One way to look at Penn Praxis involvement is this:
Conflict of interest: Penn would not be an impartial facilitator because it
has myriad relationships with the City government, including but not by any
means limited to the ongoing drama of the Campus Inn, playing out in front of
the Historical and City Planning Commissions and the Zoning Board of
Adjustment.
It's like having Dick Cheney convene a panel to write energy policy, and having
the panel be comprised of Gulf, Texaco and Exxon Mobil.
The process would be more transparent if an educational institution from
outside Philadelphia provided the facilitation.
> Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2009 08:33:36 -0500> From: [email protected]> To:
> [email protected]; [email protected]> Subject: Re: [UC] Libraries and
> tactics that are doomed to failure> > Thanks Dave, I didn’t see it on my
> screen. It is indeed “vewy intewesting.”> > What has been copied from other
> sources is a jumble of bullets and snips that confuse rather than shine a
> light on Praxis methods or ideology. This is even more problematic than bad
> web construction. > > > Very important: Only “Key Factors for Engaging People
> in Public Life” from a Kettering Foundation group, 1993, adds anything
> comprehensible on its own. And what it adds completely undercuts the Penn
> “workshop” design and methods!> > Go down the column “what we see in society”
> juxtaposed against “what citizens do” Look at these examples of the real
> problems in civic engagement:> > “Appeals that treat people as if they were
> passive consumers of information, isolated in their homes,” Experts seen as
> the "credible sources" for information and for engaging citizens,”
> “Expert-driven facts and figures used to establish and speak with authority,”
> “Concerns depicted through fragmented facts, data, anecdotes,” “Public debate
> cast in extremes, conflict and polarized,” “Appeals made to people's self
> interest.” “Public concerns riddled with inaction, stagnation, lack of hope.”
> > > What real civic engagement experts, Kettering, point out; is that these
> Penn techniques are the very problem and not the solution! Consider all the
> confusion built into this web site, after carefully considering and comparing
> that list. The ostensibly complex jumble of concepts are deliberately
> confusing because Praxis depends on it. There is no mistake.> > Yesterday, I
> watched the city officials rehearse with Camille Barnett. Praxis participants
> will be educated that all is hopeless unless Philadelphians helplessly accept
> the only alternatives which are being designed by the experts.> > Thanks
> again, that was very important to catch,> Glenn > > > -----Original
> Message-----> >From: Dave Axler <[email protected]>> >Sent: Jan 28, 2009
> 11:02 PM> >To: UnivCity Listserv <[email protected]>> >Subject: Re:
> [UC] Libraries and tactics that are doomed to failure> >> >As Elmer Fudd used
> to say, "Vewwy intewesting".> >> >If you go to this page, you will find all
> the links that Glenn cites > >below:> >http://www.gse.upenn.edu/node/416> >>
> >If you then simply scroll down the page, instead of using the links, > >you
> will then find the actual sections of text to which the links are > >supposed
> to connect. Yes, they're all on that very same web page. In > >fact, the
> first section -- "Metaphors of Community" -- is partially > >visible as soon
> as you view the page, if you're using a large enough > >monitor.> >> >Those
> links are clearly intended to simply scroll the page in an > >automated
> fashion, as are the "Back To Top" links below each section. > >Unfortunately,
> whoever designed the page didn't do enough testing. > >(There are several
> other web-design errors there as well, but that's > >not relevant to this
> discussion.)> >> >But if your goal is to see and discuss what PPCE describes
> as its Core > >Concepts, don't get distracted by the bad links..> >> >Just
> use your scroll bar instead and read 'em for yourself.> >> >> >On Jan 28,
> 2009, at 9:36 PM, Glenn moyer wrote:> >> >> “A Penn> >> entity makes just as
> much sense to the average Joe as anybody else's> >> entity, to organize
> large-scale, productive meetings.”> >>> >>> >> Tony, these people on the
> un-moderated list sure know how to fling > >> it. You were so ivy league to
> point to these deep core concepts > >> published transparently by the Penn
> intellectuals on their web > >> site. How could anyone doubt this brilliant
> civic engagement > >> literature:> >>> >>> >> Metaphors of community> >>> >>
> http://www.gse.upenn.edu/ppce/ > >>
> coreconcepts.php#metaphorsofcommunity#metaphorsofcommunity> >>> >>> >>
> Metaphors of engagement> >>> >> http://www.gse.upenn.edu/ppce/ > >>
> coreconcepts.php#metaphorsofengagement#metaphorsofengagement> >>> >>> >> Key
