Summary. When a non-profit organization engages in social action, we think of it as activism. When a business engages with society through advertising, we simply call it marketing. Yet, activists exist in all areas of society including companies and they are leveraging their positions to impact the world in positive ways.

Among the leadership of Liberty Mutual there apparently are some people who had the brilliant idea of using advertising as a carrier signal for delivering a positive social message. For example, in radio broadcasting, it’s possible to send an HD FM radio signal with music that also includes embedded data that can provide information about the current song such as artist and song title. In the same way, advertising can tell the public about a product or service, while at the same time conveying a message that is designed to have a positive impact on society.

The Responsibility Project. Liberty Mutual has launched an initiative called The Responsibility Project. Below are videos from their advertising campaign about living responsibly. The general theme is that people who see acts of kindness, generosity, caring, giving, and responsibility, will feel compelled to do the same. What’s really powerful about this advertising campaign is that it offers an almost documentary presentation of the world from a God’s-eye-viewproint in showing how kindness can spread quickly. It’s alarming to realize that stress and unpleasantness can spread just as quickly. The multiplayer effect depicted in these videos demonstrates the impact that each person has in the world.

Summary. Pop female vocalist, Kesha (Ke$ha), has released her new album, Animal, which has been well received, as evidenced by her millions of viewers and fans on YouTube and Facebook.

Animal Review. The airy and angelic vocals of the the title song Animal sound similar to the vocals and instrumental track from the album Cry for the Desert (iTunes) by Twila Paris. The song begins with instrumentals similar to music from Coldplay. The segments of power vocals during the song are similar to Avril Lavigne, Aly & AJ, Kelly Clarkson, and Hillary Duff. The percussive drum rhythms at 41 seconds into the song are very similar to the drums at 1 minute into the song Dreams by the Cranberries. Despite all these similarities to other musicians and songs, Kesha’s alchemistic music fusion takes on a new form. The similarities are likely noticeable since she shares similar talents as these other popular, talented, and successful musicians.

Animal Welfare. Pop female vocalist, Kesha (Ke$ha), has joined with numerous other musicians and celebrities to speak out about animal welfare. While Kesha’s persona is intentionally a fusion of fun and wildness, it’s clear from a broader examination of her music and videos that she is deep, and her producers are exceptional.

Charity. PETA has reported about Kesha because of her stand against wearing animal fur, and also because of a large donation of food to an animal shelter in her home town, Nashville, Tennessee after severe flooding caused significant damage to the city.

“Nashville helped shape me as an artist and as a person and my love for this city is beyond words. I will continue to do anything I can to help rebuild this city and support the families and animals who have been affected by this tragedy.” ~ Kesha

Amazing Music. Kesha’s latest album, Animal (iTunes), has been largely successful, with songs like Tik Tok (iTunes) and Your Love is My Drug (iTunes). In the title song, Animal (iTunes), Kesha’s impressive vocal fluidity and range come through. Her music is fun, upbeat, and inspiring.

“I’m really impressed with Kesha’s latest album, Animal. The title song, Animal, is poetically transcendent and her vocal performance is impressive. Some of the other songs like Your Love is My Drug and Tik Tok are clever and catchy. This kind of musical diversity is only found in more talented musicians working with exceptional production companies.” ~ Gregory Johnson

Highly Popular. As of June 2010, Kesha’s Facebook Page has almost one million fans. Kesha’s YouTube channel has about 10 million views and her video uploads have over 120 million views.

Excellence in Video Production. The music video of Tik Tok (below) has about 20 million views. It is produced with attention to detail and vibrant colors of painted textured stucco reminiscent of Do the Right Thing by Spike Lee. Her choice of vehicle (a bicycle) in the beginning of this music video seems to be a product placement or endorsement for bicycles as a cool way for people to get around (something other celebrities are doing). The video begins with waking up in a bathtub amidst brief flashbacks to a previous night of partying, and it ends with falling asleep in another bathtub – presumably to start the cycle all over again the next day.

Eclectic Eccentricity. Her music video for Your Love is My Drug (below) has had almost 10 million views and features some uniquely eccentric elements and some exotic animals. For a short segment of the video, animation is combined with real-life video, and progressively the animation predominates. This is a technique similar to what has been used by Sarah Silverman and also the movie Waking Life. The music video becomes entirely animated for a short time in the middle of the music video, with an animation style that looks like the introductory video to Monty Python’s Flying Circus or The Beatles Yellow Submarine. (YouTube: Music Video | Movie Clips) The animation sequence leads into a segment where Kesha is lit up while dancing in the dark with her body painted using backlight paint or something even more luminescent. Toward the end of the backlight dancing she is holding a sizable snake that looks like like a boa constrictor. The backlight segment morphs into moving kaleidoscope patterns. The video ends with Kesha riding an elephant in the desert with her portrait appearing like a vintage photo of a woman in the circus riding an elephant.

