Geek As Citizen: Talking Is OK

Discussion Communication

It’s been an eventful few weeks in geekery, with many a thing to make us discuss problems in geekdom and society in general – and what we can do to make things better.

Now a lot of my posts are often calls to action Indeed for all I write, I hope mostly it provides tools and resources for people to do things. I’m always leery of “calls to action” that just seem to keep making more calls to action without becoming anything.

I actually think this is a culture problem. In a culture where overpaid punditry blotivates endlessly, we’re used to not calls for action, but plenty of complaining and words. It discourages action and replaces it with talking.

However, there is a time to talk. When the “Game of Thrones” rape controversy came up, one of the people in the discussion at Geek Girl Diva noted that she’d seen highly productive talks about the controversy. These talks helped people think of what they do, decide on action, and question themselves.

This is where talking actually does make a difference. So though I’ve often decrited the talk-talk-talk of our culture that rarely results in action, I want to note talking has a point. Sometimes the goal literally should be “talk amongst yourselves.”

It’s just that it’s a specific kind of talking that’s important . . .

Read more

More On The Omni Reboot

A look at its return, and at it’s past, and noting some of the oddities of its origins.

Serdar and I are discussing the past of “Cool Futurism” in one of our continuing dialogues, centering around Omni and its returns..  I noted we’ve lost the idea of unity, he noted how we missed our own problems, and I note any idea of the future requires self evolution.

– Steven