Non-profit NYT article responses

For Ambitious Nonprofits, Capital to Grow 

(NYT, 6/27/12, By David Bornstein)

What follows are my reflections, lessons learned, and highlights from reading the article.

Summary:

Bornstein details some of the paradigm differences between the non-profit and for-profit sectors.   He makes some allowances for slow non-profit growth, mostly citing our differences in perceptions about funding sources.  He outlines the difference between "builders" and "buyers" - builders work on supporting the growth of an organization, whereas buyers are mainly concerned with the quality/quantity of the product.  (See Starbucks quote below.) Bornstein puts the onus on non-profits, asking: "What would happen if everyone in the nonprofit sector paid more attention to the differences between build and buy money like everyone does in business?"  Designing a growth plan can help align the organization and funders, creating common outcomes and mechanisms for evaluation.  In sum, Bornstein motivates non-profit leaders to be thoughtful of our funding strategies, and look toward businesses for some advice.

Opinions:

• It would be interesting to see a comparison of funding perceptions between non-profit and for-profit execs - a survey of their thoughts on funding and how it relates to the functioning of their org/corp.  
• I'm not exactly clear on what Bornstein is asking of us non-profit execs - is it to refine our financial paradigm to be more similar to those in the for-profit sector?  So there are good points here: a) developing more sustainable funding sources rather than being reliant on grants/foundations, b) focusing more on the product/output and how [members] value them. On the other hand, non-profits may be reluctant to consider their members consumers.  Additionally, members do not always have the money to buy the product, which is an argument for why the non-profit exists in the first place.  
• Moreover, there's the idea of charity - the non-profit may want to give its services for free.  I have mixed feelings about charity, because it sets up a hierarchy - with giving in only one direction, not reciprocated, the giver has power over the receiver.  Furthermore this action (giving) doesn't come from a place of solidarity, rather it comes from outside/above, and perhaps mixed in with pity.  However, charity helps lots of people every year - those in need, without voice.   A provoking article that has helped build this question within me, called "To Hell with Good Intentions," can provide more insight here.  
• Another key point is how can non-profits access the "building"-type of funding (equity) he mentions? I don't think Bornstein clearly outlines this.  
• In sum, my main take away point is for non-profits to be very thoughtful as to the value of the product we provide - does it add value to the members' lives? If so, how much - can we quantify that monetarily and should we?  If not, we should do some serious thinking.

Lessons learned:

• Difference between equity and revenue: "“The role of equity is to pay the bills while something learns to fend for itself.” Equity pays for mistakes and unanticipated problems — hiring the wrong people, expanding to the wrong locations — as managers figure out how to operate at an enhanced scale on a continuing basis."
• Donors Choose and Volunteer Match - both online platforms have used similar strategies (I should look into them for NV)

Questions:

• "Non-profits can't get investors because we don't have owners" - not sure if this is true - non-profits do get investors, right?

Noteworthy quotes:

Simply put, builders and buyers think differently. “If you invest in Starbucks, what you care about is Starbucks being healthy over time and lots of people buying the coffee and, in fact, you want the coffee to be high priced,” explains Craig Reigel, current managing director of N.F.F. Capital Partners “But if you buy from Starbucks, you care about getting the best cup of coffee for the lowest price. The way you think about success is completely different.”

"...It was possible to raise money against a plan and that all the investors signed on to the same goals and reporting requirements — a social entrepreneur’s dream."

One of their clients, VolunteerMatch, which helps Americans find volunteer opportunities online, raised $4.2 million in equity to upgrade its Web platform and fee-based services. Since 2007, the organization has doubled its impact, facilitating more than 620,000 volunteer connections in 2011. “If we had tried to go a traditional philanthropic route, it wouldn’t have happened,” explained Greg Baldwin, the organization’s president. “You can’t build an operation and scale it if you’re trying to package 15 different programmatic grants that all have different goals based on the priorities of 15 different foundations.” The growth plan got everyone aligned. 

Bornstein is also author of the book How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas.

What do you think?

Same Love - a song/music video with a powerful message

A friend just shared this awesome music video with me, so moving and powerful!  And so human.  (Click the image above to view on Youtube.)

