There is good reason why extremism thrives in American political discourse. It works. It really is that simple. Actually, it`s a remarkably effective rhetorical technique and has been so since the founding of the republic. Go back and read the early political debates -- or just take a good U.S. history class -- and you quickly learn that pretty much nothing has changed in hundreds of years of politicians bashing each other in public arenas. Never mind the political party. That`s always been irrelevant when it comes to this behavior. American politicians intentionally take serious issues -- freedom, war, health, money -- right to the edge. Why? To scare people. And, since they have real power over our lives, it works. We get scared. And then we don`t question too deeply. And if we do question, we really don`t do very much about it, right? Instead, over time we become passive and compliant.

The reason I think this way -- it`s just a gut observation, that`s all -- is that if you take away someone`s power to control your life then their propaganda sounds much less threatening. Oftentimes, they just sound silly. Their lack of credibility becomes obvious, and they are much more easily ignored. You can see distinctions in communications strategies when you look at other fields outside of the political/media complex. Many companies, for instance, have found that attacking competitors in public is counterproductive. Customers see right through it, and the practice becomes a demonstration of poor marketing. Also, when you build community, especially across language and cultural barriers, extremist language can easily and rapidly undermine your reputation. Now, the term community has many practical definitions, but in general it implies a distribution of power and leadership, not a centralization. In communities, people tend to be valued for what they do, not what they say. You can see this in many scientific and technical communities. I see it in all of the communities in which I participate. But I don`t see this concept expressed at all in politics. Do you?

This all came to mind tonight after I scanned this article -- The pros and cons of hissy fits. It`s a fun read.

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An Operating System for the Mind, Stephen Downes. I tend to agree with Downes in this piece how to think about education in the 21st Century. He is articulating a fresh approach to the "skills" vs "core knowledge" debate and it seems empowering and flexible. My complaint with the common core view of the world is that although I value a Liberal Arts education to a certain degree I find it expensive, poorly delivered, and lacking in practical skills to earn a living. At the other extreme I am critical of the facts/skills-only crew who pay lip service to a more common base of knowledge from which to build and grow and diversify (and enjoy). Both views lock you into one or another paradigm, and there seems to be a political agenda underlying both as well. Instead, the operating system view from Downes seems to be a paradigm breaker. I like it. He redefines facts themselves and offers a way of engaging facts to learn and act. It gives you the perspective you need to jump paradigms when you need to -- which is getting more and more often these days since everything is changing so fast out there. Give the Downes post a read. It`s a tad on the long and complex side but it`s well worth it.

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I'm reviewing Chapter 6 of Producing Open Source Software by Karl Fogel. It's an excellent read. It covers communication on open source projects and how to interact in the most efficient and professional way possible. Also excellent is How Open Source Projects Survive Poisonous People by Ben-Collins Sussman and Brian Fitzpatrick (slides). I view this video every few months to keep sane. I've gotten much better with my online communications in recent years in that I don't get bogged down in flames or respond to attacks anymore, which only leads to being attacked even more. I used to try and respond to everything in an effort to shape a thread or calm people down or deflect unwanted advances. But that's just not realistic. More bluntly, it's a waste of time. And it only distracts you from taking advantage of all the interesting opportunities out there. Instead, I'm trying to focus my communications by engaging more with people who are respectful and open to my efforts. I am trying to protect my most important resource: my attention. It's going good.

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When you screw up, just apologize and fix the problem. Fast. That`s what Katharine Weymouth, the publisher of the Washington Post, did today. After an initial misfire, she apologized and took full responsibility for her paper`s offer to sell access to political contacts and Post reporters at private events. This was an obvious marketing and communications mistake that would have compromised the credibility of her company`s most valuable asset -- the newsroom. Hey, everyone`s human. But the apology was necessary, and the taking of responsibility at the top is rare and refreshing. It will be interesting to see the media digest this issue since the field has been under significant pressure in recent years. More background here and here.

Lesson: apologize and fix it fast. And remember, credibility is earned from the bottom up, not the top down.

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Communications all about building relationships, and that`s always a two way street (or if you are in the community business, a multi-way street). Every wonder what a relationship with Rahm is like. Check out Ring, ring, it's Rahm:

NBC?s Chuck Todd calls the Emanuel relationship ?no-nonsense.?

?He?s always trying to extract as much information as he?s trying to give,? Todd says.

But the conversations with Emanuel ?can be as little as 30 seconds,? Paul Begala, the CNN commentator and longtime Emanuel friend says. ?He calls, drops a few F-bombs, makes his point and hangs up.?

The shock value of his delivery is important (he can do that because he`s special and powerful and he`s right hand man of the president), but even more so is the bit about the information extraction. Information has to flow both ways to demonstrate the value of the relationship.

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When I was in San Francisco a few weeks ago, I picked The 48 Laws of Power and The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene. If you love history and the study of how things really get done, check these books out. I can`t put them down. I can see how Greene`s stuff would come handy while defending yourself against the packs of wild dogs running around out there. Some very nice tips in these books. Greene seems like an interesting character, too. Study hard. I am.

