Art Show
Oh man how I love Minneapolis. Where else would I have an art exhibit with more than 100 artists sitting in flesh and depicting their work? The art exhibit was talking place 5 minutes from my place. Its another fact that my house is that same 5 minute away from the great Mississippi river and also from the spot of the only waterfall in the entire stretch of the Mississippi. I should not hide the fact that that falls falls less than 20 feet. Ekks. Read that again. In simple terms, it falls less than 20 feet. How I love putting simple things in such intricate web of words juxtaposed with the same word to add to the perplex. The exhibit was held on the banks of the river.
There was a plethora of activities going on amidst a wide variety of display and sale of work ranging from fine jewellery, colourful dresses, wood work, paintings, sketches, photography, music work, collage, etc etc. It was fun to watch. Art work from other countries were poorly represented though. Let me stop being a reporter and come to the point. People you would or rather I would assosiciate with Truckers or Bikers were artists. Beer bellied Walrus mustached men who would spend their Saturday afternoon barbecuing or watching the football game were out there as connoisseurs of art.
It is so easy to stereotype. Its so easy to assign someone to a group, fix a set of attributes and totally negate the thought that they can be anything outside that notion. Oh he is from Minnesota. He must be crazy. Why pick on generalization when thats the way of life? Unless and until we generalize, we can't draw conclusions. Draw inferences. Without that how do we go forward? Thats how scientists work and invent and discover. To me saying A belongs to group X is fine even if A does not fully qualify. But saying since A belongs to group X, A should be like this is kind of drawing a wrong inference. We need to understand that not everyone belonging to a group share the same attributes. Even if they share the same attributes, the way they react to a particular situation will not be the same. Their behaviour, likes, dislikes need not be the same. The individuals in a group are not miniature versions of the group. The group is a conglomeration of the individuals.
Individuals make a group, a society, a community. A group a society or a community cannot dictate the form the individual need to take and it would be foolish to assume the organization is the big mould into which the people fit magically and they cant and wont deviate from it.
Why this indignation now? Organizations like AID,DISHA,CRY etc are called NGOs. Non governmental Organizations. All these organizations have the same modus operandi. Raise money. Sponsor projects of other NGOs. Here is the problem. Due to perception, generalization or whatever, all of them are having a tough time getting new volunteers . These organizations are run by the volunteers. These volunteers are the organization. I would say generalisation of characteristics of volunteers as one reason of volunteer drought.
People who would like to volunteer are put off by the image they would get if they get involved. We as a society have all along associated people in NGOs with Kurta wearing, bespectacled losers talking about grandeur plans and occasionally doing some good. No. A volunteer for AID could be a very successful professional spending a small time every week to keep the accounts in tally. Or could be a student working towards her Ph.D and discussing the niti gritties of a project with a representative of an NGO once a week. That representative could again be a very successful house wife spending sometime every week on this. None of them are your typical M.A. no job frustrated in life desperately trying to do something kind of people. All of them are getting something no company can give - Managing a team of volunteers. As someone who was wholly involved in gathering volunteers for events almost every month, I know what kind of terrific experience in people management this is. Here we cant and dont operate with the tool called authority. We have to deal with people who feel they are doing the organization a favour. The volunteers are in the best Management school in the world. Finance Marketing Operations HR Technology you name it and there are self taught training for it here.
The notion I have that they are also part of the organization the moment they signed up, either for a specific event or long term is a different issue. Not just that. People who want to volunteer stereotype what happens inside. Lengthy discussions on topics that are of little value. Topics like how can politicans in India be made more responsible. No. Or rather may be. Everything depends on the volunteers. What they want to discuss and for how long. Dont like whats being done? Come in and change. Everyone's welcome.
Ok here is the deal. Don't stereotype people who are associated with organizations like AID. Not that its wrong. I cant say human nature is wrong. All I say is it does not give you the true picture. The loss is everyone's.
There was a plethora of activities going on amidst a wide variety of display and sale of work ranging from fine jewellery, colourful dresses, wood work, paintings, sketches, photography, music work, collage, etc etc. It was fun to watch. Art work from other countries were poorly represented though. Let me stop being a reporter and come to the point. People you would or rather I would assosiciate with Truckers or Bikers were artists. Beer bellied Walrus mustached men who would spend their Saturday afternoon barbecuing or watching the football game were out there as connoisseurs of art.
It is so easy to stereotype. Its so easy to assign someone to a group, fix a set of attributes and totally negate the thought that they can be anything outside that notion. Oh he is from Minnesota. He must be crazy. Why pick on generalization when thats the way of life? Unless and until we generalize, we can't draw conclusions. Draw inferences. Without that how do we go forward? Thats how scientists work and invent and discover. To me saying A belongs to group X is fine even if A does not fully qualify. But saying since A belongs to group X, A should be like this is kind of drawing a wrong inference. We need to understand that not everyone belonging to a group share the same attributes. Even if they share the same attributes, the way they react to a particular situation will not be the same. Their behaviour, likes, dislikes need not be the same. The individuals in a group are not miniature versions of the group. The group is a conglomeration of the individuals.
Individuals make a group, a society, a community. A group a society or a community cannot dictate the form the individual need to take and it would be foolish to assume the organization is the big mould into which the people fit magically and they cant and wont deviate from it.
Why this indignation now? Organizations like AID,DISHA,CRY etc are called NGOs. Non governmental Organizations. All these organizations have the same modus operandi. Raise money. Sponsor projects of other NGOs. Here is the problem. Due to perception, generalization or whatever, all of them are having a tough time getting new volunteers . These organizations are run by the volunteers. These volunteers are the organization. I would say generalisation of characteristics of volunteers as one reason of volunteer drought.
People who would like to volunteer are put off by the image they would get if they get involved. We as a society have all along associated people in NGOs with Kurta wearing, bespectacled losers talking about grandeur plans and occasionally doing some good. No. A volunteer for AID could be a very successful professional spending a small time every week to keep the accounts in tally. Or could be a student working towards her Ph.D and discussing the niti gritties of a project with a representative of an NGO once a week. That representative could again be a very successful house wife spending sometime every week on this. None of them are your typical M.A. no job frustrated in life desperately trying to do something kind of people. All of them are getting something no company can give - Managing a team of volunteers. As someone who was wholly involved in gathering volunteers for events almost every month, I know what kind of terrific experience in people management this is. Here we cant and dont operate with the tool called authority. We have to deal with people who feel they are doing the organization a favour. The volunteers are in the best Management school in the world. Finance Marketing Operations HR Technology you name it and there are self taught training for it here.
The notion I have that they are also part of the organization the moment they signed up, either for a specific event or long term is a different issue. Not just that. People who want to volunteer stereotype what happens inside. Lengthy discussions on topics that are of little value. Topics like how can politicans in India be made more responsible. No. Or rather may be. Everything depends on the volunteers. What they want to discuss and for how long. Dont like whats being done? Come in and change. Everyone's welcome.
Ok here is the deal. Don't stereotype people who are associated with organizations like AID. Not that its wrong. I cant say human nature is wrong. All I say is it does not give you the true picture. The loss is everyone's.
posted by d'na | 7:55 PM
2 Comments:
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
very true. people do make assumptions of other people based on their looks, their associations etc. organisations like AID do a good job but few find the need/ability to volunteer for such efforts. me included.
hopeschild...
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