October - 2012

“When I dream alone, it is just a dream. When we dream together, it is the beginning of reality.” –Brazilian proverb

Muses surround and inspire us. They are within us. Through our intentions and interactions, we have the power to inspire personal and political change.

The purpose of The Activist’s Muse is to:

Expand our individual and collective understanding of progressive ideas to provoke conversation and change within the progressive community
Examine my personal experience through a social and political lens
Enhance critical thought with curiosity, creativity, and compassion
Connect and build community among progressive leaders/activists around the world

This blog is my playground and laboratory. Everything that I write is intended to be the beginning of a conversation, not an ending. I invite you to play and explore with me.

“Every sentence I utter must be understood not as an affirmation, but as a question.” — Niels Bohr

jrdreistadt

Oct 31, 2012
1 min

Leadership

Unmask Me

“You’re still hiding in a mask, you take your fun seriously. No, don’t blow this year’s chance. Tomorrow your mold goes back on.” – Halloween, Dead Kennedys In the opening of The Madman, Khalil Gibran thanks the thieves who stole his seven masks and revealed to him the sweet kiss of the sun for the first time. I, too, long to be madwoman and yearn to see the light of day, yet I sometimes hide in the darkness cast by my seven masks. By unveiling my masks, I offer them to the t

jrdreistadt

Oct 30, 2012
1 min

Social and Political Theory

From Revolutionary to Visionary

In my activism, I have transformed from a revolutionary, to an evolutionary, to a visionary. As a revolutionary, I was reactive. My focus was on destroying unjust hegemony. As an evolutionary, I was complacent. My focus was on going with the natural flow. As a visionary, I am proactive. My focus is on creating the world of my dreams. Perhaps the next step will be for me to effectively integrate all three paradigms of activism, easily moving among them as called for by the sit

jrdreistadt

Oct 29, 2012
1 min

Events

The Social+ Boutique is Now Open!

The Social+ Boutique is now open! Social+ builds upon the idea of being carbon neutral. People who are Social Positive (Social+) aim to have a net positive social impact by considering the environmental and human impact of everyday decisions and interactions, being actively involved in the community, and expressing kindness and compassion toward others on a daily basis. By pledging to be Social+, you can demonstrate your commitment to positive social change and provide opport

jrdreistadt

Oct 29, 2012
1 min

Social and Political Theory

Class, Cherries, and Cooperation

While I strongly prefer to eat in season and support local farmers, more often that I care to admit I purchase off season from the supermarket to indulge in what de Tocqueville might have referred to as the American need for bodily comfort. At the end of last summer, I purchased some cherries at my local grocery store a few weeks after the local season had passed. I almost placed a cherry into my mouth when I noticed that there was a long, black hair wrapped around its stem.

jrdreistadt

Oct 26, 2012
1 min

Allentown Girl

Political Ambidexterity

When I was a little girl, I was ambidextrous. My mother advised to me choose a hand. Not knowing which to pick, I asked her what her preference was. She told me that everyone in my family was right handed. My choice to conform to this only confirms that I made the right choice for my life at that time. I often wonder how my life would be different if I had chosen my left hand instead, or if I were not presented with the mandate of choosing and was able to remain ambidextrous.

jrdreistadt

Oct 24, 2012
1 min

Social and Political Theory

Structuralizing Possibility

On one hand, articulating a theory excludes 99.9999% of the possibilities. Representing reality in a specific form intellectually negates the possibility of conflicting interpretations. On the other hand, articulating a theory opens up new intellectual possibilities by reimagining the way reality is understood. This may lead to additional theories, and greater understanding, that may not have been possible without the introduction of the catalytic idea. The key, then, is to n

jrdreistadt

Oct 23, 2012
4 min

Poetry

More Found Poems and an Essay

A few years ago, I took a few classes at Northampton Community College to prepare for the mostly online Ph.D. program at Eastern University. In my creative writing class, I wrote a few poems. I also wrote an essay about the joys and frustrations of publishing Ashley and Tiana. Children of Haiti Children of Haiti how can it be? I don’t understand why my dreaming about you does not change the reality of your daily life. Nothing changes, only my heart grows stronger for I know t

jrdreistadt

Oct 22, 2012
2 min

Allentown Girl

Obamacare Omits

When I left my full time job to focus on The Fruition Coalition full time, I was shocked to be denied health insurance by several providers. I was denied due to three pre-existing conditions: a mental health diagnosis, a high BMI, and a vascular malformation in my brain. I think this situation is an unintended consequence of the recent federal health care reform law. A few years ago, I shopped my health insurance plan (as an individual) and was not denied coverage at that tim

jrdreistadt

Oct 19, 2012
2 min

Changemaker Chats

Changemaker Chat: Angela Giacchetti

Marketing and communications strategist Angela Giacchetti is passionate about empowering people and working for social justice. A specialist in branding and positioning, cause marketing, and strategic communication, Angela independently speaks and teaches. She also works as Associate for Pipeline Fellowship and consultant to Three Furies. Follow her on Twitter @AGiacchetti. How did you first become interested in social change? Some folks have an “ah-ha” moment that they can a

