AC FORUM 2008: Raising Public Awareness: The Spot
14.05 — The other members of the press have converged on the lunch room where I will soon follow, but I wanted to take advantage of their absence (and the easing of the stress on the bandwidth) to send off a quick dispatch here.
The subtitle of this seminar ("The Spot") which has just closed derives from this name popularly given to the video spots which the participating organizations produce in their efforts to raise awareness.
In the course of the discussion, the participants showed how their messages, when produced and distributed properly, can play an essential role. It is appropriate that this follows my comments on Mr Lamb's presentation. I asked Mr Lamb what we can do to overcome social-political inertia and society's inherent resistance to changes which may be needed to address global issues. Mr Lamb responded that the only way to address the inertia is with a stubborn persistence. It should not be the objective to shock and awe in an alarmist fashion (though at times these tactics may be effectively employed), but rather to present the message everyday anew.
Mr Lamb said it best: for emphasis and inculcation it is best to say what you are going to say, say it, and then say what you've said. If the "spots" adopt this approach, we may begin to realize change in oncoming generations.
We will be back at 15.00 to catch Rigobertu Menchu's speech. It is not to be missed.
Posted by on 04/30 at 08:03 AM