Freedom and Corporate Interests
How do Corporate Interests affect our freedom?
Will and mistakes of corporations affect our livelihoods- the choices of jobs we have, play a great factor in our standard of life
Shape the physical landscape- the natural environment
Shape how we identify ourselves- our identity is put into question in relation to corporate marketing campaigns
The people’s will as being subordinate to will of corporations until there are major economic and environmental catastrophes and the government feels pressure to institute restrictions
Corporations making weapons- want civilization to destroy itself- and our avoidance of their destructiveness makes us somehow both complicit and impotent (Caryl Churchill’s hat makers in “Far Away”)
Corporate lobbyists and their affect on the laws and advantages of power
Corporations affecting the freedom of future generations- no freedom from birth- corporations affect our psychology from birth…they limit our choices
Corporations giving us freedom based on how profitable we can be for their business
Us versus them debate- the power of corporations is that we are not separate from them- they make you ‘feel’ like you have choices
Escaping power cycle- perhaps we can create new choices for ourselves
How free can you be when the pool you’re choosing from is decided by someone/something else?
Corporations provide food, clothing, shelter- how can artists and activists provide this?
Corporations provide images and feelings to support their interests- artists can do this too
Large magazines- Why do we buy into their images?- Psychological decisions
People want to be a part of pop culture
Brands and their conditioning to buy
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Freedom
On July 7th we gathered at the HERE Rehearsal Space to delve into different topics related to Freedom. Our conversation was animated and complex, both reflecting optimism and ambivalence of varying points of view in relation to this personal, local and national ideal. Over the next week we will post transcripts of those conversations. We want to open up this dialogue to our larger community. We want to know how freedom relates to the American Dream and your relationship to freedom. Thank you to all who attended, it was a thought provoking discussion.
Freedom Think Tank Topics Generated:
-How ‘free’ is democracy?
-Personal freedom vs. community
-Freedom vs. equality
-Freedom vs. Security- false binary?
-Freedom and Corporate Interests
-Responsibilities/Mandates for those with Freedom
-Freedom from want- “want” of what? What are we entitled to as Americans?
-Freedom as a privilege.
-Are you free?
-What do you give up for Freedom?
-What is the cost of Freedom?
What do you give up for freedom?
What is the cost of freedom?
Living life as an artist: If you are totally free, how do you grow, build… happy to be free.
Individual free: no building a family, relationships… so much freedom, but where is the structure, undefinable, that supports you, is there a frame you are supposed to refer to in order to evolve, move forward? Idea that even when we are free, we need a frame, but then it’s not freedom any more since a frame is something that is imposed, exterior to us, something we have to cope with and that we can’t control. Freedom as water. Metaphore of the pool. If you put a structure on it, where does the water go?
Not making a choice is choosing.
We agreed that we always have freedom within limits.
Can we orientate our freedom so that we are with other people.
Lead us to define freedom:
Freedom as a choice: when you make a choice, all things are open, you can go anywhere, nothing prevents you from choosing such and such directions. But once the choice is made, feeling that freedom is gone, whereas actually we felt free to make the choice. You can regret what you’ve done, sometimes you try to go back. F
Freedom as being on our own, tied to nothing.
Freedom as being in harmony with ourselves and the people around.
Freedom as real feeling of independence: ex, driving, dancing alone. Movement is freedom, being physically engaged.
Freedom as release.
Freedom, time, memory: emotionally connected. You always have the memory of the choices you could have done. You take responsibility for it.
What do you give up:
Stability, financial security, family…
Time, privacy.
Compromise in freedom. Being married.
WE freedom/ I freedom.
We want to hope, we are optimistic. Is freedom a goal or a mean to fulfill ourselves? Do we want freedom for freedom?
American dream: being able to choose. Freedom of speech, freedom of expression: we can be what we want to be. But we have to compromise with society, family… Pressure of the parents…
Cost of freedom
Risk: to be wrong, to fail. Take a bad decision,
How do you have prospective in freedom? Free alone in our daily life, and then you wake up, see the world around.
Do our sense of freedom change with the age? As a kid, you can go anywhere, do anything, people will take care of you. As you grow you loose that, win other things. Teens want to go away from everything.
Is freedom a linear pattern or coming back to where you were? Elderly… rely on people again, physically dependent, mentally free.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Freedom
“There are only two kinds of freedom in the world; the freedom of the rich and powerful, and the freedom of the artist and the monk who renounces possessions”- Anais Nin
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Events, Freedom, Kristin Marting, Tal Yarden, Yana Landowne
Join us for our third of eight community THINK TANK sessions on Wednesday, July 7 from 7pm -10pm which will delve into the concept of FREEDOM. These Think Tanks are open to the public and are a cross between Town Hall and Open Space format. We are looking to have a diverse group of folks at each event – we are looking for artists, soldiers, alternative thinkers, educators, activists, politicians and anyone else who is interested. Please come and if you know someone who fits this description and might enjoy this event please forward this invitation.
Please note: this event will be held at HERE’s Rehearsal Space, 75 Varick at Canal Street. Please bring ID for entry into building.
If you would like to attend, please email lushvalley@here.org to rsvp