Here are some lines that struck me:

America the brave

Still fears what we don't know

*

If I was gay

I would think hip-hop hates me

*

No freedom 'til we're equal

*

We come from the same one

Strip away the fear

Underneath it's all the same love

VOTE VOTE VOTE for marriage equality!  Achieving legal equality at least is something we can really have an impact on.  And as far as we can, we can also stand up against homophobia (and sexism, racism, classism) by calling it when we see it.

GCE2012: Best Chai Yet

CHAI NUMBER ?? (10/30/12)

I've been modifying the last recipe since the 5th of October and I think I realized what was missing: creaminess.  So this time, instead of just milk, I added a little bit of coconut milk and some heavy whipping cream.  The spiciness is there, it's sweet but not overwhelmingly, and it's creamy.  Folks, we have a winner.  Something I've memorized and would be happy to serve any guests.

Ingredients:

• 4 whole cloves 
• 6 cardamom pods 
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cups water 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 1 1/2 cup milk 
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/8 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 
• 2 teaspoons black tea (again, mine was infused w/ chocolate)

Instructions - Mix spices and water, bring to a boil, then let sit 5-10 minutes.  Add in milks and sugar, bring very close to a boil, stirring a lot.  Add tea and steep to your preference (3-7 min).

Discussion:

• Ari: I think this turned out really good - creamy, spicy (but could be a little spicier).  Satisfying.  I'd rate it a 4.7 or 4.8.
• Luke is harder to convince.  He said around 4.3 because he can't taste the spices as much.

Jose Antonio Vargas on Immigration

Instead of watching the presidential debates tonight, I'm reading this article, something that lets me think about immigration rather than be filled with anger toward the two men "debating" and avoiding answering questions.

Quotes from Jose Antonio Vargas' Time Magazine article called "Not Legal, Not Leaving:"

• I am now a walking conversation that most people are uncomfortable having. (Pg. 1)
• The probusiness GOP waves a KEEP OUT flag at the Mexican border and a HELP WANTED sign 100 yards in, since so many industries depend on cheap labor. (Pg. 2)
• Of all the questions I've been asked in the past year, "Why don't you become legal?" is probably the most exasperating. But it speaks to how unfamiliar most Americans are with how the immigration process works. (Pg. 3)
• For all the roadblocks, though, many of us get by thanks to our fellow Americans. We rely on a growing network of citizens — Good Samaritans, our pastors, our co-workers, our teachers who protect and look after us. As I've traveled the country, I've seen how members of this underground railroad are coming out about their support for us too. (Pg. 6)
• Though roughly 59% of the estimated 11.5 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. are from Mexico, the rest are not. About 1 million come from Asia and the Pacific Islands, about 800,000 from South America and about 300,000 from Europe. (Pg. 6)
• According to the Office of Immigration Statistics at DHS, 86% of undocumented immigrants have been living in the U.S. for seven years or longer. (Pg. 7)
• There are no overall numbers on this, but each day I encounter at least five more openly undocumented people. As a group and as individuals, we are putting faces and names and stories on an issue that is often treated as an abstraction. (Pg. 7)

• Technology, especially social media, has played a big role. Online, people are telling their stories and coming out, asking others to consider life from their perspective and testing everyone's empathy quotient. Some realize the risks of being so public; others, like me, think publicity offers protection. (Pg. 8)
• I am still here. Still in limbo. So are nearly 12 million others like me — enough to populate Ohio. We are working with you, going to school with you, paying taxes with you, worrying about our bills with you. What exactly do you want to do with us? More important, when will you realize that we are one of you? (Pg. 9)

Occupy!

I co-wrote a letter to the editor about the Occupy movement and I want to post it here as well.  It was printed in the Daily Illini at my alma mater UIUC.  From almost a year ago, 10/24/11:


Occupy Wall Street has gone global. People worldwide are frustrated with corporate control over our governments, over our human rights, over our environment and over our lives. People from Hong Kong to Chile, from Spain to Central Illinois have peacefully occupied public spaces to create a place where they become empowered again, where their isolation is broken and their voices heard.

