via You Got This! — MakeItUltra™

Reflecting on the current political situation in the United States, I see a disconnect between intellectuals and the masses. I also see the construction of an ongoing fight between intellectuals and their political systems, particularly, with the dictatorship style of governance. Now, undesired events including the dictatorship style of governance have been occurring in the US. How to respond and what position to take has been the fundamental questions since November 2016.

This opportunity may allow us to construct a coalition of intellectuals in the globe to seek alternative responses to the political regimes who are elected by some but are not serving all people and are not for all people.

Individualistic discourses push us to take positions against the current political regime and encourage us to rebel against them.  Individualistic discourses influence us to fall into ‘us versus them’ dichotomy. Individualistic discourses that place problems in one person/group serve the current political regime’s agendas. They fuel the ideology of divisiveness and put people against one another. If our responses are formed and influenced by these discourses, we are part of this problem as we, too, perpetuate the dominant rhetoric of divisiveness.

However, after years of being influenced by relational poststructural discourses,  we need to learn new ways of responding to this political shift and its consequences in a dialogical way. Dialogical responses do not perpetuate deficit language. Dialogical responses encourage the practice of listening to the other. They encourage people to put ‘differences’ in the middle and relate to one another as humans. Through these vital and lively interactions that are intentional and are, of course, full of tension, we begin to have, what I call, dialogue with one another about the recent undesirable events.

Dialogue is not about reaching agreements. Dialogue is not about having ‘lovey dovey’ talk without any tension. Dialogue is not about pleasing one another or taking an oppositional stance. Dialogue is about listening to the other. Dialogue is sitting with discomfort. Dialogue is seeking alternative ways of relating to one another in order to collaboratively address differences, contradictions, and problems.

Happy possibilities!

Tahereh Barati

Private Sector Will Make a Killing Off of Infrastructure Bank NEP’s Bill Black appears on The Real News Network discussing that Democrats and Republicans appear willing to offer public-private partnerships and tax credits to the benefit of Wall Street. You can view with transcript here. Private Sector Will Make a Killing Off of Infrastructure Bank

via Private Sector Will Make a Killing Off of Infrastructure Bank — New Economic Perspectives

Executive Order on Regulations Will Benefit Large Corporations, Not Small Businesses NEP’s Bill Black on The Real News Network discussing how the Trump administration is using small business as an excuse for wholesale assault on regulation. You can view with a transcript here. Executive Order on Regulations Will Benefit Large Corporations, Not Small Businesses

via Executive Order on Regulations Will Benefit Large Corporations, Not Small Businesses — New Economic Perspectives

Written by Guest Contributor: Christianna K., M.S. (USA) Founder of: Gather The Roses Couples often look to the future to rekindle romance…when we take that trip to Paris, or book that cruise, then we’ll get our relationship back on track. But romance is far more about your state of mind than your surroundings. It is about […]

via 5 Inexpensive Ways to Rekindle Romance — MakeItUltra™

Written by Guest Contributor: Christianna K., M.S. (USA) Founder of: Gather The Roses Couples often look to the future to rekindle romance…when we take that trip to Paris, or book that cruise, then we’ll get our relationship back on track. But romance is far more about your state of mind than your surroundings. It is about […]

via 5 Inexpensive Ways to Rekindle Romance — MakeItUltra™

Watching the recent elections and of various artists confrontations, along with the reaction on the Left, I’m beginning to see that our moment has opened a great gap or crack between these opposing views of our life world, a gap so huge that those on each side of this divide can no longer tolerate the […]

via Civil War of the Mind: Adam Curtis and Hypernormalisation & Algorithmic Tyranny — southern nights

The eyes are not here There are no eyes here In this valley of dying stars In this hollow valley This broken jaw of our lost kingdoms In this last of meeting places We grope together And avoid speech Gathered on this beach of the tumid river Sightless, unless The eyes reappear As the perpetual […]

via The Pain of the World — southern nights

Don’t even think of asking Stephen Colbert or John Oliver if they’re secretly happy about the election results. The Daily Show alums will have you know they’re not having any fun, either. During a fundraiser for the Montclair Film Festival on Saturday, at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Colbert and Oliver sat down for a discussion…

via Stephen Colbert and John Oliver Are Not Looking Forward to Writing Jokes About a Trump Presidency — Flavorwire