My Dev Com Journey
Discussion Forum 1: Development
In 2001, countries holding UN memberships supported by the international development assistance community committed themselves to pursue the Millennium Development Goals or the MDGs. The goals are supposed to be achieved by 2015. We are now in 2015, the self-imposed timeframe to rid ourselves of poverty, among other things, and yet it appears that we have failed.
I want each one of you to do a Google search of the MDGs and post one thread under this forum: What happened to compliance to the MDGs? How did the Philippines fare?
Let's Bet on Change!
The video below discusses what Millennium Development Goals were met and missed. This presentation is short and straight forward. Based on the figures, the UN MDGs were successful but there’s a lot of work left to do.
8 Millennium Development Goals: What We Met And Missed.
I have read a lot of criticisms already, as a Development Communication student, I choose to be positive on the issue especially on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Out of the paradigms we studied, I am using the values paradigm as my map right now. Thinking of the world or our country’s societal problems is overwhelming. It is draining to dig the root cause of all the problems we are facing right now. We are trapped in a sticky web of conflicts. These matters are already embedded in our society. They are the effects of social constructions many, many years ago. Maybe we even need to go back to the time of Adam and Eve before they ate the forbidden fruit to know the real original cause of all these miseries. Anyway, I still have faith in the human power to change. Going back to my values map, we need to re-establish our values and principles. As Franklin Covey said, "There are lighthouse principles, you don't break them, you only break yourself against them". I am trying my best to do this within myself or with raising my kids. As most of us here agreed, everyone has a role to play.
This video of Neil deGrasse Tyson may inspire you because it has inspired me. Let us bet on change. It was impossible to land on the moon decades ago, but we did it when we envisioned it, we bet on it and invested on it. Achieving SDG in 15 years is not impossible too.
References:
AJ: 8 Millennium Development Goals: What We Met And Missed
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5giOGjj5X8
BillGatesNotes: Neil deGrasse Tyson: What’s Possible in 15 Years?
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj7nSRlWHU8
Discussion Forum 2: Communication
I want each one of you to do a Google search of "memes" and post one thread under this forum: How can developmentcommunication practitioners make effective use of memes in their work?
Memes: Get Exposed and Immunized
Richard Dawkins defined a meme as unit of cultural inheritance, anything that behaves like a gene, an idea copied from one brain to another . It is anything that can be replicated and passed on.
According to Dan Dennett, memes are information packets with attitude. We host them in order for them to survive and spread. They are like viruses that influence the cultures. Memes can be toxic and can harm a culture by wiping out traditions. Our cultures evolve because we are continuously exposed to continuously changing memes. On the other hand, memes are also responsible for positive changes. Sarah Blackmore also said that we are meme machines who carry and make them contageous.
I found memetics very interesting. Understanding this will help development communicatorsACCOUNT development events of a particular society. A target community for development should have enough exposure to the appropriate memes to direct the people to behave or change according to the project goal. Learning memetics will answer why a group of people develop new practices and stop doing the old ones. In addition, we can comprehend why people belonging to the same society have many things in common. It is because they were exposed to the same set of memes and made them speak the same lagunage, eat the same food, celebrate the same occassions and a lot more similarities. Furthermore, this will also provide an assessment of how this group of people resist or accept memes (ideas).
Considering memes are like viruses, we should also develop a strong immune sytem to fight toxic memes in order to preserve good habits or practices as a society or as an individual especially now, memes travel through different forms of media. The exposure is wider and the “infection spread” is faster. Humans are really not like machines, we have the capability to rebel against memes if they are not useful. I do not agree that we are helpless to copy everything. On the other hand, we can also spread benign memes to grow positively.
References:
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzGjEkp772s
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ_9-Qx5Hz4
3. Flor, A., Ongkiko, I. (1998). Related Concepts in Introduction to Development Communication, pp 116. UP Open University.
Discussion Forum 3: Development Communication
IDuring the early years, many of us involved in the study and practice of communication for development had to be subjected to ridicule from among our colleagues in the media industry. In the seventies, for instance, the mainstream press considered devcom to be a bastard discipline since they described it as a product of the government going to bed with media. Since then, however, this area of study has gained the legitimacy that it deserves.I want each one of you to post one thread under this forum: Can or will you consider yourself a devcom advocate? You may write from experience or from insights gained in your readings. You should likewise respond to the posts of your other classmates. Who is a devcom practitioner? What can he or she should do? How can this be done?
I want to save the "blind man"!
I have seen this video about Billions in Change. Manoj Bhargava, the richest Indian in America said:
"There is an old story about a blind man heading towards a well, and there is a guy who’s watching. If the blind man falls into the well, who gets the blame? If you are watching something that you can prevent, you’ve got to do something”
I don’t want just to watch. I am not a billionaire like Manoj but I am equipping myself to save the “blind man”. I have three kids who inspire me to believe that they deserve a better world. Oh! I just remember our elementary graduation song, "Heal the World"!
It is painful to watch innocent people especially children suffer. Taking Development Communication is something to relieve the guilt of helplessness. There is a way to make things better. There are scientific and proven ways to solve the problems.
For now, I will make my development communication journey fruitful and meaningful. I may not be able to heal the world or attain peace on earth but I know that with the right education, the skills to know how, a genuine commitment, and a good timing, I can create change, give hope to others, those I could reach. Make future brighter not for everyone but at least for some. I will not allow myself to just watch and get hurt with all the sickening news every day. This is a work in progress which replaces pain with hope and determination.
Again, I don’t want just to watch and I don’t want to be the blind man too.