jrdreistadt

Oct 19, 2012
1 min

Social and Political Theory

Criticism without Cynicism

As a social critic, I often respond or react to current events in nonconstructive ways. While I don’t shout at the TV or contemplate retribution, I do sometimes feel angry, hurt, overwhelmed, and disgusted. These feelings lead me to pick apart ideas, and the people who espouse them, in an effort to deconstruct and discredit. This perpetuates my negative feelings, and the cycle continues. Other times, I open up my heart and my mind so that I can fully absorb and understand the

jrdreistadt

Oct 17, 2012
1 min

Social and Political Theory

Acceptance

Accepting someone for who they are does not take away from who I am. In fact, it makes me more of who I am. In addition, I do not feel that I have the right to tell another human being who they are or ought to be as they do not have the right to impose their beliefs and ways on me. Unfortunately, we do not always understand or remember that we have the opportunity at every moment to become and be our true, authentic selves. We become lost as our experience leads us down paths

jrdreistadt

Oct 16, 2012
1 min

Poetry

Are Women Flowers?

To complement the posting of an Anshutz painting on Facebook, the Metropolitan Museum of Art wrote, “the likening of a beautiful woman to a flower are common themes in late-nineteenth-century American painting.” The sentiment of this statement simultaneously offended and allured me. After giving this a bit of thought, I concluded that women are beautiful flowers not to be observed as passive objects, but as active manifestations of the connection between earth and sun. We bri

jrdreistadt

Oct 15, 2012
2 min

Allentown Girl

Pro-Life and Pro-Planned Parenthood

I often hesitate to share with other progressives that I am pro-life. As you know, the debate over abortion is extremely divided and the diversity within both sides is often overshadowed by the prevailing political agendas. I would like to think that I can be an ally to progressives in this area in some way and, as such, I am sharing this story. I am risking scorn for my views on abortion with the hope that I can help to expand the far right’s understanding of this complex an

jrdreistadt

Oct 12, 2012
2 min

Allentown Girl

Bifurcated Bipartisanship

I love being part of bipartisan organizations, such as the League of Women Voters. It fills my heart with joy to experience Americans crossing political lines to achieve common goals. Such was the intended spirit of the Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition. Many years ago, I attended a fundraising dinner for this organization at the Shady Maple. At the time, I was a member of the state executive committee of Socialist Party-USA. I felt it was important to support candidates i

jrdreistadt

Oct 10, 2012
1 min

Leadership

From Debate to Dialogue

In political debate, there is a tendency for one candidate to criticize the ideas of the opponent, if not the opponent her- or himself. What if we shifted from “no, because” debates to “yes, and” dialogue? At best, we could have some of the most passionate and committed people collaboratively creating innovative solutions. At worst, the candidate with the guts to try this method will totally throw off the opponent while exhibiting desirable characteristics desperately sought

jrdreistadt

Oct 9, 2012
1 min

Leadership

Political Civility

While it may have once seemed impossible, the content and context of political rhetoric is becoming more and more pathological. I’m not sure if candidates and their staff grossly underestimate the intelligence of the American people or if their strategies are merely a reflection of their own capacity for communication. Either way, I have little confidence in any political leader who puts down another human being, especially a fellow American. Political candidates engage in ne

jrdreistadt

Oct 8, 2012
1 min

Leadership

Infinite Resources

Some resources are finite: coal; oil; gas. Some are renewable: sunlight; water; plants; wind. Others are infinite: power; love; compassion; wisdom; hope; sincerity. I’m not sure where money falls on this list because it is superficial; it represents odd combinations of the above items. Infinite resources multiply when they are used and they should frequently be used toward good ends. Finite resources are depleted when they are used and therefore should only be used in emerge

jrdreistadt

Oct 5, 2012
1 min

Dr. J.

Scholar Stomach

A student colleague recently explained the tummy softening and bulging that often emerges through the course of doctoral studies using two simple words – scholar stomach. Looking around the room, and especially down at myself, I realized that this was truly a phenomenon. Naming the phenomenon gave it power; it transformed something from a personal experience to collective understanding. This helped me to develop an awareness that led to the critical conscience necessary to c

jrdreistadt

Oct 3, 2012
4 min

Poetry

The Found Poems

While a student at Allentown College of St. Francis de Sales (now DeSales University) in the mid-1990s, I wrote several poems. Many of them were either too morbid or too corny (or both) to share how — even more so than those written below. Poem 18 I was sitting in a bus station wearing cheap drugstore perfume When I realized that it didn’t matter where I had been But it is really important where I am going Day after day my journey through life grows richer with experience And

jrdreistadt

Oct 2, 2012
1 min

Social and Political Theory

001111101001

Too often, we see life as black and white, as an either-or proposition, as a zero-sum game. Binary code should be used to program our computer, not our lives. Our life code is composed of breathtaking combinations of sweet sounds and brilliant colors that can only be revealed if we stop superimposing material scarcity on our mental, emotional, and spiritual expansivity.