Occupying is creating a space to discuss our grievances and realizing we are not to blame for the economic crisis; it is about literally taking a stand for a real democracy, protected from corporate influence. It is about putting the power back in the hands of the people — the idea upon which our nation was founded. We, the students in our generation, have not known anything like standing up against the government in our lifetimes, so we urge you to experience it first-hand instead of being fed pre-fabricated ideas by the media.

We challenge you: Talk to your parents, your teachers, your friends, and develop a solid opinion of what is wrong in our society.

Ask yourself: Do you think corporations should have the same rights as people? Do you want to be ruled by a government that bails out multinational banks instead of to-be-homeless mortgage-owners and to-be-unemployed students in debt? Do you want a government that prefers waging endless wars than rebuilding public schools?

Don’t buy into the mainstream media’s accusation that the Occupy movement has no clear goals. We’ve published clear documents with goals all over the place (see occupywallst.org), and local Occupations have our own specific goals, suited to address local issues.

You have a better solution? Join the Occupation and make your voice heard.

Ari Sahagun, Francisco Mena, Damian Reyes,
graduate students and junior in LAS

Gandhi quote

GCE2012: Chai #7

CHAI NUMBER 7 (10/5/12)

Ingredients:

• 4 whole cloves 
• 2 cardamom pods 
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1.5 cups water 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 1 cup milk 
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 
• 2 teaspoons Black tea 

Preparation:
Modified (added more milk; reduced tea and sugar) from Masala Chai recipe on this page:
In a mortar, crush the cloves, cardamom pods and cinnamon. Transfer the crushed spices to a small saucepan, add the water, ginger and pepper and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, cover and let steep for 5 minutes. Add the milk and sugar to the pan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the tea. Cover and let steep for 3 minutes. Stir the chai, strain it into a warmed teapot or directly into teacups.

Picture:

Chai #7: Rated "close to a 4" out of 5

Comments:

• better than the last one
• not much body
• good taste - not too much tea, with mild spices - not much flavors
• liked one with strong spiced flavors
• milk/water balance ok, but could always be more creamy

Ratings:

• Luke: close to a 4
• Ari: likewise, not bad: 3.9 ?

GCE2012: Chai #6

CHAI NUMBER 6 (9/25/12)

After a hiatus, the chai experiment will resume, this time, coming at you from Oakland, cA.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon and ginger (each)
• slightly more than 1/8 tsp ground pepper
• almost 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 8 cloves and 5 cardamoms
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cups milk
• 1 tbs tea
• 1.5 tsp honey

Preparation:
Bring water and spices to a boil, then simmer for 5 min.  Add tea, simmer for 4 more min.  Add milk and honey.

Modifications: more fennel, less tea, more simmering of spices in water, honey instead of sugar, two types of milk because we ran out of coconut milk

Picture:

Chai #6 Rated 3/5

Comments:

• Not as much spice flavor as previous ones
• Coconut milk solids are suspended - not sure why

Rating (of 5):

• Luke: 3.3, coconut milk is holding the rating down
• Ari: 3.7, not bad, but not anything great.

Recent Pictures: Nature's Bonzai

Since more than a month ago, I've been travelling with Luke from Urbana, Illinois to my current location of Berkeley, California.  In between we've visited: Denver, Rocky Mountain National Park, Garden of the Gods (in CO, not IL), Canyonlands & Bryce Canyon in Utah and Yosemite.

In Denver, I also finally took the plunge and bought a DSLR camera.  I have a film camera I really like and have been avoiding digital, but film developing prices keep rising and the quality is continually unsatisfying.  Until I get a darkroom of my own, I think I'll primarily shoot digital.

Here's a picture of what I ended up getting:

Nikon D5100

The pictures I took after Denver at Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon, and Yosemite I've added to an album I call Nature's Bonzai.  So many alpine-wind-blown trees, miniatures in size from the harsh conditions.  Rocks sculpted by wind, water, and time to form majestic testaments to the forces of nature.


Click the photos above to view the full album.

Also, check out some of the photo stitches/panoramics at Photosynth:

The biggest repository for plastic waste is the ocean.

Read more here, for the 50th anniversary of Silent Spring.

