CONNECTING IN A CRISIS - June 2020

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CONNECTING IN A CRISIS - June 2020
ROTARY.ORG          JUNE 2020

                                         CONNECTING
                                          IN A CRISIS

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CONNECTING IN A CRISIS - June 2020
CARY NORTON
                                      M
          President’s message                           y Rotary journey began 40 years ago
                                                        when I joined the Rotary Club of
                                                        Decatur, Alabama, at the age of 25,
                                                        and it has brought my family and me
                                                        many unforgettable moments. But
                                                        nothing could have prepared me for
                                      connecting with the world as president of Rotary
                                      International. My individual Rotary journey has
                                      become a shared Rotary journey with each of you.
                                         All of the incredible people Gay and I met this
                                      year — Rotarians, Rotaractors, and the extended
                                      family of Rotary — will be an inspiration for the rest
                                      of our lives. We visited clubs and projects from Uru-
                                      guay to Ukraine, from Nigeria to New Zealand, and
                                      beyond. We were privileged to crisscross the globe,
                                      circumnavigating it twice and moving back and
                                      forth between the Northern and Southern hemi-
                                      spheres. Each country and each stop held its own
                                      Rotary magic. While in Zimbabwe in March, we

jun20-PresMess-editOK_revise.indd 2                                                            4/16/20 9:41 AM
CONNECTING IN A CRISIS - June 2020
participated in a medical vocational training team              As I have witnessed the members of the Rotary
                   mission with Rotarians from India, providing                community act to care for humanity amid the
                   health, hope, and life itself to the thousands who          coronavirus pandemic, I have seen the aloha of
                   came for treatment. We also felt the energy of more         Rotary. We are indeed people of action. Every day,
                   than 300 young people at a Rotary Youth Sympo-              but particularly during this pandemic, the Rotary
                   sium in Harare. What a thrill it was to be with these       community has demonstrated its aloha spirit.
                   young people!                                               It is a gift to be shared, and we are each a steward
                      This year Rotary launched our new Action Plan,           of this gift of Rotary. Gay and I have been amazed,
                   and I trust each club is putting that plan to use. And      inspired, and humbled by all of you within the family
                   I have been energized by the efforts to embrace the         of Rotary.
                   priorities I set for this Rotary year: engaging families,
                   providing leadership opportunities for all ages, cel-
                   ebrating our history with the United Nations in its
                                                                               As COVID-19 reached around the
                   75th year, and, most significantly, growing Rotary.         globe, we found ourselves in a world
                      As COVID-19 reached around the globe, we found           transformed. We have been forced to
                                                                               connect in ways we could never have
CARY NORTON

                   ourselves in a world transformed. We have been
                   forced to connect in ways we could never have imag-
                                                                               imagined, testing our ability to adapt.
                   ined, testing our ability to adapt. We have made
                   tough decisions, including canceling club meetings,
                   district conferences, presidential conferences, and,           Indeed, I would say that the last part of our shared
                   much to our regret, the 2020 Rotary International           Rotary year was transformational. We found new
                   Convention in Honolulu. Together everyone is plac-          ways to make the lives of others better, new ways to
                   ing the public good and welfare first, despite the loss     move forward together. And, together, we will con-
                   of meetings, events, and experiences that had been          tinue to grow Rotary so that we may increase our
                   planned for years.                                          gift of Rotary to our local and global communities.
                      As we looked forward to the Rotary Convention               Gay and I will always remember and treasure our
                   in Honolulu, we learned about the aloha spirit. Our         year with you, our shared journey, as Rotary Connects
                   Rotary friends in Hawaii showed us that “aloha”             the World!
                   means mutual regard and affection. It extends
                   warmth and caring with no expectation of anything
                   in return. The spirit of aloha applies wherever in the
                   world we may live. As Rotarians, Rotaractors, and
                   members of the family of Rotary, we are connected,
                   and as aloha has been defined to me: Our connection         MARK DANIEL MALONEY
                   to one another is based upon mutual respect for our         President, Rotary International
                   differences as well as our appreciation for what we
                   have in common. Community is the sum of individuals
                                                                                  Visit riconvention.org for information about virtual
                   — individuals who have concern for one another, who
                                                                                  2020 Rotary Convention events to be held in June.
                   care, share, and take responsibility.

                                                                                                                                         June 2020 The Rotarian   |1

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CONNECTING IN A CRISIS - June 2020
MARCO FONTE AND DANIEL ALONSO

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                                                                GÜNES ERTAS

                                RAFAEL M. GARCIA III

4/10/20 6:36 AM
CONNECTING IN A CRISIS - June 2020
contents
                                                                                                                                                 Vol. 198, No. 12

                                                                                                                                              JUNE

                                                             features

                                                            28 IT JUST CLICKED
                                                                       When our 2020 photo contest judge, Damon Winter,
                                                                       got his first real camera, a lens opened on a future
                                                                       that would include a Pulitzer Prize, a job at the New
                                                                       York Times, and a portfolio of artful photographs that
                                                                       tell compelling stories.
                                                                       By Julie Bain
                                                                       Photography by Damon Winter

                                                            40 S NAP JUDGMENTS
             28                                                        This year’s photo contest winners tell a story of
                                                                       Rotarians exploring the world with open eyes and
              1    PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE                                 hearts, making connections across cultures, and
              6    INBOX                                               capturing beauty wherever they find it.
              8    EDITOR’S NOTE

            11 our world
           		 • Community trust: Tika Dewi
                                                            “      As I have witnessed the members
                                                                        of the Rotary community
                                                                     act to care for humanity amid
              • Global etiquette
              • To the manners born                                    the coronavirus pandemic,
                                                                    I have seen the aloha of Rotary.
                                                                                                                                                               ”
           		 • World Polio Day ideas from around
           			 the globe
           		 • Stay connected through Rotary’s                                                                  — Mark Daniel Maloney
           			 online Learning Center
           		 • Snapshot: Madurai, India
              • Adapt and connect
                                                                                                        ON THE COVER A family arrives at a drive-through
                                                                                                        COVID-19 testing site in Syracuse, New York, in late March.
            23 viewpoints                                                                               Photography by Damon Winter/New York Times

           		• It’s only human                                                                          ABOVE Assigned to photograph workers who were still
                                                                                                        on the job on his Manhattan block just before a statewide

