bitchin' sortition pitchin' competition invitition! (nov 16th)
On Zoom, come judge presentations on sortition or give a presentation yourself!
At the park yesterday around twilight, some punk kid randomly approached me and asked if I’d play baseball with him. He said, “Yeah, you know, everybody always says they don’t have time.”
He had a tennis ball and a pvc pipe. He asked if I liked the Dodgers. After each time he hit the tennis ball, he’d announce which new Dodger or Yankees player he was now batting as. I haven’t stood on a mound and tried to throw a fastball over a baseball plate since I was 10. Pitching is hard!
Speaking of pitching, did you hear that Democracy Without Elections is hosting a Sortition Pitchin’ Competition????
It’s November 16th!
On the internet!
You can pitch!
Or you can judge!
(see below)
If you don’t know what sortition is that’s okay.
If you do know what sortition is that’s okay too.
I don’t actually know if there’s a supposed to be winners and losers, because it seems to me that whoever has the most friends will likely win. Anyway, I know we’re mostly trying to figure out what messages are clearest and persuasivest. We’re also just looking to rope anybody in to actual spend an hour listening to some people present on sortition xoxo.
When reflecting on how I’m going to do my sortition pitch, it’s always a little weird to notice how differently I’ll phrase my views when I have to share them with strangers vs friends vs in my own brain. Coincidentally, this, I think, is actually some of the magic of sortition + deliberation.
I do not think that sortition will magically make people honest, curious, respectful, or smart. Nor do I think it will cause anyone to start a habit of reading an hour before bed every night and eating better. Sortition takes people as they are and puts them with people they don’t know. Then deliberation requires to them to share their views out loud with these new people, some they probably don’t like the look of, and they have to sit in that same room for several more hours and deal the repercussions. It’s a forcing function.
Here’s your official invite:
I’d like to invite you to be a judge in an upcoming presentation contest hosted by my organization, Democracy Without Elections (DWE).
What it’s about: Presenters will each have up to 15 minutes to pitch the idea of sortition (citizens selected by lottery to serve in governance) to an audience of people who are unaware, curious, or skeptical. Judges (like you) will help us rate which presentations are most persuasive.
Why you’re a great fit: Judges don’t need any expertise. In fact, the only qualification is that you come in unaware, curious, or skeptical about sortition. You don’t have to be convinced, you just rate which presentations you found most compelling.
Event Details:
Session 1: Sunday, Nov 16
Session 2: Sunday, Dec 21st
4 PM ET | 3 PM CT | 1 PM PT
Length: 1 hour
Zoom link: Join Here
If this sounds good, please read more and sign up using this link: https://forms.gle/riDQAHuafREiFvZQ9 And if you (or someone you know) would like to present instead, here’s the contestant sign-up form: https://forms.gle/oHRTaiYoFj7FRZox5 Thank you for considering—your perspective as a judge would be really valuable!
Hope to see you on Zoom on November 16th.
Yours truly,
Max