Return to previous location              Back to Ethics Table of Contents                  Next Item -->

John Vasconcellos to all re DAN YANKELOVICH 'TRUST'/INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP FORUM - 4/28/02 
Ethics 12

Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2002 10:25 PM

Subject: DAN YANKELOVICH 'TRUST'/INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP FORUM;4/28/02

A. THE MOST POWERFUL SOCIAL TRENDS ARE THOSE THAT CONVERGE -

1 - They are transforming, and they are enduring!

B - THE CONVERGING EFFECTS OF 9/11 + 'ENRONITIS' -

1 - Our feeling of greater vulnerability;

2 - More dependence on government;

3 - Rise in patriotism and sense of community;

4 - Increasing trust in institutions -

a - Including government -

(1) - 1970 - 73% of people trusted (in) government;

(2) - 1994 - 17% of people trusted (in) government;

(3) - 2001/Oct - 64% of people trusted (in) government.

C - 'ENRONITIS' -

1 - Definition: An institutional propensity to betray the trust of your

constituents.

2 - Result - a rise in populism.

3 - What's more notable than failure of Enron itself -

a - Is the fialure of the entire series of watchdog institutions!

3 - Adding to the growing (to epidemic levels) erosion (collapse) of trust is

the Catholic Church's current scandals.

4 - Note that the long-standing title of 'used car salesman' as the most

distrusted profession -

a - Has been replaced - by HMO's;

D - SO ALTOGETHER WE ARE NOTING, EXPERIENCING, A REMARKABLE MAGNITUDE OF THE

SHIFT DOWNWARD OF CONFIDENCE AND TRUST -

1 - Both:

a - In government, +

2 - In corporations.

2 - Therefore we are experiencing an emergency, a profond lowering of, a

crisis in trust amongst our people today -

a - Especially trust in the American brand of capitalism;

b - Componded by Enron, Bernadine Healy, and Cardinal Law -

(1) - Each and all of whom were/are utterly isolated from all reality except

their own!

3 - And society is creating subcultures and siloes that are grounds for

further mistrust.

E - THEREFORE WE HAVE TODAY AN ENORMOUS AND GROWING PRESSING NEED FOR A NEW

INSTITUTIONAL MORALTIY!

F - IN LIGHT OF OUR CURRENT SITUATION, AND CRISES - THERE ARE ONLY 4 LIKELY

MAJOR SCENARIOS FOR OUR FUTURE:

1 - Deepening cynicism, isolation and fear;

2 - Moral Fndamentalism (a la John Ashcroft);

3 - A 'law & order' repressive government (a la John Ashcroft);

a - One or a combination of the above 3 scenarios is the inevitable result of

our inaction!!!

4 - Correcting the abuses facing us in our society thru stengthening American

society!

a - And the key to accomplishing this #4 is 'RESTORING TRUST!'

b - We must recognize that the favorite American solutions will not work,

will not suffice:

(1) - Passing another law;

(2) - Adopting more regulations;

(3) - A technological fix.

G - TRUST CAN ONLY BE RESTORED THRU A NEW INSTITUTIONAL MORALITY.

1 - All since our l960's, we've been making efforts to adjust to and

incorporate the blast openings of the 60's;

2 - And we engaged in, achieved, much social learning -

a - Enabling us to outgrow the excesses of the '60's;

3 - Self-corrective measures have worked at the level of us as individuals,

a - But have not worked societally!

4 - So it grows clear now that 'TRUST' is much more than a sweet ideal!

a - It is the only real antidote, the only promising alternative, to the

cynicism and chaos we are experiencing today in the United States -

b - Trust has become a necessity for us if we are to rebuild American society

H - THEREFORE WE ARE EXPERIENCING TODAY STRONG PUBLIC PRESSURE TO:

1 - Curb the excesses of individualism; +

2 - Restore traditional American virtues.

I - THOSE TRADITIONAL AMERICAN VALUES INCLUDE:

1 - Honesty;

2 - Respect;

3 - Corporate good citizenship;

4 - Paying your taxes, and obeying the law;

5 - Conserving our environment;

6 - Being a good neighbor, having a sense of community;

7 - Transparency;

8 - Humanization.

J - INSTITUTIONS LEGITIMATE AND ECNOURAGE SOME OF THE INDIVIDUAL'S WORST

EXCESSES.

1 - How curb excesses?

a - Self correction has not proven sufficient;

(1) - Such correction must begin at the top -

(2) - Even as it must reflect the morals of our people themselves.

K - THE SOCIAL MOVEMENTS OF THE 1960'S & 1970'S TRANSFORMED THE MORAL CLIMATE

OF AMERICA:

1 - Civil rights movement -

a - Including feminism;

2 - environmental movement;

3 - Consumer movement;

4 - Anti-war movement.