> concepts for engaging people> >>> >>
> http://www.gse.upenn.edu/ppce/coreconcepts.php#keyfactors#keyfactors> >>> >>
> Naming and framing problems> >>> >>
> http://www.gse.upenn.edu/ppce/coreconcepts.php#namingandframingproblems > >>
> #namingandframingproblems> >>> >> Civic deliberation and civic capacity> >>>
> >> http://www.gse.upenn.edu/ppce/ > >>
> coreconcepts.php#civicdeliberation#civicdeliberation> >>> >>> >>> >>
> -----Original Message-----> >>> From: Anthony West
> <[email protected]>> >>> Sent: Jan 28, 2009 8:48 PM> >>> To:
> UnivCity Listserv <[email protected]>> >>> Subject: Re: [UC] Libraries
> and tactics that are doomed to failure> >>>> >>> It's reasonable to be
> skeptical about a Penn-based attempt to > >>> facilitate> >>> a meeting over
> a conflict between some of its neighbors and itself.> >>>> >>> That's not the
> situation before us in this case. The City budget gap> >>> affects all
> Philadelphians, not just the 3% who live in University > >>> City.> >>> The
> budget is to Campus Inn as a watermelon is to a walnut. A Penn> >>> entity
> makes just as much sense to the average Joe as anybody else's> >>> entity, to
> organize large-scale, productive meetings. The work a Penn> >>> team did on
> the waterfront a year or two ago drew high marks from all> >>> the
> communities involved, and they had plenty of hot issues.> >>>> >>> Penn
> doesn't have to ignore its own good while acting for the good of> >>> others.
> All of us do the same thing; it's called "making a living."> >>>> >>> For
> anyone who is "concerned about Penn's involvement with the ...> >>> budget
> crisis, and what they expect to get ... in return," the > >>> obvious> >>>
> first step is to ask the Project for Civic Engagement, whose > >>> director
> is> >>> Dr. Harris Sokoloff. Its website is www.gse.upenn.edu/ppce/. While >
> >>> Penn> >>> could be giving it away, most academic projects are done for >
> >>> contracts> >>> -- and lots of government contracts -- in which money
> changes hands. > >>> That's what they get in return. Also they get a good
> reputation, > >>> which> >>> helps them somewhere down the line, they hope.>
> >>>> >>> Plus, it's possible some people at Penn, like some people on this >
> >>> list,> >>> see their city in a real bind and wish to pitch in something
> useful> >>> toward that problem.> >>>> >>> Will its public meetings
> accomplish anything in the end? That seems > >>> like> >>> a more reasonable
> suspicion. Wharton has been flinging buckets of> >>> high-financial brains
> into Wall Street for a generation, and look > >>> where> >>> that's gotten
> us. On the other hand, nobody else knows what to do> >>> either. So excluding
> Penn from any role in its city's fate seems > >>> odd, to> >>> say the
> least.> >>>> >>> -- Tony West> >>>> >>>> >>> KAREN ALLEN wrote:> >>>> Ray,>
> >>>> In reaction to that other response your post received, I too am> >>>>
> concerned with Penn's involvement with the City's budget crisis, and> >>>>
> with what they expect to get out of the city in return for their> >>>>
> involvement. Penn is not just some benign entity who is> >>>> unselfishly
> lending its expertise to the greater good. Of course> >>>> that's what they
> and their apologists want everyone to think: "Trust> >>>> us! This is all for
> your own good".> >>>>> >>>> Ask the folks down on Woodland Terrace whether
> they trust Penn. Ask> >>>> those who attended the Philadelphia City Planning
> and Historical> >>>> Commission hearings and witnessed those charades. Ask
> those > >>>> attendees> >>>> who witnessed Chris O'Donnell "out" a
> new-to-the-neighborhood real> >>>> estate agent who testified in support of
> Campus Inn, but who > >>>> somehow> >>>> failed to mention that
> "coincidentally" he (the agent) got a big > >>>> condo> >>>> deal from Penn
> (not that one had anything to do with the other!!!).> >>>> Ask the folks from
> Spruce Hill Civic Association who quit that> >>>> organization in disgust
> after the Campus Inn debacle exposed how and> >>>> for whom that organization
> actually functions.> >>>>> >>>> Trust Penn and in 20 years, 48th and Spruce
> will look like 38th and> >>>> Spruce does today.> >>>> >>>> >>> ----> >>> You
> are receiving this because you are subscribed to the> >>> list named
> "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see> >>>
> <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.> >>> >> ----> >> You are receiving this
> because you are subscribed to the> >> list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe
> or for archive information, see> >> <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.>
> >----> >You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the> >list named
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