Graphic and composite by New Dimensions
The late radio personality Studs Terkel described our cultural status in the 1980’s as “situation fluid.” This could also be a good description of where we are now. Professor of Linguistics at Georgetown University, Deborah Tannen says, “The argument culture encourages us to distort facts, waste time and limit our thinking. It keeps us in an adversarial frame of mind, all the time.” Yet Tannen is optimistic that we can find new ways to approach the world, and a turning point may be right around the corner. Download these four programs specially selected from the New Dimensions Archive and be inspired to keep making your contribution for a better world for all.
The American Dream: Situation FluidRecorded in 1988. Radio personality, writer, and social commentator Studs Terkel’s lively views cut through the usual bland rhetoric about the social and political scene of the time and give us a new perspective on our own time. Read more »
Stop Arguing And Start TalkingMost of us are so entrenched in what Tannen calls the “argument culture” that we don’t even realize how it has corroded our spirits. She examines this compulsive use of combative rhetoric in the media and in politics. Tannen is optimistic that we can find new ways to approach the world, citing concrete evidence that a turning point is always possible. Read more »
Circles, Conversation and CommunityThese three guests believe that if Americans, both progressive and conservative, take time to speak freely and truly listen to one another we’ll find that our views have much more in common than we realize. At a time when our democracy seems threatened, these wisdom leaders inspire us to join together to move beyond the middle ground and find a higher ground. Read more »
Free AssociatingThis is a flight of fancy with Ken Nordine, one of radio’s creative geniuses. He is the man who created the marvelous “Word Jazz” records of the late 1950s and whose voice has visited our homes on countless radio and TV commercials over the years. For anyone who loves radio or sound in any medium, this conversation is a must. Read more »