Ignorant Critics. A video titled Sing Talk was released by CollegeHumor as a parody of the song Tik Tok. The parody suggests that Kesha can’t sing, so instead she talks through her songs. The creators of the video seem to be ignoring songs like Animal in which Kesha sounds better than Enya. The parody video also seems to overlook the fact that the song Tik Tok was done as a pop and quasi rap song. Rap music requires a difficult fusion of talking and singing where subtleties of intonations are used. Those who have actually heard Kesha’s music will recognize the exceptional talent behind it. Kesha’s popularity is a testimony to the fact that she is doing something right. Most of Kesha’s critics are likely trying to leech some of her popularity and visibility by criticizing her.

Summary. In 2010, Pepsi launched the Pepsi Refresh Project and their Refresh Everything campaign using an inspirational music video featuring the song One Tribe by Will.i.am.

The Refresh Everything campaign was established to offer grants to small charities that might not otherwise receive funding.

This is an example of how an advertising campaign can be merged with philanthropy.

Advertisements that are uplifting are more likely to get promoted at the grass roots level by friends telling friends through social networks.

Video. The video of the advertisement is below.

Summary. Traditional advertising typically places a product or service at the center of attention. However, a new approach to advertising has become more common where the primary message of the advertisement is about values and virtues that inspire and motivate people toward a hopeful future. This kind of media is a fusion of advertising and social activism.

The photo shown here is from the Wavin’ Flag Coca-Cola Celebration Mix music video that became hugely popular during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The new mix sponsored by Coca-Cola features youth playing football (soccer). The video and song are available through the Apple iTunes music store, and viewable below. Click here for the Wavin’ Flag video on YouTube if it doesn’t show below. You can click the [x] in the upper right corner of the advertisement in the video to close it and move it out of the way.

Summary. Sometimes we need to have a vision for change that extends our entire lifetime and perhaps beyond. This can help us see that the small steps we take, and the small changes we make, can ultimately bring about a huge change in the world. Such a broader vision helps us keep going when the fruits of our labor are small or imperceptible.

The writing below from Rabbi Blesofsky of Chabad Iowa City explains this phenomenon and shares some insights from the Rebbe (Menachem Mendel Schneerson) shown in the photo here.

At a public gathering, the Rebbe related the story of a young Jewish girl who, after learning about Shabbat candles, pressed her mother to allow her to fulfill this special commandment.

The Rebbe described how this ritual awakened the mother’s interest in Jewish observance, pushing her to take her own steps forward.

The candle-lighting campaign is just one of many “dots” the Rebbe encouraged people to place on their own personal work of art.

Boys over Bar Mitzva and men wearing tefilin each weekday. Giving charity, even just a small coin each weekday. Loving one’s fellow Jew. Married couples observing the laws of family purity. Keeping the kosher dietary laws. Having mezuzot on one’s doors. Studying Torah. Having Jewish books in one’s home. Jewish kids getting a Jewish education.

The dot by dot philosophy is the Rebbe’s approach not just for each person’s individualized illustration but for the transformation of the entire world as well. For G-d’s intent in creating this world was that it be transformed into the picture-perfect era of Redemption: a pain and war free universe, where all people will live together harmoniously.

How do we accomplish such a seemingly monumental task as the transformation of the entire world to good? Through the small, good deeds – dots – of people across the globe:

“Moshiach is ready to come now,” the Rebbe told CNN reporters. “It is only on our part to increase in acts of goodness and kindness.”

This Tuesday, when we commemorate the Rebbe. We will strive to join the dots on the huge artwork-in-progress which, when completed, will display the Rebbe’s vision that powers his leadership. It is a vision that began forming when he was just a young child, a vision of “the Redemption of the Jewish people from their final exile, a Redemption of such magnitude that through it will be understood the suffering, the terrible decrees, persecution and oppression of the exile…”

May our dots and deeds be joined to create the ultimate masterpiece with Moshiach NOW!

Click here to learn more about the Rebbe.

The quoted article above is from Rabbi Blesofsky of Chabad Iowa City.

Summary. Andy Mackie is a 71-year-old Scottish-born retired horse trainer and musician. After his ninth heart surgery, his doctors had him on 15 medications with side-effects that made his life miserable.

From Medications to Music. One day he decided to stop taking the medications and instead use the money he saved to give musical instruments and lessons to children.

In his first month he purchased and gave away 300 harmonicas with lessons.

When he didn’t die the next month, he bought a few hundred more.

Eleven years, and 16,000 harmonicas later, Andy is still going. Below is a video about his story.

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Healthcare Disclaimer. It is important to remember that Andy Mackie’s experience is inspiring, but not typical. For most people, taking the appropriately prescribed medications enhances and extends life. It’s not universally recommended for anyone to unilaterally stop taking their medications or make any adjustments to their medications without medical advice or supervision.

Transcendent Activism
and the
Sholom Rubashkin Sentencing
by Gregory Johnson

On 8 April 2010, I posted an article about the Agriprocessors slaughterhouse in Postville and the Sholom Rubashkin Sentencing. Since I am a vegetarian animal welfare advocate and the article was not critical of Rubashkin or Agriprocessors, it was considered as offering an interesting perspective.

