One Voice
February 25, 2007 5:36 PM Subscribe
When will Indians and Pakistanis release such a video on YouTube?
I think this effort is wonderful. I especially love the "market research" approach. However, they are gathering the opinions of students. Students are people who are actively seeking knowledge. Students are at least capable of changing their minds, adopting new outlooks, and acting reasonably.
However, the cynic in me pipes up and says: aren't people who do not act this way the chief actors in this conflict? People who would discard the opinions of the people in this video simply because of the way they dress or the language they speak? People who have hardened their hearts and minds to new outlooks? People who act unreasonable, uncivil?
posted by redteam at 6:24 PM on February 25, 2007
They should release something like this (YouTubeOMG) instead.
posted by taursir at 6:30 PM on February 25, 2007
posted by taursir at 6:30 PM on February 25, 2007
Probably the most interesting question from the FAQ
3. Who funds OneVoice?
Individuals, trusts and foundations – Israeli, Palestinian and international. A lot of our funding comes from Arab-Americans and Jews, while major foundations such as the Ford Foundation, IBM and the Rockefeller Brothers also support us. Businessmen in the region such as Yasser Mahmoud Abbas and Samer Khoury are amongst our Board members who give annually. We are trying to secure government funding from the U.S.A and Europe and a variety of organizations committed to democracy and conflict resolution support our work. In addition, OneVoice groups in both Canada and Europe are creating local chapters to help support our work in the Middle East.
Fairly wide spectrum of supporters.
posted by stbalbach at 8:50 PM on February 25, 2007
3. Who funds OneVoice?
Individuals, trusts and foundations – Israeli, Palestinian and international. A lot of our funding comes from Arab-Americans and Jews, while major foundations such as the Ford Foundation, IBM and the Rockefeller Brothers also support us. Businessmen in the region such as Yasser Mahmoud Abbas and Samer Khoury are amongst our Board members who give annually. We are trying to secure government funding from the U.S.A and Europe and a variety of organizations committed to democracy and conflict resolution support our work. In addition, OneVoice groups in both Canada and Europe are creating local chapters to help support our work in the Middle East.
Fairly wide spectrum of supporters.
posted by stbalbach at 8:50 PM on February 25, 2007
infini, why post that link?
posted by allen.spaulding at 9:23 PM on February 25, 2007
posted by allen.spaulding at 9:23 PM on February 25, 2007
because I was stupid, and until stbalbach just posted the funding I did not realize. mea culpa. please flag. A link to a video preceding this was sent by a friend, I assumed the others in the "group" were similar. I am not registered at YouTube.
posted by infini at 10:41 PM on February 25, 2007
posted by infini at 10:41 PM on February 25, 2007
You know, back in 2002 I wondered whether Palestinians had access (in Arabic; I know many of the middle class have English) to the works of Saul Alinsky, the seminal US innovator in community organizing and evangelist for what he called "radical pragmatism".
A typical insightful (and still relevant) quote:
This failure of many of your younger activists to understand the art of communication has been disastrous. Even the most elementary grasp of the fundamental idea that one communicates within the experience of his audience - and gives full respect to the other's values - would have ruled out attacks on the American flag. The responsible organizer would have known that it is the establishment that has betrayed the flag while the flag, itself, remains the glorious symbol of America's hopes and aspirations, and he would have conveyed this message to his audience.
Alinsky was particularly noted for organizing across racial lines to bypass conflict, which seems particularly apt.
This is one of the closest examples I've seen.
posted by dhartung at 10:44 PM on February 25, 2007
A typical insightful (and still relevant) quote:
This failure of many of your younger activists to understand the art of communication has been disastrous. Even the most elementary grasp of the fundamental idea that one communicates within the experience of his audience - and gives full respect to the other's values - would have ruled out attacks on the American flag. The responsible organizer would have known that it is the establishment that has betrayed the flag while the flag, itself, remains the glorious symbol of America's hopes and aspirations, and he would have conveyed this message to his audience.
