Not Going To Take It Anymore
I was going to title this post “A Modest Proposal,” but I decided against it because what I want to propose is far from modest. Bold, yes. Crazy, yes. But not modest.
I’m tired of listening to politicians puppet the party standard. I’m tired of hearing how corporations own the government, and how the media controls the message. I’m tired of being told that an ordinary person can’t make a difference in politics. I’m not going to take it anymore.
My proposal is that you don’t take it anymore either.
I propose that together we make BraveHumans a voice to be reckoned with. A voice that stands up to the mainstream media. A voice that crosses party lines. A voice that lets real people be heard. We have the power to make it happen. YOU have the power to make it happen.
The mainstream media doesn’t control the message anymore. The web does. Make a loud enough noise on the web, and the media latches onto it. Any website which is powerful on the web is powerful in the media. We can control the message if we want to. But we can only do it if we stand together.
If you look at the most powerful political voices of the blogosphere, all of them follow a particular ideology. Some pundit on the left, others on the right. They serve a purpose in mobilizing people of similar views, but they don’t force people to consider the views of others. There is no popular site on the web where all sides are heard. There is no site where one is led to consider views you oppose. I’d like BraveHumans to become that site. I would like BraveHumans to become the watering hole for all political views, where Americans from all walks of life can come together and discuss their government, their views, their hopes and their fears without being labeled as ignorant or crazy by the other side. We need to come together as Americans, united by the ideals of a government of the people, by the people, for the people.
So here is my challenge: There are 28 days in the month of February. If you have a weblog, then I call on you to write four posts about BraveHumans. One a week. Write about what what you would like the site to become. Write about reclaiming our government, or about tearing down the walls of partisanship. Write about what drives you and motivates you. Compel your readers into action, and call on them to write four posts on THEIR weblogs. If you don’t have a weblog, then post on message boards, or make a video for YouTube. Stand up and be heard. The internet gives everyone a voice. Imagine what can happen when we all stand together.
I will write four posts as well. This one is my first. I will also ask for input on what YOU would like BraveHumans to become. If enough people want it, I will open a forum, otherwise we can discuss things through comments. I don’t want BraveHumans to be a quiet little site where people vent their frustrations and go home. BraveHumans can be so much more if we work together.
I believe we can do this. I’m willing to make a stand and try. If you join me, and if you urge others to join us, we can make this happen.
Let’s do this. Let’s join forces and be heard. Let’s make a noise so loud the mainstream media can’t ignore us.
And then when we have their attention, we can say, “We’re Brave Humans. We’re Americans. And we’ve come to reclaim our government.”
Be Brave. Be Human. Change the world.
Brian
Update: If you take up this challenge, just say so in the comments below, and I will add your site (or YouTube post, etc.) to the list.
February 2nd, 2007 14:05
Cool.
February 2nd, 2007 20:36
Brian,
You didn’t want to use the term “A Modest Proposal”; however, feeding our politicians to the starving poor would have been an interesting thought.
Rick
February 2nd, 2007 23:34
Rick,
True, but it seems like politicians feed on their own as it is.
I’m truly serious about my proposal, though. Just four posts in a single month, pass it on, and we could be the mouse that roared. For anyone who takes up the challenge I’ll post a list of their sites.
What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
Brian
February 3rd, 2007 02:00
I’m in on it!
February 3rd, 2007 10:18
Well, #1 for Feb is on my blog.
February 3rd, 2007 10:39
You are both now on the list.
February 4th, 2007 20:42
Brian, you talk about Brave Humans as a forum where all are welcome and people can express their differing views. That’s a fine idea, but by no means unique. The modest number of commenters Oh!pinion has attracted have expressed a surprisingly wide range of views over time.
You mention everyone coming here to join together and make a difference, to change the political system. Evidently, that means they will arrive at consensus and leave partisan preference behind.
I think you’re going to run into a massive problem there. People aren’t inclined to so easily give up or substantially change their notions about public policy.
Parties came into being early in our history for sound reasons. For better and worse, they’ve been with us ever since. They’re not about to go away, either.