Within hours, the article was copied and posted to a half-dozen websites around the world. A flurry of discussion, debate, and speculation ensued. I was interviewed by producer and talk radio host Zev Brenner about the article.

Eventually my story came to the attention of the attorneys and federal judge involved in the Rubashkin sentencing that took place on April 28 and 29. The final ruling in the most recent Rubashkin case will be May 27. [source]

As you will read below, the points made in my article about Sholom Rubashkin were eventually echoed and supported by six former U.S. attorneys general (last week), 17 Justice Department veterans (last week), the U.S. Supreme Court (this week), the Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, top specialists of the Orthodox Union, and over 38,000 signers of a petition requesting fair treatment of Sholom Rubashkin [source]. Though Rubashkin was at one time accused of about 100,000 labor violations, and tried for about 100 labor violations, on 7 June 2010 a court found him not guilty on all charges.

My apparent defense of Rubashkin and Agriprocessors (or my lack of hatred toward them) perplexed people who know of my long-time passionate advocacy for animal welfare, environmental justice, gun control, worker’s rights, food safety, fairness in politics, reductions in illegal drug use, ethics in business, and my support of Latino culture and community all dating back to the early 1980s.

According to various allegations (and some hearsay), Agriprocessors and Rubashkin (through his association with Agriprocessors) have possibly been in violation of laws impacting every single issue and cause that I’m most passionate about and have worked so hard to defend.

The allegations and charges against Rubashkin and Agriprocessors are severe and include 86 federal financial fraud charges [source], 83 misdemeanor state child-labor charges [source], illegal dumping of contaminated waste [source], over 9,300 counts of labor violations [source], and more than 90,000 additional labor violations [source]. In July 2007, the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the USDA demanded a recall of over 35,000 pounds of meat [source]. According to Stephen Bloom, “There was gun trafficking on the slaughterhouse floor. There was drug trafficking on the slaughterhouse floor. … there was an allegation that there was a methamphetamine lab in the plant.” [source] Total fines and penalties for all violations may exceed 10 million dollars and the federal prosecutors were originally asking for a lifetime sentence for Rubashkin.

Based on the mountain of charges against Rubashkin, why speak out in his defense?

Below are the reasons I’ve spoken out regarding Sholom Rubashkin. They are listed in alphabetical order.

