« It’s Like Throwing A Stick For A Puppy | Home | I’m A Recovering Hope Addict »
Hey, Check Me Out
Topics: Lifestyle & Culture | 2 CommentsBy admin | December 9, 2008
Oral tradition? We got your oral tradition.
Next time you go to the library, you may be able to check out something a little more interesting than the latest best-seller. I’m working on a non-profit concept based on cultural sharing and community action, so I was heartened to learn that in the U.K. a concept called Living Library has been enjoying some success. Curious about another culture? Don’t feel like reading a bunch of books to get a feel for it? Why not let someone come and tell you about it in person? Much cooler than renting a person or buying someone, the idea was first explored in Denmark in 2000 by the group Stop Volden (Stop the Violence). Most hatred has its basis in fear and ignorance, which often dissolves when people just meet and talk. My favorite personal experience with this was years ago when I introduced a homophobic redneck friend to a gay friend . As soon as the redneck friend realized the gay guy wasn’t going to spontaneously kiss him and grab his ass, he stopped feeling the nead to beat him up and they actually became drinking buddies. Living Library is working on pilot programs in the U.S.; maybe the concept will catch on. Along the same lines, people are even building mini-economies using the concept of community currency. Pretty cool. More on this topic soon, I think I’m late for my Socialists Anonymous meeting!
Posted by TeacherPatti on 12.09.08 5:37 pm
That’s an awesome idea! I work in Detroit, which is mostly Christian (at least my school). One of my savvier kids figured out that I’m a Jew and, once he realized I didn’t have horns
, had all sorts of questions and wanted to understand it. I often wish we could all have a big sit down and just ask people of different genders, religions, races, etc. about…things. I sure wish my undergraduate college had done that…we had lots o’ racial problems because no one understood each other.
I also love community currency…I think it’s an idea whose time has come.
Posted by admin on 12.10.08 8:18 am
Hey TeacherPatti. I’m actually contacting the local library today to see if they’re exploring this. I learned long ago that one thing I’ll always appreciate about Ann Arbor is the densely packed International community. Do you have any interest in supporting this locally?
I think I’d be a great “book”. I don’t imagine they have many “black lesbian trapped in a white heterosexual man’s body” people to call on…