FWIW, I regularly visit blogs and news sources on the left, in the middle and on the right. My TV viewing and reading habits are similar. I do draw the line on some individuals, such as Rush Limbaugh, Matt Drudge and Ann Coulter. I consider them beyond the pale because, aside from being gratuitously insulting and demeaning of those they disagree with, they’ve been caught lying so many times they have no credibility at all.
Maybe it would be worthwhile to host discussions about the relative merits of parties and partisanship. There are two sides to the story, as is usually the case in life.
Just a suggestion.
February 4th, 2007 21:48
S.W.,
I did not mean to imply that all sites are purely on one side of the aisle or the other. There are sites such as yours where comments can express diverse views. Still, BraveHumans is a bit different in that we are actively seeking posts from diverse perspectives. Its goal is to present lots of different views, not just one view. We specifically want BraveHumans to be non-partisan. This does not mean that those who contribute posts should be non-partisan. Far from it.
I’m not saying our approach is unique, but I don’t know of any A-list sites that take this approach. There are lots of good (and open) partisan sites on all sides, but not many non-partisan ones.
You mentioned on your most recent Oh!pinion post that people don’t even know what “moderate” really is anymore. There are those who have shifted the discussion so far to the right that moderates look like radical liberals. I would agree with you. But we have allowed that shift to occur in our society because we engage the other side less and less. The popularity of the Limbaughs and the Coulters of the world just prove the point. More and more it is acceptable to label the other side as delusional or ignorant.
My call to come together is not to drop partisanship, nor is it to eliminate political parties. If BraveHumans incites intense (but respectful) partisan debate, then that would be great. I also think it would help change our political system for the better.
The point of “changing the system” is to move beyond the sound-bite, and to help reduce the “I’m right, you’re crazy” arguments. Imagine if there were an A-list website that couldn’t be labeled as right-leaning or left-leaning, where pundits from all sides would advocate positions, and people from all sides would discuss the issue. I think it would make politics more dynamic, more alive, and more meaningful to people’s lives. It would challenge us out of our ideological ruts. It doesn’t mean people would always change our mind, but it would mean more people would think their political views.
I would like to see more people politically engaged, and I think BraveHumans is one way to do that. It certainly couldn’t hurt.
By the way, I think your idea to discuss the merits of partisanship is a great idea. Would you be willing to write a post for us to get the discussion started?
(And also join the BraveHumans challenge?)
February 4th, 2007 22:15
Brian,
I disagree with you on where “the middle” has moved on the political scale. You don’t measure the middle by the people in the middle, but relative to the extremes on both sides.
I contend that, due to folks like Franken, Dean and Kucinich, “moderate” now has a leftward leaning. You contend that “moderate” has a rightward leaning. From our differing political perspectives, we’re both right.
So, when was the last time you evaluated your political party instead of your rivals? (Rhetorical question, not aimed directly at you.)
I would argue that the Democratic leadership desires to consolidate power as much as the Republican leadership does. I wouldn’t call Pelosi’s moves thus far to be “outside the box”.
Oy, the joy of politics.
February 4th, 2007 23:31
Brian wrote:
“The point of ‘changing the system’ is to move beyond the sound-bite, and to help reduce the ‘I’m right, you’re crazy’ arguments.”
Ah, that would be a godsend. But it requires people do the relatively hard work of informing themselves better, of conscientiously sorting things out in their own mind, of arguing issues and positions on the merits and free of taking emotionally pleasing cheap shots at the opposition.
To the extent you can arrange that, you’re to be congratulated and thanked.
Re: doing a post on partisanship. Things have been hectic in my little corner of the world lately. Some days it’s a challenge to get some sort of post together for Oh!pinion.
Maybe I can do a post on partisanship on Oh!pinion and share it via a simultaneous post here. Would that be acceptable? If so, I’m not making a big promise, but I’ll see what I can do in the next few days.
February 4th, 2007 23:47
S.W.,
I agree it is a big uphill struggle. But if we can reach a level of popularity and diversity, then I truly think it will make a difference. Some will actively contribute. Others can watch from the sidelines. But at the very least we can show people how civic discourse actually works. Let’s raise the bar for the blogosphere as it were.