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Some Obama Enemies Are Made Totally of Straw -- New York Times

?Here?s the trick: Take your opponent?s argument to a ridiculous extreme, and then attack the extremists,? said William Safire, the former presidential speechwriter who writes the ?On Language? column for The New York Times Magazine. ?That leaves the opponent to sputter defensively, ?But I never said that.? ?

The telltale indicators that a straw man trick is on the way are the introductory words ?there are those who say? or ?some say.?

?In strawmanese, you never specify who ?those who? are,? Mr. Safire said. ?They are the hollow scarecrows you set up to knock down.?

This is such a common rhetorical technique. It has been used for thousands of years, and virtually everyone who talks in front of audiences uses it to one degree or another -- especially your friendly neighborhood politician.

There`s not much you can do when some pol says these silly things because they are generally pretty well protected and rarely have to justify their statements. But when regular people talk like this in meetings or when you are being lectured at by someone standing on a soapbox within arm`s reach, you can actually protect yourself from this verbal manipulation without leaving yourself vulnerable. Here`s how: just ask some painfully obvious question -- who says? where? when? Etc. Most people using the straw man technique will not be able to answer the question to any level of detail, so the more detail you ask for the more you can undermine the statement. Ask if those so-called "those who say" sources are enough to justify the generalizations. They won`t like this questioning at all, by the way, so ask nicely. There`s no need to be hostile, and you don`t want to get in over your head. The questioning alone is generally enough to get your point across.

So, as speakers create and attack straw man extremes at the edges, you can calmly drive right up the middle and ask for the details. Try it. It`s fun. This little counterattack works great on rumors, too.

More here.

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Linda tells us that BSC is 5 today. That`s amazing. I had no idea. I totally lost track. Well, the truth is I can`t remember my own birthday let alone anyone else`s, so no one should be surprised. I think I take BSC for granted now. It`s just there. It just works. But I shouldn`t take it for granted at all. The application transformed my work life and enabled me to communicate with people all over the world. For that I am most grateful. We even launched OpenSolaris on BSC, and at the time that was a bold and controversial move for Sun -- and it caused a few arguments as I recall as well. Back then many of us were new to blogging and communicating in the open, but BSC provided an excellent platform for those involved in OpenSolaris to tell their stories. Directly. No filters.

My first post was a on the 30th of April 2004, just a couple of days after the so-called opening. Initially, I didn`t even know the damn thing was turned on. I followed Danese into a conference room one day and it turned out to be some blogging meeting. I heard rumors but didn`t know anything. I just sat down. I met Tim Bray for the first time in that meeting. Simon was there. Will. And some others but I can`t remember everyone. Half way though, I leaned over and looked at Will`s laptop and he was poking around on BSC. I looked at the URL and said something like "Is that thing on? That`s outside? You didn`t tell anyone?" And he responded (casually, of course) with something like "Yah, it`s live. I just turned it on." You have to realize how revolutionary that "just turning it on" bit was for Sun five years ago. But that`s pretty much what they did. People found out soon enough, though, eh?

Anyway, Linda Skrocki has been one of the leaders of the BSC effort, and many of the founding members of the platform are still around and still helping guide us all. BSC helped liberate many of the voices we so freely read today. I don`t think OpenSolaris would have been quite the same without BSC. I wouldn`t either, actually. I`d be getting a lot more sleep. Like now. It`s 2:30 in the morning and where am I? On BSC.


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The image below is an advertisement for an English school here in Japan. I shot it on a train a few weeks ago in Tokyo. I was struck by the piercing, obnoxious, pompous looks from those western dudes staring at, presumably, a Japanese person in some mythical meeting someplace. Nothing like scaring the hell out of someone to prompt them to take a class, eh? My goodness. Look at those guys.

Anyway, the text actually expresses an important concept, and it goes something like this: when you don`t agree with something while talking to these guys, you`ll be asked why you don`t agree, you`ll be expected to state your opinion, and, probably, you`ll have to defend that opinion. So, if that dynamic is a problem, many people just say yes and go along with the crowd in the meeting. I know many Japanese people do this in international meetings because expressing contrary opinions is done quite differently in English and Japanese. Westerners (Americans specifically) tend to be direct and Japanese tend to be indirect. But it goes beyond preference. Those styles are hard coded right into the structures of the languages themselves, and they are expressed in the cultures as well. There are exceptions both ways, of course, but the tendencies are pervasive and obvious, and a great deal of confusion can occur as a result. When communicating across languages, go out of your way to make sure your ideas resonate in the other language. Many times, they don`t. And you`ll miss that rather inconvenient fact if the other person is just saying yes. Yes doesn`t always mean yes, right? And there are a hundred different ways of saying no, right?

But here`s the kicker for me: this issue is also a problem within English; it`s not just a problem when communicating across English and Japanese. Many times native English speakers just say yes when confronted with aggressive people like the dudes in the image below. I mean, really, why would anyone want to talk to these guys? Especially outnumbered four on one. I think there are probably just as many communication problems stemming from command and control types within a language as there are resulting from distinctions in communication styles across languages. What always gets me, though, is why do these guys have meetings in the first place? They obviously don`t want other opinions. So, they deserve the yes they get -- and the problems resulting from that yes.

