Garrick van Buren

We caught the “Heretics” episode of the This American Life last week on the drive back from Wisconsin. A superb listen – about Reverend Carlton Pearson and his New Dimensions church – best I’ve heard from public radio in quite a while (not that I’ve been able to stand listening that much). Pearson’s philosophy of inclusion is the closest I’ve heard something sounding like a Post-Scarcity Christianity.

I don’t remember a church service where the offering plate wasn’t passed around. Donations – dare I say – commerce – is baked into religious gatherings. Same goes for street performers and hat passing.

Outside of those two contexts, I’m drawing a blank on where same gather-entertain-donate model has been successful – especially not in the online realm. Hmmm – what would a successful model look like?

While commerce is baked into religion – the inverse can also be true:

“You see, the customers (and I am one) who make Apple what it is don’t purchase products. They (we) accept and enter a myth — a cult.” – Rex Hammock

Reminds me of my favorite L Ron Hubbard quote:

“I’d like to start a religion. That’s where the money is.”

Keep on eye Pearson – he’s out to prove joy can be as financially lucrative as fear.

Oh, and I think there is a distinction between building a religion and building a cathedral.

While Darren’s post is specific the challenges of high-profile, pro-bike racing, the messed up relationship he describes is evident in so many other industries, the major entertainment publishers come to mind immediately (music, books, etc).

While I admittedly don’t know the specifics of the issues within bike racing (Darren’s the expert here, and I could scare up a couple more if you’d like) – seems to me walking into the sport there’s some degree of acceptance that’s ‘this is the way the game is played’.

Of course, “The Man” has more incentive to keep things status quo than do the “the little guys”. All around me, I’m seeing similar hierarchies bypassed. RSS, podcasting, Tivo, YouTube, email, BarCamps, open-source software, and weblogs – all bypass existing gatekeepers, syndicators, and publishing structures, and organizational structures.

“You’ve got to build bypasses” – Douglas Adams, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

These bypasses changes the game at a fundamental, un-ignorable way. The best bypasses promise sustainability without threat of holding your breath underwater.

What would it look like if the same thing that happened to stock brokers and real estate agents happened to professional sports leagues?

Related:

“Meanwhile, top reporters and columnists at major newspapers are realizing (or will realize soon) that their fates are not necessarily tied to those of their employers.” – Michael Hirschorn