Advocates College -- Condensed Corvallis, Oregon Session One March 20, 2012

1. Advocates College -- Condensed Corvallis, Oregon Session One March 20, 2012 Janet Byrd and Alison McIntosh Neighborhood Partnerships

2. Master Narratives Whenever we engage in public debates we may think of ourselves as conduits of information. However, our audiences think about those same policies, issues, and programs in terms of the background story— the master narrative —that lies beneath our bullet-points, facts, statistics, and legal citations.

3. Dominant “stories,” cultural models and habits of thinking shape perceptions

4. We need to change the terrain on which discussions about our issues occurs

5. Our Stories Create the Possible “We don’t cultivate the future with shovels or software, the way we might tend other commons. Instead, we cultivate the commons of the future through stories. The future is, in fact, just a collection of stories that we tell each other. The more and the better stories we tell—and the more people we tell them to—the more we strengthen the commons of the future.” - Jeremy Adam Smith, Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow Embracing the Future as a Commons

6. Metaphors, Analogies and Simplifying Models

8. CITY

9. I confess to a prejudice. I believe that Cities are the most important single unit of human society.They are to human beings what beehives are to bees.  Human beings are fundamentally community beings . . . No other level of government has to face so directly the reality of how well or poorly we work as a human community. We are bound together.  The municipal leader knows it, and sees it. Pragmatism, Prophecy, and Prayer - The Rev. B. P. Campbell, Virginia Municipal League, Prayer Breakfast, 24 October 2005

10. Metaphorsare cues to the cultural models we all use to make sense of a complex world. We make sense of “new” information bycalling up familiar images and experiences for context.This is “relational” thinking and is central to human cognition. (Holyoke and Thagard 1997)

11. Metaphors and Analogies The dictionary defines a "metaphor" as a figure of speech that uses one thing to mean another and makes a comparison between the two. "All the world's a stage” An analogy expresses similarity between things that might seem different. It can be a logical argument: if two things are alike in some ways, they are alike in some other ways as well. “Having ADD is like wearing a hearing aid on all five senses.”

13. ARGUMENT IS WAR • Your claims are indefensible. • He attacked every weak point in my argument. • His criticisms were right on target. • I demolished his argument. • I've never won an argument with him. • You disagree? Okay, shoot! • He shot down all of my arguments. Lakoff & Johnson 1980

14. TIME IS MONEY You're wasting my time. This gadget will save you hours. I don't have the time to give you. How do you spend your time these days? That flat tire cost me an hour. I've invested a lot of time in her. I don't have enough time to spare for that. You're running out of time. You need tobudgetyour time. Is that worthyour while? Do you have much time left? He's living on borrowedtime. You don't use your time profitably. I lost a lot of time when I got sick. Thank you foryour time. Lakoff & Johnson 1980

15. Analogies in Health Having schizophrenia is like viewing life through a kaleidoscope.It is hard to put the pieces together and they keep changing. (Wikianswers.com) Having ADD is like wearing a hearing aid on all five senses.You hear the people talking, the clinking of the glasses and the plates. (The Holiday Husband: Helping Your ADD Spouse Concentrate on the Season) Alzheimer's disease is like a cat burglar.It slips into a person's life without making a sound, and soon treasured possessions start disappearing: memory, personality and independence. (Chris Woolston, CONSUMER HEALTH INTERACTIVE)

16. Mechanisms for Understanding “. . . people typically rely on analogies in order to learn complex, abstract concepts. These concrete analogies aresimplifying models- they help people organize information into a clear picture in their heads, including facts and ideas that they have been exposed to, but never been able to put together in a coherent way . . .” - cultural logic

17. Ozone Depletion

18. Ozone Depletion like a “Hole in the Roof”

19. Dedicated to building public support for a government dedicated to the common good and empowered to address the challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century. www.publicworkspartners.net

21. GOVERNMENT

25. The Good News The “idea” of government is not lost Responsible citizenship is still valued A desire for collective action, respecting consensus, and problem-solving Stewardship and planning for the future – roles for government

26. Mission and Purpose Just Politics a partisan blowhard spectator sport “Bi-Partisan”Steve Benezue

27. Mission & Purpose • VALUES • Common Good • Quality of Life • Community Wellbeing • Public Purpose • ROLE • Protector • Manager & Planner • Steward • Consensus-Builder

28. Systems and Structures Systems and Structures Mindless Bureaucracy blurry and undefined; only dimly understood

29. Systems & Structures • Concrete and vivid images • The public systems we have created • How they work • Why they are important

30. Government as our Public Structures The main advantages that make America so successful come from the Public Structuresit has created. These Public Structures include the physical structures (highways, airports, and communications grids) and the organizationalstructures (the postal system, courts) we need to get things done, and the socialsupport systems that help to ensure the health and well-being of our communities. It is our well-functioning and supported Public Structures that are essential for overall success.

31. Rounding Out the Story

32. Consumer Stance Our Government Citizen Stance What’s in it for me, and what is it going to cost? Governmentas Vending Machine

33. Citizen Thinking • Interdependence • Working together • Problem-solving • Everyone has a role to play • “Our” Government • The Common Interest

34. Dominant Stories Just Politics Bureaucracy Vending Machine . . .can’t solve anything . . . not my responsibility

35. New Stories Mission & Purpose Systems & Structures Citizen-Thinking . . . our tool for solutions & the common good . . .

36. Applying the lessons . . .

37. Talking about the Role of Government in the Economy www.publicworkspartners.net

39. How does the Public Understandthe Economy? ?

40. A “Natural Economy” Based on this latest survey, most Americans believe that the U.S. economy won't reach placid waters for some time. But as they struggle to steer through the rapids, each major group in society increasingly appears to be piling into its own boat. And more and more of us feel as if we are paddling alone. Paddling Alone On The Economic Rapids Allstate/National Journal Poll - Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009

41. The Individual Actor Economy • Implications: • A broadly shared model • Moral qualities and personal choices shape economic actions and outcomes

42. Inequality Happens

43. Suspicious of Governmental Role • Last Resort • Creates Dependency • Stifles Business

44. Limited Vision of Government’s Role • Policingthe “Bad Actors” • Protectingthe “Deserving” Reactive not Proactive

45. Limited Vision for Our Role Worker Consumer

46. What Shapes the Economy? Not just Hard Work Also Policy Choices we make

47. The Transformation We Need Default Belief Desired Goal • The economy is “free” & “natural” – have to adapt. • The economy is man-made and intentional. • Individual character/luck determine outcomes. • Systems & Structures affect outcomes. • Everyone competes for their own interests. • Everyone’s interests are connected and interdependent. • The strength of the overall economy – GDP, Stock Market – matters. • The economic wellbeing of average people matters. • Government’s role is minimal and reactive. • Government’s role is fundamental and proactive.

48. Changing the Economy Story Purpose What is the Economy for? Intentionality How do we create the Economy we desire?

49. Elements of A New Story A good economy is one with a vibrant middle class in which opportunity and prosperity are broadly shared. A strong middle class is the result of deliberate and proactive policy choices; it does not arise by accident. Public structures are the foundation of our economy and the tools for creating opportunity, prosperity and a strong middle class. The economic well-being of average Americans matters to us all.

50. An Intentional Middle Class A strong middle class – the engine that drives our economy – doesn’t arise by accident, but is the result of deliberate and proactive policy choices.