Thanks Wilma!
It's hard to know how many neighbors are beginning to understand these propaganda techniques and purposes. I went to the AVI "outreach session" and the people I talked to all seemed to understand that it was a worthless PR stunt, but they were mostly common people. (I was "educated" by a grad student, brought in from NY, and they were going to educate us that "AVI is tax fairness and that it was all very professional." She didn't know anything about the history, lies or the massive corporate giveaway for which AVI was designed.)
It's a good time to look at this "wish list" PR technique. The Penn/Wall St. Planning Commission uses it to legitimize the theft of taxpayer dollars for distribution to corporate projects. Anything close to real engagement, or truthful information, would have met angry responses. That's one reason for the tightly controlled bizzare games they use. But attendees end up feeling empty, as they sense it's meaningless, even without fully understanding the PR purposes.
It's really important for people to stop seeing these corporate slush funds of taxpayer money as "free money." The corporate ice skating rink at city hall was supposedly $50 million for public transit infrastructure. What we now know about the Clark Park gravel pit is that it was always designed as a food court for the new 43rd St mall being planned. And there is no such thing as a parklett. Parkletts are the theft of taxpayer money to create outdoor seating for corporate eateries and coffee shops (the real model is 42nd and Woodland outside the Starbucks. The Green line parklett was a ploy to make people think these would primarily go to local eateries)
Later, they will magically turn these costly PR stunts like PHL2035 into "the demands of the people." They will claim the wish list sessions were open, democratic, community engagement sessions, to justify the transfer of funds for corporate projects. They have no interest in any input from the people of Philadelphia, only the propaganda value of these sessions, when the individual corporate schemes emerge. The "funny money" game only included various corporate infrastructure "visions", so that it was win-win for Penn and partners, and the input of residents was completely meaningless. The demands of the final corporate projects will fine tune the spending.
The attendees were used. I hope the empty feelings they had after the funny money game turn into rage and courage, as they connect their increasing tax bills, school closures, etc.; with the parkletts, fenced off rental parks, and food courts. (The enclosed Penn Park, paid for by the US Postal Service, is hosting a John Legend concert only open to those with a Penn Card)
I highly encourage people to study the various propaganda techniques used in our inverted totalitarian society (Inverted totalitarianism, Wolin and Hedges). MIT Professor Noam Chomsky and Wharton professor Edward Herman developed a propaganda model in their book Manufacturing Consent, The Political Economy of the Mass Media, which should be required reading in all American high schools.
S. Wolin, The Nation, Inverted Totalitarianism
http://www.thenation.com/article/inverted-totalitarianism
Thanks again,
Glenn
-----Original Message-----
>From: Wilma de Soto
>Sent: Mar 29, 2013 5:47 PM
>To: UnivCity listserv
>Subject: [UC] PHL2035 Plan for University City/Southwest District
>
>Interesting site about the PHIL2035 plan for our area and the Community Meeting Summary.
>
>http://phila2035.org
>
>
>
>Community Meeting Summary (1/13):
>
>http://phila2035.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2nd-Public-Meeting-Summary.pdf
>----
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