Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 49 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
Exclusive to OpEd News:
OpEdNews Op Eds    H2'ed 10/5/16

A Conversation about Bottom Up Thinking Applied to Mobs, Education and Top Down Institutions

By       (Page 1 of 2 pages)   75 comments, In Series: Bottom-up, Top-down
Follow Me on Twitter     Message Rob Kall
Become a Fan
  (295 fans)

Trump Rally/Protest
Trump Rally/Protest
(Image by nathanmac87)
  Details   DMCA

Earlier this year I started a listserve group to discuss different aspects and angles about Bottom Up and Top Down, inviting people who had commented on some of my articles that focused on Bottom Up here at OEN. Today, Kevin Tully posted an observation that I thought, combined with my response would be interesting to discuss here. I'd love to see what your thoughts are. Anyone reading this is welcome to apply to join the group. I think this link will get you Google Groups, where you can sign up.

First, Kevin Tully's opening observation:

Rob, there is something that keeps intruding into my thoughts as I'm reading your work. Is the Trump phenomenon an organic bottom up movement in response to the failure of a top down society? If so, is there a built in problem with bottom up -- the masses have a natural tendency to become a mob?

Are top down institutions the capacitors and regulators of the mob? Can you have a mob of educated citizens? Does education start the momentum leading to top down? Is it possible to have effective bottom up institutions in an ideologically divided Democracy? Requires an absolute societal paradigm shift? Will bottom up have to start at the top?

Kevin

Here's my reply.

Great questions.

We could also include the Tea Party too.

I don't have answers, but here are some off the top of my head thoughts.

1- Trump is, in chaos theory terms, a "strange attractor" a bifurcation or jumping off point for emergence of something new in the existing system. The question is, how does this group of people behave if Trump wins or loses? The same question can be asked about Bernie's revolution. I'm not that hopeful for Bernie's Revolution because he's put top-down thinking leaders in charge. But they are implementing some bottom up approaches, so we'll see.

I don't think Trump's movement is all organic or bottom up. It's been stoked by huge top down mainstream media coverage. But I think you are right that it's a reaction to top down abuses. I've got to write an article about not using the word failure. It's no failure that top down culture is exploiting he 99%. It's intentional.

I think Trump's narcissism and the idol worship he's built his campaign upon is top down in nature. I don't see bottom up cooperation, interdependence, caring, empathy at Trump rallies. I see the opposite, maybe even anarchy, which is not bottom up in my mind. And there is a huge amount of authoritarianism.

The "mob" is a function of big cities. The mob is big, so not really a manifestation of bottom up, which is small and local. (challenge me on this) I think we should talk a lot more about "the mob." It raises very interesting questions.

Part of the issue with the "mob" is what they bring to the table nurture-wise. I think a lot of Trump supporters are badly damaged emotionally, literally abused as children. George Lakoff has written extensively on how liberal/progressive parenting is much more nurturing than conservatives.

There's always a balance between top down and bottom up. Currently, there is much more top down energy and power, Even top down values dominate.

I have to think more on the questions about education. Education is bottom up, in that it can empower people. But it can be top down, by creating exclusive private schools only accessible for the elite.

Are all laws and regulations top down? If so, then top down does act as capacitor and regulator. Regulations ARE necessary.

Next Page  1  |  2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Valuable 2   Must Read 1   Well Said 1  
Rate It | View Ratings

Rob Kall Social Media Pages: Facebook Page       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Rob Kall is an award winning journalist, inventor, software architect, connector and visionary. His work and his writing have been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, ABC, the HuffingtonPost, Success, Discover and other media.

Check out his platform at RobKall.com

He is the author of The Bottom-up Revolution; Mastering the Emerging World of Connectivity

He's given talks and workshops to Fortune 500 execs and national medical and psychological organizations, and pioneered first-of-their-kind conferences in Positive Psychology, Brain Science and Story. He hosts some of the world's smartest, most interesting and powerful people on his Bottom Up Radio Show, and founded and publishes one of the top Google- ranked progressive news and opinion sites, OpEdNews.com

more detailed bio:

Rob Kall has spent his adult life as an awakener and empowerer-- first in the field of biofeedback, inventing products, developing software and a music recording label, MuPsych, within the company he founded in 1978-- Futurehealth, and founding, organizing and running 3 conferences: Winter Brain, on Neurofeedback and consciousness, Optimal Functioning and Positive Psychology (a pioneer in the field of Positive Psychology, first presenting workshops on it in 1985) and Storycon Summit Meeting on the Art Science and Application of Story-- each the first of their kind. Then, when he found the process of raising people's consciousness and empowering them to take more control of their lives one person at a time was too slow, he founded Opednews.com-- which has been the top search result on Google for the terms liberal news and progressive opinion for several years. Rob began his Bottom-up Radio show, broadcast on WNJC 1360 AM to Metro Philly, also available on iTunes, covering the transition of our culture, business and world from predominantly Top-down (hierarchical, centralized, authoritarian, patriarchal, big) to bottom-up (egalitarian, local, interdependent, grassroots, archetypal feminine and small.) Recent long-term projects include a book, Bottom-up-- The Connection Revolution, (more...)
 

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Follow Me on Twitter     Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

A Conspiracy Conspiracy Theory

Debunking Hillary's Specious Winning the Popular Vote Claim

Terrifying Video: "I Don't Need a Warrant, Ma'am, Under Federal Law"

Ray McGovern Discusses Brutal Arrest at Secretary Clinton's Internet Freedom Speech

Hillary's Disingenuous Claim That She's Won 2.5 Million More Votes is Bogus. Here's why

Cindy Sheehan Bugged in Denver

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend