in the choir, listening to the sermon

A few weeks ago, I got a free ticket (thanks to this lady) to go see "What's the Economy For, Anyway?" at the Commonwealth Club.  Annie Leonard stole the show.  She's got a fantastic voice and is a damn compelling speaker.  Fox news was no doubt delighted to quote someone who called her her Karl Marx with a ponytail.  I actually think she's much more likable in person than in her very popular video, which I can't help but finding more than a tad condescending and, well, kind of sensationalist.  So it goes, I guess.  The evening I saw her, she initiated a bizarre revival of the obsolete meaning of "disease" (synonymous with "unease").  It seemed unconscious and so it was interesting to watch her co-panelists Colin Beavan, aka No Impact Man, and David Batker echo it.  I came prepared to dislike Beavan, largely on the basis of this Slate.com review of a documentary about him.  He got in one good line, though: "People like to deny that there's a problem if they can find no solution that they can take part in."   Ultimately, it was a really interesting evening where everyone in the audience nodded wisely and we all agreed with each other.  Excellent reception afterwards.  File under: things I love/hate about San Francisco.