Saturday, March 24, 2007
Sacrifice Solidarity Support
As an associate scholar of the premier indigenous think tank serving the Fourth World, I had occasion recently to observe that bias against think tanks in general -- possibly because many of them are funded by and for either protecting the privileges of inheritors of unearned wealth or for promoting anti-democratic doctrine -- is nevertheless akin to failing to appreciate the value of gathering intelligence or coordinating collection and distribution of information in warfare—-an extremely short-sighted and self-defeating prejudice.
If we are to do battle effectively within the ideoscape, we need more think tanks –- albeit reoriented –- to shore up our capacity to organize as well as our will to resist. Otherwise, we cede the field of engagement to provocateurs, poseurs, and media pundits—-not an encouraging scenario.
Not that our readers themselves fall into the traps of anti-intellectualism, but it nonetheless is hardly a phenomenon exclusive to the right-wing. Progressive arrogance and ignorance are at least as damaging to our society.
It might help to think beyond institutionalized concentrations of scholars to the networked variety of think tank exemplified by the Public Good Project. And even as a brick-and-mortar institution of research and education, CWIS is extensively involved in such scholarly networks spanning the boundaries of indigenous and settler societies, states and nations, as well as throughout both traditional and modern cultures.
Intelligence over emotion.
If we are to do battle effectively within the ideoscape, we need more think tanks –- albeit reoriented –- to shore up our capacity to organize as well as our will to resist. Otherwise, we cede the field of engagement to provocateurs, poseurs, and media pundits—-not an encouraging scenario.
Not that our readers themselves fall into the traps of anti-intellectualism, but it nonetheless is hardly a phenomenon exclusive to the right-wing. Progressive arrogance and ignorance are at least as damaging to our society.
It might help to think beyond institutionalized concentrations of scholars to the networked variety of think tank exemplified by the Public Good Project. And even as a brick-and-mortar institution of research and education, CWIS is extensively involved in such scholarly networks spanning the boundaries of indigenous and settler societies, states and nations, as well as throughout both traditional and modern cultures.
Intelligence over emotion.