            55 our clubs
                                                                                                        stay-at-home order took effect in response to the COVID-19
                                                                                                        pandemic, our photo contest judge took a self-portrait.
                                                                                                        Photography by Damon Winter/New York Times
                   • Building by the bay in San Francisco
                   • 5 questions about meeting online                                                      OPPOSITE Mark Daniel Maloney’s duties as 2019-20
                   • Message from the trustee chair                                                        Rotary president took him around the world. “Each country
                                                                                                           and each stop held its own Rotary magic,” says Maloney,
                   • Rotary Fellowships
                                                                                                           who was often accompanied by his wife, Gay. Left to right,
                   • In memoriam                                                                           top to bottom: Bandai, Japan; Ankara, Turkey; Busan, Korea;
                   • Crossword                              Kolkata, India; El Rodeo, Guatemala; Harare, Zimbabwe; Fatima, Portugal; Kaneohe, Hawaii; Sydney,
                                                            Australia; Kolkata, India; Chicago, Illinois; Pasadena, California; Mutare, Zimbabwe; London, England;
            64     LAST LOOK                                and Evanston, Illinois. Photography courtesy of Gay Maloney unless otherwise noted

                                                                                                                                         June 2020 The Rotarian            |3

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CONNECTING IN A CRISIS - June 2020
General Officers of Rotary International
                                                                                                                                                        2019-20
                                                                                                                                                        President
                                   JOHN REZEK Editor in chief                                                                     MARK DANIEL MALONEY Decatur, Alabama, USA

                       JENNIFER MOODY Art director                                                                                                   President-elect
                                                                                                                                         HOLGER KNAACK Herzogtum Lauenburg-Mölln, Germany
                        JENNY LLAKMANI Managing editor
                                                                                                                                                     Vice President
                                                                                                                            OLAYINKA HAKEEM BABALOLA Trans Amadi, Nigeria
                 GEOFFREY JOHNSON Senior editor
                                                                                                                                                        Treasurer
                                 HANK SARTIN Senior editor                                                                               DAVID D. STOVALL Hall County, Georgia, USA

                        DIANA SCHOBERG Senior staff writer                                                                                              Directors
                                                                                                                                      FRANCESCO AREZZO Ragusa, Italy
            JOHN M. CUNNINGHAM Associate editor                                                                             TONY (JAMES ANTHONY) BLACK Dunoon, Scotland
                                                                                                                                      JEFFRY CADORETTE Media, Pennsylvania, USA
                          NANCY WATKINS Copy editor
                                                                                                                                   MÁRIO CÉSAR MARTINS Santo André, Brazil
                                                                                                                                           DE CAMARGO
              VANESSA GLAVINSKAS Contributing editor
                                                                                                                                   LAWRENCE A. DIMMITT Topeka, Kansas, USA
                                  MARC DUKES Production manager                                                                      RAFAEL M. GARCIA III Pasig, Philippines
                                                                                                                                           JAN LUCAS KET Purmerend, The Netherlands
                                          JOE CANE Design & production assistant                                                                 KYUN KIM Busan-Dongrae, Korea
                                                                                                                                          FLOYD A. LANCIA Anthony Wayne (Fort Wayne), Indiana, USA
                  CYNTHIA EDBROOKE Senior editorial coordinator
                                                                                                                                               AKIRA MIKI Himeji, Japan

                                 KATIE MCCOY Circulation manager                                                                        BHARAT S. PANDYA Borivli, India
                                                                                                                                          KAMAL SANGHVI Dhanbad, India
                                                                                                                                          JOHRITA SOLARI Anaheim, California, USA
                                                                                                                                   STEPHANIE A. URCHICK McMurray, Pennsylvania, USA
                                                                                                                                     PIOTR WYGNAŃCZUK Gdynia, Poland

                                                                                                                             JOHN P. HEWKO General Secretary
                                                                                                                            		             Kyiv, Ukraine

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           The Rotarian (ISSN 0035-838X). Publication number: USPS 548-810.                                                 		             Kyiv, Ukraine

  4   | The Rotarian June 2020

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CONNECTING IN A CRISIS - June 2020
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CONNECTING IN A CRISIS - June 2020
inbox

            Field work
            Bob Quinn, the Montana Rotarian featured in the March issue [“Scientist,
            Farmer, Innovator, Rotarian”], appears to be a remarkable man who has
            made a solid contribution to his community. But in fact America’s fields are
            not “soaked in chemicals” that “suck nutrients from the earth, from the
            food, and from the small communities that dot the plains.” All agriculture
            requires chemicals, especially nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. H20 —
            water — is a chemical. “Farming without chemicals,” contrary to the warm
            rhetoric of the article, is not possible.
               In general, organic farming requires much more labor than conventional
            agriculture does. What will laborers be paid? Where will all the organic mulch
            and fertilizer come from? Usually a much greater amount of organic matter
            — manure and so on — must be put on the fields than is needed for conven-
            tional agriculture. Organic farming does not provide extra protection from
            pests and diseases; there is evidence that organic coffee farms have been hit
            harder by leaf rust than conventional operations have.
               All the conventional farmers I have met, in Central America, China, Ethiopia, Ohio, and other places, are dedicated to
            sustaining their yields. They do not poison the earth or destroy communities.
               Organic farming may be wonderful, but the organic industry — which now involves very large companies like General
            Mills — engages in scare tactics. “Chemicals” are called bad, while the industry aims to frighten consumers by insisting
            that genetically modified organisms (GMO) are killing us and are producing Frankenstein foods and animals. That is
            shameful, as Americans have been eating GMO corn and soybeans for decades now, with no discernible effect on health.
            Organic may be a powerful tool in growing food, but to disdain the tools of GMO is an attack on science.
               I wish the best to organic farmers, but I hope The Rotarian will support science and not the harmful claims of the
            organic food industry.                                                                 ROBERT W. THURSTON Oxford, Ohio