GCE2012: Chai #5

CHAI NUMBER 5 (8/26/12):

Ingredients:

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon and ginger (each)
• slightly more than 1/8 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 8 cloves and 5 cardamoms
• 1 water
• 1.5 milk
• 1.5 tbs tea
• 1.5 tsp sugar

Preparation:
Bring water and spices to a boil.  Add tea, simmer for 4 min. Add milk and sugar to heat up.  Recipe modified from Chai #4.

Picture:

Chai #5 rated 4 out of 5

Comments:

• Mmm, good. 
• Tastes creamy.
• Not as much pepper, can taste other spices.  I still want to taste more fennel, cinnamon, and ginger.

Rating (of 5):

• Ari: 4.5
• Luke: 4.3, but he doesn't know if he'd ever give a 5 unless it's really amazing.  Holding out for it.

GCE2012: Chai #4

CHAI NUMBER FOUR (8/25/12)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 tsp ground pepper, cinnamon, and ginger (each)
• 5 cloves and 5 cardamoms
• 1 cup water
• 1.5 cups almond milk
• 1.5 tbs tea
• 1.5 tsp sugar

Preparation:
Bring water and spices to a boil.  Add tea, simmer for 4 min. Add milk and sugar to heat up.  Recipe based off this one.

Picture:

Chai #4 rated 4/5

Comments:

• Nutty/milky but not too much - nice balance
• Pepper is nice for Jen and Ari but too much for Luke - overwhelms the other spices, but it gives the final product a nice kick
• Not flat or oversteeped
• Some spices still missing

Rating (of 5):

• Jen: 4
• Ari: 4
• Luke: 4 (3.8)

Female Perversions

For a woman to explore and express the fullness of her sexuality, her emotional and intellectual capacities, would entail who knows what risks and who knows what truly revolutionary alteration of the social conditions that demean and constrain her.

Or she may go on trying to fit herself into the order of the world and thereby consign herself forever to the bondage of some stereotype of normal femininity - a perversion, if you will.

— Louise J. Kaplan

GCE2012: Chai #3

CHAI NUMBER THREE (8/19/12)

After a disappointing iced chai at a café earlier in the day, I'm hoping to creating something better and more satisfying to make up for the gap in my expectation...

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of vanilla coconut milk
• 2 twists of black pepper from a pepper mill
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 5 cardamom pods crushed in a mortar
• 1/4 tsp dry ginger
• 1 1/2 tbs black tea (reused from last time)

(Based off this recipe)

Preparation:

1. Put all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes.  (I put tea in after 7 min)
2. Then add 1/2 cup water and black tea, simmer for 5 more minutes.
3. Strain and serve.

Picture:

Chai #3: Rated 2/5

Comments:

• Pre-taste: looking forward to the coconut milk, which is creamier than almond milk.
• Tastes "flat" - it's a little bland.  There's some spice at the end but the upfront taste leaves something to be desired.
• Spicy but no body, not very full.

Rating (of 5):

• Ari: 2
• Jen: 2

GCE2012: Chai #2

CHAI NUMBER TWO (8/19/12)

Ingredients:

1 cups water
2 cups vanilla almond milk
1 whole clove, lightly crushed
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds, lightly crushed
4 whole cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons unflavored loose black tea (such as Darjeeling)
(Modified version of chow.com, reduced by 1/2 for 3 servings.)

Picture:

Chai Experiement #2

Comments:

• Definitely spicier than the last one
• Noticibly creamier
• The color seems lighter
• Not as sweet, which is good - an appropriate amount of sweetness to let you taste the other flavors.
• Still might a little over-steeped, but not nearly as much tea taste as last time
• Still not as good as the Lebanese ones.

Rating (of 5):

• Ari:  3.75 -- I think this one's way better than the last one.
• Luke: This one's a 3.5 and the other was like a 2.5.

The Great Chai Experiment of 2012 (GCE2012)

This post is the first in a series of attempts to make an awesome chai tea.   I've had two exceptionally good cups of chai within the last week, and I'd like to see if I can recreate the experience in my own kitchen.  Here I will document the journey.

The qualities about the 2 cups I really liked: creamy, spicy, and rich; not watered down.  They were also both at Lebanese restaurants/cafes so that might have something to do with it.

The two major modifications to the recipes are: I'm using non-dairy milk and this tea which is locally distributed (from Boulder, CO) and chocolatey.