• Animal Rights, Vegetarianism, and the Environment. I first became outspoken about the Agriprocessors plant after visiting the plant with a small group in March 2006. I felt that the PETA covert video campaign against the plant was excessive, counter productive, and a misrepresentation, so I wrote an article about it at that time: http://www.resourcesforlife.com/docs/item46. I was not the only person to tour the plant and conclude that it was similar to other slaughterhouses. The Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Patty Judge, also toured the plant and stated, “What I saw today was humane.” [source] Numerous other specialists and professionals arrived at the same conclusion including an international veterinary expert on Kosher slaughter [source] and the Orthodox Union specialists on Kosher slaughter [source]. According to the Orthodox Union, “Rabbi Menachem Genack, Rabbinic Administrator of the OU Kashrut Division, and Rabbi Yisroel Belsky, one of its distinguished poskim (rabbinic decisors), traveled to Postville, Iowa, to review the procedures at the AgriProcessors plant. They found that these procedures meet all OU standards to the highest degree, and that the shochtim (rabbinic slaughterers) are all highly proficient, skilled and knowledgeable.” [source] The real problem with the meat industry is that there is no entirely kind way to kill and eat animals. Even the USDA guidelines stipulate that it’s reasonable for 5% of animals to suffer during slaughter from not being killed in the first attempt. [source] Of the 10 billion animals killed every year in America alone [source], it’s expected that 500 million of them per year are suffering at the time of slaughter. A video created at any slaughterhouse in America could easily show 50 animals out of every 1000 suffering at the time of slaughter. All a person needs to do, is get video footage of several thousand kills (the daily average for one of the 5,700 slaughterhouses in America) and you could put together a relatively long video showing suffering animals. Anyone can do this in any slaughterhouse. Representing that a strategically edited 3-minute video depicts normal events in any given slaughterhouse is slanderous and a diversion from the real issue. The case for animal rights and vegetarianism or veganism does not need the assistance of quasi-terrorist groups or edited videos. Furthermore, the excessive graphic presentation of animal suffering in the news, movies, and in activist “shock and awe” videos has the reverse effect in society. It eventually numbs people to the pain of animal suffering. Many of the campaigns conducted by groups like PETA and the Animal Liberation Front do more harm than good for the advancement of animal rights. Similar groups, like Earth First, advocate action such as SUV arson [source]. It only takes a few violent extremists to turn our society against animal welfare advocates and those working for environmental protection. Years of progress can be lost and reversed in a day. The benefits of using non-animal foods and products are obvious: better land usage, lower negative environmental impact, more nutritious food, and no animal suffering. One doesn’t need to resort to extremist acts to make a case for vegetarianism and compassion toward animals. For a balanced and rational presentation about the benefits of vegetarianism and better environmental stewardship, watch the video Diet for a New America.
• Civic Duty. When a person witnesses an automobile accident, it is customary to stay at the scene of the accident and provide an eye witness report to the police who write up an accident report. This is part of our civic duty. As a witness we don’t take sides, but simply relate objectively what we saw. In the case of the Agriprocessors slaughterhouse, considering the claims that others were making, I felt it was my duty to speak up about what I’d seen there.
• Dubious Claims. I personally find it difficult to believe that Sholom Rubashkin (or Agriprocessors) could be guilty of the almost 100,000 violations some are claiming. Was Rubashkin personally responsible for all the violations he’s accused of? For example, Stephen Bloom states, “There was gun trafficking on the slaughterhouse floor. There was drug trafficking on the slaughterhouse floor. … there was an allegation that there was a methamphetamine lab in the plant.” [source] Were these claims to be true, one would think that the federal agents who raided the facility would have mentioned finding guns or drugs to help justify the extreme measures taken in the raid. However, in the same way that weapons of mass destruction never materialized in Iraq, the guns, drugs, and methamphetamine lab in the slaughterhouse never materialized. At the time of this writing, it seems that about 99,800 of the various charges and accusations were dropped and less than 200 remain.
• Fairness. My call for judicial restraint and fairness to be extended to Sholom Rubashkin was misunderstood by some and was met with harsh criticism. However, on 26 April 2010, a few days before the final sentencing was to take place, six former U.S. attorneys general and 17 other Justice Department veterans signed a lengthy appeal letter that made similar requests for fairness as those in my article. [source] Their letter is now publicly available. [source PDF]
• Judaism. Tel Aviv University recently conducted a study on anti-Semitism and discovered a 100 percent increase in worldwide anti-Semitic violence from 2008 to 2009 [source PDF]. Nobody is suggesting that Sholom Rubashkin is on trial because of his religion. However, Stephen Bloom’s book on Postville (first published in 2000) describes a backdrop of anti-semitism in the community of Postville as far back as 10 years ago. Given the world climate and local sentiments, it would be completely naive to assume that anti-Semitism played no role at all in the numerous unsubstantiated accusations about Rubashkin. Indeed, some of the most vocal opponents to my article were predisposed to being antagonistic toward Rubashkin simply because he is a member of Chabad-Lubavitcher Judaism. As a minority within a minority, adherents to Lubavitcher Judaism are sometimes fighting battles from without and within the larger Jewish community. Although I’m not Jewish, having been raised in the Unitarian Universalist tradition, I appreciate and draw from various religious traditions including Judaism. To the extent that anti-Semitism was a factor in the Rubashkin case, I felt it was necessary to defend the Jewish community against false accusations by speaking the truth about my first-hand eye-witness experiences.
• Justice Reform. In May of 2009, I wrote an article reflecting on the federal raid of Agriprocessors in which I suggested that the federal raid and treatment of employees was too harsh: http://www.resourcesforlife.com/docs/item1839. On 15 May 2009 the article was published by a local newspaper and posted to their website. [source] I received immense criticism. However, two days ago, on 4 May 2010, now approximately two years after the raid, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that errors were made during the raid, and confirmed much of what I said in my article. [source]
• National Security. We are currently facing unprecedented threats to our local and national security. In my town alone, tornados and floods have caused millions of dollars in damage in recent years. We’ve not fully recovered nor have we fully prepared ourselves for the next wave of natural disasters. Until we do, lives are at stake. Yet, funding is limited. Cybercrime and cyber attacks are a real threat to Iowa and the nation. Last week, Leon Panetta, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, stated that the next “Pearl Harbor” is likely to be an attack on United States’ power, financial, military, and other Internet systems [source]. This week we learned that two generals who were former chairs of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are now stating that obesity is a threat to national security [source]. Given the significant threats to national security, and our substantial shortage of funding, it doesn’t seem prudent to invest so much time, energy, and money in prosecuting and incarcerating someone who, according to six former U.S. attorneys general and 17 other Justice Department veterans is not a serious threat to society. [news source | source PDF]
• Transcendent Activism. I’ve written at length of the topic of effective activism. There is an aspect of effective activism I call transcendent activism which I can explain with a story. I was once attending an environmentalist meeting in Iowa. Excited to be with like minded people, I began talking to the people at my table. I soon discovered they were all hunters! For a brief moment, I struggled thinking to myself, “as an animal welfare advocate, how could I sit and chat with these people?!” Yet, I soon realized that despite our differences regarding compassion toward wildlife, we were all passionate about the importance of wilderness preservation and environmental protection. They wanted wilderness as a place to kill animals. I wanted wilderness as a place for animals to live. Yet, we both wanted to preserve our Iowa wilderness. That was a transcendent moment for me as an activist. There are numerous social issues, causes, and challenges we face. Despite our differing views on some issues, we must come together and work together to solve the common problems we face as a society. Transcendence in activism involves being honest, fair, and compassionate even if it means reaching out to someone we may disagree with. In the case of Sholom Rubashkin, it is my belief that he and his business were wrongly and excessively slandered and misrepresented by an animal rights campaign gone bad. The campaign did as much harm to him as it did to the cause of animal rights. Someone from the animal rights community needed to stand up and say something about it. I didn’t see anyone else volunteering, so I spoke out. In the future, as animal rights activists, we may need to work collaboratively on an issue with people who are in the business of animal slaughtering. It’s short sighted to burn bridges and alienate people unnecessarily. Someone who read my article wrote me this response, “Greg thanks for your article on the meat packing plant. I have family in Iowa and friends in Indiana that are employed in the meat packing. I hate it when they are protrayed as animal absuers, when all they are trying to do is make their living.” Rather than alienating the industry we are trying to reform, it’s better to befriend them and work toward a better future.

