Hierarchies Weakening Everywhere

Hierarchies are falling everywhere in the world. Now for the first time, women will be able to represent Saudi Arabia at the Olympic Games. The decision will end recent speculation as to whether the entire Saudi team could have been disqualified on grounds of gender discrimination.

It will be interesting to see how Saudi Arabia deals with the fact given in the last line of this article, that Saudi women graduates outnumber their male counterparts. On the college level, the same is the case in the United States where female graduates substantially outnumber males. As women move into more leadership roles, we most likely will continue to see the positive influence of people who understand the disadvantages of hierarchies, as they have personally experienced their downsides.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18571193

Good Interview

We enjoyed our radio interview with Marshall Stern last Saturday, from Chicago WCPT 820 AM. Marshall made some impressive comments and analogies to further our discussion of the vulnerability of the Right.

When he described psychology's Extinction Theory, we agreed that it's a good parallel to the Death Struggle of hierarchy conservators. When we were describing the setting up of hierarchy conservators, Marshall offered a metaphor we ourselves have used for years – that of a martial art in which you take an opponent's energy that's coming toward you and use it to your advantage.

Marshall asked us to come back on his show, so follow his website to stream our talk from anywhere.
 

http://awakenedamerica.com/Awakened_America/Podcast/Podcast.html

Casey Martin Rides Again

There's lots of celebration here in Eugene, Oregon – as well as around the country – that golfer Casey Martin is back at the men's U.S. Open. Casey grew up in Eugene and is the University of Oregon men's golf coach.

We followed his legal challenge to the PGA for the right to use a golf cart under the American with Disabilities Act. Harriet attended the court hearings all day, every day, when the case was heard in Eugene, the first legal step before eventually being upheld by the Supreme Court.

The trial proved to be a wonderful activity for researching hierarchies. Perched on top of their hierarchy, the PGA lawyers and officials, all white men dressed alike in their similar lawyer suits, could not hear or understand much that Casey and his female lawyer were saying. The PGA acted as if they didn't have to listen, and they had the right to make the rules, no matter who suffered from them. Harriet best described the scene as ships passing in the night.

We wish you the best, Casey. You're a #1 hierarchy-buster!

Common Goals, Common Success

"For years, gay rights organizations and major civil rights organizations viewed each other warily. "

Now that's turning around, as the article below indicates, describing conversations among leaders in the Lesbian, gay, black, and Latina/o communities.

These alliances are another indication that a huge shift is happening now. When lower groups come together to weaken all hierarchies – using a common language and a common goal – then there will be nothing that the hierarchy-conservators can do to stop us.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/10/nyregion/black-leaders-and-gay-advocates-find-ways-to-march-in-step.html

Death Struggle More Obvious

Michael Fumento, a lifelong conservative who worked in the Reagan administration, is receiving considerable attention for his latest article. Last week when he wrote that he is breaking with the right describing the right-wing mass hysteria as what sociologists call a "moral panic" – the terror that comes "when society is undergoing a wrenching transformation." He also says that he is frequently dismayed and disgusted by the "mass-produced hate and rage" that passes for conservatism today.

Mr. Fumento is giving us a good description of the death struggle of radical hierarchy-conservators  whose death struggle is becoming increasingly obvious.

We believe that the result of our country's transformation out of hierarchies will bring us a much better country. Now more than ever, it's important that we all keep our hope alive.

http://www.salon.com/2012/05/24/my_break_with_the_extreme_right/

Michael Fumento is an attorney, author, journalist and former paratrooper who has written for National Review, The Weekly Standard, Commentary, The American Spectator, Human Events, Forbes, Forbes.com, Reason, Policy Review, The Spectator (London), The Sunday Times of London, The Wall Street Journal op-ed page and many other publications.