Last night marked the start of the celebration of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. In anticipation, several days earlier, I began rereading a book I’d acquired several years ago, Nothing Sacred, a controversial work by media critic Douglas Rushkoff that seeks 21st century meaning in the traditions and texts of Judaism.
Rushkoff argues that Judaism is “a religion dedicated to media literacy” — an approach to deconstructing, analyzing and questioning media’s messages — which offers digital-age lessons in participatory democracy for the secular world.
He points to Judaism’s core practices:
Judaism is a religion dedicated to media literacy. The initiation to adult practice is not an act of faith, but a demonstration of literacy called a bar (or bat) mitvah…Jews have to be able to not only read the text, but also understand what it means…
Further, Jewish rituals require community participation. The Torah scroll cannot even be read unless ten people — a minyan — are present. This was a safeguard against isolation and its destructive impact. If only such priorities were used in the media space, where an isolated, self-doubting viewer is considered the most valuable target for markets selling on TV or the Web.
In an undated interview with the Jewish Public Forum, Rushkoff observed,
The fact that Jews are not supposed to read the holy texts alone – we’re not even supposed to read the Talmud by ourselves – is also fascinating. It forces us to be social and interactive with our stories and laws, rather than alone with them. It’s more like participating in a chat room or newsgroup than sitting passively on a Web site. We can maintain some critical distance. We are invited to think and comment. The text is kept alive. Transparent.
In Rushkoff’s world, Judaism’s traditions translate into lessons for 21st century citizens. We all bear responsibility to remake ourselves into knowledgeable, literate consumers of modern media who can analyze and decode its messages and gain resistance to propaganda and distortions of fact. Discussion and constant questioning, not blind-faith acceptance, are essential to uncovering truths and debunking false claims, whether in spiritual practices or political ones.
Today, as a new year begins, as the U.S. faces financial chaos, and a presidential election looms just weeks away, I pause for a moment to consider how Rushkoff’s insights on Jewish traditions apply to the secular texts that are the foundation of American democracy — our Constitution, our laws — as well as to the cacophony of messages through media — TV, radio, print, web — that seek to sway us.
Rushkoff of course is right: to participate fully, to be engaged citizens, we must demand media literacy of ourselves (and also, I would hasten to add, of those who would lead us). We must be literate enough to decipher the messages that shape our lives and our decisions — at the moment, the choices we Americans will make in the voting booth in November.
As negotiators and mediators know from experience, knowledge and information are power. That’s true for all of the negotiations in life we face — the political, the transactional, and the personal.
What better way to celebrate access to information than by honoring Banned Books Week, which celebrates the freedom to read, and is sponsored by the American Library Association?
Curious to learn what books have been challenged or banned here in the U.S.? The Forbidden Library lists some of the titles.
Banned Books Week events take place this year from September 27 through October 4. Join the celebration of intellectual freedom.
A friend recently sent me the following joke:
During a visit to a mental asylum, a visitor asked the director how to determine whether or not a patient should be institutionalised. “Well,” said the director, “we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient, and ask him to empty the bathtub.” “
Oh, I see,” said the visitor. “A normal person would use the bucket because it is bigger than the spoon or the teacup.”
“No,” said the director, “a normal person would pull out the plug. Do you want the bed near the window?”
What I love about the joke — apart from the fact that it’s actually clean and therefore suitable to repeat in the presence of clients — is how neatly it illustrates an all too common problem: sometimes, when we are presented with several options, they may blind us to other choices — including the simplest and most sensible one.
When you’re looking for solutions or preparing to negotiate, are good ideas going down the drain?
At The Pigs, a pub in Norwich, England, locals can trade food — produce they’ve grown or game they’ve caught — for beer. According to the sign posted in the pub, “If you grow, breed, shoot or steal anything that may look at home on our menu, then bring it in and let’s do a deal!”
That’s the story according to a video posted by ABC News this evening. (To view, click here and then on the link for the September 16 story titled, “Bartering for Beer”.)
No word yet on whether pub owners will also trade beer for professional services. Accountants, lawyers, mediators, and others, stay tuned.
Bartering is on the rise elsewhere in the world, including here in the U.S., as small business owners and others swap goods and services to cope with lean times and an economy in free fall. It’s a time-honored and creative way to continue to get to yes even when cash is short.
(Photo credit: Mike Johnson.)
Attorney John DeGroote has hit the ground running with the launch of his blog, Settlement Perspectives. Although his blog is just five posts old as of today’s date, John has already demonstrated the exemplary writing and skillful storytelling that are the mark of the successful blogger.
John tells readers the value he brings to the table:
I created this site to help clients and their counsel navigate the challenges that inevitably result from disputes, settlement efforts, impasse, and negotiation in general. The perspectives I bring are based on my experience, including more than 8 years as the Chief Litigation Counsel of a global company and the sometimes difficult lessons I learned before I got here.
In his first post, “Why Are We Here?“, John extends an invitation to readers to share their perspectives:
…it seems that a place where lawyers and clients can find new, and sometimes different, perspectives on how to settle disputes can save everyone time, money and risk exposure. With your contributions and comments, I think settlementperspectives.com can serve that purpose.
By the way, John has created a resources page for visitors to his site and was kind enough to include links to the World Directory of ADR Blogs and to Mediation Channel.
John, congratulations on the launch of what is already an impressive blog and one that I shall look forward to reading. It’s a pleasure to welcome you.