This document is currently posted for review. If you are not reading this on the ResourcesForLife.com website, you are probably reading a reprint of this document posted to another website or via a newsfeed reader. If so, the original and most current version is here: http://www.resourcesforlife.com/docs/item2915

Thanks for taking time to read this report. Please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions for improving this document.

Regards,

Gregory Johnson

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About the Photo. The photo above was taken in 2008 during a trip I took to India. In the picture, I am feeding prasad (blessed food) to one of the local cows that roam freely in neighborhood streets. I chose that particular photo to include with this article because it conveys my sentiments regarding kindness toward and reverence of all beings.

Summary. This document is a response by Gregory Johnson to the article Conflict or Cooperation by Walter E. Williams.

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Business Success in a Marketplace Democracy
by Gregory Johnson

Walter E. Williams wrote an article called Conflict or Cooperation that describes how big government can hinder freedom and liberty by allowing a majority to make choices contrary to what the minority wants. The article appears as a 31 March 2010 entry for Williams on the Creators.com website and is also on his George Mason University web page (source).

In his article, Williams provides the example of prayer in school as an illustration of how government can cause a majority choice to infringe on the liberty of a minority:

Take the issue of prayers in school as an example. I think that everyone, except a maniacal tyrant, would agree that a parent has the right to decide whether his child will recite a morning prayer in school. Similarly, a parent has a right to decide that his child will not recite a morning prayer. Conflict arises because schools are government owned. That means it is a political decision whether prayers will be permitted or not. A win for one parent means a loss for another parent. The losing parent, in order to get what he wants, would have to muster up private school tuition while continuing to pay taxes for a school for which he has no use. If education were only government financed, as opposed to being government financed and produced, say through education vouchers, the conflict would be reduced. Both parents could have their wishes fulfilled by enrolling their child in a private school of their choice and instead of being enemies, they could be friends.

Human Nature. I agree with most of what Williams is saying, but he doesn’t quite go far enough. The fact is that the failings we see in our political system are human nature and they also exist in the free marketplace. They are human failings, not political ones. It’s, unfortunately, human nature (for some humans at least), to use their majority power in politics or the marketplace to become a collective tyrant and disregard the desires or needs of the minority. Some people in politics and the marketplace simply have a hard time getting along with others. So, their solution is to take control, or, split away if they can’t be in control.

Learning to Get Along. What is really needed in our society is a sense of tolerance, diversity, and liberty. So, in the case of prayer in school, it would be more equitable and true to the principles our nation was founded on to simply allow the day to be started with a choice of prayer or not. Those wanting prayer time, could meet in the auditorium. Those who don’t wan to start the day with prayer could meet in their classrooms or another area of school. Problem solved. Rather than splitting the schools into praying and non-praying schools, why not just encourage people to cooperate with each other and respect differences. One of the most important lessons children will learn in school is to learn to get along with others. United we stand, divided we fall. What are we teaching children if we build separate praying and non-praying schools?

Separatism Never Ends. Assume we have separate schools for praying and non-praying students. What if the majority of students in praying school happen to be Muslim? For some towns in America this could easily be true. Should the prayers in the auditorium be Islamic prayers? In Williams’ example, the schools should keep splitting up into smaller and smaller schools each representing their own separatist views until, presumably, we have the kind of sectarian division and strife that exists in Iraq. It’s not practical or healthy to have as many schools as we have religions and denominations or sects of those religions. At some point, people need to learn how to live together. A better approach is to learn how we can create solutions that accommodate everyone. Those who pray and those who don’t pray should be able to go to school together under the same roof.

Marketplace Democracy. As we all know, the democracy in our country doesn’t just occur in voting booths every two years. It occurs every day when we vote with our money. What we really have in our country is a marketplace democracy more than a political democracy. The consumers of the marketplace decide everything, including who becomes elected, what companies rise and which ones fall, and what social trends will sweep the nation. No politician or government has that kind of power. Organizations, companies, services, and/or products not receiving enough money will dwindle away for lack of support. It doesn’t mean they were bad necessarily, but they just didn’t have a large enough economic support base.

