Yes, it’s true, and the gist of the story is here on Being Latino. Hindsight is said to be 20/20, though for some it often remains a little fuzzy, in that endearing, oh-well kind of way.
What’s your life’s work?
As part of a series for the lovely folks at Being Latino, this lucky duck had a chance to chat with the indefatigable Tomas Cookman, whose phenomenal reputation I’ve concluded is very well-earned. Cookman, in case the name doesn’t ring a bell, is the brains and the soul behind the management company and the record label who brings us such talents as Manu Chao, and Aterciopelados and is also the founder of the, now legendary, Latin Alternative Music Conference.
The first part of my interview is live here on Being Latino and the second will go live this week. This could easily have been a 5 part series as Tomas was wildly articulate and really quite hilarious in telling me his story of starting up as a lone entrepreneur in the Lower Eastside projects and ultimately landing where he is now, at the epicenter of a revolution that goes beyond the music industry and really reconnects the arts and business with a sustainable, ethical grace that is rare and much-needed.
In my life, no other man’s music has prompted more dancing, meditating and sweating than this one. May he rest in peace and may his stories live on in our dances.
Y que viva la salsa y los salseros.
One of the pesky and unfortunate realities about the cause-driven or niche-focused online sites and magazines that I love is that, well, they tend to be a bit on the ugly side. Democracy Now anyone? Reminds me of that uncle you love to bits but really wish wouldn’t wear his pants so high up above his waist.
Then came Being Latino. When I stumbled upon this online magazine I have to admit I was smiling for days, here’s what they’re about (yes, it’s not just about looking pretty):
Being Latino is a communication platform designed to educate, entertain and connect all peoples across the global Latino spectrum. Our aim is to break down barriers and foster unity and empowerment through informative, thought-provoking dialogue and exchanging of ideas. Being Latino seeks to give a unified voice to the multitude of communities that identify with the multidimensional culture that is Latino.
And here’s a little contribution the fab Being Latino editors were kind enough to let me make. And before you ask, yes, I promise, it was a momentary knee-jerk political rant. I’ll go back to business and global stuff right away.
Dear Obama,
Thanks for the email from El Paso, but the immigration “issue” is not about Google, Russian nor Scottish immigrants, neither are your record-breaking deportation numbers.
The immigration issue is about immigrants with brown skin or last names like mine.
Let’s rise above the noise and call a spade a spade, shall we?
May 6th I’ll be in Saratoga chatting with some power houses from Xerox and Apple on doing business in Latin America. We’re calling it a Latam Jam Session, seems appropriate as it’ll be at the end of the day at a Winery and we’ll need to either start jamming or risk a group nap. Looking forward to it!
There is a massive shift happening, from push to pull.
And knowing how to receive is what it’s all about. Whether it’s about designing ideas, selling products, creating community (which I believe is increasingly, how best to sell products), spreading ideas or improving your business…gone are the days when you can cook something up on your own and simply “launch” it. Putting it bluntly, who cares if 5 PhD’s in a room think a Search engine’s performance is swell, if 180 million users in Latin America don’t agree?
Communities want you to pull from them. They want you to pull their ideas, input, complaints, trends and preferences…and DO SOMETHING with them. And the evidence is in the companies that are doing that and succeeding, as much as in the ones who have failed. While each failure may look wildy different, even the the ones who have gone down kicking and screaming share the same common thread, the tendency to PUSH their products on markets that are simply not interested in what 5 PhD’s cooked up in a silo somewhere.
I have a new job. It’s a good one.
I am grateful for the confluence of things that made it possible, not the least of which is my own hard work. But there are many others to thank and be grateful for. Making it all happen has taken up a large part of the last few months, which explains my brief hiatus from blogging. My return to writing has been cause for some rumination, and maybe some pressure (on myself) about starting the new year [new decade, new job] right.
This morning it finally hit me, as I found myself receiving a most sincere expression of gratitude from someone who, like me, lives in a fully bilingual world of Spanish and English:
This year may have started off being about gratitude, but it’s the grace in receiving where the crux lies.
I found myself struggling to respond, as I thought about the essential difference between ‘you’re welcome‘ versus ‘de nada‘. ‘De nada’ means literally ‘for nothing’ but the intention, while generally used just as ‘you’re welcome‘ is used in English, is really more of a downplaying, an expression of humility. In Spanish there is this dance we dance, this protocol of expressing humility in the face of flattery or gratitude. It is admittedly sometimes a feigned humility, but the sentiment is nonetheless there, and the expression ‘de nada‘ truly embodies that dance. It really begged the question, what does the bold, straightforward ‘you’re welcome‘ say about the English language, and it’s cultures of origin? In contrast to ‘de nada‘, it feels almost arrogant, as if assuming that the thank you is something more than just a polite expression, as if affirming that the person expressing thanks has reason be thankful. And yet taken more literally, there is beauty in an affirmation of being welcome, warmth in telling someone they are welcome. Don’t we all ultimately want to be welcome?
Simple words, so much culture embedded, so much intention to glean from language. So much that goes into receiving even simple things, like gratitude.
Bottom line, this morning I concluded I want to acknowledge my own desire to be welcome by giving what I want to receive (YOU’RE WELCOME), but I want humility too, and to dance (DE NADA).
So in 2010 I will choose both: You’re Welcome+De Nada.
