Zócalo: A Community of Ideas

A shared idea takes on a life of its own.

Zócalo Public Square brings big thinkers and their equally big ideas into direct contact with the general public — for free. Zócalo is centered in Los Angeles, but events have been held in San Francisco, Berlin, and Shanghai. Later this year they will be in Guadalajara.

To see the likes of Paul Krugman and Wangari Maathai, or meet Reihan Salam in person, you’d normally have to score tickets to The Daily Show. Or you could attend one of Zócalo’s free lectures. The moderated events cover a broad range of topics. After the lecture, the speakers attend the reception. Want a drink with the Mexican ambassador? You could’ve had one if you’d attended the event at Disney Hall.

Face-to-face interactions are important. Several years ago I was at a lunch with Neil Postman, author of Amusing Ourselves to Death and Technopoly. I don’t recall the conversation — it’s the physicality I remember. He ate a sandwich. He sat kind of hunched over. He was at points comfortable with the questions and annoyed by the people doing the asking. I could probably watch every video of Neil Postman ever recorded and never see him eat a roast beef sandwich. Seeing him in person humanized his ideas.

I joined the Zócalo board last year because I believe they represent a new model for civic engagement — one that doesn’t just promise access to concepts but also access to the thinkers themselves. There are too few places to connect to big conversations. It takes $10K and a personal invitation to get a seat at TED. Zócalo lets you watch events online for free, but there is nothing quite like seeing the look on Paul Krugman’s face when he gets asked about current U.S. economic policy vis-a-vis the G-20 by goth girl. You just have to be there. Attend a Zócalo event and see for yourself.