly Business Report delivers financial news and information. Masterpiece Theater delivers those much-loved murder mystery movies. I remember at 8 p.m. on Saturday nights, the British comedy “Keeping Up Appearances” would air, exposing Americans to the entertainment enjoyed in another nation.
Saving the most important for last: PBS Documentaries. Anyone who watched Ken Burns’ “The War” knows how important it is to use channels everyone can watch, which are not driven by profit motive and the sexual appeal of wanting advertising dollars, to educate people about our collective history.
Ok, and I will not forget Antiques Roadshow. Who would have thought a show about old junk people bring to get appraised could be so interesting? I cannot resist getting excited when an old black couple from New Orleans brings a cigarette case to get appraised, one of the only meaningful possessions they have, and finds out it is Cartier and worth like $75,000.
PBS is a part of OUR culture. It is truly a reflection, and a part of, the American spirit. Most important, it is accessible to those who cannot afford cable.
My mom always told me, “The one thing no one can ever take away from you is your education.” I should only hope this should remain true, and organizations like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting can continue to teach three-year olds to seventy-five year olds their letters, numbers, and life’s lessons.
Save the “Street!”
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