This is why it`s a pleasure working on teams that value open communication, and working for leaders who use communication to discover ideas and implement ideas. Human communication is an imperfect art. You have to use it as a tool to iterate so understanding emerges over time. Teams that don`t value this painfully simple concept aren`t worth your time no matter what language you speak.

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It was interesting to hear the new president and vice president react to the $20 billion in bonuses this week. Obama said the bonuses were "shameful" but Biden spoke more directly and said he`d like to "throw these guys in the brig." Now there`s an image for ya, eh? Anyway, it was a fascinating distinction in rhetoric from two guys who basically agree on things but who also express themselves quite differently. See two articles here: NY Times and SF Gate.


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If you love language and the quirks of the English language you may have run into Steven Pinker. The guy is brilliant. His talks are complex at times but quite humorous as well. Check out his lecture at Google from a couple of years ago -- Authors@Google: Steven Pinker. It`s typical Pinker. But the bit between the 20:32 - 23:00 minute mark is just hysterical. Adults only, please, the language is strong. And the government reaction is, well, classic. And that`s what makes it jaw dropping funny. The adverb closing by Pinker is precious, too. Also interesting are the linguistic and psychological reasons explaining all this, which Pinker articulates in great detail. Good stuff.


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When No News Is Bad News: "This matters because of the unique role journalism plays in a democracy. So much public information and official government knowledge depends on a private business model that is now failing." -- James Warren

This is a devastating article about the state of American journalism. It`s bad. And although there are many reports in blogs and the mainstream media covering the fall of journalism, this is a particularly sobering look. The opening story about John Crewdson moved me. I remember studying his stuff on AIDS, Robert Gallo, and Luc Montagnier a long time ago. I probably still have that special report he wrote in my closet. And there are many more upsetting stories in this article. Very well written piece. Read it. It`s important. The issues will hit you right over the head. Can`t miss them.


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When my kid brings me an imaginary piece of candy, is it imaginary only to me?

My daughter brings me real presents and all sorts of things all the time. She`s three and a half. It`s cute. And she`s very proud when she does this. But she`s also bringing me imaginary things more often as well. A piece of candy. A book. A kitten. A flower. She`s been doing this in Japanese for a while, but now she`s letting me in on the act in English. Initially, I played along. But lately my act is wearing a bit thin, I guess. Apparently, tonight I didn`t eat the piece of candy and she insisted I do so. But it`s invisible, I thought to myself. But she was so emphatic as if it were real. I had to describe it. I had to say I liked it. In fact, I had to like it very much. That part was important. I know kids have vivid imaginations and all, but why? What purpose does this serve? And why can she see things I can`t? The reality of adult life can be lousy at times. Wouldn`t it be better to think like a three year old more often? Not the screaming and yelling and acting that goes on, but the imagination. She`s very clearly living in a different world. I wonder what it`s like in there ...


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Steve Rubel chats with Luis Suarez from IBM on his bit about reducing private email by moving conversations into the open using various social software applications. Why not communicate to an entire community around the world rather than one to one locked behind a firewall, right? I agree. Many to many can be much more efficient in a lot of cases.

Also, Steve asks if anyone else is doing this. Yes, absolutely, I am. I communicate in a lot of open communities now, either using one social software app or another or just an open list or forum or instant message. But regarding my job on OpenSolaris, I've always been pushing people to get their conversations outside on to open lists on opensolaris.org. Sun-only lists inside the company containing non-proprietary information the entire community ought to be seeing drives me nuts, it causes confusion, it hurts the project, and it slows things down dramatically. I know people are sick of me saying this, but what can I say. It's true. Unlike Luis, though, I do find myself responding to internal email that really should be outside, but I never miss the opportunity to push the person to move it to an outside list. And many people do just that. I've been at this for years now. Another side effect of this opening of conversations experience is that the email that is left in your inbox becomes much, much more valuable. In effect, the email left in your inbox can get back to doing what it does best: transmitting private conversations.

Oh, one more point. If you read the Suarez NY Times article linked in Steve's post you'll see Louis getting back to using an old technology: the phone. Me too. I've substantially increased the use of the phone this year to connect with people one on one or in groups on conference calls. I find one on one calls substantially more efficient, though, and I get royally pissed when conference calls waste the remarkable efficiency of the phone. Anyway, next year, I'll continue to increase this phone trend. My email was totally out of control few yeas ago. It's fine now.


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Every time I chat with bloggers who feel the mainstream media is not that powerful anymore I trip over an article like this -- One man's military-industrial-media complex. This piece is a textbook lesson in the power of mainstream public relations to drive a marketing campaign. It`s perfect. And, in this case, it worked like a dream, too. Now, the article is disturbing because it talks about the selling of a war, but that`s not the point. It`s reality. And to not realize that is a delusion.

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