Interesting town hall....but did it accomplish anything?

by Jake
Thu, 04/22/2010 - 4:06pm

Having just left the town hall portion of the day, I was quite moved by many of the stories and experiences people shared. I would like to say thank you to all that had the courage to stand up and share their stories, thoughts, and concerns. I am also grateful that we had a panel of individuals from the various agencies willing to share what they could, but I felt as though many of their responses were canned or scripted and not much I could take away and really put to work in my community. I will say I think the panel handled the overall meeting well, as many that took the microphone were seemingly in attack mode and not really posing questions that would prompt meaningful discussion. I can certainly understand the passionate and emotional drivers behind the thoughts, but I would like to see more restraint and composure, as I think that it would better facilitate a legitimate dialogue. Those thoughts aside, I do believe that channeling those emotions and elevated passions can help us all to maintain the momentum when heading back to our local communities as advocates and activists alike.

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unanswered questions

I completely agree. Today

Submitted by Durryle on Thu, 04/22/2010 - 9:14pm.

I completely agree. Today was my first town hall concerning HIV and I was both moved, but also discouraged by the way people were attacking the panelists as if they themselves were causing the delays in protocol + otherthings.

I must admit that as a old

Submitted by Jack on Thu, 04/22/2010 - 10:27pm.

I must admit that as a old advocate in the days of ACT-UP people were mad and angry on how slow the government was working to get HIV meds and studies going to save peoples lives......I think that in my opinon that if you are making decesions for my health care then you need to be held accountable for your actions..... I agree people do not need to be yelled at but they need to understand not to get to comlpicant on the issues and to strive for more medical advances and in this life we are hear to agree to disagree.......and thats what town halls are for to let your voice be heard on the issues at hand........

I do agree with you, there

Submitted by Jake on Sat, 04/24/2010 - 10:33am.

I do agree with you, there is certainly cause to be mad at the layers of bureaucracy that slow the process of studies and treatment. There definitely needs to be some accountability around the care of all that face chronic or terminal illness, particularly those in a place to really implement effective change. However, I also think that we need to be prepared to speak their language and engage in meaningful dialogue in ways that will be far more productive. I know if I were on a panel of any sort and the response by many was to go on the offensive, I certainly would be more reluctant to push forward any harder to change the status quo. As the saying goes, if you can’t beat them – join them. So why not engage in thoughtful, informed, and respectful conversation geared toward real results. In the case of the town hall on Tuesday, I felt there were too many people that just wanted to have a figure to yell at and accept blame. Why focus on pointing fingers and looking for an apology, lets make it about the changes we want to see and drive it forward in a way that everyone feels good about the outcome. I’m not saying there is not a time and place for the emotional displays, but if we continually bombard anyone who is willing to hear our voice with anger and accusation, don’t you think they will stop listening and showing up all together? I would. Sometimes I think it is important to keep our eye on the goal and look at each piece as a tool or weapon in our arsenal; and there will be those times that we may not win the battle, but let us not forget battles can be lost while still claiming victory in the overall war. I have found for myself in everyday dealings in life, whether in the workplace or out in the community, knowing your audience and speaking to them in a way that they can relate typically produces far greater results. We had a real opportunity to gather some information during the town hall meeting and take away a little more to arm ourselves, but I felt several people just wanted to yell at someone and I have a hard time respecting that approach as a general rule. For me, I wouldn’t choose to have a voice mired in anger and aggression as one that speaks for my rights or future standards of care. Again, I do thank all that had the courage to stand up and speak, but please know that when you allow anger and aggression to be your voice, you are not speaking for us all.