CHAI NUMBER ONE (8/16/12)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups vanilla almond milk
• 1 whole clove, lightly crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds, lightly crushed
• 3 whole cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unflavored loose black tea (such as Darjeeling)

(Modified version of chow.com, reduced by 1/2 for 3 servings.)

Picture:

Chai Experiment #1

Comments:

• Probably should reduce the water/milk ratio if it's not whole cow's milk.
• Somehow forgot to do step two in the instructions.  Kind of nervous for the first time I guess. 
• Can't really taste the ginger.  Could maybe add more powdered ginger to make up for it not being fresh.
• Tea taste is a little strong -- 5 minutes is probably too much steeping for this tea.
• It is sweet, but this isn't necessarily bad.  Might want to reduce the sugar if using (sweetened) almond milk.
• The chocolate and vanilla tastes are good.

Rating (of 5):

• Jen: 2
• Luke: 3
• Ari: 3

"giving up" privilege

Is it possible to "give up" privilege?  Or, would it be more useful to think of ensuring privilege for everyone?  

In thinking about these questions, an analogy popped into my head: if we all try and "give up" our privilege it might be like trying to play soccer without ever travelling with the ball.  Whenever we were given the ball (privilege) we'd have to kick it away.

This way of thinking (of "giving up" privilege) also seems to suggest action based on avoidance, possibly guilt, feeling bad about oneself, and maybe even ignore-ance.

Additionally, thinking of privilege as something one can "give up" is problematic because it suggests it is a personal choice.  Often, privileges are given to us socially, and not something we could give up.  For example, a (white, upper class, straight) male privilege is being able to look at the U.S. House of Reps and see himself represented (see #7).  How could a man who isn't an elected official give this up?  He could, of course, vote a female in.  And perhaps less men could run for office, or better: encourage their female colleagues to run.  But I'm not sure where thinking of "giving up" privileges gets us in this situation.

Or, continuing, if a man sleeps with a bunch of women and isn't called a slut (#13), how could he give this up?

It seems to me that a more useful perspective that allows for and encourages more social justice is to think about ensuring the privileges we are aware of having for everyone.  We shouldn't have to feel bad about them - rather we should acknowledge them and work toward making it possible for everyone to have them.

For a great primer on privilege, check out White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, By Peggy McIntosh.  I've blogged about this before.

This is still something I'm still working on figuring out, so if you read this and are intrigued...or think I'm wrong...or can help with a next step, do let me know by leaving a comment!

On rape jokes

1 in 4 people.  1 in 4 refers to the number of reported sexual assaults of women on college campuses during their undergraduate years.

This happened. In a nutshell, a comedian, Daniel Tosh, made some sort of rape joke, a woman (COURAGEOUSLY, by the way) stood up and said that, "actually, rape jokes aren't funny," to which Tosh responded along the lines of, "wouldn't it be hilarious if this woman got gang-raped right here."

Then this good article (and several less good ones) was written.

Some key quotes from the Jezebel article include:

• "The world is full of terrible things, including rape, and it is okay to joke about them. But the best comics use their art to call bullshit on those terrible parts of life and make them better, not worse."
• "We censor ourselves all the time, because we are not entitled, sociopathic fucks. ...A comic who doesn't censor himself is just a dude yelling." (*Could be "herself" and "a chick" yelling...)
• "It's really easy to believe that "nothing is sacred" when the sanctity of your body and your freedom are never legitimately threatened."
• "It's like the difference between a black comic telling a joke about how it feels to have white people treat you like you're stupid all the time vs. a white comic telling a joke about how stupid black people are."

The author of the article also has a paragraph that explains the importance of the *context* of sexism and patriarchy that surrounds this joke, by making up an analogy that might help people understand it at some level.

Latinoamérica

This video is amazing.

Tú no puedes comprar el viento 

Tú no puedes comprar el sol 

Tú no puedes comprar la lluvia 

Tú no puedes comprar el calor 

Tú no puedes comprar los nubes 

Tú no puedes comprar los colores 

Tú no puedes comprar mi alegria

Tú no puedes comprar mis dolores

   

Vamos caminando ¡La tierra no se vende!

