I had been planning this topic before yesterday’s tragedy in Manchester, but I think the theme is still relevant- building connections and community despite differences. Grab your beverage of choice; mine’s a nice bottle of red wine with a white rum-n-coke chaser (because Reasons, see below :-)) and join me after the story break and a word from our sponsor!
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Every two years around this time, a group of people get together in a hotel conference room somewhere near Baltimore, MD. It’s a group of talented musicians and their fans who spend the time jamming and socializing, but in some cases a first-time Jammer has never met anyone else in the room in person until then. Huh? How can that be? The venues, concerts and people interact in the virtual world of Second Life. I wrote about it after my first Jam back in 2011 and it’s as much a meeting of old friends and making new ones as is Netroots Nation.
This time was no different- I made a dozen new friends, heard musicians new to me that are now in my “must see regularly” list, drank a wee bit too much (did you know that an entire bottle of wine fits in a water bottle when the venue refuses to allow you to bring outside alcohol into the Jam room, and it goes down MUCH easier than in those silly little wine glasses? And you can chase it with very strong rum-n-cokes because your friend is being generous with his pours? Now you do.) and since I got back home and was added to the JamChat my groupchat notifications have quintupled (I went to take a shower and had to scroll up to read 109 lines of text!). There’s video available for anyone who wants to watch and has a Livestream account.
One tradition at SL Music Jams (they happen every few months all over the country and in several other countries) is the Random Pairing. On Friday night, all the musicians’ names are put in a bowl and are drawn out two at a time. Those two musicians must pick and perform a song on Saturday night. Now, sometimes two names are drawn and everyone wonders if the choosing is rigged, because they play together regularly (yes, performers can do shows together even when they live in different parts of the world, thanks to the miracle of streaming audio). But sometimes… sometimes, two musicians who barely know each other get paired. Perhaps one is a rocker skilled in electric bass and and the other performs medieval tunes on recorder and autoharp. Or you’ve got two singers with different preferred vocal ranges, or… you get the idea. It is what it is, and in 24 hours you perform a tune, just the two of you.
I’ve been to four Jams, and watched another half dozen via livestream, and I can say… it nearly virtually ALWAYS WORKS. Somehow disparate genres and skill sets and interests and available ways to make sound combine to generate fantastic music. They find a common ground and synergize.
As I sat Saturday night listening to one after another pair work their magic, I wondered if it was a metaphor for what we all need to do these days… find commonality and a way to interact and produce something when you’ve never done so with this person before.
I chose to test out my theory by engaging in a conversation usually Not Had At Jam… the explicitly political. Because we exist virtually, many people choose to leave the real world behind and don’t share their views until we’re all in a restaurant with amazing beer, delicious food (OMFG, duck-fat french fries with gravy, and yes I had one because if I am going to die from carbs THOSE two were the way to go) and someone mentions Trump. I’m glad to say that I didn’t find anyone willing to state they voted for Trump, and I found more than one “social liberal, fiscal conservative” and think I know the target audience to try to reach. I DID have substantive conversations over several days with people who have different views than my own, and we each came away better for the interaction.
What do you think would happen if we were randomly paired with someone and told to find common ground… could YOU do it?
And now what you really come here for, the trio of Top Comments, Mojo and Pictures that form the backbone of this community diary series, formatted tonight by my collaborator who is NEVER a random pairing, BeninSC.
Brillig's ObDisclaimer: The decision to publish each nomination lies with the evening's Diarist and/or Comment Formatter. My evenings at the helm, I try reeeeallllyy hard to publish everything without regard to content. I really do, even when I disagree personally with any given nomination. "TopCommentness" lies in the eyes of the nominator and of you, the reader - I leave the decision to you. I do not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down.
Note: Please remember that comment inclusion in Top Comments does not constitute support or endorsement by diarist, formatter, Top Comments writers or DailyKos. Questions, complaints or comments? Contact brillig.
From ZenTrainer:
I am submitting this very nice comment here by The Marti, in Vetwife’s diary on the meaning of Memorial Day.
From ScottyUrb:
The 15th anniversary diary (by David Nir) included lots of great memories:
From Blacksheep1:
Is a comment by Major Kong (soon to be linked) in a thread in Colorado is the Shiznit’s diary on a remarkable young woman suspended from school for wearing a shirt the admins did not like. In this comment, Senor Unoball included a comment from the woman that had not appeared in the diary. Colorado is the Shiznit demurred, explaining that the comment in question had not been proven or documented. Then, hilariously, the answer appears in this comment by Major Kong!
Highlighted by Chrislove (we can send instructions on how to submit comments to Top Comments if need be, Chris!):
Is this comment by first-time Daily Kos commenter, dgcowdrey, on the clearest and most egregious failure of this Republican world.
Top Mojo ala mik!
For Monday, May 22, 2017, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary on the subject.
2017-05-23, courtesy of jotter!