When Politics and the Marketplace Fail. There are situations when the marketplace system and political system don’t work on their own to serve the greater good. For example, if we were voting (with dollars or votes) on whether to spend money in our society for wheelchair accessible buildings, the majority of people might vote that it isn’t necessary (since it doesn’t serve their immediate personal interests). The reason we accommodate and assist children, the elderly, and handicapped people isn’t because it’s necessarily economically profitable in the marketplace or prudent politically, it’s just the humane and compassionate thing to do. So, compassion is more important than democracy in politics or popularity and profits in the marketplace. Compassion is the trump card.

Here’s a real-world example of how politics and the marketplace both failed to protect liberty and equal access to services. In March 2006, a group of rural Iowans were without high-speed Internet service. They were still using dial-up modems. Qwest was providing them phone service, but not DSL, and Mediacom wasn’t there at all. Neither as consumers in the marketplace nor as voting citizens would their collective voices been enough to get high-speed Internet service. Only with the help of the Consumer Defense Resource Group were these citizens able to receive the basic high-speed Internet service that others have had for years.

• Learn More. Big utility companies like Mediacom, Qwest, and Mid American Energy are given tax breaks as well as the use of public airwaves and public lands to conduct their business. They also have the benefit of being a monopoly in most markets. In exchange for this, they are expected to equitably serve the taxpayers who partially fund their businesses. Most of their profits come from population-dense urban areas where a small investment to deliver service, to an apartment building for example, produces a larger profit than delivering service to a rural farm house. Unless pressured to do so, most businesses simply ignore any marketplace minority that offers low profitability. Yet, we all recognize that everyone, even rural farmers, need basic services such electricity, water, sewer, waste removal, phones, schools, libraries, and roads. The Federal Government now recognizes broadband Internet as an essential service that needs to be delivered to all citizens.

Business Success in Marketplace Democracy. There’s a restaurant in the town where I live called Mia Za’s. It’s primarily an Italian food restaurant, but they offer a little bit of everything for everyone including some baked goods from local bakeries. Mia Za’s has an amazing variety of foods, such as sandwiches, salads, soups, pizza, pastas, and more. That’s common for larger restaurants, but what’s uncommon is that when ordering, customers can write up their orders on highly customizable order forms. For example, you can create a salad from scratch or just choose from a menu of popular salads. In the Mia Za’s world, nobody is left out even if they represent a minority of customers with a certain food preference. In fact, every individual is treated as a unique person with their own food preferences. Under one roof, one finds vegetarians and meat eaters, pasta lovers and those who prefer sandwiches, all living in harmony. The reason this business model works so well is because it reflects and reinforces our better nature and the inner intuitive sense and desire to get along with everyone. We all want freedom and choices, not only for ourselves but for others. Were the Mia Za’s approach applied to government, politics, school, or the marketplace, we’d all be much better off. There’d be no need for the conflict that Williams addresses in his article.

• Learn More – Mia Za’s Model Applied to Education. During my senior year of high school, the school I was attending began testing a Mia Za’s-like approach to education. As seniors, we could choose what courses we wanted. It was a lot like registering for classes at the college level. Rather than serving up education like a combo-meal at McDonalds, they were taking a risk that students would have an interest in their own education and destiny. Initially school administrators were very concerned about what students would do given freedom of choice with education. Like a Mia Za’s menu, students could pick and choose what courses they wanted, and even customize the courses. Rather than a majority of administrators or parents fighting over what combo-meal curriculum would be offered, everyone got to choose the education they wanted. This is one example of many where creativity, ingenuity, and cooperation can result in serving everyone’s needs without there needing to be winners or losers.

When Quality is the Bottom Line. When I was managing a Radio Shack store in California, my pay, bonuses, promotions, and recognition were based on sales volume. The formula for success was quite easy: Focus on the high dollar sales. For some reason, I was often compelled to think beyond that model, and those around me were perplexed when I would patiently spend time helping customers with smaller purchases. One day, an elderly lady came into the store looking for a phonograph needle — the kind that could play 33 RPM or flip over and play 78 RPM albums (if you can remember back that far). I spent a bunch of time helping her, and when she left the store satisfied, the people I was working with simply had to ask me why it is that I would spend so much money on a $1 sale. So, I explained to them about what I call the other bottom line: that of excellence in service.

• Learn More. A few weeks after helping that elderly woman with her phonograph needle, the corporate office of Radio Shack sent out a letter to all of our stores. Apparently the elderly woman was so impressed with the service she’d received that she wrote the president of Radio Shack about it. The news of that $1 sale reached the desk of the president, and it became an example of how the company wanted their employees to treat every customer. When companies and employees strive for excellence in service, everyone benefits. Certainly a company known for excellent service will attract more customers and grow, but good customer service isn’t just about excelling in business, it’s common courtesy. The same is true when offering exceptional products. Of course, it’s good for a company’s reputation and long-term sales figures, but it’s also the right thing to do. The example above of Mia Za’s is a good illustration of offering exceptional products, excellent service, and great value.

Marketplace Cooperation. In his article, Williams suggests that government promotes conflict, but the free market economy promotes cooperation. Conventional wisdom tells us the opposite is true. For example, one state that does research on highway costs and develops a method to construct more durable and economical road surfaces will share this with other state governments. There is some competition between countries, yet even so, research into health and eliminating poverty is often shared when seeking to make the world a better place. However, in the free market economy, businesses are constantly competing and rarely would they share information that might give their competitor’s an edge.