L - SO ALTOGETHER THAT IS AS FAR AS I HAVE PROCEEDED IN MY STUDY AND ANALYSIS

OF THE MAJOR TRENDS EMERGING IN THE UNITED STATES TODAY -

1 - I conclude that altogether we are experiencing a crisis of distrust - and

2 - The only real promising hopeful alternative antidote is 'TRUST.'

M - I HAVE NOT YET PROCEEDED INTO THE NEXT LOGICAL STEP - HOW TO ADVANCE THE

CAUSE OF 'TRUST' IN AMERICA -

1 - Yet I want to offer you in closing, with the question, 'Is this the way?"

a - John Vasconcellos quotation, call, challenge, in his LEGACY PROJECT,

calling for a new "POLITICS OF TRUST" -

'What will best constitute this (desired, committed to) living legacy (of

mine) is the generation of a new movement in American politics, grounded in

the belief that (we) human beings are innately inclined toward becoming

life-affirming, constructive, repsonsible and trustworthy. This faithful view

of our human nature gives rise to a whole new series of policies, programs

and political processes that serve to empower the healthy growth and

development of each and every person in our state and nation (as well as that

of our communities themselves).'

(FOLLOWING POINTS MADE BY DAN YANKELOVICH DURING GROUP DISCUSSION)

N - HOW CAN WE LAUNCH THIS NEW SOCIALMOVEMENT?

1 - How can we make it work, speak to our people -

a - Speak even to high school students, our citizens of tomorrow?

O - SOCIAL MOVEMENTS BEGIN WITH A SENSE OF OUTRAGE -

1 - JV - isn't that the old paradigm once again?

a - Couldn't we envision a new methodology befitting who we are becoming as

persons -

(l) - An energy, a movement, propelled proactively, by our own growing human

yearning for self-realization and deeper sense of community?

2 - Social movements are the result of a combination of:

a - The passionate expressions of @4% of the people, +

b - A much larger majority response, who find themselves saying (of the 4%),

'Well, they have a point!'

(1) - This majority having no place to go, growing ever angrier, gradually

becoing a tinder box.

3 - Our challenge now: how to enlist & mobilize this small empassioned

minority?

a - Inquiry: how come we are not finding such in our college students today,

who are largely dispassionate -

b - Especially incongruous in the face of the hugely passionate Islam kids.

4 - The truth is that there is plenty of passion out there today -

a - Better yet, in here, within us -

b - If we could only sound the right call -

(l) - Which would speak to them, be heard by them, serve to unify them, serve

to organize them altogether.

5 - People insisting on their rights is not the path to the future!

P - DICK FARSON: HOW ABOUT USING THE INTERNET TO SPREAD THE WORD, AND TO

MOBILIZE, AROUND THIS NEW UNIFIYING PRINCIPLE OF TRUST?

1 - We owe it to ourselves, we have to learn how to use it for these purposes

Q - SO ALTOGETHER, OUR FORMULA FOR THIS NEW MOVEMENT OF TRUST:

1 - Faithful inspired visionary leadership; +

2 - The outraged and ready masses; +

3 - The Internet to provide us the means, the glue, to find each other, to

spread the good news, to all come together, enlist & mobilize, generate this

new movement.

R - IT'S A MYTH THAT PROGRESSIVES ARE HARD TO AWAKEN, MOBILIZE -

1- Cf woman, civil rights groups, anti-war folks, environmentalists.

2 - All Progressives today are in disarray -

3 - We may have ost our self-confidence -

a - But it is stil there, we are still here.

4 - We have not gotten out act together -

a - We simply must get our act together!

5 - We desperately need a new organizing unifying principles -

a - Why not make that - 'TRUST?'

S - DEMOCRATS HAVE TRADITIONALLY SHIED AWAY FROM DISCUSSION OF VALUES - TO

THEIR PERIL -

1 - Democrats have discussed, espoused values - only economically.

2 - But values are all of where it's at today -

a - And Democrats must go there if they hope to succeed!

T - (WALT ANDERSON) - WE FACE THE LACK OF VISION OF THE FUTUER TOWARD WHICH

WE WANT TO PROGRESS.

1 - A truly compelling new Progresssive agenda has to go beyond domestic

concerns & challenges -

a - To Include the international scene -

(1) - Including the JIHAD.

b - How do we include that?

2 - We must recognize we are facing a real clash of civilizations.

U - (DAN Y) - THIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARY GENERATION OF AMERICANS -

1 - But not being used well now.

V - WE MUST BE CAREFUL TO RECOGNIZE THE MORE MODERATE VIEWPOINTS EXISTING

WITHIN THE CIVILIAN POPULATIONS INTERNATIONALLY.

W - (JV) - AGAIN, WE MUST RECOGNIZE, OWN UP TO THE REALITY THAT:

1 - We laud our 'new demography,'

2 - We praise our 'new economy,'

3 - We cherish our 'new consciousness' -

4 - And yet we are stuck with our same old cynical divisive politics!

Return to previous location             Back to Ethics Table of Contents                   Next Item -->