The first half of the article might be less interesting what with her going into lifecasting, social networking, and all the things one would expect from a blog called "the social."
But then she gets a bit more interesting and begins to delve into the principles behind what's driving some of the trends we see today.
Transparency, like the candid blog put forth by billionaire Mark Cuban, isn't new to the marketing buzzword scene. But pure "corporate transparency" is often a strategy to put a new spin on a culture that wore a particularly negative mantle in the earlier part of this decade (hello, Enron).
She then clarifies:
The Naked Generation doesn't get naked to save face. It's a way to create face.
In terms of consequences, she writes;
Every generation has its embarrassments (Hair bands? Shoulder pads?) but I'm wondering if my generation's embarrassment will be its lack thereof. Or maybe I shouldn't be talking about "embarrassment," because it's an antiquated concept by now.
This is because:
With the sorts of outlandish things that turn up on TMZ.com and YouTube, the Naked Generation flippantly believes it has nothing to lose. So, the common wisdom now goes, go ahead and post that camera phone clip of you falling into the swimming pool. You should be proud of it. Putting yourself out there takes confidence.
So here's the question for those working on transparency-in-government: Is transparency going to get us what we want? Is it really possible to shame people into being better legislators?
John McCain is well known for his distaste for earmarks. While campaigning for 2008, he recently said something like, I'll find out who those earmarking porkers are, and "I'll make their names famous."
But he didn't finish the thought. What happens when you make them famous? Will they be shamed out of office or into better practices, or will they just become famous? Aren't politicians some of the most shameless people among us? Will they just be cheered on as winning one for the home team?
What if making porkers famous just creates face for them?
As Paul says at the end of Romans 1, "as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind," and they then "not only do the same but also approve of those who practice" such things despite "knowing the righteous judgment of God."
I like a transparent Congress, but I'm not counting on it to change the human nature of its members.
Tim
11,065 days
9/24 Update:
NY Times: With New Rules, Congress Boasts of Pet Projects
If the idea was to shame lawmakers into restraint, it did not work.
Eight months after Democrats vowed to shine light on the dark art of “earmarking” money for pet projects, many lawmakers say the new visibility has only intensified the competition for projects by letting each member see exactly how many everyone else is receiving.
0 comments:
Post a Comment