Dan Kervick's picture

    Send the One Dollar Message

    By Dan Kervick on Sat, 12/10/2011 - 9:28pm |

    [One of the OWS-related sites I visited has been soliciting suggestions for actions to further support the movement. I posted a briefer version of the following suggestion:]

    Send the One Dollar Message

    Give one dollar (or one euro, or one peso, or ... etc.) to one person of your own choosing. If you give it to your friend Sarah W., write somewhere on the dollar, "Sarah W. is more important than this dollar." If you give it to a stranger write, "Brother, sister, you are more important than this dollar."

    You can give it anonymously and write your note on behalf of another person you care about: "Joseph M., grandfather, is more important than this dollar," "Lisa J. is more important than this dollar."  If you don't want to hand it to someone, leave it in a tip jar, or in front of a bank, or in someone's mailbox. The dollars will circulate, with these messages written on them, awakening just a bit every person who comes into the possession of one.

    The amount is not important, but rather the message of solidarity, sharing, brotherhood and humanity the dollar message embodies, as well as the attitude of letting go on the part of the giver .

    Then, give a one dollar message of this kind every week for a year, or as often as you can afford it.

    The one dollar message should be given to someone to whom you do not owe the dollar.    Part of the idea is to promote reflection and meditation on avarice and monetary attachment.  You need to let go of the dollar and part with it completely.   If you are simply paying someone what you owe them, the dollar is involved in an exchange from which you are materially benefiting, and thus you are not letting it go.

    Similarly, the one dollar message should not be connected with the giving of money as an act of charity or relief toward which you feel a sense of moral duty.  In that case, the duty is experienced as a generalized debt you owe the world, a kind of moral deficit which you need to erase by earning merit or moral credit, and your giving of the dollar is experienced as paying off the moral debt.   By all means, give to relief causes as well.  But the one dollar message should be, as far as possible, a pure relinquishment of the dollar, an act which earns you nothing - not even moral credit or moral debt reduction.

    The message is intended to promote the same non-grasping reflection and liberation from avarice in the receiver that motivates the giver of the message.

    Comments

    Why not just send the $10,000 message?


    by Richard the Ele... on Sat, 12/10/2011 - 9:57pm

    I love this.  It also reminds me of Douglas Coupland's second novel, "Shampoo Planet."


    by Michael Maiello on Sat, 12/10/2011 - 10:43pm

    Great idea especially if done anonymously. Which is very hard to do since our egos want the attention and boost from being acknowledged.


    by cmaukonen on Sat, 12/10/2011 - 10:55pm

     

    "While Seisetsu was the master of Engaku in Kamakura he required larger quarters, since those in which he was teaching were overcrowded. Umezu Seibei, a merchant of Edo, decided to donate five hundred pieces of gold called ryo toward the construction of a more commodious school. This money he brought to the teacher.

    Seisetsu said: "All right. I will take it."

    Umezu gave Seisetsu the sack of gold, but he was dissatisfied with the attitude of the teacher. One might live a whole year on three ryo, and the merchant had not even been thanked for five hundred.

    "In that sack are five hundred ryo," hinted Umezu.

    "You told me that before," replied Seisetsu.

    "Even if I am a wealthy merchant, five hundred ryo is a lot of money," said Umezu.

    "Do you want me to thank you for it?" asked Seisetsu.

    "You ought to," replied Uzemu.

    Why should I?" inquired Seisetsu. "The giver should be thankful."


    by cmaukonen on Sat, 12/10/2011 - 11:02pm

    I'll be the bad apple. In the past there were rent parties where neighbors would donate food and beverages to be served at a party where an entrance fee was collected and given to a neighbor who could not pay the month's rent. At least at the end of the end, hopefully rent got paid.

    I suppose, I'm missing the real world impact of these random dollars. Wouldn't donations to non-profits like food banks, etc.or even a political campaign be more useful?


    by rmrd0000 on Sun, 12/11/2011 - 7:14pm

    There is no real world impact other than as a symbolic act of protest and communication.  Money is the chief object of worship in the decadent religion of neoliberal capitalism, and financial institutions are the temples.  People have been reduced to productive inputs, so-called "human resources" for the harvesting of the monetary crop by our plutocratic landlords.  Part of the point is to use dollars, the very corpuscles of the capitalist circulatory system, as the bearers of a message of moral and spiritual resistance, a message that reasserts the supremacy of human beings over the financial order.  We can't avoid passing dollars around any more than our bodies can avoid circulating blood, and so we can't avoid seeing a message if it is inscribed on these dollars.  We can occupy the dollars.

