Hello Lowell!
Our project coordinator, Gary Krane (also in the discussion group) and I would love to meet you. We love your spirit. I hope you will reach us at Gary (a t ) GetcourageNow (d o t ) o rg, especially if you like the following argument as to what might be the highest, best and now, with Mother nature and democracy nearly in hospice mode, most urgently needed use of technology:
- Extensive research on most of the movements that have led to the most positive improvements in humanity for the past 125 years have proven that the most effective strategy for achieving these gains has been that of nonviolent civil resistance. Sure, voting (good cop) is also essential. But without the “bad cop,” nonviolent civil resistance, movements fail.
- This strategy requires large numbers (2.5-3.5% of the general population to have a sufficient level of moral courage to succeed. By “moral courage.” I mean the willingness to for example go on strike, risk arrest doing nonviolent direct action, commit to time consuming week after week vigils and business-stopping interventions that make a fossil fuel CEO’s or right wing politician’s life miserable, etc etc.
- ERGO: Would not the highest best use of technology therefore be to be able scale moral courage–to be able to identify and bring to bear the most effective behavioral levers for morally courageous nonviolent action?
- And is it not critical to create this tech as soon as possible, before the forces of greed, racism, and ignorance harness this same tech before us to deploy violent tactics?!
Interested in at least joining a brainstorm session with others like yourself to figure how how tech could do this and how to find the right team? Gary at GetCourageNow -org