Beer Diplomacy – Episode 1 – Hello America!
I have wanted to do a show about politics for quite some time now. The problem with that is, very few people can have a political discussion without getting all riled up. I have been involved in a few of these myself. People take their political views to heart. I know I do. Yet, I believe that no matter how uncomfortable it may be for some to have these types of discussions, it is vital for people to take part in politics. At the very least, political discussion fosters education as to what the hell is going on in one’s country, state, city, town, etc. If you turn a blind eye to what is going on with your government, you are not doing your job as a citizen. This reminds me of something I always think about around election time, “If you don’t vote, don’t complain.”
The main idea behind Beer Diplomacy is to make political discussion and debate more accessible. By keeping it as light as possible, with beer as the catalyst for that, we hope to attract and inspire people who normally wouldn’t want to get involved to join the discussion. We plan on having guests of all political affiliations on the show. As you can see from this first episode, we seemed to agree on most of what we were talking about. We definitely want to have some debate. The only way this will happen is if we vary the topics, as well as the types of guests we have on the show. If you are interested in joining the discussion, please send an email to beerdiplomacytv@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @beerdiplomacy.
I want to thank the people who helped me make this idea become a reality. First off, I must give a shoutout to my good friend James (@rudolphe). He and I talked this idea through before it was even an idea. Due to a power outage, and technical difficulties for about 4 weeks straight, James couldn’t make it to episode 1. He took the high road and told us to flim without him so, as a wise man once put, we could “put the rubber to the road.” He will be joining us as soon as he can get his rig working properly.
Next, I’d like to thank Owen (@ohdoctah). Here’s a guy that inspires me to be more than I am, and when I get there, raises the bar even higher. He adds great insight to the show, and has a way with words; he can take a complex topic and break it down so all can understand. There are countles other things I thank Owen for, but I’ll save the drama for my mama. (Support my boy, Owen here, here, and here)
Special thanks go out to Brian Brushwood (@shwood) Without his help setting up vidblaster, setting up my audio mixer, and pretty much putting up with my incessant questioning, this show would not have been possible. The bbLiveShow may be “The Worst Show on the Internet”, but without it, I wouldn’t be here doing what I’m doing right now. (You can find Brian’s other projects here and here)
Last, but not least, Justin Robert Young (@justinryoung) for helping come up with the concept, and then letting me take it in my own direction. What began as a week without a bbliveshow became an idea that has had me hard at work for quite some time now. Thank you for your creative input and support. (Check out Justin’s projects here and here)
I hope you all enjoy the show. Let us know if we ever leave something out, if there is a topic you would like to see us discuss, or want to disagree with our views and opinions. That is what the show is all about. More importantly, that is what diplomacy is all about.
