Question: What should we be doing that we’re not?
Anna Deavere Smith: Well I think the collaborations across the boundaries of class and race are really important. I think to keep learning language is essential. I think learning how to work with other people so that you can do bigger projects that are going to require more than the single author.
I think that people should be rewarded and given support – I mean tangibly. People should make grants to people who want to do projects that require collaboration across race, class and national lines.
I think if people start to see that the word “we” is more important than “I”, and if hard dollars start to support those kind of projects, then more people will work that way and come outside of what I call their safe houses of identity where everybody is just like them.
Question: How do we make that happen?
Anna Deavere Smith: Well in real practical terms, my high school was a place where, we did in the time that I grew up, collaborate across our boundaries. I think universities that talk about interdisciplinary behavior don’t help that happen. Now a university is like a kind of a “faithdom” of all different kinds of people together – scientists, artists, historians, philosophers, and people who want to turn their people into billionaires. We’re all in the same community. But to get things going across those schools is very hard.
Question: How do we make it global?
Anna Deavere Smith: I see a lot of global initiatives in business. They figured that out for sure. So let’s try to figure it out in the culture. Let’s go to the businessmen and ask them to teach us how they did that. Ask them to help us meet some people elsewhere. Ask them to fund collaborations, even cultural collaborations just using where their businesses are based in the world.
Recorded on: 08/22/2007
Discuss
Nelson harbor on January 29, 2008, 4:25 AM
So John McCain thinks that having the government mandate health care coverage for all Americans is a dangerous idea. Obviously, John McCain sees no problem with the reported estimate that 40 million Americans have NO HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE. Can I assume then that he agrees with the current President who has stated that those with no insurance just need to go to the emergency room for free health care?
Mr. McCain states that he worries about the (negative) impact that government mandated universal health care coverage will have "on the highest health care available in America." Negative impact? For starters I can think of 40 million positive impacts.
My thanks to John McCain for this bit of straight talk. His words indicate to me that he is completely out of touch— or, in denial—with one of the major domestic problems facing our country today: HEALTH CARE COVERAGE. No MR. McCain, universal health care is not a dangerous idea … unless, of course, you are speaking to a certain political constituency and/or campaign supporter.
I am now neither. John McCain just lost my support.
Nelson harbor on January 29, 2008, 9:25 AM
So John McCain thinks that having the government mandate health care coverage for all Americans is a dangerous idea. Obviously, John McCain sees no problem with the reported estimate that 40 million Americans have NO HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE. Can I assume then that he agrees with the current President who has stated that those with no insurance just need to go to the emergency room for free health care?
Mr. McCain states that he worries about the (negative) impact that government mandated universal health care coverage will have “on the highest health care available in America.” Negative impact? For starters I can think of 40 million positive impacts.
My thanks to John McCain for this bit of straight talk. His words indicate to me that he is completely out of touch— or, in denial—with one of the major domestic problems facing our country today: HEALTH CARE COVERAGE. No MR. McCain, universal health care is not a dangerous idea … unless, of course, you are speaking to a certain political constituency and/or campaign supporter.
I am now neither. John McCain just lost my support.
Linda Kajma on February 8, 2008, 7:11 AM
I have to disagree about universal health care. I agree that there are many families who are in need of this benefit. However, there need to be checks and balance in place so that the system is not abused by those who are not in need.
As an example of universal health care, let's look at Canada. I have spoken with several Canadian citizens who feel it is a disaster and are left to travel to the USA for their treatment, in order to get it in a timely manner. Also, their internal choices are limited.
I think we need to address the issue of rising health care costs by evaluating those who are receiving the free "emergency room" treatments and abusing the system. We are currently providing health care to illegal immigrants.
While I believe everyone should be afforded care when in need, I also feel that those of us who have followed the law and have paid for our health care should not be penalized by those who have not and are abusing the system. This has increased the cost of health care exponentially; thus making it unaffordable to many of those in need.Let's start by looking at the abuse of our current system before we try to implement another system without full knowledge.
Linda Kajma on February 8, 2008, 12:11 PM
I have to disagree about universal health care. I agree that there are many families who are in need of this benefit. However, there need to be checks and balance in place so that the system is not abused by those who are not in need.
As an example of universal health care, let’s look at Canada. I have spoken with several Canadian citizens who feel it is a disaster and are left to travel to the USA for their treatment, in order to get it in a timely manner. Also, their internal choices are limited.
I think we need to address the issue of rising health care costs by evaluating those who are receiving the free “emergency room” treatments and abusing the system. We are currently providing health care to illegal immigrants.
While I believe everyone should be afforded care when in need, I also feel that those of us who have followed the law and have paid for our health care should not be penalized by those who have not and are abusing the system. This has increased the cost of health care exponentially; thus making it unaffordable to many of those in need.
Let’s start by looking at the abuse of our current system before we try to implement another system without full knowledge.
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