Liveblogging Candidates' Forum II
1:25 p.m. MDT
I just got up and walked around the hall. It’s less than half full, but there’s a steady stream of people coming into the hall. I stopped to talk with some people I know. “We didn’t hurry our lunch,” they admitted, knowing that all the candidates speaking today were running in uncontested elections. But they came.
And as I walked around, I saw that nearly everyone was really paying attention. I didn’t even see anyone knitting. Democracy at work: people paying attention even during the less-than-exciting bits.
1:11 p.m. MDT
The candidates are making funny and brief statements. But as I look around, half of the delegates I see are reading their program books.
1:02 p.m. MDT
The hall is still more than half empty. There wasn’t much time for delegates to have lunch today… or maybe people just aren’t interested in the non-contested elections for UUA committees and Board slots.
Sorry to be picking on a minor point in your blogging, but I have to object to “…nearly everyone was really paying attention. I didn’t even see anyone knitting.”
Many knitters, myself included, find they concentrate and listen better when they’re knitting. It’s an annoying throwback, to assume that knitters can’t/don’t pay attention. Just because we like to keep our hands busy doesn’t mean we can’t use our ears and our brains at the same time.
Hi Bobbie Sproat — As someone who can’t sit still during meetings, I’m a big supporter of people knitting during meetings. What amazed me is that everyone I could see was so intently involved that they had no attention left over for anything else. It was unusual enough that I felt I should mention it.