            As an old farm boy, I began reading “Scientist,     point, I concluded that the rest of the article   wealthiest countries in South America, and to
            Farmer, Innovator, Rotarian” with great interest    was trash and closed the magazine.                see it now is unbelievable. To not at least
            but quickly became frustrated with the                 JOHN K. RUTLEDGE                               mention some of the reasons ignores the
            emotional and slanted writing. Fields “soaked in       Wheaton, Illinois                              elephant in the room. Although I understand
            chemicals”? Really? Same sentence: “corpora-                                                          trying to avoid political commentary, the
            tions that farm them.” Does the writer know that    The role of politics                              cause and genesis of this sad crisis should
            about 97 percent of all farms in America are        The article on the refugee crisis in Venezuela    transcend politics and not be lost.
            family farms? And that they produce about           in the March issue was interesting, but the          PAUL PAGENKOPF
            86 percent of all U.S. agricultural output?         situation in Venezuela was euphemistically           Pewaukee, Wisconsin
            Enough to feed us and much of the world for a       referred to as “the country’s collapse — an
            price we can afford. Fifty years ago, the average   economic meltdown that … is worse than the        Inspiring issue
            American family spent about 20 percent of           Great Depression.” There was never any            These two stories hit it out of the park for me:
            its income on food. Today that is a little over     mention of Hugo Chávez’s socialism failure:          1. “Scientist, Farmer, Innovator, Rotarian”:
            10 percent. “Suck nutrients from the earth”?        the corruption, mismanagement, and                Bob Quinn is my new hero. Can I order the
            If Mr. Quinn sells his crops to be delivered off    authoritarian dictatorship that continues         apples and grains? I was moved nearly to tears
            his farm, he, too, is removing nutrients. At that   under Nicolás Maduro. This was one of the         reading about the years he has dedicated to

  6   | The Rotarian June 2020

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CONNECTING IN A CRISIS - June 2020
Overheard on social media
               Our March issue featured an interview with Rotary President-elect Holger
               Knaack. We polled readers on Instagram for their thoughts on leadership.

                Have you met President-elect                                    Do you seek leadership
                                                                                                                                 Check out Rotary International’s
                      Holger Knaack?                                          opportunities for yourself?
                                                                                                                                Instagram story on 17 JUNE for an
                         Yes          OR          No                               Yes          OR          No                   interactive poll about etiquette.
                         21%                     79%                               89%                     11%

                                                   - The ability to listen                                      - Embrace of diversity              - Public speaking skills
                                                   - Understanding                                              - High ethical standards            - Confidence
                                                   - Good communication skills                                  - Organizational skills             - Fairness and firmness
                Qualities you value in leadership: - Transparency                                               - Inclusiveness                     - Honesty
                                                   - Consistency                                                - Selflessness                       - Attainable goal setting
                                                   - Authenticity                                               - Team development skills           - Motivational skills
                                                   - Skills in empowering others                                - Enthusiasm                        - An ability to inspire

            organic farming and supporting businesses as                Multiplying impact                                    my club in Northfield, Minnesota, I can say
            well as helping the Rocky Boy’s Reservation in              I read “Toward a More Lasting Peace” in the           that very few investments have greater bang for
            its struggle to have healthy foods.                         February issue with interest. I am proud to serve     the buck than the shipping of a container of
                2. In “Exodus,” the plight of more than                 on the board of directors of Books for Africa, the    excellent donated books (35,000 books with a
            4 million refugees is heartbreaking. The story              world’s largest shipper of donated books to the       value of about $250,000) at a cost of about
            highlighted two women in the Rotary E-Club                  African continent. Former U.S. Ambassador             $12,000 to $14,000 per container.
            of Houston (whom I know personally) and their               Howard Jeter, mentioned in the article, is also           Books for Africa has also equipped 100 law
            commitment to act, as well as that of Rotarians             a member of our board, and Sir Emeka Offor is a       libraries at top universities across Africa and is
            in Colombia, Mexico, and the United States.                 member of our Ambassadors Circle. I’m pleased         working with the African Union to expand this
                I feel extremely proud of Rotarians                     to report that the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation         work. Knowing that there will be Rotarians on the
            everywhere and glad to be a part of all the good            has provided more than $1.3 million to Books for      other end to receive the books and ensure that
            done in the world.                                          Africa over the past several years to send well       they reach their destination is a huge bonus.
               BELINDA KAYLANI                                          over 1 million books to schools, libraries, and           The Rotary Peace Centers have increased
               Houston                                                  universities in Nigeria and across Africa.            Rotary’s reach exponentially in the search for a
                                                                            Books for Africa is celebrating its 31st          better tomorrow, and if we count the other
            The March issue was the best issue ever. I read it          anniversary and 50 million books sent to              organizations that have worked with Rotary over
            cover to cover! Thanks for the inspiring articles!          Africa, and Rotarians have been instrumental          the years, this impact is only multiplied.
               BARBARA SCHILE                                           in the organization’s growth. Having led three            CHARLIE COGAN
               Covington, Washington                                    Rotary/Books for Africa partnerships through              Northfield, Minnesota

            The editors welcome comments on items published in the                   Follow us to get updates, share stories with your networks, and tell us what you think.
            magazine but reserve the right to edit for style and length. Pub-            The Rotarian, One Rotary Center, 1560 Sherman Ave., Evanston, IL 60201 USA
            lished letters do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors
            or Rotary International leadership, nor do the editors take respon-      WEBSITE therotarian.com                 twitter.com/rotary            facebook.com/rotary
            sibility for errors of fact that may be expressed by the writers.        EMAIL yourletters@rotary.org            instagram.com/rotaryinternational

                                                                                                                                                          June 2020 The Rotarian          |7

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CONNECTING IN A CRISIS - June 2020
SERVICE                                                                            I     t’s the first full week of April. All 11 members of the
                                                                                                Rotarian staff have been working from home for

