Recent Comments
Monthly Archives: June 2013
Climate change? We need the *opposite* of the French Resistance
Not the opposite of courage. Not the opposite of hope for a better world. Not the opposite of practical solidarity with those suffering under brutal regimes. The opposite of what then? One opposite thing – the compulsion to act in … Continue reading
Godzilla Thresholds, geo-engineering and Leonard Cohen…
From the utterly utterly addictive “TVTropes” Godzilla Threshold There are situations so bad that anything that would end them is justified. Anything. There is wisdom in facing a threat with a proportionate response. Sure, There Is No Kill Like Overkill, … Continue reading
Crucial distinction: Participate versus Attend #socialmovements
A well-designed event allows people to participate without attending (by collecting their opinions beforehand, by phoning them during) A poorly-designed event* allows people to attend without participating (by creating sage-on-the-stage models, of the Great Speaker and rows upon rows of … Continue reading
Posted in a little self-knowledge, activism
Tagged ego-fodder, movement-building, social movements
Leave a comment
“Learn to Write Badly: How to Succeed in the Social Sciences” #Iwantthissobadithurts
Regular readers of Dwight Towers will no doubt be sniggering that he would want help with the writing badly thing. To which I can but say… up yours!!! This looks awesome – Hat-tip to Hannah!!
Posted in a little self-knowledge, bureaucracy, competence
Leave a comment
“Now I’ll never know if I was right” – the Adric syndrome
Say you had a time machine, and you could go back and “change one thing” (yes, yes, assassinating Hitler, A Sound of Thunder, The Lincoln Hunters, Marty McFly etc etc). But say you were more constrained… say you could only … Continue reading
Posted in activism
2 Comments
Repost: “Turkey, Brazil, Prism – what is going on? Cultural Global Civil War”
Yep. What Robert said; Turkey, Brazil, Prism – what is going on? Cultural Global Civil War Marko Djurica/Reuters I am sure that you , like me, have been wondering what is going on as seemingly small issues such as bus … Continue reading
Posted in activism, apocalypse, death, fear, politics, religion
Tagged NSA, prism, Robert Paterson
1 Comment
Ignoreland: 1978 as a pivot year? Maybe so…
I am thinking a lot at the mo’ about when it All Turned to Shit. Of course, for many (those too idle or careless to have chosen to be born white, middle-class, male, able-bodied etc) the so-called pre-Shit days weren’t … Continue reading
Posted in apocalypse, politics
Leave a comment
Snowden as Obama’s Katrina? #obama #katrina #snowden
I haven’t really figured this out in my head fully, so not sure the analogy holds very far. Bush was re-elected (well, elected for the first time) in 2004 and it looked like he would get a good portion of … Continue reading
Repost: “Positive Control” by John Robb
Positive Control When something is very dangerous, like nuclear weapons, standard forms of protections and control methodologies aren’t sufficient. Something that potentially dangerous needs something more aggressive. In the military, that’s called positive control. Positive control is an active form … Continue reading
Posted in activism, apocalypse, bureaucracy, death, fear
Tagged John Robb, positive control
Leave a comment
The circular politics of environmental and “natural” disasters
Hat-tip to my Canadian friend, who knows who he is (in every sense!) Inspired, if you can call it that, by Anthony Downs “Issue Attention Cycle“
Posted in activism, apocalypse, competence, politics
Leave a comment
dwighttowers.wordpress.com 