TSLC March 2010

[marct]

Hi TAB,

With the absolute intent to sound flippant and snarky yet still wanting some insight, which aspects of the performance arts are being neglected as a source of study for the military? Are we to win the war through interpretive dance?

Not interpretive dance per se, but a study of poetry would be extremely useful to understanding the underlying narratives of most of our current opponents. In addition to that, a large number of AQ inspired engagements are quintessentially performative in that they are designed as performative acts for a broader audience than those in theatre (think diasporic communities). The problem with the engineering mindset that dominates most militaries is that you/they think in terns of immediate geographic effect, while most of our opponents are looking towards a much broader audience, hence the necessity to study performance arts.

[Ron Humphrey]

Hi TAB,



Not interpretive dance per se, but a study of poetry would be extremely useful to understanding the underlying narratives of most of our current opponents. In addition to that, a large number of AQ inspired engagements are quintessentially performative in that they are designed as performative acts for a broader audience than those in theatre (think diasporic communities). The problem with the engineering mindset that dominates most militaries is that you/they think in terns of immediate geographic effect, while most of our opponents are looking towards a much broader audience, hence the necessity to study performance arts.

Been searching for a simple way to explain exactly that and hadn't been able to do it.

[selil]

The problem with the engineering mindset that dominates most militaries is that you/they think in terns of immediate geographic effect, while most of our opponents are looking towards a much broader audience, hence the necessity to study performance arts.

Unfortunately they are willing to give a degree to just about anybody in the liberal arts so the engineers have to run things.

There is a human approach to engineering but the business school decided it wasn't profitable.

[marct]

Hi Selil,

Unfortunately they are willing to give a degree to just about anybody in the liberal arts so the engineers have to run things.

Given the quality of some engineering students I've met, that probably explains a lot about the current state of the world .

There is a human approach to engineering but the business school decided it wasn't profitable.

Probably because it's never a good idea to give 2D minds 3D models .

[Bob's World]

Could this spell the end for the "radical Colonels and Special Foirces officers" that Secretary Gates relies upon for such thinking??

Actually the irony of this approach is that it's such an inside the box approach to produce outside the box thinking.

The COG for driving inside the box thinking is the senior rater profile. Defeat that COG, and you can then start looking at how to then enable more flexible thinking. Leaving that COG in place and hoping to create flexible thinking is like Refusing to address and even protecting the illegitimacy of the Karzai government while attempting to conduct a population centric solution to the insurgency in Afghanistan.

We have to learn how to drop the pet rocks first. But I guess that is outside the box thinking at work.