macropatronage_day_2

A rather uneventful day. Went into london town with the hope of checking out three different locations. The first was the french institute, suggested by sofia 10 mins before I hit the streets.

Got there, talked to a woman with a clipboard awaiting people for some film or other. Found out that she was an intern, and needed experience to become a film distributor. She recommended the same old, same old: fire off an email. It's funny. It's like people think this is news. This is the way it is, and there's nothing that can be done about it. I told her that part of the problem is that there is too much time and effort wasted with all this communication, instead of people stepping up to the plate and making a decision. I thought about it a bit, gave her time to think about it, and asked her if she had come up with something. She hadn't, but seems like a respectful thing to do.

She appreciated my position, that I am trying to alter the actual system in my manner of engagement, and that the potential for change is nearly zero. It very much depends on peeps becoming aware of the opportunity. The second place I visited was a marketing company, and all the peeps had just disappeared into a meeting. Bang goes opportunity for a genuine meeting. Because people are so numbed by their constant engagement, they forget how valuable it is.

Couldn't find the third place, chivas and sons, who might be related to absolut who michel bauwens has interest in. Popped into a building noticed nearby, Random House. The security guard explained that 12 years ago they had set up the electronic gates, the barbed wire fences to prevent engagement with the public. He apologised, but said I needed to make an appointment. Nice guy. Square. But it was so much like aristocracy behind castle walls, I was amazed. It's a publishing house, not a military factory.

I certainly wasn't disheartened. I was simply being told what I knew, what everyone knows. People are busy, put it in writing. And if I do, I am going nowhere. My words are not the accepted lingo, and the ideas don't conform either. In fact, most of my stuff means a restructuring of how people do work, think etc. Culture change is something which is the hardest thing to effect. It's fun trying. I hope to get better at playing with people.

Do I have an alternative? Actually, I do. Appeal to the person. Invite them to come up with the solution. I have already accepted failure. If anything does happen, they know it is their success. Powerful stuff, if you catch the vibe. The dispossessed and exploited in the world don't have access, and instead of :formal" assistance, we need to act with moral courage. My solutions are all deceptively simple. Play tron. Do experiential nights. Invest in people, eg actuators, eg social artists.

If we calculated all the time and the money used up preparing and evaluating ideas/actions before reaching decisions, how much would it amount to? I suspect, the bigger the company, the longer it takes. This also goes for funding bodies and recipients. We need to make this way more efficient, and that's by appealing directly to people, empowering them, and effecting trust relationships.

How do famous, powerful, or important peeps solve their problem of popularity? Eg someone with 100k tweet followers; there's no way they can follow them. How can they still be of use?

It's all about trust. I got bags of it. And I am old enough to do this without it worrying me. It's amusing, actually :)