the implications of sunday's class (thanks Mr. Black)

[John LaMont_Culture Critique]

1. Went to class 12-22-2012. Discussion on the subject of ‘freedom’, made me walk away committed to a year-long study of the concept of ‘power’.
2. The purpose of this site might be for dialogue & discussion on education, environment & race. . . but for me, what you teach are power concepts. And it makes little sense to evaluate the teachings outside of the context of power.
3. My initial foray into power has brought me into contact with these 22 concepts: Power, powerlessness, powerfulness, mightiness, index, exponent, force, ability, supply, provide, cater, ply, mogul, top executive, big businessman, baron, business leader, king, tycoon, magnate, physics (the rate of doing work . . measured in watts), office (of a government or government official_holding an office means being in power).
4. This focus on power is meant to prevent me from being too academic or too abstract. I would like to take the theoretical principles and put them to practical application. That is affect an area, an institution, the environment, or the culture in which I live. . . that is EXPRESS power.
5. A presupposition of mine is that powerful information should enable me to do something powerful
6. As nobody can do it alone, I am interested in: a-power-broker, and b-power -assisted.
7. EXPONENT: a mathematical notation indicating the number of times a quantity is multiplied by itself (like: 7^{2 or} GOD³.)
8. Another presupposition of mine is that there exists a discourse of MASTERY, and there exists a discourse of the SUBORDINATE. Relative to this discussion on education, environment & race, I want to adopt & use the discourse of the master. . .as that is the more beneficial relation to power.
9. The Memphis & Shelby County general fund budget for FY13 is $902 million dollars. It’s not about money. $900 million dollars SHOULD buy a lot more in terms of results & education. . . but look around our community. I won’t proffer any conspiracy theories. But $900 million does not buy, does not provide a system that teaches the DISCOURSE of mastery.
10. Memphis is dead (mentally), and is a subordinate manufactory. . . miseducation of the NEGRO. . .except the mis-educators are getting paid alot of money for the job they do. . .under the rubric of “High Academic Achievement for all Students”

[Clifford Black]

This starts the process of, evolve the question. This is how you can find answers. Correct answers can be powerful solutions to problems that need to be addressed.

B.

[John LaMont_Culture Critique]

OK, Dr. Black. I’d like your help forming critical questions. I can think of nobody better to help me in this social experiment speaking truth to power, and speaking power to truth. However, I’m not really seeking an answer. That is, I’m not lost, asking questions for discovery.

 

 For sake of discussion, I’m a technologist and I have an object that I found (a technology). I want to REVERSE ENGINEER the found object (the technology), and then build one for myself. So, if the normal process is to start at the question. I feel more like someone who is BEGINNING at the end (with the technology), and working his way back to the beginning (the blueprint/the original principle).

 

I heard a wealthy industrialist say that the quality of our lives depends on the quality of our questions. That most people live crappy lives because they ask crappy questions. That rich people and powerful people and successful people and creative people ask better questions (and thus get better answers).  I don’t know how truthful his observation is, but I do know how useful it is.

 

So Doc, I want to ask better questions; and not as an intellectual exercise, but of someone. That is, questions for  appropriate persons. I want something from the society, and I want to ask questions of people authorized to grant permission.

 

Language & reality.

 

 Like I said, I have an agenda. And I want something specific. I have a destination. I guess I am like a prosecutor trying a case. If it is true that at the end of the day I want resources, and I want to be responsible for establishing an institution, then I want to ask the questions that bestow resourses. Questions that lead those with authority & ability to say yes. Compel them even, to say yes.

 

Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Everybody wants IT to be there, but no one wants to PUT it there. People even have well formed ideas about what SHOULD be there, but stop just short of execution. That is, we can never get the people, the money, and the resources all together  to accomplish the goals. The ideal, never becomes actual.

 

I think properly working with language will help enlarge our footprint.

[Clifford Black]

In order to accomplish what you are seeking to learn how to do there are some definite things that must be done, and so, we will take the time to learn how to travel step by step (one step at a time), and this takes time and devotion.

B.

