We are constantly bombarded with images and advertising pushing us to buy more, buy better, buy often. What happens when we stop buying so much and start making? More innovation, more creativity and more knowledge can be shared.
Wendy, founder of Swap-O-Rama-Rama, explains her thinking on consumerism aptly:
It’s easy and even mundane to say, ‘This is as good as it gets.’ It is such a more exciting place to say ‘We can do so much better with everything.’ This should be a never ending thought.
Runtime- 4:43
[tags] swaporamarama, wendy tremayne, clothing swap, recycle clothes, recycling, green, sustainable, gift economy, san francisco, ryanishungry[/tags]
Jay said in a recent post:
“…We try to let the person speak for themselves. No one wants to see us play ‘TV reporter’…”
I have to respond. TV reporters play a valuable role in filtering, shaping, and pacing the material they present.
Your comment seems to have a slight disdain for that role, or at least to parts of that process.
In the recent videos, featuring Wendy Tremayne, Marc Powell, and Kirsten Brydum, as “reporters” you and Ryan chose to let them prattle on, or so it seems from the end to end edits of their ideas, making the whole thing seem like these folks are on ideological meth.
There’s nothing wrong the occaissional
question, if for no other purpose than to give the viewer/listener some relief and a chance to digest and sort what information may be valuable.
My final suggestion / comment:
Please try and find some folks that aren’t so “preachy”. Even if one agrees with these folks and they’re point of view, no one enjoys being talked down to by ANYONE with a superiority complex.
M
Thanks for the comment Michael. We certainly give people time to explain themselves in depth. You are absolutely correct that this is not something you see very often on TV. It is weird. If you watch local TV news, the stories are usually about the reporter who simply uses short sound bites with little depth.
I think its funny that you find these people “ïdealogical”…as if having ideas is bad…and as if anyone in mainstream news isnt also ïdealogical” with their own agenda.
I don’t find Wendy, Kirsten, or Marc preachy at all. hahaha. I find them to be confident in living life differently than how we see portrayed in media around us. This is why we love them. For people wanting to connect to others who are goin gagainst the grain, we are helping share survival stratgies. Everyone we’ve talked to has been totally inclusive. If this doesnt come through, it’s our fault for sure.
I would love to see some suggestions of people who are not ïdeological”, and still offering ideas on sustainable culture.
i don’t doubt that a TV reporter can help shape a story. we just happen to be behind the camera shaping these interviews, not in front. i disagree that these people talk down to anyone. they are, like jay said, the most inclusive people we’ve ever met. marc invites anyone to come cook and hang out with him every week. wendy and kristen produce events for people to come and share knowledge and cool stuff for free. they have ideas behind those actions and they want to share them.
IMHO, each of us is “idealogical” (sic). Even Ryanne in presenting different thinkers like Wendy Tremayne without comment or varnish is in essence articulating a point of view. By the very act of choosing Wendy as a speaker and inviting and allowing her to speak at length on subjects close to her heart is making choices (either consciously or unconsciously) about who should be permitted to speak and who should not. I’m actually pleased and gratified by the choices Ryanne makes. By choosing not to interview cannibals or kiddie-porn makers and focusing instead on bright, creative and articulate people with clear and well defined points of view, Ryanne is giving us opportunities to see and hear people whose ideas and ideals may be different than our own and deserve to be heard.
I daresay we’d probably never get a chance to hear Wendy Tremayne speak at such length in the mainstream media (NPR perhaps being the exception). I see not a thing wrong with giving folks like Wendy a platform, a podium and the speaker’s wand. Indeed, I appreciate and applaud Ryanne’s choices!
As to the ideas of Ms Tremayne herself, I’ve spoken with and corresponded with this remarkable woman on several occasions. However, I’ve not had the chance to meet her in person. She never fails to impress me. Her remarks about our being easily manipulated consumers who often give up our own creativity in the endless pursuit of leisure seem right on to me. Her willingness to think and act differently and her openness in expressing her ideas and opinions makes hearing her seem like a breath of fresh air.
Whether one agrees with Wendy or not, is almost irrelevant. It’s hard not to notice that she’s a bright and creative thinker who isn’t afraid to express her ideas — however unorthodox or against our culture’s establised grain they might be. I find her opinions fascinating, enlightening and refreshing and applaud her willingness to share them with others.
Thanks for featuring her, Ryanne. Your Wendy Tremayne series is very much preferrable to the cannibal or kiddie-porn interview you probably could have done on the same day!
Hats off to you too, Wendy… You GO girl!
Best Professional Regards,
Greg Platt
WebMaster and Online Publisher
Steppin’ Out New Mexico – http://www.SONewMex.com