      ABOVE SELF
                                                                                          four weeks now. We’re working the phone, we’re email-
                                                                                          ing, and we Zoom in on each other, mostly in groups. We
                                                                                          pass around our work as digital files: manuscripts, edited
                                                                                          text, tentative layouts, finished pages. As we put the June
                                                                                          issue to bed, we’re planning our coverage for the rest of
            The Object of Rotary                                     A message from the   the summer and through the end of the year. Plus we’re
      THE OBJECT of Rotary is to encourage and foster                   editor in chief   trying to navigate a world that seems determined to
      the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and,                           undermine any sort of prediction.
                                                                        JOHN REZEK
      in particular, to encourage and foster:                                                But we are able to see and share what’s before us at
                                                                                          this moment. By now we all know people who have been
      FIRST The development of acquaintance
      as an opportunity for service;                                                      infected with COVID-19. We may know some who have
                                                                                          died; we’ve all witnessed heroic people out delivering
      SECOND High ethical standards in business and                                       food, packages, personal protective equipment, and other
      professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all
                                                                                          medical supplies. I don’t think I can be angry at a truck
      useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s
      occupation as an opportunity to serve society;                                      driver ever again.
                                                                                             Simultaneously we are hearing from Rotary clubs
      THIRD The application of the ideal of service in each                               that, in this time of crisis, continue to engage with their
      Rotarian’s personal, business, and community life;
                                                                                          communities and attend to the needs they anticipate and
      FOURTH The advancement of international                                             discover. In this issue we report on some of those efforts.
      understanding, goodwill, and peace through                                          We will continue to do that.
      a world fellowship of business and professional                                        In this month’s column, as counterpoint, Frank Bures
      persons united in the ideal of service
                                                                                          notes how we can sometimes regard others as having a
                                                                                          lesser quotient of humanity than we do. I found that
              The Four-Way Test
                                                                                          a stark thought when I first read it. I wondered if I had
      OF THE THINGS we think, say, or do:
                                                                                          dehumanized someone in my lesser moments. I have
      1) Is it the TRUTH?
      2) Is it FAIR to all concerned?                                                     regretted times when I have been short with people; it
      3) Will it build GOODWILL and                                                       pains me to remember when I have seemed or been cruel.
          BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?                                                             I hope I am most often successful in letting my better
      4) Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?                                          angels have the final say.
                                                                                             And then I began to think of it another way, thanks to
       Rotarian Code of Conduct                                                           something journalist Ezra Klein said. The gist was that
      The following code of conduct has been adopted for the                              we can disagree and become angry — very angry even —
      use of Rotarians:                                              We are hearing       with people, but when we hold them in contempt, we lose
      AS A ROTARIAN, I will                                       from Rotary clubs       something of the moral thread that should be at the heart
      1) Act with integrity and high ethical standards               that continue to     of our consideration. To feel contempt, to loathe, to hate
         in my personal and professional life                                             — these are the dehumanizing enablers we have in our
                                                                   engage with their      language. I probably should include the lesser, sportier
      2) Deal fairly with others and treat them and their
         occupations with respect                                      communities.       versions: to deride and to mock.
                                                                                             It is fitting, then, that this month we bring you photo-
      3) Use my professional skills through Rotary to:
         mentor young people, help those with special                                     graphs of how Rotarians are able to see our besieged
         needs, and improve people’s quality of life in                                   world. Their pictures are filled with wonder and promise,
         my community and in the world                                                    hope and beauty. And it is also fitting that we have as our
      4) Avoid behavior that reflects adversely                                           judge photojournalist Damon Winter, who, among other
         on Rotary or other Rotarians                                                     things, shows us the exquisiteness of the everyday and
                                                                                          tells us how we can capture it for ourselves.
      5) Help maintain a harassment-free environment in
         Rotary meetings, events, and activities, report any                                 That’s important to keep in mind as we wait to see what
         suspected harassment, and help ensure non-retaliation                            will come our way.
         to those individuals that report harassment.

  8   | The Rotarian June 2020

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Potential shines brightest when it’s inspired. That’s why Rotary clubs invest time and expertise in
             encouraging others to be the best they can be. Empowering those who have big dreams to achieve
                         great things — that’s what people of action do. Learn more at Rotary.org.

POA_RotarianAd_Empower.indd 1                                                                                      2/21/20 12:38 PM
TAKE YOUR CLUB IN A
                                      NEW DIRECTION
                                        Is your club flexible and ready for the future?

                              New resources on Satellite Clubs, Passport Clubs, and
                            Corporate Membership can help you create an experience
                                         that works for every member.

                                          LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR OPTIONS
                                             AT ROTARY.ORG/FLEXIBILIT Y

MembershipFlexibility_AD2_EN18.indd 1                                                     6/14/19 1:16 PM
our world

                                                     Community trust
                                                     NI KETUT KARTIKA DEWI
                                                     Rotary Club of Bali Ubud Sunset, Indonesia
                                                     Living in paradise can make it easy to over-
                                                     look privation, says Tika Dewi. Growing up
                                                     in Selasih, an emerald haven of rice paddies
                                                     and ravines in the interior of Bali, Tika was
                                                     10 years old before her family got their own
                                                     toilet. Villagers bathed in a river. “Shoes
                                                     were a fancy thing,” she says. “One pair was
KADEK RAHARJA

                                                     enough for one year, and if we were lucky,

                                                                        June 2020 The Rotarian    | 11

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our world
           continued from page 11

           they lasted three years.” Her father, a
           minibus driver, operated the communi-
           ty’s diesel generator, which powered the
                                                               Global etiquette
           family’s television, which — as one of              ROTARIANS OFTEN CONNECT with people from different cultures.
           only three in the community — was a                   Here, members of Rotary’s Global Communications team —
           magnet for neighbors and friends.                  our translators, interpreters, and all-around international experts
               “Bali has a strong social culture,” says             — offer a few etiquette tips from their native countries.
           Tika, president of the Rotary Club of Bali
           Ubud Sunset. “We take care of each
           other. We trust each other. Balinese put
           honesty first. Even with strangers, we                             Dziękuję ci         Wie geht’s?
           never think badly about other people.”                                                        Ich bin müde
               After Tika and her husband, Kadek                                                         und mürrisch und
           Raharja, joined Rotaract in 2008, they             When getting off an elevator               könnte ein wenig
           got involved in local projects: He trekked        in POLAND, say “thank you”                  Schlaf gebrauchen ...
           through rugged terrain to assist Rotari-              to your fellow riders.            GERMANS don’t consider
           ans who were constructing gravity-fed                                                    the phrase “How are you?”

