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Sunday, November 23rd, 12:30 PM
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Systemic Perspective
Companies have marketing budgets that they use to tell us stories. There are the obvious stories, like ads we watch on TV, and stories stealthily slipped into our subconscious, like these eight types of "guerrilla marketing." All of the stories have something in common: they're designed to influence our behavior in ways that benefit the companies that spread them.
Michal and I have direct experience doing this. It works. You can spend money to change people's behavior, without them even knowing it's happening.
The organizations that have the most money to spend on this manipulation are the ones that extract the most money from the rest of the economy. They use their extracted wealth to shift our behavior to benefit themselves even more, so they get even more money to influence our behavior, so they can extract even more, and so on. This organic systemic dynamic nudges our collective behavior to centralize wealth in the hands of those that extract the most value from us.
Luckily, extractive outsiders are not the only ones who get to tell stories. As individual people in a community, we can tell stories too. When we do, we generate skills, bonds, and experiences that create more local stories, that bring us closer together, which creates more local stories, and so on. THIS organic systemic dynamic nudges our collective behavior to grow solidarity.
Please come help this weekend
When we tell each other stories of people helping each other locally, our collective behavior shifts to help each other more often, which makes more stories of people helping each other locally, and so on. At RSFIC we've been collecting some of these stories in films, and this weekend FilmScene is using their biggest theater to show them.
Will you please come and help complete the feedback loop by watching the films, celebrating the folks featured in them, and sharing your own stories during the reception afterwards?
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Sunday, November 23rd, 12:30 PM
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And other great ways to keep the local story loop going!
I hope you can come to our celebration on Sunday. Here are a few more opportunities to share local stories & build solidarity this week!
Community Dinner & Stories of Immigration6-8 PM TONIGHT at RSFIC, 1927 Keokuk St. IWNJC hosts free monthly Voices of Resilience events with dinner and an immigrant family sharing the story of their journey. |
Community Singing3-4:30 PM on Saturday 11/22 at RSFIC Simple singing in a group, no prior experience required. It's not weird, give it a try. Just come to 1927 Keokuk St or sign up for their newsletter. |
Community Films, Food, and Sharing12:30 PM on Sunday 11/23 at FilmScene Free gathering to celebrate community and build up local power in a genuine social medium, FilmScene. At the Chauncey. Snacky Mini Mart!! |
Community Coffee8-9 AM on Monday 11/24 Community builder Jay Cooper has been leading interesting morning coffees for 10+ years. Free coffee & conversation at the EntrePartners Innovation Center, 209 E. Washington St. Suite 305D |
Community Pilates6:30 - 7:30 PM on Tuesday 11/25 Free pilates with a great instructor. I keep meeting new people who have done this and love it. Free RSVP required.
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Community Sewing4-9 PM on Tuesday 11/25 at the Wright House, 910 S. Gilbert St Come to IC Threaded Together and transform old materials into new, stylish clothes for you or someone else. No experience needed, come and learn new skills! More info. |
Community Addiction Recovery11 AM every MWF at RSFIC (including holidays) We Do Recover of Narcotics Anonymous meets at 1927 Keokuk St regularly. Free coffee and community support building up skills around managing addiction! Just stop by if you're interested in learning more. |
Community Yoga10 AM on Thursday, 11/27 at PS1 Close House, 538 S. Gilbert St Join Jennifer New on Thanksgiving morning for gentle, casual, community-oriented yoga! $12-16, more info here! |
Community Bike Skillssoon! If you have never ridden your bike through the winter, apply for the Bike Library's free Stay Cozy program. They teach you how to stay comfortable, give you FREE WINTER BIKING GEAR, and you meet other people who are on this step of their biking journey. Sign up! |
Community Food ShoppingEvery Sunday-Tuesday Order local food online with Field to Family's Online Market. Field to Family is a non-profit food hub that builds local solidarity! |
Anti-social media and holidays
When you post on "social media," these anti-social platforms use your stories as bait, luring your loved ones back to their website with the promise of connection and the fear of missing out. They don't just share your story, as you intended - they also share their own, extractive stories. They know that people buy more stuff when feeling sad and lonely, so they take your content and arrange it with others' in a way that maximizes division.
This is true, literally. I have met people with this job.
I hope you have a week planned with some family, friends, and neighbors. If want to share your stories with folks you can't see in person, consider printing & mailing them photos, or giving them a call. That way you can still strengthen your relationships without giving anti-social platforms more content to use against us.
Peace,
Riley
Cofounder of RSFIC