Thursday, July 24, 2008

Criticize by creating

Critique by creating or, criticize by creating.


Criticizing by creating is literally the creation of a standard for what you are attempting to change and how, in the context of the whole. In other words, when you create something new you imply, or expect, that what you have created has potential to satisfy a group of individuals more than what is already in existence. Example- Clayton (need last name) created a company in Austin, Texas called Sweet Leaf Tea on the claims that
“he and his friends couldn’t understand why bottled tea never tasted as good as homemade. Inspired by the homemade tea that Clayton’s grandmother used to make, he began tasting teas from all over the world and brewing countless batches in his kitchen. With all $10,000 of Clayton’s savings and an old delivery van, Sweet Leaf Tea was born. Soon after David Smith… joined him in their quest to create the best tasting, highest quality bottled tea on the planet.”
(sweet Leaf Tea “Our Story”). A business that has now been, according to the same source previously given, steadily increasing in its profits over the past few years. Though Clayton’s ends may not be to achieve better tea for himself, he has provided it for those whose wants are better tea in return for something he may value more highly. Clayton is a great example of criticizing by creating. When you branch out with your ideas and standards of quality for anything, you are making the assumption that because you have searched for something “better” than what was already around you, that you will succeed in fulfilling the social need. Thousands of entrepreneurs do this everyday (I hope!), creating market competition- it is how a society continues to grow upwards in quality and expectation. It is how the peoples of America achieved and live the change “luxuries into necessities”. The market, rather, the people making up the market of consumers will let you know if you have succeeded in creating something more valuable (“meets their [an individuals] myriad values best”: Dylan Miller) then what is already out there (even if it’s a niche just large enough to sustain you). I spoke with a local, Dylan Miller, in regards to his opinion on “Criticize by creating”:

“…a clever title for a method or process for meeting social needs as an alternative to non-profit…With the aid of the incentive and communication system of the market; you are able to create a sustainable, accountable, effective institution that can operate whether or not all the people involved share your values or goal….It’s more sustainable and has the ability to allow people with local knowledge regarding the problem to play a role in the solution…at this point, [those working in the institution] their social goal, and the (clerk’s) self-interest and knowledge and possibly his social goals as well, coincide to effect change. … Social entrepreneurship has an end goal in addition to, or other than profit; the social need is the reason for the institutions existence.” (Interview source)



“Profit won't cure those ills, but it's becoming a bigger part of more solutions.” (Social Entrepreneurship “The 2008 Social Capitalist Awards”).

Interacting with creation is the most powerful tool of feedback in our nation. Your interactions: your dollar votes, over-coffee-conversations, your questions, are the tools that create the world you live in. You are the answer to question: "Why are things this way and how can they change?"

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