OoC | What is Civility?
Introducing Objects of Civility (OoC)
1. Introducing Objects of Civility
Welcome to a new section of my newsletter!
Here I will document my progress on Objects of Civility (OoC), an iterative design project exploring the thesis that physical props and tools can assist in fostering productive—and even joyful!—connections across adversarial groups.
This project is supported in part by the 2024 Independent Projects grant program, a partnership of the New York State Council on the Arts and The Architectural League of New York.
2. What is Civility?
This is a challenging question right now and frankly, I'm not sure. Things in the political realm (from my perspective at least) seem about as productive as housing the neighborhood’s raccoons in the Trader Joe’s produce aisle. How does one comprehend some of the things that are going down, let alone respond to them, or enter some kind of "dialogue"?
I am clear on what civility is not in this newsletter: It's not making nice. It's not about avoiding conflict by politely putting our heads in the sand and serving everyone cupcakes. It's not about smiling sweetly and pretending that the harmful things happening to us are "no big deal."
"What is Civility?" is an enormous and tangled question. So let's turn to Brené Brown, famed for making complex and hidden truths so simple we breathe them in and feel like we knew them all along:
Civility is claiming and caring for one's identity, needs, and beliefs without degrading someone else's in the process.... [Civility] is about disagreeing without disrespect, seeking common ground as a starting point for dialogue about differences, listening past one's preconceptions, and teaching others to do the same. Civility is the hard work of staying present even with those with whom we have deep-rooted and fierce disagreements. It is political in the sense that it is a necessary prerequisite for civic action. But it is political, too, in the sense that it is about negotiating interpersonal power such that everyone's voice is heard, and nobody's is ignored.
Civility is not an easy project. My hope is that eventually "Objects of Civility" can make it a bit easier.
For all of us.
3. OoC Will Be Behind a Paywall (The Rest Will Be Free)
I will still be writing semi-regular pieces under the main banner of "Creative Civility", and they will be freely available to everyone. I am deeply grateful that you open and read them—it's genuinely thrilling—and I work hard to write in a way that honors your presence here.
This new section—Objects of Civility—will be behind a paywall. Subscriptions are $9 per month or $90 for the year. Your contributions will directly help keep OoC as an independent project.
For paid subscribers, I'm also launching monthly gatherings (starting in February) where we'll explore and discuss the tools, props, and Objects of Civility together.