March 2003 Archives

The next anti-war action is a rolling candle-light vigil.

Per request: a map of hate groups in the U.S. from the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Project.

...and then, one day, the rich man from Baghdad decides to send his servant to the marketplace to buy some fruits for him. So the servant saddles up his horse and rides to the marketplace. When he gets there, lo and behold, right in the middle of the marketplace, he sees Death looking at him. What's more, Death is making a threatening gesture towards him! Cold shivers down his spine, the servant gallops home and tells his master what he had seen. They decide that the servant should leave town as soon as possible and go to Amman. So the master gives him the fastest horse he has, and the servant wastes no time in starting for Amman. The next day, the rich man decides he wants to see with his own eyes what his servant had seen. So he rides to the marketplace, and, sure enough, there's Death, looking straight at him. He gathers his wits and approaches Death and asks Her: "Why did you make a threatening gesture towards my servant yesterday?" "It wasn't threatening gesture," Death replies. "It was a gesture of surprise. I was surprised to see him in Baghdad, when I knew I had an appointment with him for tonight, in Amman..."

The Cooptation of Adam Smith

Who knew that 20 years prior to The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith wrote a tome on moral philosophy. ìWhen we consider the character of any individual, we naturally view it under two different aspects; first, as it may affect his own happiness; and secondly, as it may affect that of other peopleî (Part VI). Smith's views of the power of the nation-state as a necessary counterbalance to the myopic profit drive of business have been ditched completely in favor of selective concentration upon so-called principles of "free trade" and

Contemporary neo-liberal policies (liberalism is ok when applied to capital, just not when applied to people), have reified only those aspects of Smith's work which serves their purposes, discarding the rest. In fact, discussion of ethics has no place in the business literature, let alone as a determinant of business practice. One might even dare to say that the extent to which the capitalist system wreaks damage on the world and humanity is reflective in the depth of silence about ethics. It's not as if the individuals in corporations, politics, trade negotiations, policy-making etc don't know the ramifications of what they do: it is simply taken as a matter of course; an unfortunate, unintended consequence; the post-modern, cynical mode of survival. Adam Smith has been hijacked; and we're all onboard.

ìHow selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently
some principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortune
of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he
derives nothing from it except the pleasure of seeing itî (Part I).

I've always considered the United Nations to be the next, best chance for a global structure that could limit not only the power of individual nation-states, but also the newer version of Empire being constructed by transnational, capitalist corporations. The first stated ideal of the UN Charter is "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war" (yet someone has just published a book on war being necessary to the existence of the nation-state, I'll catch you with the reference next time).

The authors of Empire, Hardt and Negri, while criticized, point to another source of resistance: "The newest and perhaps most important forces in the global civil society go under the name of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The term NGO has not been given a very rigorous definition, but we would define it as any organization that purports to represent the People and operate in its interest, separate from (and often against) the structures of the state....we are most interested in a subset of NGOs that strive to represent the least among us, those who canno represent themselves. These NGOs, which are sometimes characterized broadly as humanitarian organizations, are in fact the ones that have come to be among the most powerful and prominent in the contemporary global order. Thier mandate is not really to further the particular interests of any limited group but rather to represent directly global and universal human interests. Human rights organizations (such as Amnesty International and Americas Watch), peace groups (such as Witness of Peace and Shanti Sena), and the medical and famine relief agencies (such as Oxfam and Medicins sans frontiers) all defend human life against torture, starvation, massacre, imprisonment, and political assassination. Their political action rests on a universal moral call - what is at stake is life itself" (p. 321-313).

And then there's this from Hermann Goering (Hitler's second-in-command): "Naturally, the common people don't want war, but after all, it is the leaders of a country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country" (1939).

Raz will no doubt remind me that it's also the people who fight the most for social justice who seem to have the least amount of trust in "the people's" ability to resist. Or did I just read that somewhere recently? Another search!

Raz is going to join me here in cyberspace. He tries hard to come off as just a slacker, but actually he's a Romanian-born Superman.

For posterity's sake, here's an article about my partner's harassment at the high school where she teaches. This happened two years ago when the Vermont Legislature was debating whether or not to legalize civil unions, thereby becoming the first in the United States to recognize a form of gay marriage.