• Learn More. There are some examples of marketplace cooperation, yet they don’t come about naturally. Instead, cooperative models of business are usually developed by people who recognize the benefits of working with each other rather than against each other. One example is the Iowa City Area Computer Support Cooperative. This is a cooperative business model that results in higher quality service at more economical prices when businesses work together.

Conclusion. Here are a few principles to remember:

• Fairness, freedom, and cooperation only thrive in politics and business when we take the initiative to promote and defend these principles.
• Those who make excellence (in products and services) their bottom line will ultimately have greater success than those who always choose to do what is cheapest, easiest, and/or makes the most profit.
• Cooperation with people will produce better results for everyone than competing against them. A hybrid model of competing with people (rather than against them) can inspire everyone to do better.

Video Commentary. Below is a video commentary by Gregory Johnson about the potential challenges of democracy.

Summary. In January 2010, Pepsi launched the Refresh Everything campaign to change the world.

Click here to see the inspiring Pepsi commercial.

Philanthropists such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are well known for giving billions of dollars, but such large donations rarely seem to directly and broadly impact smaller grass roots organizations. This initiative by Pepsi is an excellent example of corporate philanthropy.

How it Works. Smaller grants like these, that are open to the public for submission and voting, allow philanthropy to reach people and projects that might otherwise get overlooked. The RefreshEverything.com website explains how the submission and voting process works.

Categories. The grant categories include: Health, Arts & Culture, Food & Shelter, The Planet, Neighborhoods, and Education.

“Each month, up to $1.3 million will be awarded as follows: 2 Grants at the $250,000 level; 10 Grants at the $50,000 level; 10 Grants at the $25,000 level; and 10 Grants at the $5,000 level.”

Project Promotion and Grant Awards Consulting. Would you like to give your project some extra awareness? Contact us for information about how we can help spread the word about your project. We can’t promise anything, but our promotional efforts might just be able to help push your project over the top to win an award.

Activism | Relationships

Summary. Imagine a person who’s brain is only partially operational. Their thoughts, words, decisions, and behavior would likely be impeded. So it is also true when a society does not have an open balanced democratic dialog and political system which includes all people of the society regardless of age or gender. If a segment of the society is ignored, it is like having a part of the brain that is ignored. In the world community, the opinions and voices of younger people are largely ignored except when it comes to marketing products to children. The world urgently needs the inspiration of young people and children. From young people come optimism, creativity, hope, energy, and forgiveness that is urgently needed in the world today.

“We never grow up. We only learn how to act in public.” (source unknown)

Twenty-six Percent of United States Citizens Denied Representation. Children represent 26% of the United States population. They participate in school and community activities and are responsible for over $170 billion a year in purchases. Despite this they are denied the right to vote or have meaningful representation in government. [Source: Youth Activism Project]

Adult Viewpoints on Youth Involvement. Conservative commentator Dennis Prager recently stated, “when youth get involved in politics in large numbers, it is not a good thing.” What he means is that youth involvement threatens the imbalance of power that favors the adult (mostly male) dominated society and worldview which promotes and perpetuates wars, the exploitation children, and the ravaging of the environment all over the world. In reality, youth involvement is good for people and for the planet. Some people and organizations embrace and support youth involvement in global politics and issues. Youth Action Net states: “In the face of urgent global challenges – poverty, climate change, HIV/AIDS, hunger, homelessness – young people are exercising their leadership potential like never before. Their energy and idealism propel them to take risks, to look beyond obstacles, and to develop innovative solutions. Youth leaders thrive in collaborative learning environments that emphasize the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to maximize their contributions.” [Source: Youth Action Net] The organization, Global Youth Action Network states, “GYAN believes that critical issues facing the planet now demand our attention and action; and that if we are to solve these problems in our life, then we must act, and combine our efforts to guarantee a future of peace, justice and sustainability.”

Youth Viewpoints on Race. As was demonstrated by the Promises Project, youth are typically able to cooperate and enjoy friendship despite differences of culture, race, or religion. “The interesting thing about the south is that we played together, black and white, when we were seven, eight, nine, ten, but then when you got to be a teenager, all of a sudden segregation set in.” – Andrew Young, UN Ambassador from the United States (quote from PBS American Experience special about Jimmy Carter).

When Children Speak Out. When children are given an opportunity to speak, they often exhibit great wisdom. An example is the video below of Severn Suzuki, who was at the time of the video, a spokesperson for the Environmental Children’s Organization (a group of twelve and thirteen year old children addressing global issues). This video is a message she deivered at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro, 3-14 June 1992. However, the message spoken is timeless. Note: Please click the play button only and ignore all other buttons and options which might take you to other YouTube content which may be offensive.

Ability to Solve Complex Problems. In this video, a four-year-old girl solves a Rubic’s cube.

