Thursday, December 22, 2005
Quotes anyone?
As I would guess most visitors have already figured out that I am a fan of the quotable quote. I believe, for example, if the Green Party had a recognized expert on a topic as a spokesperson, she could easily wind up in the papers regularly.
"Judy Jetson, recent Green Party candidate for Governor and party speaker on nuclear issues said 'Until the federal government gets their facts on the ground to line up with the promises they have made, the Hopi have every reason to question the waste disposal plan."
Nothing is guaranteed, but if we don't offer the media a person to quote, we can't complain when the media ignores us. We have to create our own sense of validity by virtue of how often we say something different that makes sense to average people.
Here's the way I figure it. Pretty much everyone can see the same information. It's not like we risk going to jail for reading a particular book...well, not yet. We see rising cancer and asthma rates and make the connection to smoking and pollution. Some others who see the same facts come to the conclusion that it's not as bad as all that, and nothing can be done about it anyway, so why not ignore it. It is these people who are subject to being swayed by the ranting of a Rush Limbaugh. His way of talking, keeping everything simple and in small chunks, is perfect for swaying someone who either only wants to engage half his brain, or who can only afford to pay that much attention. I'd venture to say that many of his listeners are paying closer attention to the road than on what Rush is really saying. Reminds me of the Paul Simon lyric, Still, a man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest.
So, talk about the idea internally. Does your state have a speaker on any topic? Are you an expert on any topic? If so, perhaps you should let your state chapter know. Then ask them to appoint you to the Green Communications Committee. While it might feel like self-promotion to say that you should be considered to speak for the party, if you're a tax consultant, why shouldn't you speak about tax preparation policy for the Greens? If you're a teacher with credentials in a specific area, say services for the physically disabled, why should you not speak for the party on the impact of No Child Left Behind on those students? If you own a grocery store, why shouldn't you be the party's speaker on the topic of handling food stamps and other government and private money equivalents, like coupons and gift certificates? I'll admit those are very narrow examples, but that's the point, we are all expert in our own lives, and all of us are impacted in our lives by government and corporate decisions we would change if we could.
So, if you want to read about the Green Party in the media, why not give of yourself and wind up reading what you said yourself in the morning paper.
"Judy Jetson, recent Green Party candidate for Governor and party speaker on nuclear issues said 'Until the federal government gets their facts on the ground to line up with the promises they have made, the Hopi have every reason to question the waste disposal plan."
Nothing is guaranteed, but if we don't offer the media a person to quote, we can't complain when the media ignores us. We have to create our own sense of validity by virtue of how often we say something different that makes sense to average people.
Here's the way I figure it. Pretty much everyone can see the same information. It's not like we risk going to jail for reading a particular book...well, not yet. We see rising cancer and asthma rates and make the connection to smoking and pollution. Some others who see the same facts come to the conclusion that it's not as bad as all that, and nothing can be done about it anyway, so why not ignore it. It is these people who are subject to being swayed by the ranting of a Rush Limbaugh. His way of talking, keeping everything simple and in small chunks, is perfect for swaying someone who either only wants to engage half his brain, or who can only afford to pay that much attention. I'd venture to say that many of his listeners are paying closer attention to the road than on what Rush is really saying. Reminds me of the Paul Simon lyric, Still, a man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest.
So, talk about the idea internally. Does your state have a speaker on any topic? Are you an expert on any topic? If so, perhaps you should let your state chapter know. Then ask them to appoint you to the Green Communications Committee. While it might feel like self-promotion to say that you should be considered to speak for the party, if you're a tax consultant, why shouldn't you speak about tax preparation policy for the Greens? If you're a teacher with credentials in a specific area, say services for the physically disabled, why should you not speak for the party on the impact of No Child Left Behind on those students? If you own a grocery store, why shouldn't you be the party's speaker on the topic of handling food stamps and other government and private money equivalents, like coupons and gift certificates? I'll admit those are very narrow examples, but that's the point, we are all expert in our own lives, and all of us are impacted in our lives by government and corporate decisions we would change if we could.
So, if you want to read about the Green Party in the media, why not give of yourself and wind up reading what you said yourself in the morning paper.
// posted by Gregg Jocoy @ 6:16 PM 