A sad loss for the Deaf community, world-renowned ASL poet Dr. Clayton L. Valli died Friday of complications from stomach cancer.

Born in Newburyport, MA on May 25th, 1951, he was the son of the late Francis S. Valli, Jr. He was a 1971 graduate of Austine School for the Deaf in Brattleboro, Vermont. He graduated witih a B.A. degree in Social Psychology in 1978 from the University of Nevada-Reno, and with a M.A. Degree in Linguistics in 1985 from Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. He completed his doctorate in Linguistics and ASL Poetics at the Union Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1993 and worked as a professor, a consultant, a presenter, and a trainer related to ASL Poetry and linguistics at the Gallaudet University. After his retirement he continued to work as a part time editor for the Gallaudet University Press and enjoyed traveling around the world as a Lecturer.

In lieu of flowers, Clayton's wishes were to establish a Scholarship that will be set up for Deaf Children wanting to continue their education. Memorial donations may be sent to the Dr. Clayton L. Valli Scholarship Fund, c/o Frances Eaton, 37 Folly Mill Terrace, Seabrook, NH 03874.

Todd scores! From an email: Is anyone interested in getting together before Wed classes to discusses the articles? [....] I'm trying to be Steph. Those who don't know steph-Steph organizes classmates into fine tuned study groups as good as any eastern european dictator.

He also sends links to Cultural Studies Papers and Articles from the Communication Department at the University of Iowa and to his own onlineanthology - an eclectic collection of links to articles representing the interests of his own warped mind. (Some of them look interesting, but he's just trying to butter me up after the slam. I know the type.)

Students in the UMass writing class have selected 3 blogs each to analyze over the rest of the semester. Here are their choices:

Kate: Ghost in the Machine, greg.org - writing about making movies, writing about art, by greg allen, and Lights Out Films.

Marika: I Am A Dancer, katecohen.com, and the pieces of my life.

Jay: The Bird House: scot hacker's foobar blog, Fuzzy Blogic: Jake's Journal, and Musick.

Jeff: Stand Down: The Left-Right Blog Opposing an Invasion of Iraq,
Beyond Corporate, and Leftist Propaganda.

Rebecca: ADLAND, ME3DIA.COM: blue and white and read...sometimes, and PR Opinions.

Lisa: His and Hers, Bill and Kent's Place, and

Jen: The Modern Age, Cubicle Dweller, and DaveBarry.com.

Katania: Blue Line, Red Line, and Green Line.

Allison: The Bearded Lady, Steph and Lola Do UMass, and Well you should be happy for me.

Dawn: anything but ordinary, It's not news, it's FARK.com, and Inside My Brain.

Kayleen: Fabian Gonzalez, my so-called blog, and spitting image.

Jenn: blueblanketblog, Vegan Blog: The (Eco)Logical Weblog, and everyforest.

Julie: Big Frog Weblog, Single Mom, and My Little Life.

Paula: blogdogs.com, DC Dog News, and Steven Hatch's weblog.

Ingrid pointed out the anonymity of my blog - I had - conveniently?! - overlooked the fact that my name appears nowhere! Will fix that now.

Last night was my "spirituality group" gathering. Carole was absent due to pre-pneumonia, but the rest of us enjoyed dinner and some good laughs. After updating everyone on the trials and tribulations of my life over the past month, my so-called friends (!) described my life as a soap opera, "Steph's Soap,' and seemed eager for the next installment. Nothing like an almost assault, relationship stress, and academic enlightenment/disillusionment to fuel a dramatic (comedic?) story. I was on the verge of ending the evening on a depressing note as we considered the state of the world and this seemingly soon-to-be war with Iraq; however, my tending-to-the-optimistic nature has been being nurtured by reading phenomenology: "...givenness gives and gives itself, therefore confirms itself, not because it possesses itself, but because it abandons and abandons itself, does not hold itself back and does not hold back" (Marion, p. 60).

Some reasons why regime change in Iraq is desirable; and more resources for nonviolent ways of accomplishing this end:

The Albert Einstein Foundation, including 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action.

The Nonviolent Peaceforce is "committed to third-party nonviolent intervention."

Peace Brigades International promotes nonviolence and seeks to protect human rights.