                                                                        arcia
                                                                              ...!
           water systems for subsistence farmers in                                                   to be a simple greeting;
           remote northeastern Bali; she gathered                                                  people will think you really
           clothing donations for the families and,
           with baby in tow, helped out at a weekend
                                                                    M                                    want to know, and
                                                                                                       will answer honestly.
                                                                In BRAZIL, call people
           school library run by their Rotaract club.
                                                               by their first names. There
               “Before the water project, every morn-
                                                              are very few instances when
           ing the women walked two hours each
                                                               you would use surnames —
           way to get a bucket of water for the whole
                                                                 such as when more than
           family,” says Tika. Rotarians have com-
                                                              one person in a classroom or
           pleted 17 projects, including the gravity-
                                                                office has the same name.
           fed water systems and wells. “Now these                                                   In KOREA, don’t pick up
           women are thinking about other things to                                                 rice or soup bowls from the

                                                                  llo, Herr Müller
           do to improve their family life,” Tika says.                                             table when you’re eating —
               Tika joined the Rotary Club of Bali             H a                                 but in JAPAN and CHINA,
           Ubud Sunset about three years ago and                                                   it’s appropriate to do so. And
                                                              In GERMANY, however,                  when drinking alcohol with
           has embraced her club’s environmental
                                                             do not address a person who          Koreans, do not fill your own
           awareness campaign, which is centered
                                                               is not a friend or longtime         glass; your fellow diners are
           on waste separation. Despite the Bali-
                                                              acquaintance by their first            supposed to fill it for you.
           nese philosophy of harmony with nature,
                                                             name. Instead, address them          If you see that someone’s glass
           litter — single-use plastics in particular
                                                                 as Mr./Ms. Last Name.                is empty, offer to refill it.
           — is a serious problem on the island. “It is
           so sad to see our river and our riverbank
           full of plastic,” she says. “It will be a long                 mucho gusto
           effort to deal with waste management                           en conocerte
           here, not a short project.”
               Her zeal for helping people has not
           gone unnoticed in her club of 18 mem-
           bers, who nominated her to be club pres-           In PERU, kiss a woman on
           ident. “I had never thought about it. It’s          the cheek when you are              Bow, don’t hug, as a greeting
           an honor,” she says. “The question I              introduced to her by a friend.       in JAPAN. And don’t talk on
           asked of all the members was, ‘Do you             Two men always shake hands.          the phone on public transpor-
           really trust me?’ ” There are plenty of                                                tation — it’s considered rude.
           reasons they do.                  — BRAD WEBBER

  12   | The Rotarian June 2020

jun20-OW-Opener-Extended Caption-QA-editOK-rev.indd 12                                                                          4/27/20 11:58 AM
“
                            Bad manners can
                        have real consequences.
                                                                    Sheila Armstrong                        ”
                        To the manners born
                        Your mother may have admonished          THE ROTARIAN: Why did you write The Little            At Rotary meetings, I’ve been at tables
                        you for talking with your mouth full     Book of Etiquette?                                 where nobody talked or where I was ignored
                        or putting your elbows on the table,                                                        because I was a visitor. When you have some-
                        but there’s so much more to manners      ARMSTRONG: I ran an executive search firm. In      one you don’t know at your club, ask them
                        than that. Etiquette is really “being    the early 1990s, I had two candidates within       what projects they’re involved in. That starts a
                                                                 three months of each other who were each on        conversation.
                        thoughtful about yourself and oth-
                                                                 the verge of being offered a position with an         If you’re traveling for a Rotary project or
                        ers,” says Sheila Armstrong. She
                                                                 incredible salary and benefits, but neither of     event, research the etiquette in your destina-
                        learned about manners from her
                                                                 them got the offer — because they were dining      tion. Start practicing how people dine there, for
                        grandmother Cookie Mae, a Univer-
                                                                 slobs. The first candidate ordered spaghetti and   instance, and how you should offer and accept
                        sity of Wisconsin graduate who           slurped up the noodles, allowing tomato sauce      a business card. But remember that if some-
                        taught elocution in Superior, Wis-       to splash on both sides of his face — and then     one is visiting your club and they goof up your
                        consin. “For her, it was important to    he forgot to wipe away the sauce. And when the     local customs, it’s gracious not to point it out.
                        be precise in everything from dining     second candidate was taken to dinner, he drank
                        etiquette to basic thoughtfulness        three glasses of wine. It made me so mad that I    TR: The world is so casual today. Does etiquette
                        toward others,” says Armstrong, a        interviewed 500 people and wrote a book.           still matter?
                        member of the Rotary Club of Hous-
                        ton. Armstrong has appeared on nu-       TR: How did the rules of etiquette first arise?    ARMSTRONG: Bad manners can have real con-
                        merous TV shows, and her Little Book                                                        sequences. One day, my father called to tell
                        of Etiquette: Tips on Socially Correct
                                                                 ARMSTRONG: The first notes we have on              me that my mother was not feeling well. I lived
                                                                 etiquette come from 2400 B.C. in Egypt. One        in Austin, Texas, 100 miles away. I wanted to
                        Dining was first published in 1993.
                                                                 piece of advice could be translated as some-       drive safely but quickly. On a narrow two-lane
                                                                 thing like “when your boss laughs, laugh with      road, a driver with road rage refused to let me
                                                                 him.” The use of the word “etiquette” with its     pass for 30 minutes. When I finally reached
                                                                 contemporary meaning comes from France and         my parents’ door, Daddy opened it up and said,
                                                                 is often traced to the time of Louis XIV.          “Sheila, darling, I am sorry, your mother died
                                                                                                                    five minutes ago.”
                                                                 TR: What tips do you have for Rotarians?               It felt like part of my life had ended, and all
                                                                                                                    because of that driver. So I decided to write a
                                                                 ARMSTRONG: If you want to ask someone              book on driving: Buckle Up, Stay Alert: Driving
  VIKTOR MILLER GAUSA

                                                                 to volunteer for a project, do it away from        Tips for Adults and Teens. It will include infor-
                                                                 your Rotary meeting. Ask the person to cof-        mation about the rules of the road and tips on
                                                                 fee or dinner — and tell them in advance why       how patience can help you be a better driver.
                                                                 you would like to talk with them.                                                       — DIANA SCHOBERG

                                                                                                                                             June 2020 The Rotarian         | 13

jun20-OW-Opener-Extended Caption-QA-editOK.indd 13                                                                                                                     4/3/20 2:48 PM
our world

           United States
                                                                                                                                                  Japan

                                                                                                                Pakistan

                              Peru

                                            World Polio Day ideas                                                                           New Zealand