Sexual Objectification

What follows is a nice analysis of sexual objectification with some disturbing (because they're real) examples from pop culture. The post (and blog) are run by a professor of politics. Part one describes objectification and part two shows that "We now have over ten years of research showing that living in an objectifying society is highly toxic for girls and women"
1) http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2012/07/02/sexual-objectification-part-1-what-is-it/
2) http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2012/07/06/sexual-objectification-part-2-the-harm/

 Interestingly, part two cites a study regarding the effects of objectification on political efficacy (I suppose you could think of it as involvement). Here's an excerpt from its abstract:

 "The normalization of female objectification in American culture has given rise to self-objectification, the phenomenon of girls and women seeing themselves as objects of desire for others. ... This research examines the political effects of self-objectification and finds that it is negatively related to both internal and external political efficacy. The democratic implications of this finding are considered." 

A particular quote from the trailer to Miss Representation in the second post sticks with me: "The fact that media are so derogatory to the most powerful women in the country ...then what does it say about media's ability to take any woman seriously."

 Just some food for thought on a steamy Saturday (at least in IL) -- and if you want to continue the conversation or have questions (or outrage!) in response to reading, share your thoughts!

Cuando la sangre de tus venas retorne al mar
Cuando el polvo en tus huesos vuelva al suelo
Quizás recuerdes que esta tierra no te pertenece a ti
Sino que tú perteneces a esta tierra.

When the blood in your veins returns to the sea
When the dust in your bones returns to the soil
Maybe you'll remember then that this earth doesn't belong to you
Rather it is you who belongs to the earth.

Embracing Uncertainty

"Dig around in most of the world's great religious traditions and you find people finding their sense of grace by embracing uncertainty rather than trying to bury it in codified dogmas."

A taste of a longer article at NPR.org on embracing uncertainty.  Check it out.

Re: learning Spanish

(Adding to this list that I've previously posted on tips for learning Spanish)

This has also been very useful in writing in Spanish:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/support/enable-keyboard-layouts-for-different-languages-HA010354267.aspx

Using multiple keyboards and quickly being able to switch with Alt+Shift makes putting accents and other characters (á, ñ) in text super easy.

Rethinking development, an inspiring quote

From a reading (specifically: http://web.idrc.ca/openebooks/470-3/) for a graduate level course on Gender Relations in International Development I'm currently taking.

"A speech given by Robert F. Kennedy on 4 January 1968, encapsulates the limitations of GDP as a measure of what makes life valuable:

The Gross National Product of the United States is the largest in the world, but that GNP, if we should judge our nation by that, counts air pollution and cigarette advertising and ambulances to clear the highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and jails that break them. It counts the destruction of our redwoods and the loss of our natural wonder and chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and the cost of a nuclear warhead and armoured cars that fight riots in our streets. Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country. It measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.

Myths of Corporate Personhood

Here's the short version, for the longer (explained) version, click here.

Text of Belden Fields teach in "The Myth of Corporate Personhood"

THE DISEMPOWERING FOG CREATED BY 14 IDEOLOGICAL MYTHS

Prepared for Occupy the Quad at the University of Illinois, Urbana 1/19/12

by Belden Fields

1. The myth that the corporation is a person with the rights of individuals.

2. The myth that Supreme Court represents a higher interpretation of law that transcends partisan politics.

3. The myth that money is speech; therefore, money spent freely in elections is protected by the First Amendment right to speech.

4. The myth that the interests of large corporations is in the interest of workers because they create jobs and raise standards of living.

5. The myth that “right to work” laws really protect workers’ rights.

6. The myth that government is the only source of bureaucracy that disempowers people.

7. The myth that economics is above moral concerns and the market will always, by definition, result in the greatest good for society.

8. The myth that the United States is a democracy.

9. The myth that the only legitimate human economic human right is the right to private property.

10. The collateral myth that that social security, health care benefits, and pensions are unearned and unaffordable “entitlements."

11. The myth that privatization is always more “efficient” than public goods and services.

12. The myth that the “official” unemployment rate in the United States is accurate and comparable to the unemployment rates in other countries.

13. The myth that the U.S. offers the highest rates of upward mobility in the world.

14. The myth that there is no alternative to the capitalist system that manifests the above characteristics and treats the worker as a commodity.