The State of the Collaboration Union
The State of the Union was last Tuesday. And the more you watched, the more it felt like hope and whatever loose change was left was slipping away. And not for the reasons you think.
I tuned in last Tuesday to the State of the Union. As a voting individual in this great nation, I take interest in the politics and policies enacted by those that I elect to office. The event is usually a festive one in Congress, with the President addressing all elected officials as well as the rest of the country.
Its usually one of the fluffiest things you can watch. The President makes comments about policies and tasks that he’d like to complete for the year, and the rest of the nation watches on.
One of the more disheartening things of course, is the Republican response to each and every one of these declarations. And while the Republicans are not fans of Obama as well, the impression given during speeches like this shows not only a lack of unity as a nation but also a lack of an interest in one of the most important tenets of business and social media - collaboration.
Its often noted that Republican representative Mitch McConnell has said that he will do everything he can, if possible, to prevent Obama from being a successful President, and will block anything and everything possible to make this happen. In the eyes of private and public work, this is the antithesis of collaboration. When one is usually hired in a company, they are brought in to work and help reach organizational goals. In the case of the United States Congress, this seems like the exact opposite - the goal here is to make the President fail.
In general, the consensus of the citizens of the United States is that nothing is getting done, and partially, that’s because of the US government is refusing to collaborate. If anything, the State of the Union showed us that gridlock and a promotion of failure seems to be the way to go. While the nation moves more towards a socialized and collaborative framework with collaborative technology, the government moves the other direction.
What’s your take? Tweet me at @albertqian or comment below.
TTSBV: America’s Income Disparity
Give me your tired, your hungry, your poor… the etchings on the Statue of Liberty read. For the immigrants making their way through Ellis Island in the 1930s, this iconic statue symbolized all of the reasons of why they wanted to come to the United States, from the promise of freedom to the building of a better life.
Eighty years later the truth of why these immigrants came are in question. Income disparity is greater than ever with the top 1% earning more than half the income that this country has to offer. Almost fifty million and counting now are dependent on food stamps to get them through the day and as the recession drags on, more and more people drop off the job hunting rolls, giving up on making an honest paycheck.
For this rare edition of Things That Should Be Viral, we look into the disparity of income in the United States and examine the lower rung of society - those who struggle to get by month to month on a minimum paycheck and must sacrifice simple things for their children in order to get by. Playspent, by the Urban Ministries of Durham has released a game that really elaborates and hits the point home on what low income families in the United States have to do in order to be able to make do for their family every month. Players are given scenarios such as decisions on whether to pay their phone bill or electric bill (but not both), attend their child’s big game or opt to help a friend to make more money, as well as pay for healthcare.
The gameplay is sobering to say the least. In playing the game you get a sense of helplessness for the lower income bracket of America. As much as they want to get out of their quandary, their situation perpetuates and festers into more problems, one of which is the lack of assets. However, don’t let my blog post here speak for you - go play the game, check it out, and share it with your friends.
Share any thoughts you have about the game in the comments below or Tweet back at me.
