 |
|
Add to My Group
|
August 16, 2008 at 17:12:47
Progressive Values Stories: Gavin Newsom on Inclusivity and Noah's Ark by Edwin Rutsch Page 1 of 3 page(s) |
|
 
|
We are trying to construct a more inclusive society. We are going to make a country in which no one is left out. Franklin D. Roosevelt I interviewed San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom about what he personally feels are the most important progressive values. He mentioned several progressive values, such as, Interdependence, Stewardship, Empathy and Tolerance, but focused on Inclusivity as the most important. He cautions progressives not to 'eat their young' and implode internally from all their differences. When asked to create a metaphor for inclusivity, he came up with the image of Noah's Ark.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom
Progressive Values: Gavin Newsom on Inclusivity and Interdependence
Gavin Newsom: Well, I’m thinking inclusivity, the notion that we’re all in this together, and interdependence, that celebrate our differences, but unite around our common humanity. And the opportunity to live their lives out loud and to be fully expressive is a core value, it’s a value that provides an opportunity to create wealth and opportunity and keeps us competitive, a spirit of pride and entrepreneurialism that transcends the movement, the willingness to agree to disagree without being disagreeable.The willingness to come together and try new things, and innovate and focus on a precautionary principle, that is decisions we make today have an impact tomorrow, and being thoughtful about making an investment not only in terms of solving today’s problems, but in the long term.
And I think these values are uniting values and transcending values from one generation to the next, and I think they are truly American values. And they’re family values, as we’re talking today about family values – if you believe in family values, you need to value the family with a living wage and sick leave or family medical leave.
You need to create jobs and opportunity, create opportunities for health care and get your kids into college, to be able to afford college, or work-training programs. Be prepared for the new evolution in terms of green-collar jobs and realities of global interdependence, and the fact that we can’t put a wall up, and that we have to deal with the changing economy and climate, literally and figuratively in the global climate itself.
So I think it’s a much more impactful and impassioned stewardship, and certainly one that is in stark contrast to a decade of conservatism that has been thrust upon us.
Edwin: What progressive values are personally most important to you?
Gavin Newsom: Well, I think the most important is to be other-people oriented, that we all are in this together, and that decisions I make have an impact on the lives of other people. And my personal decisions, my purchasing habits. I mean, if I go out and am driving in a big gas-guzzler, I go out and buy a lot of water bottles and throw those water bottles in the waste stream, you know, it has an impact on what’s going on in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast. It has an impact on what goes into our air, and what people are breathing.
I think those are the things that enlighten me as being a progressive, is that the progressive movement focuses our attention on things, again that precautionary principle that it’s better to be safe than sorry in terms of the decision that we make.
And I think that’s a growing consciousness within our community. And I think you’ve seen that with globalization. There’s that construct in the literal sense in terms of the geography of the world and the connection that we have in terms of what’s going on in the Middle East, that we’re breathing the same air that’s being produced in China.
I think independence, the fundamental notion – I mean, Dr. King talked about that web of mutuality. That interesting, you know, I guess this is my Jesuit upbringing. It comes from the Bible where there are many parts, but one body, where when one suffers, we all suffer. I mean it’s a fundamental, a very human value. It’s a spiritual one, it’s also a secular one and I think a progressive one nonetheless.
Edwin: And how did you learn that?
Gavin: My years of being raised by nuns, and abused by nuns – in the nicest way of the term – meaning getting discipline.
ProgressiveSpirit.com
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
 Contact Author |
Contact Editor |
 View Authors' Articles |
|
|
|
|
| 5 comments |
|
Poll: Will progressive movement 'eat their young'?
In my interview with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, he calls for inclusivity and warns against the progressive movement 'eating it's young'. He says progressives should learn lessons from the failed conservative values. Will the progressive movement eventually implode and 'eat their young'? http://www.opednews.com/Poll/Will-the-progressive-movem-by-Edwin-Rutsch-080816-299.html by Edwin Rutsch (64 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 155 comments) on Saturday, Aug 16, 2008 at 5:53:59 PM  (0+)
|
|
Gavin
In San Franciisco, we are aware of the great power of Gavin. We only hope that he uses his super hero powers for the good of all people, and does not fall into the clutches of darkness. We hope he , like the majority of voters and elected officials in SF, supports open source, transparent elections. by Brent Turner (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 94 comments) on Sunday, Aug 17, 2008 at 1:01:11 PM (0+)
|
|
Vague
I wish you had fleshed out the subject more. It's pretty vague. Not a good job of interviewing. It left more questions than answers. by Bill Samuel (5 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 445 comments [14 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Sunday, Aug 17, 2008 at 7:16:28 PM (0+)
|
|
Reply: what questions would you ask?
what questions would you like to have asked? by Edwin Rutsch (64 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 155 comments) on Sunday, Aug 17, 2008 at 9:24:25 PM (0+)
|
|
that's the second one tonite
someone complaining about being raised catholic, esp the nuns. i think a lot of that has changed, for the better, although i'm sure some improvements can be made. gavin sounds very cool--i find that most anyone i relate to, turns out to be dyslexic too--we're a little dyslexic ourselves. i think some people call this type of dyslexia, indigo child, something like that. i think the "vagueness" might be about what exactly he is refering to about "eating our young." i'd observe, progressives have banded together different allies, yes, and on the surface we look like normally we'd be non-compatible, but we have common enemies and purposes, so we've banded together. like progressive religous groups, and secular humanists and atheists. i'm not so worried about progressives falling apart, because the heart of progressives still lie in liberal beliefs, the idea that logic and reason dictate how we make our decisions. if there's anything i'd be worried about, it's that our continued self-segregation keeps us from showing our true numbers and acheiving all that we could be acheiving. in our hearts, we support each other, but when it comes down to it, as one speaker put it, you go to the anti-war march, and it's a bunch of old women, you go to the immigration rally, and it's hispanics, you go to the earth day march, and it's young people, you go to the police brutality demostration, and it's african-americans. so we support each other in our hearts, but if we all showed up together, for each other, you might just see some real progress--our true numbers could not be ignored. by kenshin (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 35 comments) on Sunday, Aug 17, 2008 at 10:50:02 PM (0+)
|
Want to post your own comment on this Article? 
|
||||
|
||||||||||||||
Must Read (0) 
Well Said (0) 
News (0) 
Touching (0) 
Funny (0) 
Supported (0) 
Interesting (0) 
Inspiring (0) 
Valuable (0)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tell a Friend:
|
Copyright © 2002-2009, OpEdNews |
