josephinegiaimo

Dear Gar: Your book, What Then Must We Do?, is truly inspiring. In it, you wrote about the New Community Corp. in Newark, NJ. I was involved in a project that involved them in the late 1980s, and I see they have grown since then. Do organizations like this start by a few people having a good idea, sitting around a table, and taking the actions to breathe some life into it? What are the essential factors in creating this type of change successfully? Thank you.

I think it's good that he didn't answer this question. I just came from a viewing of the film "Shift Change." After the film, much of the talking in the group seemed to be preoccupied with this question of capitalism "versus" socialism. I think this type of preoccupation and conversation misses the point. Gar's latest book talks at length about democratizing wealth. He offers numerous examples of what I call blurring the line between capitalism and socialism, specifically, by creating new institutions that create opportunities for local, democratic ownership. He also refers the reader to studies that say that those under 30 really don't care very much either way regarding capitalism or socialism. That should tell us that the conversation we should be having is not about ideology per se, but about building new, local institutions, from the ground up. I don't speak for Gar, of course, but perhaps we can't afford to get pulled into discussions about things like ideology per se, when we know a lot of what is needed is some kind of hybrid model, and have new groups to form, and new institutions to build.

I think I can answer this question. I think I'm one of the account holders in question. I had heard of reddit before, but never saw the need to participate until I was invited to hear Gar speak here. I got an account, and here I am, because of Gar's invite. Hope that helps. I think a number of other people joined, like me, for the same reason.