I think the simultaneous post would be great, and would be perfectly acceptable.
February 4th, 2007 23:47
Rick, Brian referred to a post of mine that asserts the whole political landscape has shifted rightward since about 1980. So, what’s considered strongly liberal stuff today would’ve registered in the mid-1970s, say, as basically moderate. Certainly, what’s considered moderate now is to the right of its 1970s counterpart.
Trust me on this. I can remember a time when suggesting removal of the caps on lender interest rates would’ve been political suicide. I can remember a time when there was discussion of combining the three military branches, sharply downsizing each, and arbitrarily cutting the Pentagon budget in half. In that same period, some talked about nationalizing the major oil companies. Those really were radical leftist ideas, way left of my comfort zone.
February 5th, 2007 12:44
S.W.,
Thanks for the info. Sounds like, as in most things, the position of “the middle” is cyclical. I was a willing democrat in the early 1980s; I was just old enough to vote, and came from a democratic family. My views changed as I became responsible for family; you can say I rode the conservative wave, but it was because of the beliefs I already held. The Republican party was truly my party, as I was in agreement with them most of the time.
Although my conservatism has remained and strengthened, my love for party has changed. I am understanding more of the political and media machines that manipulate the wheels of democracy. I would like to see us (pick one) undermine the machines, or overcome them.
Brian,
I have a post that I wanted to make on my blog, but merited a post here, too. I will double post mine as well.
February 20th, 2007 12:23
Brian et al,
I’m going to do my best on FredInTheCan.
Rock on.
February 20th, 2007 15:38
Thanks, Elena. I’ve added FredInTheCan to the BraveHumans Index.
February 21st, 2007 13:39
Interesting idea and one I’ve often thought of. I thought this was happening when MoveOn began, but then they became so overtly political and all about the Dems. While I don’t particularly like the Republican party as a whole, shouldn’t we judge individual politicians on their histories and ability to make a difference, rather then which party they subscribe to?
It is almost the end of February. I have my own posts to get out, but I love the idea and if the writing spirit moves me will try to get 4 up.
Good luck with this!
February 21st, 2007 14:09
Hey Kip,
Nice to meet you. Can you summarize what you don’t like about the Republican Party as a whole, and also what you do like from the party? I don’t mind the generalities, but I think it helps dissolve the party-based discussion if we can know what is worth keeping from each party.
February 21st, 2007 21:45
Welcome to the site, Kip,
I see MoveOn as a cautionary tale, which is why I worry about the dearth of the right here at BraveHumans. It would be great to have the voice MoveOn has, but if it means BraveHumans becomes just another partisan website, what’s the point? We have lots of partisan sites out there. We even have lots of bi-partisan sites. What we don’t have is a multi-partisan, non-partisan, let’s forget the labels and talk about what we as individuals think site. That’s what I would like to see. We can be partisan when we get to the ballot box.
So spread the word to any conservatives you know. Please.
And let me know if you make a BraveHumans post, and I’ll add your site to the index.
Brian
February 22nd, 2007 13:00
Brian,
Amen, brother. Preach it from the rooftops!
February 22nd, 2007 17:08
I like your idea “Be Brave. Be Human. Change the world.” However, I’m afraid there’s a contradiction somewhere in your project of building a pression web community to face the rest of the media.It’s a purely American project for Americans only!! “We’re Brave Humans. We’re Americans.”I thought the web had no frontiers!!
February 22nd, 2007 19:19
Welcome to BraveHumans, reveur!
You are not the first to criticize BraveHumans for being “too American.” On one level it is a valid accusation, since the authors are American, and we view things from an American perspective. But BraveHumans is open to ideas from all over the world, so I do hope you will continue to add to the discussions here.
Anyone, from anywhere in the world can contribute to the discussion, so in that sense it is not a purely American website. As for writing posts, if you have something you would like to contribute, by all means send us an email.
Our focus right now is to get a balance of authors across the American political spectrum. We have to start with what we know. Over time as BraveHumans grows, it is possible it will take a more international view. We will just have to see.