                                            from around the globe
                                     United States                           Peru                                     Japan
                                     The Rotary Club of Seattle and the      Last year, the Rotaract Club of          District 2510 called on three of
                                     Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation         Iquitos assembled eight bands for a      Japan’s foremost practitioners of
                                     co-sponsored a World Polio Day panel    concert in observance of World Polio     good humor to tackle the serious
        More than 5,900              discussion last October. Around 150     Day, raising $200 for End Polio Now.     topic of polio last year. The End Polio
         World Polio Day             people gathered to hear insight into    “During the show, the band mem-          Charity Theater on 21 October at
            events were              the eradication effort from Sidney      bers interacted with the audience,       Sapporo’s Erinji Temple featured
            held in 2019.            Brown, program officer with the Gates   informing them about the purpose         Shiko Katsura, a specialist in a tradi-
                                     Foundation; Denny Wilford, a polio      of the concert and encouraging them      tional art of comic monologues
                                     survivor and member of the Rotary       to continue supporting this cause,”      known as rakugo, and Suzuran, a duo
                                     Club of Gig Harbor Midday, Washing-     reports Fernando Alonso García           known for a rapid-fire style of stand-
                                     ton; and Ezra Teshome, PolioPlus        Torres, a member of the club. The        up comedy called manzai. Attendees
                                     subcommittee chair of District 5030     Rotaract club was one of several         donated nearly $500 to End Polio
                                     (Washington). The event was moder-      clubs in Iquitos to hold events during   Now. The program was developed by
                                     ated by Mark Wright, a Seattle news     the week, ranging from a Zumba           Dainin Habu, a regional Rotary Foun-
                                     anchor and member of the Seattle        dance party organized by the Rota-       dation coordinator. The event was
                                     club. “When I speak at events,” says    ract and Interact clubs of Iquitos to    modeled on a 2014 performance,
                                     Wright, “I often talk about polio,      a family-friendly bicycle rally.         which also featured Katsura, along
                                     because the effort to eradicate polio                                            with Shanti, a popular jazz singer.
                                     is proof that no problem is too big.”

  14   | The Rotarian June 2020

jun20-OW-Map-editok.indd 14                                                                                                                                 3/31/20 8:17 AM
Pakistan                                                                        New Zealand
           Faisalabad’s iconic clock tower         gems that have received similar         Inspired by Rotarians’ train rides to raise
           serves as the city’s focal point.       treatment, such as the UK’s House       awareness and funds in Sydney, Aus-
           In the hands of the Rotary Club of      of Parliament and the Sydney Opera      tralia, and other cities, members of the
           Faisalabad Cosmopolitan — which         House in Australia. Satisfied that      Rotary Club of Dunedin traversed their
           bathed the structure with purple        the tower stood in good company,        city by public buses on 24 October,
           and yellow floodlighting for three      the officials approved the illumina-    collecting about $1,100 from fellow
           nights beginning 24 October — it        tion. In 2019, based on the success     riders. “This project was a win for end-
           was transformed into a signpost         of the first event, all it took was a   ing polio, a win for encouraging citizens     Two of the three
           for End Polio Now.                      brief multimedia presentation to        to ride the buses, and a win for the          wild poliovirus
              “This is the second time the         persuade the new administration.        profile of Rotary in the city,” says Club     strains have been
           club has illuminated the tower,”           Besides flipping the switch          President John Drummond. “Several             eradicated.
           says club member Mubasher Siddiq        and unfurling an End Polio Now          bus trips became classes on the history
           Butt; the first was six years ago.      banner, Butt and other Rotarian         of polio and its effects.” — BRAD WEBBER
           “In 2014, my club organized a           and local dignitaries held a ceremony
                                                                                             What will your club do on 24 October
           seminar and invited government          discussing Rotary’s leadership            to highlight Rotary’s commitment to
           officials and gave them a detailed      role in Pakistan, which, along with           eradicating polio? Whether it’s
                                                                                              virtual or in person, we want to hear
           presentation” about the idea, says      Afghanistan, is one of the countries        about your World Polio Day event.
           Butt. The presentation included         where cases of wild poliovirus                         Let us know at
                                                                                             endpolio.org/register-your-event.
           information about other architectural   continue to be reported.

                                                                                                                                         June 2020 The Rotarian   | 15

jun20-OW-Map-editok.indd 15                                                                                                                               3/31/20 8:17 AM
our world

                     Stay connected through
                 Rotary’s online Learning Center
           ROTARY CONNECTS THE WORLD — that is Rotary President Mark Daniel Maloney’s theme, and despite the challenges
           presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, Rotarians are continuing to connect with one another and the world. Rotary’s new
           Action Plan calls on us to increase our ability to adapt — and members are coming up with innovative ways to serve their
           communities and create opportunities for fellowship. Many clubs are meeting online for the first time, reimagining fund-
           raisers and other events, and reinventing planned service projects.
              Rotary’s online Learning Center has resources that can help you stay connected to the organization and to one another.
           Instead of meeting one week, for instance, everyone in your club might choose a topic to learn more about and then report
           back to the other members. You might even decide to develop a webinar using Rotary tips and resources. “The Learn-
           ing Center courses could be used for general knowledge and for brainstorming, action planning, and idea sharing,” says
           Kimberly Kouame, learning resources manager at Rotary International.
              Often, the first time Rotarians use the Learning Center is when they are elected to a club office. But with more than
           600 courses in over a dozen languages (including more than 80 in English), the Learning Center has something to inter-
           est every Rotarian. Here are a few to pique your interest; find them all at rotary.org/learn.

                                                                                             COURSES

                                                                                             ¶ Is Your Club Healthy?
                                                                                             When your club isn’t able to meet in per-
                                                                                             son, it can be a challenge to keep members
                                                                                             engaged. Now might be an ideal time to as-
                                                                                             sess the state of your club and ask members
                                                                                             what is working for them and what isn’t.

                                                                                             ¶ Your Membership Plan
                                                                                             Perhaps you’ve been thinking about creat-
                                                                                             ing a long-term membership plan. This
                                                                                             course offers a helpful worksheet and
                                                                                             step-by-step guidelines for crafting a
                                                                                             strong future for your club.

                                                                                             ¶ Building a Diverse Club
                                                                                             In line with Rotary’s focus on diversity,
                                                                                             equity, and inclusion, this course can help
                                                                                             you expand your club’s membership to in-
                                                                                             clude people from different walks of life.

                                                                                             ¶ Committing to Diversity, Equity, and
                                                                                             Inclusion
                                                                                                                                                ANDERS WENNGREN

                                                                                             This course offers a closer look at Rotary’s
                                                                                             DEI statement and how you can put those
                                                                                             values into action.