Family Model for Youth Involvement. Imagine a family sitting around the dining table or living room. Decisions about where to go eat, what movie to watch, or where to go on vacation are almost always influenced by the children in the family. Loving parents want to respect and empower their children by listening to them and taking their wishes into consideration. The world community should be no different.

Resources. Below are resources for promoting global youth empowerment.

• Aspen Institute – Ideas Festival. According to The Aspen Idea magazine (Summer 2008, page 23), “… high school students across the country … held their own mini Ideas Festivals on topics like discrimination and genocide.” Vince Blauser, principal of Todd Beamer High School near Seattle, stated, “I was reminded that there’s more to education than the standards we teach. We are developing humanity.”
• Christian Science Monitor, “Taste is on the Agenda for Military Meals Ready to Eat” – In this Christian Science Monitor story, a panel of children were asked to provide their opinions of military rations. [video | article]
• CompassionateKids.com – “An international, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping teach children compassion towards the Earth, People, and Animals.”
• DoSomething.org – “We believe young people have the power to make a difference. It is our aim to inspire, support and celebrate a generation of do-ers: people who see the need to do something, believe in their ability to get it done, and then take action. Our website is a community where young people learn, listen, speak, vote, volunteer, ask, and take action to make the world a better place. Currently, only 23% of this generation actively volunteers. Our hope is to create a do something generation: a world where more than 51% of young people are involved with community action.”
• FreeChild.org – “The resources on The Freechild Project website are meant to encourage you to take action. This website offers a variety of tools for young people and adults, and provides details on the issues young people care about and the actions they are taking.”
• GlobalKids.org – “Global Kids (GK) is committed to transforming urban youth into successful students as well as global and community leaders. Using interactive and experiential methods to educate youth about critical international and foreign policy issues, GK provides students with opportunities for civic and global engagement.”
• Global Youth Action Network – “More than 1,000 organizations have applied for membership in GYAN. We connect over 10,000 in over 180 countries. Our mission is to facilitate youth participation and intergenerational partnership in global decision-making; support collaboration among diverse youth organizations; and provide tools, resources, and recognition for positive youth action. GYAN believes that critical issues facing the planet now demand our attention and action; and that if we are to solve these problems in our life, then we must act, and combine our efforts to guarantee a future of peace, justice and sustainability.”
• Kiva.org – “Kiva’s mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty. Kiva is the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world.” Consider loaning money to young people through Kiva.
• OneCountry.org – “At the UN, young girls voice concerns about grown-up issues”
• Promises Project – When children are given an opportunity to address to create peace.
• ShapingYouth.org – “Shaping Youth is a nonprofit concerned with media and marketing’s impact on kids. We have NO political, religious, or censorship agenda. Our focus is to shift harmful messages in a more positive direction with the help of industry insiders.”
• YMCA – “We build strong kids, strong families, strong communities. Every day, Ys help children and youth to deepen positive values, their commitment to service and their motivation to learn.”
• YouthAction.net – “YouthActionNet® invests in the power and promise of young social entrepreneurs around the globe. Launched in 2001 by the International Youth Foundation, YouthActionNet® strengthens, supports, and celebrates the role of young people in leading positive change in their communities. In the face of urgent global challenges – poverty, climate change, HIV/AIDS, hunger, homelessness – young people are exercising their leadership potential like never before. Their energy and idealism propel them to take risks, to look beyond obstacles, and to develop innovative solutions. Youth leaders thrive in collaborative learning environments that emphasize the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to maximize their contributions.”
• YouthActivism.com – “This site aims to prove that MINORS can play a MAJOR ROLE. Everyone–especially teens and tweens–are invited to email or call our toll-free hotline. Also, our national nonprofit clearinghouse provides information and resources to youth workers, mentors, teachers, principals, policy makers, parents and organizations that want to support young advocates.”
• YouthInAction.org – An organization fighting underage drinking. “Instead of targeting high school students with a message, Youth In Action looks at the whole environment that seems to condone underage drinking. From the store clerk who doesn’t check IDs, to the police officer who might pour out the beer and send teens home, to the adults who don’t mind buying beer for a kid who slips him an extra $10 — YIA teams look for community solutions instead of focusing their attention on their peers. Teams focus on laws and policies that affect people’s behavior, because that’s the best place to make changes.”
• YouthForHumanRights.org – “Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) is an independent non-profit corporation headquartered in Los Angeles, with the purpose to educate people in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights so they become valuable advocates for tolerance and peace. YHRI holds events and produces instructional tools to raise human rights awareness such as the award-winning music video UNITED – a street-savvy, multi-ethnic, five-minute film in 15 languages – conveying the power of human rights awareness.”
• Wikipedia – Youth Activism
• WireTapMag.org – “WireTap is the Webby-winning news and culture magazine by and for young people interested in social change. Here, you will learn about political issues that matter to young people, and hear from young activists, as they articulate their vision and describe their work that turns individual hopes into collective, political possibilities.”

Video. Below are selected videos from YouthForHumanRights.org

Document History. This document was first published on 20080629@2007. On 20100127we1855, outdated content was removed.