https://reasonstobecheerful.world/night-of-controversies-paris/
"“Borders have led to mass deaths, sexual violence and human trafficking — we
must abolish them,” said Catherine Wihtol De Wenden, casting a stern glance out
at the packed audience, assembled on chairs, benches and even sitting on the
floor.
The French political scientist cited numerous examples and statistics to back
up her argument. Since 2014, more than 25,000 people have died attempting to
cross from North Africa to Europe, she said; in Libya, a slave trade is
profiting from refugees fleeing war and disaster; the Iron Curtain brought
misery to millions; the EU’s own border agency, Frontex, regularly commits
human rights abuses.
During her three-minute monologue, the crowd listened intently. Some nodded in
agreement. Some shook their heads dramatically. Others jotted their thoughts in
a notepad. But nobody was allowed to say a word until she finished her allotted
time.
Then Ano Kuhanathan, a Paris-based economist assigned as De Wenden’s debate
partner on the stage, stood up to take his turn. And he had come ready to
disagree — but to do so cordially and purposefully.
“Why are there these flows of people?” Kuhanathan, himself a political refugee
who fled from Sri Lanka to France, asked rhetorically.
“What’s it for? To get a job. To get a house. To make a life,” he continued.
“Instead of abolishing borders, it’s more important to give people equal
opportunities when they arrive. If they are just allowed to work as Uber
drivers, it makes no sense.”
De Wenden and Kuhanathan then engaged in another round of heated debate about
borders that spanned everything from colonization to religion, labor rights,
national identity, organized crime, taxation, globalization, AI and more. The
comments drew giggles, sighs, applause or indeed knowing glances between
audience members.
The discussion was part of a project designed to cultivate the art of
disagreement. Known as the Night of Controversies, the Paris-based event
featured about a dozen different sessions throughout the evening, including
debates such as “Do we need a green dictatorship?” and “Can we be happy in a
world that is going to hell?” as well as workshops on the art of the argument
and non-violent communication.
Run by the Institute of Desirable Futures, an organization working on corporate
innovation and leadership, the project aims to “enrich us from our
disagreements” and to “joyfully cast doubt on our certainties” in an era of
growing polarization. The initiative is part of a wider movement that sees
finding common ground and learning to “disagree well” as a potent remedy to
many of today’s societal and political woes."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
