Unleashing Stories; Engaging Communities
Originally published at x-post from loudpoet.com. Please leave any comments there.
Chaos By Dave Pearson
“Because we are all citizens of this democracy, because we will all be voters, we must all be educated for our responsibilities.”
-The Death and Life of the Great American School System, Diane Ravitch
A compelling theme or narrative can drive an idea deep into the cultural consciousness, even when conventional wisdom argues otherwise. From a little-known African-American Senator boldly declaring “Yes We Can!,” to the methodical decimation of public schools reframed as “choice,” people respond to the stories that tap into their hopes and dreams (and, yes, fears), and offer them a gateway to getting involved with minimal friction.
When I was helping launch Digital Book World in late-2009, I tapped into the underlying sense of optimism that drove the most passionate people I knew in the publishing industry, and built upon it to distinguish us from other conferences and communities that traveled the crowded fear-mongering, gloom-and-doom road. It’s always easier to go negative, but few people actually prefer to live or work in that kind of environment, and so many immediately responded to our sense of optimism that DBW grew exponentially over its first 18 months of existence.
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