    It's only a dollar.  Sending a one dollar message won't interfere with anyone's charitable giving.  But it would be good if many, many people started to send the one-dollar message.

     


    by Dan Kervick on Sun, 12/11/2011 - 7:43pm

    My point would be that those collective dollars would be better used at a food bank or used to support a Progressive political candidate. An action should be directed towards a concrete goal like feeding people or fighting foreclosures.


    by rmrd0000 on Sun, 12/11/2011 - 7:52pm

    Would you say that people should not carry signs at protests, because the cardboard and ink used to make those signs could all be used for for more concrete purposes?

    If I send a one-dollar message, I don't throw the dollar away.  I just give it to somebody else.  And that dollar is not going to have any affect on any other charitable gifts I make.


    by Dan Kervick on Sun, 12/11/2011 - 8:46pm

    People who are at a protest are taking action to publicly state support for or opposition against something. There is a concrete goal.

    People who agree with the "one dollar message" will give it all the support it needs. Good luck.


    by rmrd0000 on Mon, 12/12/2011 - 1:03am

    ..."opposition against"........

    Sorry, it's late :)


    by rmrd0000 on Mon, 12/12/2011 - 1:05am

    Didn't two guys once have a similar argument about foot ointment?

    Technically, they were both right.


    by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 12/14/2011 - 5:59pm

    Doing this definitely won't hurt, and it will do some good for at least some of those who practice the letting go and non-grasping reflection as well as those who randomly come across the message when handed their change in some store. 

    But it seems to me that it is similar to everyone putting "practice random kinds and senseless acts of beauty" bumper stickers on their cars in terms of shifting the cultural paradigm.  In large part because a good number of people, especially many of those who really need to hear the message, are not capable of seeing themselves honestly - in this case, they won't see this message, upon reflection, as having much to do with their relationship to money. 

    Moreover, it also seems to me that it stops short of taking a real stand.  By this I mean, because it is reduced to a single sentence, there is little offered in terms of what is meant by the statement of "...is more imy aportant than this dollar." So if the person reflects on this, agrees with it, but then takes that dollar and uses it to buy some fast food or a CD or some drugs and alcohol or a flat screen tv, are they being immoral?  Is it wrong?  Can someone come to a Grecko conclusion that greed is good, but in the end, the money isn't as important as the dollar?  Does the statement mean we should all take a vow of poverty (which would undermine any qualms about the loss of the middle class or loss of overall earning power of workers).


    by Elusive Trope on Sun, 12/11/2011 - 10:04pm

    The verbal statement means just what it says.  Make more or less of it at your discretion.  Agree or disagree with it as you will.  That is true of every political message, whether written on a sign, or a bumper sticker, or embedded by a speaker within a political speech.  Why is this complicated?

    Also, a non-verbal statement is made simply by virtue of the fact that someone has challenged the authority of the monetary system by "defacing" the money and using it for a political purpose to promulgate a political message.  Make of that what you will.  Approve or disapprove as you will.


    by Dan Kervick on Sun, 12/11/2011 - 10:37pm

    It isn't so much about approval or disapproval - as I indicated in the beginning of my comment, I basically approve of this.  I wouldn't discourage anyone from doing it, and even encourage people to do it .  What seems to be more to the point is the general effectiveness of such things - that every political message, whether written on a sign, or a bumper sticker, or embedded by a speaker within a political speech basically are not very effective in changing the socio-political paradigms of the public because of the brevity of the message.  What these messages tend to be effective in is crystallizing beliefs already held by a particular segment of the political population, spurring action or a continuation of action. 

    So something like this is good to be a reminder to those who already sensitive to the importance of non-grasping.  Sort of like those tiny pamphlets promoting the importance of accepting Jesus as one's Savior.  For those who see the world differently, it tends to roll off.


    by Elusive Trope on Mon, 12/12/2011 - 12:12am

    Dan asked...

    "Why is this complicated?"

    From my perspective? It's due to the human nature to question everything.

    I personally see this action as positive.

    Others can do it if they wish... or leave it if they don't...

    Nonetheless, the spirit of Occupy continues.

    ~OGD~


    by oldenGoldenDecoy on Mon, 12/12/2011 - 2:38am

    What does the action accomplish?