Alinsky was particularly noted for organizing across racial lines to bypass conflict, which seems particularly apt.
This is one of the closest examples I've seen.
posted by dhartung at 10:44 PM on February 25, 2007
OK, totally off topic, but does anyone know the name of that piano song that starts about two minutes in? It is a song that often shows up on the radio show "This American Life," and I cannot figure out what it is.
posted by mapalm at 11:55 PM on February 25, 2007
posted by mapalm at 11:55 PM on February 25, 2007
That video is one of the most inspiring things I've seen this year. I don't know if it is a pie-in-the-sky dream or not, but just knowing that there is a group of Israeli and Palestinians actively working together, and especially targetting young people - and thus stealing converts from the extremists on both sides - gives me some hope for the future in Israel and Palestine.
That said, my hope for the future of wikipedia has finally completely and utterly died. Apparently this movement, which has made presentations directly to Mahmoud Abbas and Shimon Peres (and in the same room no less!) is not notable enough for wikipedia, which happily hosts an entire article just for (one of) Leonard Nimoy's authobiography I am not Spock. Clearly, that was more world changing and important than trying to end one of the nastiest and most pernicious conflicts of the last century
posted by jb at 1:43 AM on February 26, 2007
That said, my hope for the future of wikipedia has finally completely and utterly died. Apparently this movement, which has made presentations directly to Mahmoud Abbas and Shimon Peres (and in the same room no less!) is not notable enough for wikipedia, which happily hosts an entire article just for (one of) Leonard Nimoy's authobiography I am not Spock. Clearly, that was more world changing and important than trying to end one of the nastiest and most pernicious conflicts of the last century
posted by jb at 1:43 AM on February 26, 2007
infini, I was related specifically to the Bombay Dreams link. It seems to have nothing to do with the rest of this post.
posted by allen.spaulding at 2:52 AM on February 26, 2007
posted by allen.spaulding at 2:52 AM on February 26, 2007
The person on Wikipedia adding the notability tag is unbelievably clueless.
posted by stbalbach at 5:36 AM on February 26, 2007
posted by stbalbach at 5:36 AM on February 26, 2007
What am I willing to do to end the conflict?
Hand out fliers, of course, and attend nice youth leadership camps.
The only solution is heavy investment in desegregated efforts. As long as they live apart, they will go on thinking they are different from one another and they will have no shared stake in anything tangible.
posted by pracowity at 8:30 AM on February 26, 2007
Hand out fliers, of course, and attend nice youth leadership camps.
The only solution is heavy investment in desegregated efforts. As long as they live apart, they will go on thinking they are different from one another and they will have no shared stake in anything tangible.
posted by pracowity at 8:30 AM on February 26, 2007
Well, I found the answer, on...yes...AskMetaFilter. The song at two minutes in is Perpetuum Mobile by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra.
posted by mapalm at 1:21 PM on February 26, 2007
posted by mapalm at 1:21 PM on February 26, 2007
While the goal of one voice is admirable, it isn't particularly pertinent to Pakistan and India, which are both independent, sovereign nations. Conversely, Israel occupies much of Palestinian territory. And the areas of Palestine that it does not occupy, Israel invades at will, and has not granted Palestine sovereignty to arm itself, carry out its own foreign policy and so forth.
As for the peace movement in India and Pakistan, the two countries too have civil society groups that have embarked on similar ventures.
posted by Azaadistani at 2:28 PM on February 26, 2007
As for the peace movement in India and Pakistan, the two countries too have civil society groups that have embarked on similar ventures.
posted by Azaadistani at 2:28 PM on February 26, 2007
aah, enlightenment. I linked to Bombay Dreams - a musical with bollywood elements combined with Andrew Lloyd Webber's showmanship - as another example of communication that crosses cultural and linguistic barriers.
posted by infini at 10:22 PM on February 26, 2007
posted by infini at 10:22 PM on February 26, 2007
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Ack! Peace movements in the middle east should not put marks on the right hands of their children.
posted by phrontist at 5:47 PM on February 25, 2007