The State of Our Democracy, spring 2007
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Visual Dialogues Exhibition | March 12 - April 20

A a visual reflection of the theme of Difficult Dialogues, this exhibition featured the work of artists “whose goal is to create...art to inspire self-reflection, thought, and human connection [Illegal Art].” Included in the exhibiton were works by Stephen DiRado, Michael Dowling, Steve Hollinger, Illegal Art, Steve Locke, James Montford, Sarina Khan Reddy, Elaine Spatz-Rabinowitz, and Thomas Starr. In addition, Illegal Art, as well as artists, James Montford, and Michael Dowling (with Medicine Wheel Productions) came to campus to engage with the Clark community through interactive performance projects.

LEARN MORE
see the interactive gallery tour here
visit Illegal Art's website

Beyond Partisan.org | Feb 8

Drawing on their collective experience both as students at Wesleyan University and as politically-minded young adults frustrated with the current state of civic discourse, Rob Weinstock, David Tutor, Adam Gomolin, Bill Ferrell, and Nate Byer set out to create an accessible platform from which all Americans are able to voice their opinions. The website Beyondpartisan.org was the result of their efforts. It is designed to empower the user and to encourage an exchange of ideas across (often polarizing) political divides, in order to find the common ground from which we can more easily engage with one another in dialogue.

The creators described their site this way: The Beyond Partisan process begins with an issue-article, a brief and accessible piece focusing on a single policy area. In turn, it asks for your voice and invites your commentary. Your contributions are invited as full-length opinion pieces, as personal messages to your fellow citizens: this is the editorial page for every American. We must as citizens reflect upon our discussion and draw from it the shared values upon which we can move forward. This is not the partisan tirade of lone-gunmen bloggers; this is a return to the egalitarian foundation of America’s birth through the means of modern technology.

As recent college graduates, they offered an inspiring example to the Clark students who attended the event. As students themselves, they were able to identify a problem and together form a real-life solution – one which offers something new and valuable to the American political discourse.

LEARN MORE
visit BeyondPartisan.org

Why We Fight | Feb 13

I went to Why We Fight and thought it was really good. After the film,
I wound up having a half-hour discussion in the laundry room with a friend.
It wasn't my intention going down to get my laundry to talk to anyone about
the movie but I was really fired up about it and so was she. That's the cool
part of events like this, you see friends afterwards and it becomes an
opportunity to talk. – Megan Mateer '10

On February 13th 2007, Documentary filmmaker Eugene Jarecki screened his film, Why We Fight, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and has gained critical acclaim in its candid exploration of the influence of the American military industrial complex on U.S. foreign policy. Jarecki depicts U.S. military history from World War II to the Iraq War to reveal the political, economic and ideological forces that propel America to war. Personal stories are interlaced with the commentary of academics, politicians, and Pentagon officials to give an eye-opening picture of America at war. A NYPD retired policeman who lost his son in 9/11, a Vietnamese refugee who manufactures bombs, a new Army recruit, and Iraqi victims are among those sharing their views on why we fight.

Following the screening, Jarecki shared insights into the film as well as his ideas about the State of Our Democracy. He encouraged us all question our assumptions – especially as it concerns our current involvement in Iraq – and to become active participants in our own lives and in our role as citizens. Civic engagement and participation, he argued, allows us to think more deeply about all issuses that affect us as Americans.

LEARN MORE
see video of Eugene Jarecki's talk at Clark University
visit the Why We Fight website

How to Change the World: Self and Society in American Transcendentalism | Feb 20

Philip F. Gura, William S. Newman Distinguished Professor of American Literature and Culture, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, spoke as part of the State of Our Democracy symposium, about the role of American transcendentalists. Epitomized for most people by Emerson and Thoreau, as America’s first public intellectuals, they were interested not only in literature but in a wide spectrum of reform. Although we often associate them with an ethic of radical individualism, many argued instead for commitment to community rather than to self. Contentious debates within the movement about how to realize the promise of American democracy explain much about Transcendentalism’s development and raise anew the questions of how best to effect radical social reform.

LEARN MORE
visit Philip Gura's Homepage at UNC Chapel Hill
read about Philip Gura's latest book: American Transcendentalism: A History

Day of Listening | February 21

The Day of Listening highlights listening as an essential element of effective dialogue. Each hour-long session is about taking a moment to pause, to really listen to each other and to explore the relationship of listening to dialogue. This session was focused on the current symposium topic, The State of Our Democracy, and addressed the role of dialogue and listening in our current political climate. It also gave us a chance to reflect on issues that had been raised in our symposium events thus far.

Hacking Democracy | March 1

Electronic voting machines count about 87% of the votes cast in America today. But are they reliable? Are they safe from tampering? From a current congressional hearing to persistent media reports that suggest misuse of data and even outright fraud, concerns over the integrity of electronic voting are growing by the day. Hacking Democracy is a timely, cautionary documentary that exposes the gaping holes in the security of America's electronic voting system. Ultimately, the film shows that the top-secret computerized systems counting the votes in America's public elections are not only fallible, but also vulnerable to undetectable hacking, from local school board contests to the presidential race. With the electronic voting machines of three companies - Diebold, ES&S and Sequoia - collectively responsible for around 80 percent of America's votes today, the stakes for democracy are high.

That's all any of us are asking, is that people
see the problems with the machines, and that
there is a debate about how we can fix this
before it's too late. – Sarah Teale, producer Hacking Democracy

The HBO documentary Hacking Democracy gives us an introduction into the complex problem of elecronic voting machine use in the United States. On March 1st, the Clark community gathered to watch the film and to participate in an open dialogue with a panel of speakers who helped us think more deeply about this issue and how it relates to the current State of Our Democracy. The panel, consisting of election integrity activist Nancy Tobi (Chair of Democracy for New Hampshire), Anthony Stevens (NH Assistant Secretary of State), Brian Cook (Professor of History, Clark University), and Zo Tobi ('08), brought diverse opinions about how the malfunction/misuse of electronic voting machies can compromise our voice as citizens, and thus have the potential to undermine our democracy.

LEARN MORE
visit the Hacking Democracy website
visit the Democracy for New Hampshire website

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