I recently had the pleasure of speaking about the future of politics in the Canadian province of Alberta at the Parkland Institute’s conference, The Moral of the Story: Art, Culture, Media and Politics. The lineup of speakers was inspiring. (You can find audio of the other talks here. Mine is embedded below.)
There were talks about internet and alternative media, culture jamming, social change paradigms, storytelling, and more. The Parkland Institute is taking the long view and should be emulated widely for their foresight. When it comes to progressive politics, national boundaries are irrelevant. Our struggles are shared the world over. Our community resides in hearts and minds of people from every locale.
The title of my talk was The Great Political Blind Spot. My goal was to share with progressives the insights I have about the political mind and its central (yet largely invisible) role in shaping politics. Now, thanks to the excellent tech support of Parkland, you can hear my talk too:
Listening to this will help you get a clearer sense of what we’re doing at Cognitive Policy Works. As we come to know the workings of our inner worlds, we will be better equipped to articulate clear visions of a better future. Our actions will be shaped by deeper understandings that offer sound guidance for progress. And, through education and inspiration, we will learn to train our inner elephants and achieve our goals.
In peace and solidarity,
Joe Brewer
Founder, Cognitive Policy Works
Update: Here’s a link to the powerpoint for my talk. Enjoy! (and let me know what you think)
[...] This strategy demonstrates how cognitive policy works. Emphasis is given to how people understand what is happening. The goal is to ensure that our experiences are interpreted through a conservative lens. It is not literally the case that taxation is a burden (a provocative metaphor), but rather that our common sense is influenced by a combination of our experiences in the world and the interpretive filters that give them meaning. (A key feature of how the political mind works, as I discuss in The Great Political Blind Spot) [...]
Hi Albert,
Sure thing. I’ve added an update to the end of the post that allows you to download the powerpoint slides.
Enjoy!
Joe
Joe, the talk is good, the Q&A great. Need the slides tho. Can you make that a downloadable pdf?
Hi Chuck,
We hope to eventually provide standard curricula to a variety of audiences. There may be opportunities to get certified as a trainer as demand for our services grow beyond what our core team can manage.
In the meantime, let’s stay in touch about how our work is developing.
Best,
Joe
I especially liked the part about a training network. How do I sign up to become a trainer?