Observing the various twists and semantic turns of Safety over its short history is at the least, entertaining. It seems like each month and year someone, usually an academic, has a ‘brain fart’, invents some new semantic safety brand, creates a following, sells the product and then under sunk cost, … [Read more...] about Selling The Safety Semantic Cycle
semantics
Why Would You Talk That Way?
Why Would You Talk That Way? Postman’s classic book ‘Crazy talk, Stupid Talk’ (1976) discusses the power of semantic environments. That is, the context in which we talk. For example, the words ‘sorry I have sinned’ may make sense in a confessional but don’t make much sense in a court room. … [Read more...] about Why Would You Talk That Way?
Heaven ‘n Hell and the Safety Religion
Heaven ‘n Hell and the Safety Religion I try not to get surprised by the amount of safety delusion that gets sent to me each week. Most of it is packaged in religious discourse and soteriology (salvation discourse) all about playing ‘god’ over other people. The sense of omnipotence displayed in the … [Read more...] about Heaven ‘n Hell and the Safety Religion
Risk and Safety as a Wicked Problem
Introduction It is nearly ten years since the outstanding research by Wagner and Associates ‘Safety - A Wicked Problem’ was published (http://www.peterwagner.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Safety-A-Wicked-Problem2.pdf). The project examined responses by prominent CEOs to common problems associated in … [Read more...] about Risk and Safety as a Wicked Problem