Past Talks & Toolbox
TALK 6.
On Weds Sep 11th our subject was THE TRUTH ISN’T OUT THERE - THE ERA OF CONSPIRACY THEORY
Brent Lee, former conspiracy theorist, Sian Norris, senior investigative reporter at openDemocracy and author of Bodies Under Siege: How the Far right Attack on Reproductive Rights Went Global and Dr Alessandro Miani from Bristol University’s School of Psychological Science gave us the lowdown on Conspiracy theories. Brent explained his personal journey as a former "Truther", Sian explained how the Great Replacement Theory and its tropes all feed into attempts to control women's rights in issues such as abortion and Alessandro warned that "pre-bunking" may be the best hope of controlling the spread of theories that contain enough truth to make them credible. Look out for the podcast of talk highlights on our podcast page (coming shortly)
The Toolbox
(some helpful thoughts/ tips on what we can do to recognise and combat conspiracy theory)
Brent: Beware the question mark (as in "IS 5G KILLING EVERYONE?" - chances are the answer is no) ; helping others takes time; arm yourself by understanding what the conspiracy theory is; and check out Brent's website and blog via https://www.somedarecallitconspiracy.com
Sian: Seek out and support serious journalism - such as that at https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/.
Alessandro: Read Stepahan Lewandowsky and John Cook's "The Conspiracy Theory Handbook" - available here https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1248&context=scholcom
TALK 5.
For our 5th event on Jun 26th our Altered State host Rudy Millard talked with Masha Alyokhina & Olga Borisova of the anti-Putin feminist art collective Pussy Riot about what happens to democracy when there’s no opposition, no free media and a servile judiciary.
The Toolbox
(some helpful thoughts/ tips on what we can do to defend democracy)
This one was pretty simple - VOTE!
TALK 4.
The politics of food was the topic of conversation for our 4th event on May 16th. Our Altered State host Louise Leigh was joined by the following panel:
Catherine Withers, sustainable Yew Tree Farm campaigner.
Prof. Johnathan Napier, food and nutrition scientist.
& Joy Carey, author and director of the Bristol Food Network.
The Toolbox
(some helpful thoughts/ tips on what we can do in the way of healthy and sustainable eating)
Catherine: Localism will save sustainable farms. Buy local and support local. This will ensure that sustainable farms can exist and remain independent.
Joy: Have a look at the Bristol Good Food 2030 website and sign up for the newsletter. There are many amazing things going on and to get involved with.
Johnathan: Eat more fish – it is not only good for your mental health, but fish oils are the most abundant lipid in your brain. It will make you a bit like Jeeves, but smarter. And then that will help solve climate change.
TALK 3.
We focused on AI for our 3rd event on Apr 25th. Our Altered State host Rudy Millard was joined by the following panel:
Nigel Toon, co-founder & CEO of leading AI company Graphcore
Heather Child, author of speculative fiction
Colin Gavaghan, Professor of Digital Futures at Bristol University
The Toolbox
(some helpful thoughts/ tips on what we can do in the way of AI)
Colin advised us not to be passive recipients, but to be activist as we are when we demand politicians legislate.
Nigel’s vision was to enable it as a force for good and remember that if it acts poorly, it’s the human bad actor involvement, not the machine.
Heather felt we must decide if we want to be servile or strategic.
TALK 2.
On Feb 6th we held our second event, Wye oh Why. Our Altered State host Rudy Millard was joined by the following panel:
Will McBain: Water Environment Leader at Arup
Simon Evans: CEO of the Wye and Usk Foundation and
Charlotte Hitchmough: CEO at Action for the River Kennet and Trustee of the Rivers Trust
The Toolbox
(some helpful thoughts/ tips on helping save our rivers)
Simon advises making informed food choices, advocating for reduced meat consumption, avoiding flushing wet wipes down your loo, and supporting The Rivers Trust foundation.
Will promotes "frugal hedonism” - finding joy in simple things and connections rather than consumerism.
Charlotte suggests building rain gardens for sustainable water management.
Some other useful links:
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Waterwise (how water efficiency can help during the Cost of Living crisis)
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Retrofitted water butt image, courtesy of “Slow the Flow”.
TALK 1.
On Jan 18th we held our first event, The Price of Protest. Our Altered State host Louise Leigh was joined by the following panel:
Jasmine York: an activist imprisoned following the Kill The Bill protests in Bristol
Dr Oscar Berglund: a Senior Lecturer at Bristol University's School for Policy Studies who is an expert in civil disobedience and climate change activism
Jess Etherington: who could tell us about the law. Jess is a lawyer with McCue Jury and Partners who are specialists in human rights and civil liberties law.
The Toolbox
(some helpful thoughts/ tips on protest)
Jasmine: Don’t necessarily subscribe to what everything else is doing. If you see somebody struggling the difference you can make as an individual is monumental... Also, if you're going to a protest, don't wear bright colours!
And if you would like to write to prisoners.
.
Oscar: The most effective change you’re going to make is within your surroundings and with people closest to you (where you live or work). Get together with those around you and try to enable change together. Examples include community energy projects/ organising the work place/ striking.
Jess: Grouping and finding comfort in solidarity with others who are united by the same cause is effective. Remember also not to lose heart - people involved in the law are strategising in order to effectively litigate/ combat/ create arguments against litigation which reduces our protest rights. If you're a campaigner, know your rights and be prepared to protect those around you.
Jess: “I think based on this new legislation (Public Order Act 2023), it is reasonable to think that if you are planning on going to a protest you might ..encounter oppressive policing in some shape or form, you might question that oppressive policing and that might lead to some sort of altercation where you may well get arrested. I think it is reasonable to be prepared essentially…the threshold is just so low”.
Bustcards:
Jess: "What this new legislation does is give police the power to use their discretion at any given moment in a protest so widely and I think that’s my main point ..it is so worrying looking at the measures in these new pieces of legislation just how wide ranging the discretion is to the police and very junior officers in the moment – who knows how that officer woke up in the morning feeling…"
Become a legal observer.