[John LaMont_Culture Critique]

Ok fine. I’m ready. I’m an artist. The path of heart is my way. I can swing loyalty, commitment, dedication, and allegiance with no problem. Ha. I can even add obsessive compulsive behavior to the mix. Straight attack a problem with a meticulous persistence that is breath taking.

 

Put me in the game coach.

I’m really interested in pushing things as if I am a citizen of the Empire AND . . . I repeat AND . . . as if this is a freedom movement. For what it’s worth I resolve to be this way until I get push back. Presumptuous as f—k. When people look twice they are gonna think that I’m John Locke and/or Alexander Hamilton (and not a black dude from North Memphis).

 

I practice the politics of gaining resources (for children . . for the community . . for the org).

As a goal I would like to move beyond the cultural critique to providing prescriptive solutions to the problem, from there to institution building. That is, really be from the talk is cheap school of operating.

 

 As I go about this business, I’m a Policy Analyst. But you know how it look in the beginning of any grass roots operation. Early on one must wear many hats. So for me, that means the VERBS change as the hat changes. But in order to insure that things move forward I am committed to being a personal pronoun & a verb.

 

I originated

I planned

I prepared

I prioritized

 I performed

I persuaded

I oversaw

I published

I delegated

I eliminated

I edited

I influenced

 I informed

I trimmed

I upgraded

I validated

I enlisted

I arranged

I guided

I purchased

I accomplished.

 

You get the picture. Whatever it takes. Whatever hat I must wear in order to execute, I’ll put it on, in order to advance the cause (as I don’t have staff, and not yet a lot of fellows). And I guess the cause is: whatever is the opposite of exclusion & exploitation.

 

Your expertise is essential. As advisor, and developer of the language that will be presented to the publics (plural). I don’t have to tell you how education is big business. Nor do I have to tell you about all of the interlopers that are INTERCEPTING money under the rubric of educating our children and our community. But we can look at the incarceration rates, high school dropout rates, literacy rates, and the effect in the community to know that their education product is dubious, and ineffective. It’s obvious that they are doing a bum ass job.

 

If we listen to the concerns & complaints of parents who send their children to government schools, we can hear their dissatisfaction, and almost desperate cry for an alternative. They know that an alternative is needed. America is capitalism. I suggest that the status quo be challenged . . .on an industrial basis. I am suggesting a straight on compete model. Straight up poach their talent, their clients, their customers, their students.

 

I also suggest that the communities dissatisfaction can be cultivated & harnessed on behalf of this project. Government objectives can be harnessed with this project. That is, the United States can not afford to have a huge miseducated Negro population. That is, if it plans to remain a global leader. The Department of Education, and the National Science Foundation has said as much. The powers that be will push even more power on any entity capable of solving their niggy problem.

 

The obstructive powers that be usually block innovation through their control of charters, but they can’t do anything about after school programs. They can’t do anything about private deals brokered between  corporations & after school incubators. Nor can they stop the love that is bestowed by the community on those who take care of their children.

 

All of this social entrepreneurship. That is, doing good, while simultaneously doing business. In this case, it’s big business.

 

People like winners. They will ( the public, the authorities) jump on the bandwagon, as they see the good being done. At that point, the project can move from:a- donations THEN to b-public private partnerships to c-PRIVATE PLACEMENTS to D-an IPO. I don’t think money will be a problem once they see the scope of the solutions being applied.

 

An institution started during the tenure of Barack Obama has sociological implications too. Because it addresses what is to be done with the feared/ dangerous young black males. I’m certain law enforcement types, trade associations, toy & game companies and other groups tangentially related to education will support an organization that takes youth off the street and empowers them.

 

Government schools receive a billion dollars a year from the community and they close their buildings at 3.When for a billion dollars, my institution would stay open educating & occupying the minds (like a casino).

ASTEM is where it’s at. ART, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, MATH…..And PLAY. (Play, playing is very important component difference to this model of education)

 

I’m far from a know it all. Your tactical & strategic input is appreciated (where it is not essential).

I really want to be targeted about the specifics. That is, the who, what, when, where, why & how.

 

I’m for selling the idea the way Larry Page & Sergey Brin sold the idea of Google to venture capitalists in the early days. Now Google is global and trades on the Nasdaq.