    It seems to be an equivalent of teaching Ebonics. Teachers felt that black students were too stupid to learn English, so they taught a language that would not be understood by a majority of the country. Ebonics was not a positive thing.

    Working to keep banks from going ahead with foreclosures is a positive. Working to bring jobs back to the US is a positive. Pressuring Congresson the payroll tax cut is a positive. The dollar idea seems like Ebonics, most people will not understand the meaning of the words on the dollar bill. Just like with Ebonics only the people speaking Ebonics understand Ebonics. Everyone else is saying, "WTF" did he/she just say?" The dollar idea will only be understood by a small group.

    Any intended message in the OWS spirit needs to be understood by the masses. Occupying foreclosed homes, for example, sends a stronger and understandable message.


    by rmrd0000 on Mon, 12/12/2011 - 9:57am

    The Ebonics is a good analogy in that it demonstrates not all communication is created equal.  The great environmentalist Hazel Wolf stated that if you want an economist to understand the importance of environmental sustainability and preservation, you have to talk to them like an economist.  You have to speak the language of economics. 

    Moreover, the analogy points to what may or may not be value add: Ebonics, from my understanding, was implemented in large part as a means to boost the self-esteem of the black students.  Dealing with English was a struggle for them, causing failure, and thus the resulting loss of self-esteem.  The flaw in this initiative was that it limited the students so that when they went beyond the inner circle of Ebonic speakers, they could not be understood.

    The dollar bill initiative seems to have a similar attempt to increase not so much self-esteem, but sense of empowerment and focus by the inner group (while possibly sparking reflection of a few outside the inner circle).  If it is seen through this more narrow scope, it is actually a very positive initiative.  It would be, to carry on the analogy, to teach Ebonics and English side by side, so that the black students were fluent in both.  Within the inner circle, they speak this way, and when reaching out beyond, they shift to speaking that way.


    by Elusive Trope on Mon, 12/12/2011 - 10:16am

    The bottom line is that the students need to learn English. The burden is placed on the students for being dumb, rather then the failure of the teachers to have effective methods of teaching. The students know that their teachers think that they (The students) are dumb and put forth little effort to learn English. The students have "self-esteem" but cannot communicate outside of a small group.

    The dollar message is only understood by a small group and does nothing to communicate with the general public about ongoing problems. The Ebonics speaker won't get hired because, there are others who communicate distinctly. The OWS spirit is lost on the general public because there is no clear message.

    Crafting a message that we are becoming serfs to corporations that are sending our jobs overseas despite union concessions and overall stagnant pay is a better use of time and money, just as teaching English is a better use of time than teaching slang (Ebonics).


    by rmrd0000 on Mon, 12/12/2011 - 11:00am

    Crafting a message that we are becoming serfs to corporations that are sending our jobs overseas despite union concessions and overall stagnant pay is a better use of time and money, just as teaching English is a better use of time than teaching slang (Ebonics).

    I basically agree with you, and as far as Ebonics goes specifically, it was overall an incredibly flawed initiative.  Teachers would benefit from knowing their students slang, so that there would be better communication between them their students.  But in terms of curriculum outcomes - the focus should have been always on achieving an understanding of English.

    But I do think we need to acknowledge that crafting the message is a short term outcome.  Successfully communicating the message so that it is widely understood is the long-term outcome - and it because it is a long-term endeavor it will require patience and perseverance on the part of those communicating the message.  Frustration can lead to a loss of perspective.  The dollar bill initiative seems to me to be something that helps those within the larger initiative of communicating the message stay grounded and focused and aligned with the principles which led to the effort to communicate the message in the first place.

    Much of the success of those who operate to sustain and grow the power of oppressive systems comes from the fact that many who seek to resist cannot go at for the long haul and burn out - if you can't beat them, might as well join them.  Efforts to sustain the drive to resist is as important as the means one uses to resist and create social change.


    by Elusive Trope on Mon, 12/12/2011 - 11:23am

    Holy Over Wordie ... Batman!

    Between our illustrious rmd and trope, they seem to love to hear each other talk.

    The "Ebonics" analogy?

    Wasn't it the same person who said, "Pessimism never won any battle" was also quoted as saying, "An intellectual is a man who takes more words than necessary to tell more than he knows"?

    These two folks, rmd and Trope more than prove those two statements as true.

    They ought to try and employ the K.I.S.S. principle and blow smoke up someone elses asteroid-orifice.

    Hahahahahaha...