"The Vernal Project is a long-term effort to create a comprehensive education and support network that can bolster and sustain grassroots progressive social change movements in the United States."

Finally, some resources for teachers: an article on homophobia from my old pal, Warren Blumenfeld; and an article in the current issue of the Journal of Applied Communication Research, "The Dark Side of Instruction: Teacher Anger as a Classroom Norm Violations." (Scroll down to read the abstract.) This research was done on college student's perceptions of appropriate and inappropriate displays of teacher anger. The reference list may include articles that have more direct bearing on elementary and secondary settings.

It would have to be karma inserting itself between a connoisseur and her Girl Scout Cookies.

How else could one explain the coincidence of an unwitting oversight more than a month ago surfacing in the midst of significant negotiations?

Meanwhile, a legal challenge to Bush's presumed "authority" to unilaterally declare war.

Some news from MoveOn about the emergency petition to the UN -"Less than two days after the petition was launched, over 550,000 people have signed, from over 200 countries." They report placing more than 100 ads in local newspapers this past Wednesday.

Info on Irag from American Friends Service Committee .

Today is a national student walk-out day. There were a number of people in the UMass campus center, but I opted to attend Lauren's presentation on "Williams people" instead (as did a dozen other intrepid comm majors). Intriguing.

Meanwhile, Monday night I had dinner with Laurene, and she told me about life in DC since 9-11. She was at work at Gallaudet when the plane hit the Pentagon and watched the smoke spiral up from her office window. Since then, the city's been like it's under siege - constant military presence on the streets and in the skies, helicopters overhead with searchlights, all hours of the night and day. She was commenting on the general naivete of Americans, but particulalry of those of us away from the most obvious targets of terrorism, and how easy it is for us to talk peace, while fear stalks the residents of our nation's capital. The smoke from that attack is emblazoned in her memory, as is the scene of everyone streaming out of the Capital as threat of another plane-turned-missile arose. The sniper attacks didn't help. The day the police arrested the two snipers she said people POURED out of their homes - a night/day difference - reveling in the relative release from the grip of fear.

Yao Mean looks like someone to watch...

I haven't said anything about the philosophy class I'm taking because the language is so arcane...but Monday night Briankle lived up to rumor, producing one of his infamous chalkboards AND using one of the tabletops as an extension for more scribbles. While you're checking it out, you might explore the rest of the weblog where it's posted; looks interesting.

Just found this link attached to a story about the Gay and Lesbian Anti-Defamation League's (GLAAD) campaign with the National Organization of Women (NOW) to protest Michael Savage moving from radio to television. (His website features stories to arrest anti-war leaders and save the pledge of allegiance...) Civil liberties, anyone?

Activism for the 60's crowd? Check out Code Pink.

Introduction to The Handbook of Organization Studies
Organizations, Organization, and Organizing
By Stewart R. Clegg & Cynthia Hardy

Approach: ìto conceptualize org. studies as a series of conversationsÖ. relating to
organizations as empirical objects
organization as theoretical discourse, and
organizing as social process,
and to the intersections and gaps between and within themî (p. 3).

[Deeply imbued with communication theory!] ñ ìSuch conversations and their associated practices arrange the organizational arena as a contested terrain: one where scenes are configured, agencies enrolled, interests translated, and work accomplished, a space in which the empirical object is constitutedî (p. 4). ìOrganization theory matters because it not only reflects organizational practice, but helps constitute itî (p. 23).

Seeks to be ìa mapî (p. 1) through Org. Studies history and itís tensions: ënormalí and ëcontraí science, the paradigm wars (and the wielding of incommensurability as a conceptual weapon), politics, and the unrepentant emergence of new organizational forms.

Organization theory as a sequence of overlapping narratives (p. 14):
1) organizations as rational instruments
2) organic, humanistic side -> functionalist, contingency theories
3) emphasis on the market -> org. economics & population ecology
4) the many faces of power
5) melding of knowledge and power (reveals institutional biases on the microsocial level)
6) societal, institutional structures -> institutional theory and globalization

The ìthree-corneredî (p. 5) incommensurability debate. (Most intense debates between rebels [horizontal hostility]):
o Possibility of building bridges between paradigms
o Conversion from one paradigm to another
o The old way or die (i.e., Donaldson)

Academic approaches: contingency theory, organizational ecology, economic and psychological, sociological (institutional theory), and feminist, critical, and postmodern theories. [Not to mention COMMUNICATION! J - ìThe connection of theory and practice invariably draws on particular conceptions of what is to count and not to count as dataî (p. 13). ìÖthe status of representation: on how representation occurs, and what it is that is being representedî (p. 13).

