The Mindsets of Memphis
I saw this diagram in a post by Guy Kawasaki.
It seems pretty obvious to me that Memphis has a fixed, as opposed to growth, mindset. Or perhaps I should write, Memphis' dominant mindset is static. A fixed mindset has historically dominated, but does not determine, Memphis.
Where does that mindset come from, and how do we fight it?
I think it comes from racism and anti-democratic hierarchism, which still tell us that there's only so much we can do, so sit down and shut up while the leaders figure out the rest.
We fight it by learning and creating -- otherwise ignoring and/or making fun of the boundaries that never existed.
And we can read the book by Professor Carol Dweck, who was the subject of Kawasaki's post.
Labels: creativity, democracy, hierarchy, psychology
posted by gatesofmemphis at 9:41 PM
2 Comments:
"I think it comes from racism and anti-democratic hierarchism, which still tell us that there's only so much we can do, so sit down and shut up while the leaders figure out the rest."
And we therefore put ousrelves at the mercy of grandiose, arm-waving charismatics like Willie Herenton, and the other glitterati in his circle.
Bob, Mayor Herenton was (is) the beginning of the end of racism, but his too long tenure has only strengthened the hierarchism, as he grew more powerful with each passing year. It's going to happen to (almost) anyone in power for 16 years. The toadies of power will come to see the voters and other centers of influence as even more inconsequential than they already were.
If we vote out the Mayor or he retires, but the next guy/gal is around for 16+ years also, power will clump again. Stagnation will set in again. Memphis is too far behind to stagnate even briefly.
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