Jane Anne Morris – Democracy Theme Park

Jane Anne Morris was one of the primary researchers, writers and workshop leaders in POCLAD the Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy. They came together in the early 1990’s to try to better understand why all of our activism against corporations that are causing harm to people and nature was so ineffective.

The website Democracy Theme Park dot org is Jane Anne Morris’ precious gift to us. She died on May 28, 2019 in Madison, Wisconsin. And this program is a tribute to her. Here is the way she wanted us to enter her site. She wrote:

“I first brought up the idea of the Democracy Theme Park — the place where we play at pulling the levers of democracy, only to discover they aren’t connected to anything — at a conference in Texas in 1996 … Corporate executives have continued writing laws and buying television stations. They’re making policy, while we’re standing in line for rides at the Democracy Theme Park.

But we don’t have to stay here. We too can develop provocative and nuanced strategies for returning democracy to what it was supposed to be all about; government for the people, by the people. So hang on to your hats and sharpen your pencils… we’re going over the wall! But first, take a step back to 1996. What I said then is still (alas) deeply relevant.”

Jane Anne Morris was recorded by C-SPAN on November 26, 1996 in Texas at the founding convention of the Alliance for Democracy. This is the first of several programs honoring her. Please contact me, Maria Gilardin, via <tuc@tucradio.org> if you have broadcast quality audio of Jane Anne Morris that I may use.

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