Now showing: “every utterance, every court filing, every public transaction, every burp, every miscue.” In an interesting read, Jack Shafer wonders about the state of our politics “now that we have dirt on everyone.” While some debate the power of the Internet to democratize even the most authoritarian regimes, we should consider its role in [...]
Posts under ‘BROWN/Citizen’
Politics and Public Art
There’s something about public art that gets to the heart of Politicolor’s project. When Carlos Collejo offered a tour of L.A. murals to our National Academy group in 2009, he explained the people and the art meet in the streets through these works of art. In the short video, “The Battle for LA’s Murals,” a [...]
Seeing Simplicity in Complex Ideas
Eric Berlow is an ecologist and network scientist at the University o California who believes nature has something to teach us about problem solving. Nature shows that, with any problem, “the more you can zoom out and embrace complexity, the better chance you have of zooming in on the simple details that matter most.” Eric [...]
Madison on Facebook
In a 1791 essay printed in the National Gazette, James Madison contemplated public opinion and a “general intercourse of sentiments.” He imagined that roads, domestic commerce, and a free press would all work to reveal true public opinion in an expansive country where it would otherwise be easy to counterfeit. Imagine what he would have [...]
Valedictorian Speaks Out Against a Standardized Citizenry
This speech suggests our students are no more satisfied than we are with the regime of standardized testing. In the classroom, I once discussed this kind of success with my 8th graders. The reports had come in and we had done “outstanding” on the History test. Best in the district and as high as anyone [...]
Stephen Colbert: Human Rights vs. American Rights
It wasn’t a stellar interview. Michael Posner appeared on the Colbert Report last week and, as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, he might have been better prepared for Colbert’s first question. Colbert’s question: What do these three things (democracy, human rights and labor) have to do with one another? Posner’s [...]
Writing Assignment
The Original: Cicero - The Ideal Statesman Scipio: Why, he should have virtually no duty apart from this, for it embraces all the rest — namely that he should never cease inspecting and examining himself, challenging others to imitate him, and by the splendour of his mind and conduct offering himself as a mirror to [...]
Weekly Wavelength
This is one of the easiest ways to share your ideas on Politicolor. Every week we ask our contributors two questions and post their answers in an effort to help you find good ideas on the web. Because effective citizens are informed citizens engaged in sharing ideas… What didn’t you know last week? Gravity is [...]
Weekly Wavelength
This is one of the easiest ways to share your ideas on Politicolor. Every week we ask our contributors two questions and post their answers in an effort to help you find good ideas on the web. Because effective citizens are informed citizens… What didn’t you know last week? Arachne at her loom, after an [...]
Teaching from Montpelier
Adjusting to the real world after a week at Montpelier can be challenging. There are real pressures to be ready for the next school year but an equally real mission to teach the substance of the ideas present in our curriculum. Several participants have shared their gratitude via e-mail or the Facebook group. I wanted [...]
