Green is the new Black

I’m still reading that book that is scaring the bejeeses outa me (pardon the pun) and feeling some serious hopelessness when it comes to the counter culture being created by the right wing to recruit the young folk. But then - Al Gore happened.

The interesting thing that I saw this week was an awesome comparable – Live Earth. A concert extravaganza, web tastic, with a holographic Al? The only thing that could make it better is Pauly Shore saying

“And when where not saving the environment, we're thinkin' of you, naked, thigh deep in tofu.”

According to Sandler

“In the Disciple Generation, young Evangelicals connect, organize, and reside within a movement that both exists on an intimate and grassroots level and super-sized in stadium events. The sixties have been both resurrected and subverted in every rock festival activists and road-trip missionary; their hipster home Bible studies and MySpace forums operate as modern-day consciousness groups.”

More serious than the immediate 2008 election, is the long-term outlook of the influence of the right on politics whether in Kansas or in rural California. With election-only involvement from the progressive movement and policy as usual from Democrats, the conversation stops, recruitment stops, canvassing on a large-scale stops, party building in rural areas stops. And an angry progressive movement is left with little focus on which to act, and suffers a frustrated complacency that must fester for another two years.

While they have been at concerts and skate parks we’ve been recruiting the 18-30 groups in ties and button-ups talking about leadership and policy.

There have been huge attempts with things like Live Eight to bring awareness to issues but beyond that awareness there is a gap in commitment to action.

That didn’t happen with Al. Al had his shit together. We are only just now beginning to understand the usefulness of this kind of politics. Al’s Live Earth series of concerts utilized many of the same tactics used by the right – such as asking attendees to fill out “pledge cards” but instead of pledging their virginity – the Live Earth folk pledged their devotion to stopping the climate crisis.

Cynthia Gibson put it best in her book Inspiration to Participation:

“Perhaps the most important measure [of civic engagement] is whether the community has a culture—a sense of ongoing practices, habits, norms, identities, and relationships—that can sustain engagement against cultural trends going in the other direction.”

So how about taking the national and international ideas of Live Earth and bringing it to a local level. City follow-ups – like Rock the Earth at The Granada in Lawrence – be there! And utilize the opportunity to sign folks up to fuel local projects. Make an impact on the immediate – mix-up engagement opportunities with actual volunteer opportunities – clean up parks, neighborhoods, trash along the highway. In the long term however you create a culture of volunteerism within an area.

My assumption is that most big cities totally get it. In the “fly over” states however – you know – where the right wing lives – we are still faltering.

Al used what he had - he utilized rockstars, bands, the funny and famous all to address an issue – not a party or politics. And he gave action items. Action items are very important. "Here is how you can help" "Here is what you can do" - leaves you feeling a little less helpless and more into DOING rather than standing by waiting for the next election. This is a fantastic place to begin and progressives shouldn’t be afraid to borrow some of the good right wing techniques that don’t require us to sacrifice our progressive values but instead spread them.

And now – A special moment not seen at Live Earth: