The Myth Of Reverse Racism

You’ll have seen the meme ‘Shit________ Say’ – of which this one is one of my favourites:

Tami Winfrey Harris has a really useful explanation of how reverse-racism cannot exist, and she quotes White Privilege expert Tim Wise –

As a white person, I always saw the terms honky or cracker as proof of how much more potent white racism was than any variation practiced by the black or brown. When a group of people has little or no power over you, they don’t get to define the terms of your existence, they can’t limit your opportunities, and you needn’t worry much about the use of a slur to describe you, since, in all likelihood, the slur is as far as it’s going to go. What are they going to do next: deny you a bank loan? Yeah, right. So whereas “nigger” is a term used by whites to dehumanize blacks, to “put them in their place” if you will, the same cannot be said of honky; after all, you can’t put white people in their place when they own the place to begin with.

Link Loving 12.01.12

• A silent minority – life as a Chinese-Brit. Elizabeth Chan.
• The world’s most profitable corporation, Apple, faces mass-suicides from workers in China. Malcolm Moore.
• A Japanese breakthrough will make wind power cheaper than nuclear. Karl Burkart.
• How leaders kill meaning at work. Teresa Amabile.
• Missing the point – ‘jobs are the new green’. Natalya Sverjensky.
• The likely wars of 2012. Louise Arbour.
• Paddy Ashton spells out a global power shift at TED.
• If you’re like me – you don’t read enough novels. Anne Kreamer puts forward the case.
• Simpsons parody Glenn Beck & Fox News. Sunny Hundal.

How The Dutch Got Their Cycle Paths

Fascinating stuff. Turns out they haven’t always been there – a combination of public protest, oil crisis, direct action and government leadership were all crucial.

h/t Maria Popova

BP Take The Mickey

I mean – seriously?!

Link Loving 11.01.12

• How power corrupts. Jonah Lehrer. h/t Tim Holmes
• What creates and sustains active citizenship? Involve.
• Shit liberals say to radicals.
• Advertising and the war on women. Meghan O’Neill.

How People Get Rich – Two Stories

Link Loving 10.01.12

• Researchers say infographics can save us from ourselves. John Pavlus.
• On ambition. Gaby Hinsliff.
• Two types of campaign demand – transactional and transformational. Mary Elizabeth King.
• How the informal economy could help save the rest of it. Robert Neuwirth.
• Worth baring in mind – the criticism Miliband is facing is nothing campaired to reaction to Cameron. Sunny Hundal.
• How Greenpeace Argentina is ‘radically listening’ to it’s supporters. Michael Silbermann.
• A conversation with Motaz Attalla – a beautiful piece. Organization Unbound.
• The extraordinary life of Ray Anderson. Bill Becker.

Practicing What We Preach

I love this campaign-tactic used by WWF in Hungary. So simple and so effective.

h/t Joao Felipe Scarpelini

Link Loving 09.01.12

• Being digital is an attitude says Greenpeace Chile. Michael Silberman.
• The powerful roots of unarmed environmental protection. Bryan Farrell.
• Welcome to the Networked Non-Profit.
• Unilever unions to strike for 12 days over pensions. Tim Lezard.
• It is time to stop being cynical about corporate money in politics and start being angry. Bill McKibben.
• Why I don’t fly. Isabel Bottoms.
• Workers gave bosses 2 billion hours of unpaid overtime in 2011. Brendan Barber.
• January 25th is to be Peter Tatchell Day. Stephen Gray.

Transition 2.0

I absolutely love the look of this film about the Transition Network.

• It has a dramatic storyline – failure is possible, it shows how tough it can be
• It tells a story of a world that is change – we’re not asking others for permission, people are doing it right now around the world
• Personal stories of transformation – they just work

h/t Rob Hopkins