    ~OGD~


    by oldenGoldenDecoy on Mon, 12/12/2011 - 2:48pm

    Or maybe our problems stem in part from a culture that wants to reduce everything down to PowerPoint bullet points - and rush away from anything more complicated claiming it just over-intellectualization.

    Just a suggestion, you would probably be more content over at some site like the Huffington Post, where the commentors tend to respond to the complex problems our globe is facing with one and two sentences, usually with the hope they can show the world their ability to pop off a grand witticism.


    by Elusive Trope on Mon, 12/12/2011 - 4:02pm

    Ouch!


    by rmrd0000 on Mon, 12/12/2011 - 4:22pm

    Be forewarned, OGD is quite capable of bringing out your intellectual weaknesses.

    IMHO it's best to walk away....... intact. 

    Only a fool would argue with OGD or Q ...... 


    by Resistance on Tue, 12/13/2011 - 2:21pm

    Whatever.  Call me a fool and bring it on.  I would much prefer that than some lame assertion that if someone uses lots of words, he or she must be wrong. 

    From what I can tell, it is simply someone who has wrapped themselves in the "spirit of Occupy" and believes any constructive criticism or pondering which don't fully support the movement as unacceptable, or, by its very nature, wrong.  So rather than attempt to actually engage the sentiments or notions contained in the contents, the negative assertion of intellectualization was tossed out as if that would be enough to discredit it.  So, again,...whatever.


    by Elusive Trope on Tue, 12/13/2011 - 2:54pm

    Using more words doesn't necessarily make you wrong ... but when you *are* wrong (you know ;) ... more words really make it so much more tedious.


    by kgb999 on Fri, 12/16/2011 - 3:42am

    Okay Kingfish...

    Thank you for the offer.

    I always aim to please.

    A fool of this nature, such as Another Trope, exhibits a deep need to have rhetoric and dogma to recite during times of stress in order to cope.

    There. Feel better?

    ~OGD~


    by oldenGoldenDecoy on Thu, 12/22/2011 - 3:06am

    Pssst, Trope: This is not the first time I've seen you use the flat screen TV thing as a metaphor. You don't appear to be aware that the metaphor is no longer operable. Should your old box TV break, you can't replace it with any other kind. I just recently discovered the fact that flat screen TV's are the only kind you can buy now, and also that the prices for them are basically the same as the other kind of TV was back in the day it could be purchased (i.e., $200 for 19".) You might consider switching to "big screen TV" for what you are trying to say, as those are still generally considered an expensive luxury.


    by artappraiser on Mon, 12/12/2011 - 11:28am

    Thanks.  I do need to keep up with the times of the modern consumer.  I still don't have a smart phone, and don't have such luxuries as a i-Pad etc.  I still have to lock my car door and roll down the windows manually.


    by Elusive Trope on Mon, 12/12/2011 - 11:36am

    Dude, I'm pretty sure that if you have to roll down the windows manually, you probably don't have to worry much about locking the door....:^D


    by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 12/14/2011 - 5:54pm

    There are 311,800, 000 people in America 

    If every family head; sent 1 dollar a week, for every member of the family to ONE  tax deductible fund 

    Imagine 311 million plus ......... times 52 weeks    

    $1,621,360,000

    Imagine $ 1,621,360,000.00 times 30 years = $48,640,800,000 (Not including the interest on this money) 

    Maybe we could buy a Congress,  that works for the lowly folks, with that kind of money?


    by Resistance on Mon, 12/12/2011 - 6:34am

    I like it.

    Its primary power is as a symbol...a symbol of a new attitude toward "dollars" and the system whose lifeblood they are.

    So giving the dollar has the potential to change a person's consciousness if it's done with consciousness.

    But beyond that...

    This new consciousness may loosen one's attachment to the dollar and thereby induce greater giving to other causes as Mr000 suggests.


    by Peter Schwartz on Mon, 12/12/2011 - 2:20pm

    Can I write something different on mine?  Something like:

    "How much of your life went into getting and spending this money?  Is what you are buying worth it?"

    That is what I ask myself before buying so many of the new toys.  I just wish I had thought of it earlier.


    by EmmaZahn on Mon, 12/12/2011 - 2:35pm

    I like it.

    Any bit of reflective monetary graffiti is good.


    by Dan Kervick on Mon, 12/12/2011 - 4:23pm

    I like the phrase reflective monetary graffiti.

    Money Art


    by Elusive Trope on Mon, 12/12/2011 - 5:03pm

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