  16   | The Rotarian June 2020

jun20-OurWorld-Feature-editOKrev.indd 16                                                                                              4/27/20 12:05 PM
ANDERS WENNGREN

                                    ¶ Practicing Flexibility and Innovation          want the world to know what we are ac-       guides you on how to effectively work with
                                    This course guides you through some of           complishing. But how can you get the         a team to define and achieve objectives.
                                    the ways your club can be innovative, with       message out? This course will teach you
                                    advice on subjects such as setting up sat-       how to build awareness of Rotary and         ¶ Mentoring Basics
                                    ellite clubs.                                    its work.                                    Mentoring has always been one of the cor-
                                                                                                                                  nerstones of Rotary. This course identifies
                                    ¶ Kick-Start Your New Member                     ¶ Planning Your Projects: Service            the traits of a good mentor and suggests
                                    Orientation                                      Projects Committee                           some best practices to make sure your
                                    If your club has had trouble retaining           This course is designed for people serving   mentoring relationship is beneficial to all
                                    new members, with people joining only to         on a club service projects committee, but    concerned.
                                    leave a few years later, this course can help.   anyone can benefit from the ideas about
                                    Get tips on how to make sure your new            how to carry out effective projects — with   ¶ Essentials of Understanding Conflict
                                    members feel welcome and engaged.                tips on doing a community needs assess-      We’ve all had to deal with interpersonal
                                                                                     ment and executing the project.              conflict, whether the issues are small
                                    ¶ All About Rotary Peace Fellowships                                                          (who sits at which table at the meeting?)
                                    Perhaps you know someone who might               ¶ Rotary Foundation Basics                   or large (what are our club’s priorities?).
                                    be a good candidate for a Rotary Peace           The Rotary Foundation is central to          This course gives you tools to understand
                                    Fellowship and you want to be able to talk       Rotary’s work in the world. This course      different types of conflict and describes
                                    knowledgeably about the program. Or              will walk you through the century-long       conflict management styles.
                                    maybe you would like your club to be             history of the Foundation and its role in
                                    more involved. This course will give you         grant-making, supporting polio eradica-      ¶ Leading Change
                                    information on Rotary’s Peace Centers            tion efforts, and funding the Rotary         Change is hard, especially in a collabora-
                                    and the requirements and deadlines for           Peace Centers.                               tive organization. This course offers ideas
                                    applicants.                                                                                   on how to lead a group of people through
ANDERS WENNGREN

                                                                                     ¶ Becoming an Effective Facilitator          organizational change, how to assess peo-
                                    ¶ Building Rotary’s Public Image                 Develop your leadership skills for Rotary    ple’s readiness for change, and how to
                                    Rotarians are people of action, and we           and beyond through this course, which        deal with resistance to change.

                                                                                                                                                      June 2020 The Rotarian     | 17

                  jun20-OurWorld-Feature-editOK.indd 17                                                                                                                     4/7/20 3:49 PM
our world

            SNAPSHOT
            Madurai, India
            While visiting a Buddhist temple in the southern Indian city of Madurai,
            DIDIER DEBERGUE, a member of the Rotary Club of Nîmes Tour Magne,
            France, caught the moment when one of the students in the temple
            school acknowledged his presence. “The students were gathered in
            a courtyard,” recalls Debergue. “Squatting on the ground in silence,
            I tried to shoot discreetly, in order not to disturb this meeting. But a
            student spotted my wife and me, and turned to see these strangers.”

  18   | The Rotarian June 2020

jun20-OW-snapshot-Edit-ok.indd 18                                                      3/27/20 3:11 PM
June 2020 The Rotarian   | 19

jun20-OW-snapshot-Edit-ok.indd 19                     3/27/20 3:11 PM
our world

                   Adapt and connect
                   FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY, Rotarians have been making connections in their neighborhoods and around
                   the world. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced clubs to rethink everything from holding meetings to raising
                   money to serving their communities. Rotarians, of course, have stepped up to the challenge with creative ways
                   of adapting. As the crisis unfolded, we began contacting clubs we’ve featured in the magazine recently, and
                   they have confirmed that when it comes to Rotarians serving the world, there is no such thing as life on pause.

                   Rotary Club of Schaumburg-Hoffman                              Rotary Club of Napoli Parthenope, Italy
                   Estates, Illinois

                                “
                                When it became apparent on 12 March                          “distorted
                                                                                               Our lives have been overwhelmed and
                                                                                                        by an invisible enemy that has
                               that there was no way we could responsi-                        forced us to radically change a way of
                               bly gather 350-plus people in a ballroom                        life and, above all, how we relate. We are
                               two days later, we had to find a Plan B.           holding meetings on the Zoom online platform to
                  We managed to recast our 50th Birthday Bash as a                evaluate initiatives, including a crowdfunding portal,
                  virtual event, with an online silent auction, a grand           together with other Rotary clubs, to benefit the
                  prize drawing, and a livestream program. We raised
                  nearly $120,000 — as much as we had expected with
                                                                                  infectious diseases unit of a hospital in Naples.
                                                                                  Ludovica Azzariti Fumaroli
                                                                                                                                    ”
                  an in-person gala — for projects in our communities
                  and internationally. The meals were donated to charity.
                   Pat Groenewold, PRESIDENT
                                                                          ”
                                                                                  Rotary Club of Kirkcaldy, Scotland

                                                                                             “asOurofclub has many older Rotarians who,
                                                                                                     late March, were self-isolated in
                   Rotary Club of Victoria, Hong Kong                                          their homes. We began offering a service

                                “aOurlarge-scale
                                         District 3450 Rotaractors initiated
                                                  effort to collect masks and
                                                                                  in which younger Rotarians shopped, picked up
                                                                                  medicines, and provided meals the older members
                                sanitary and personal care items for the          could reheat. We then decided to offer this service to
                   needy. They distributed the materials to the elderly and       the local community. I got phone calls and emails in the
                   to street-cleaning workers in Hong Kong.
                                                              ”                   morning and gave the tasks out to a team of seven.
                                                                                  Sharon Munro
                                                                                                                                       ”
                  Anita Chan

