The Paula Gordon Show |
Together Again | |||
People need to feel connected to flourish and everybody
suffers when we don’t. Robert Putnam made that famously clear in
Bowling Alone. Now he’s back with samples of antidotes
to decades of decline in “social capital” in the industrialized
world, especially in America, in Better Together. |
Conversation 1 Robert Putnam summarizes the importance of social connections/isolation in conversation with Paula Gordon and Bill Russell and considers our ambivalence toward both conditions. 7:56
secs
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Conversation 2 Equating “social capital” to “connections,” Dr. Putnam compares it to other kinds of “capital.” He remembers how his academic work furthered his personal interest in trends in America’s social connectedness. He tells a series of stories about the impact of the Great Depression and World War Two on Americans’ sense of community, then compares those experiences to current events, including “9/11,” when America seems to have missed a teachable moment. 11:33
secs
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Conversation 3 While reluctant to be a cultural grouch, Dr. Putnam does quips that most Americans watch “Friends” instead of having them. He considers the impact of television, two-career families, urban sprawl, the passage of the World War Two generation, a focus on material instead of social well-being and other factors that have contributed to America’s trend away from social connections. He considers how people now are reweaving the fabric of community in ways that fit the way we have come to live. He gives examples, stressing the importance of listening to each other. 9:30
secs
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Conversation 4 America has been relatively low on social capital before, Dr. Putnam says, then describes how the country rebuilt social connections in early 1900s, building major new community institutions when social, technological and economic change had rendered obsolete an earlier set of ways to connect. He illustrates how you can create real, genuine community, right now. He links feeling connected to solving political problems, then gives examples. 10:22
secs
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Conversation 5 Trust is really important, Dr. Putnam says, and it’s both a prerequisite for and a consequence of connecting with other people. He expands, suggesting a variety of ways to build trust. Story-telling is powerful, Dr. Putnam says, and generalized reciprocity -- not favor-trading -- is key. He amplifies. These problems won’t solve themselves, but we do go through these periods and they are not bizarre, Dr. Putnam reassures us, expanding the story to other countries. 12:45
secs
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Conversation 6 Both “bonding” and “bridging” social capital are vital, Dr. Putnam has found. He gives examples of both, and shows how telling and hearing the right kind of stories can build both. 4:51
secs
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Acknowledgements We admire Dr. Putnam’s work and are appreciative
of the extra effort he made to join us in Conversation. It was a particular
delight to Paula to find that she and Dr. Putnam had both been enriched
by knowing the great John Lewis, PhD., the long-time head of the Government
Department at Oberlin College. Our stories do, indeed, bind us together. |
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