Hugh MacLeod over at Gaping Void really got it right in his cartoon about power and work. Click it to see the image and comments in context. 

This can be used in a lot of contexts, from power and positionality within organizations to the image of th pawn wanting to be king, though he (she?) will never be more than a queen no matter how great the effort. I never thought about chess as being a game with possible feminist overtones.

And all from considering only one cartoon . . . 

I have been working on a paper about some of the high-level philosophical thoughts of Michel Foucault and Herbert Marcuse. Foucault’s concept of discipline and
punishment, in light of power residing within a judge of normality, and Marcuse’s work of repressive tolerance and how tolerance often represses diversity rather than increases and supports it.

Both of these thinkers have struck me recently, and I am now just trying to understand them enough to be able to explain their contributions. I have read some of both of their works, and will have to read and re-read them more, since on the surface
they are both easy, yet their words in fact challenge much of our contemporary  society. 

Technorati Tags: Michel Foucault, Herbert Marcuse

I just took the best 2-day class of my life, Stephen Brookfield’s Discussion as a Way of Teaching. I have read Stephen’s work for a few years now,
and have previously taken one of his other short, intensive offerings. His thinking has greatly influenced my own, from his emphasis on issues of power and positionality as being at the core of human activity, his work with the Critical Incident Questionnaire (which my colleagues and I have adapted), and his interests in the influences of the critical theorists Foucault and Marcuse in
political (and thus educational) theory.

I have had occasion to speak with Stephen in-depth on some topics in education and learning, and am captivated with his approach, somewhat as a fan is of a professional athlete. Beyond his academic expertise and experiences and humor in the classroom, Stephen models the behaviors he teaches and in which he believes. I think that is the best way of teaching, and one which I most want to emulate.

Like all great teachers I have worked with over the years, Brookfield continues to give and educate even when not in the classroom. Want to see the materials he uses in his workshops, including his slides and handouts? They are all posted on his website. Just give him credit, and use what you find helpful for you and your learners.

Technorati Tags: Herbert Marcuse, Michel Foucault, Stephen Brookfield, Critical Incident Questionnaire

Did anybody else notice that the 10 Republicans who are currently running for president all look the same? When I saw the photo in this morning's New York Times, and then saw it again online, I did a double-take.

I know some of their policies may appear diverse, but they are all eerily the same distinguished, older, white, and male. Not that there is anything wrong with being that, but it is still so much the same in a nation of such rich diversity and individuality.

I am wondering how they all even managed to look like they were dressed by the same person!

Robin Yap and I are presenting a paper at the Adult Education Research Conference (AERC) in June. Our topic is critical hrd (human resource development), which is a combination between the scholarship in adult education (power and positionality in issues around who decides who learns what and when) and hrd (how do people efficiently learn in a workplace setting) and critical management studies  (how can learning effect the bottom line and how can we manage it).

As an added idea around this conference, I am planning to live-blog (as much as there is wifi access).

Seems protests work when they are organized and really get going. Imus' show was just canceled by CBS.

I wonder if this punishment backlash fits the "crime?"

So, Kathy Sierra seems to be directly addressing her (or more extensively, our) challenges with the online vicious attacks she has suffered. In an extended way, I think these attacks can perhaps be applied to all of us. The difference is that most of the rest of us do not have the readership or following to make this headline news. I am not sure to what extent free speech turns into aggressive and dangerous behavior, but someplace that line appears to have been crossed.

I am glad she is handling this situation, yet I am still concerned that she is, once again, quiet. While I can only wish her and her privacy and peace of mind the best, the longer it takes her to get back to leading her life as she best sees fit, whether online or off, the longer we can suppose that perhaps her bullying attackers may see themselves as having won. While in a very different situation and time and place, I think about the time it has taken, now six years later, for the rebuilding to begin downtown New York after the bullying attacks on 9/11. While we don't want to rush back into things, the status quo of sitting back and watching things go by is very compelling.

I do not think life can ever "get back to normal" after an assault that changes our very habits and ways we live, but the more our lives remain disrupted and our free voices silenced, the more I believe the longer-term effect holds us back from moving forward in our lives. Of course, who knows how we choose to live our lives in the future?

Thinking about Kathy Sierra's and Chris Locke's Joint Statement, I wonder why it was only on Chris' blog, as opposed to both of their own blogs? Furthermore, while I was at work on Monday so could not watch CNN, I wonder why there has been so little discussion about this since then. Strange how things so quickly go back to normal for those not directly affected by adversity.

I just read Beth's blog post on NetSquared about Stop Cyberbullying Day, a concept that was created by Andy Carvin. Given what happened this week with Kathy Sierra, I think this is a great way of making a statement.

I like Scott McLeod's graphics he created for this:

While this hurts, bandages only help us heal and do not confront the cause of the injury. That is what standing up for what we believe in is all about. Bullying does not stop until a bully loses power. When he or she is no longer effective at intimidation.

Don't allow bullies to silence you, Kathy. And Robert Scoble, that goes for you too — consider using your voice and your following to help affect change. I am not sure what strategic benefit being silent has, which may make a bully perceive he or she has won. While this is not a wished for or hoped for challenge, be strong and show them that you will not change your life because of others and their threats.

I know, this is easy for me to say when I am not the one who has been threatened.

I wish Tim O'Reilly would have elaborated on the BBC article today about his suggestion for a blogging code of conduct. While I think this warrants thinking about given the Kathy Sierra situation (not to mention her newest note on her blog today), I wonder how a code of conduct will promote free speech (cf. the Bill of Rights) without silencing those who wish to speak their mind (cf. ongoing Chinese Internet control issues). Where to begin?

This blurring of the public and the private, juxtaposed with reality and anonymity, and add in globalization with little start-up cost or technical know-how requirements, makes this a fascinating investigation. We live in interesting times.