Report Card for Farm Sanctuary: A

Farm Sanctuary recently teamed up with Causecast to help get their message out about reducing our consumption of meat. They kept the shockingly cruel footage to a minimum and decided to focus on something else instead.

That thing? A value. No, it wasn’t mostly compassion; it was sustainability. The organization also communicates values such as compassion and equality on their website, but obviously learned what not to do from PETA since they keep the horrifying images to a minimum, always maintain an approachableness, focus more on what you can do (and not what you shouldn’t be doing) and focus more on success stories.

For stepping outside of the norm, communicating values and reaching new audiences, Farm Sanctuary gets a pretty decent grade.

We need a doctor

DJ Rekha: Give Me Health Care.

DJ Rekha, a hip-hop DJ with Reggaeton and Bollywood influences, has a good point. I can ask for affordable health care until I’m blue in the face (and in need of an oxygen mask at the rate of hundreds of dollars), but until a solution is presented that’s both affordable to everyone and profitable to the medical system, there’s likely to not be a whole lot of movement.

Trying to pass legislation that such as universal health care, or even trying to just keep health care the way it is, isn’t going to fly anymore. Compromises need to be made, the good of everyone involved needs to be recognized and kept in mind, and solutions need to find a common ground where everyone will benefit.

One way to ensure success is to let go of outcomes. If you’re so focused on a single outcome, you often will lose touch with the other’s views and you’ll end up just preaching to the choir.

With health care, it’s just as important to focus on business sustainability and profits, as it is to focus on providing affordable solutions to appeal to all those that are concerned with the issue. Letting go of specific outcomes (such as health care for everyone) and working towards common goals (such as affordable, yet competitive  health care) will only aid in uniting and conquering.

The Funny of Die version of “Prop 8: The Musical” actually lays out pretty decent ground rules for Coalitions

"Prop 8 - The Musical" starring Jack Black, John C. Reilly, and many more... from Jack Black

Neil Patrick Harris is well suited to run any successful coalition. In this video, he appeals to the conservatives by showing them the impact gay marriage will have on the economy. While it might be an exaggeration of the truth (come on, we all know that no self-respecting lesbian would choose a lavender wedding hall), it’s actually a very strategic way to appeal to people that wouldn’t normally be for gay marriage.

Some people may view communication like this as selling out. Which, yes, in a perfect world everyone would agree that it’s ludicrous to deny such a basic human right as marriage to two people in love, but unfortunately, not everyone is there yet. So, with most political issues, appealing to the masses is the only chance a lot of groups have at winning.