ìFrom Bureaucracy to Fluidity: New Organizational Formsî ñ ìchanges have led to increasing diversity and fluidity, and decreasing certainty and structureî (p. 11).

Bureaucracy - functionalist, emphasizing ìconsensus and coherence rather than conflict, dissensus and the operations of powerî (p. 2). This ënormal scienceí paradigm has been joined by interpretativist, radical humanist and radical structuralist paradigms, plus postmodernism ñ ìthat which is marked by discontinuity, indeterminacy and immanence (Hassan 1985)î (p. 2).

ìThe newly found fluidity in the external appearance of organizations rests on the assumption that the interorganizational relations into which an organization enters may be a more important source of capacity and capability than internal features such as ësizeí or ëtechnologyí (p. 9). [Not only context, but relationships more important than form?]

For example: critical linkages, clusters, networks, (p. 9); strategic alliances (p. 10).

To be successful:
1) new external relations require new internal ones (p. 10)
2) majority are designed on a ëdistributedí modelÖteam-based, decentralized (p. 10-11)
3) ìhierarchies become one means among many to coordinate and control actions across people, knowledge, time and spaceî (p. 11)

Current Issues in Organization Studies: ìÖdifferent conceptualizations not only provide insight and illumination, but also produce silences around certain issues and themes, particularly issues pertaining to levels of analysisÖî (p. 16).
o Strategy (deconstructed)
o Leadership (trait -> style -> contingency -> New Leadership/Super Leadership)
o Decision-making (from rationality to power dynamics). Is decision-making conceptualized as coherent or chaotic, problem-solving or political? (p. 17)
o Cognition (negotiation as a central topic and the dominance of a cognitive orientation) (p. 17)
o The constitution of ìthe subjectî ñ individual and organization
o Diversity (a ìproblem?î)
o Work group performance in relation to technology (little understood, as illustrated by îa misunderstandingÖof the differences between information and communicationî (p. 18) ìIt is through communication that we negotiate the meanings of technological infrastructureî (p. 18).
o Metaphors of ìcommunicationî and ìorganizationî ñ ìour images of organizations are largely shaped by the metaphors that represent organizing, not the way communicating and roganizinag co-produce each otherî (p. 18). We need new metaphors!
o Technology ñ ìboth a process and a productî (p. 18)Öîbot a cause and a consequence of structureî (p. 19).
o Innovation ñ 4 tensions: internal/external focus, old/new, directing strategy/allowing it to emerge, freedom/responsibility.
o Organizational Learning ñ ìoxymoron? ìÖto learn is to disorganize and increase variety; to organize is to forget and reduce varietyî (p. 19).
o Place of the natural environment (term usually doesnít mean the eco-environment)
o Globalization ñ organization both instigate and are on the receiving end (p. 20)

Reflections on the relationship(s) between theory, research, and practice.
o Different kinds of data ñ ìData represent the empirical world, the one that we invent, rather than discover, through our researchî (p. 20).
o Action research ñ bridge between theory and practice, emphasis on reflexivity.
o Emotion and organizing ñ ìif organizations are socially constructed, emotions are central to their constructionî (p. 21).
o The whole person ñ aesthetics
o Time and temporality ñ 3 main time problems that organizations must solve: the reduction of temporal uncertainity, conflict over time; and scarce timeî (p. 22)
o Culture
o Power ñ ìthe least understood concept in organization analysisî (p. 22)Öîa curiously inactive conceptualization: we know more and more about the way power works on us but less and less about how we might make it work for usî (p.23).

ìThe potential, for both theory and practice, resides in our ability to transcend the debate between normal and contra science and to engage with the duality and ambiguity of organizational lifeî (p. 23)Öîthe way forward is the ethical interrogation of experience in terms of what our practices mean to us and to othersî (p. 24).

Just a quickie today:

Who has the most effective propaganda, Israel or the Palestinian Authority?