                   Rotary Club of Vilnius Lituanica                               Rotary Club of Asheville, North Carolina
                   International, Lithuania
                                                                                               “theOurcost
                                                                                                       club of 150 had already collected

                                 “from
                                   I worked with Rotarian Aurika Savickaite
                                        the Rotary Club of Chicagoland
                                                                                                           of meals from our members
                                                                                                through the end of March, so we
                                 Lithuanians (Westmont). In just a few            decided to donate that money, along with the money
                                 days, she and I launched a curated               our club had allocated to send nine teenagers to
                   information website for ICU clinicians to address the          RYLA — for a total of $5,400 — to a local food
                   major shortage of ventilators to treat COVID-19                bank. And we are out in the community doing as much
                   patients. We also advised our community on how to              service as we possibly can, donating blood, packing
                   move their operations online fast. Small things count,
                   too: We brought a huge flower bouquet to one of our hard-
                                                                                  emergency food boxes, and feeding the homeless.
                                                                                  Janet Whitworth, PRESIDENT
                                                                                                                                       ”
                   working, and exhausted, members who is a physician.
                  Viktorija Trimbel, PRESIDENT
                                                                           ”           For more on how clubs are taking advantage of
                                                                                               meeting online, see page 57.

  20   | The Rotarian June 2020

jun20-OW-covid-editOK.indd 20                                                                                                                4/3/20 3:17 PM
Hunger hides in every community. That’s why Rotary clubs support programs to provide
                    healthy food and develop sustainable solutions to food insecurity. Fighting hunger to build
                      stronger communities — that’s what people of action do. Learn more at Rotary.org.

POA_RotarianAd_FightHunger.indd 1                                                                                 2/21/20 12:36 PM
FEEL
          THE
        ENERGY
AT   T H E   2 021   ROTA RY     I N T E R N AT I O N A L   CO N V E N T I O N

                 SAVE THE DATE!
                       TAIPEI, TAIWAN, 12-16 JUNE 2021
                      Learn more at convention.rotary.org
                                  #Rotary21
viewpoints

                                            It’s only human
                             The tendency to dehumanize other people is in our nature.
                                              How can we avoid it?
                                                                       by F RA N K BUR ES

                O
                             ne day recently,                                                                       primitive, less evolved, or
                             I was driving                                                                          more animal-like than other
                             down a narrow                                                                          people,” Haslam says.
                street near my home. In                                                                                In the early days of re-
                front of me, two cyclists                                                                           search into dehumanization,
                were taking up most of the                                                                          in an effort to understand
                lane, going — as cyclists tend                                                                      how people are able to do
                to do — well below the speed                                                                        horrible things to other peo-
                limit. As we rolled along, I                                                                        ple, much of the focus was
                got angrier and angrier. Why                                                                        on ethnic groups. More re-
                didn’t they get on the bike                                                                         cent research has shown
                path next to the road? Why                                                                          that dehumanizing attitudes
                didn’t they move over a little                                                                      can be aimed at anyone:
                so we could pass? Who were                                                                          women, medical patients,
                these people?                                                                                       immigrants, the mentally ill,
                   Eventually I got around                                                                          homeless people.
                them and cooled off. But I                                                                             Researchers have also es-
                was surprised by my reac-                                                                           tablished that dehumaniza-
                tion. After all, I’m a cyclist                                                                      tion is not an all-or-nothing
                myself, and I have been on the receiv-      every day, often without any idea that       prospect. There are degrees, even
                ing end of drivers’ abuse. But at that      we’re doing it.                              kinds, of dehumanization. What
                moment, I did not see myself in those          Nick Haslam, a professor of psy-          Haslam calls “animalistic” dehuman-
                riders. I couldn’t imagine what was         chology at the University of Melbourne       ization is the feeling that members of
                going on in their heads. They were like     in Australia, is one of the leading think-   another group are not as human as
                an alien species on two wheels. It was      ers on dehumanization. To measure            we are. We see them as having basic
                as if I had drawn a line between people     how drivers dehumanize cyclists,             emotions such as joy, anger, fear, and
                like me and people like them.               Haslam and his colleagues surveyed           surprise — but not more complicated
                   This is a thought process known as       more than 400 people. In one typical         ones such as pride, admiration, and
                “dehumanization,” which sounds like         result, 55 percent of noncyclists saw        remorse. We see them as lacking
                something that only happens at Nazi         cyclists as “less than 100 percent hu-       “human essence,” or as being a kind of
                death camps, in Cambodian killing           man.” (So did 30 percent of cyclists.)       animal that needs to be overseen by
  RICHARD MIA

                fields, or at roadblocks in Rwanda.            “Some drivers are more willing than       those of us who are more evolved.
                But in fact, we draw these kinds of lines   others to say that cyclists are more            In Haslam’s model, the second

                                                                                                                            June 2020 The Rotarian   | 23

jun20-column-dehumanize-editOK.indd 23                                                                                                          4/7/20 7:55 AM
major form of dehumanization is called      the imager, they were shown either ob-
                                                                  “mechanistic” dehumanization, in            jects or photos of people who appear
             Why should                                           which we see people as lacking not
                                                                  merely human essence, but human na-
                                                                                                              to fit certain social stereotypes, such
                                                                                                              as middle class, rich, elderly, disabled,
             you consider                                         ture itself. We see them not as a lesser
                                                                  version of us, but as something com-
                                                                                                              and homeless.
                                                                                                                 Most of the photos activated the
             advertising in                                       pletely different, like a machine or a
                                                                  robot or an empty vessel acting out of
                                                                                                              parts of the brain we use for social cog-
                                                                                                              nition. This is what happens when we
             The Rotarian?                                        cold self-interest.
                                                                      When we draw these lines between
                                                                                                              think about another person. But two
                                                                                                              groups — homeless people and drug ad-
                                                                  ourselves and others, sometimes we          dicts — triggered no activation. They
                                                                  draw them lightly; other times we con-      were not being perceived as human.
                                                                  struct them like an impenetrable wall.         Fiske had anticipated this. She had
             For one thing,                                       It’s as if we had an internal dimmer        been developing a theory of dehuman-
                                                                  switch for turning down the humanity        ization called the Stereotype Content
             we have loyal,                                       of others. The further it is turned         Model, in which there are two criteria
             engaged readers                                      down, the harder it is to imagine the       by which we measure people we meet:
                                                                  minds or hearts of those people.            warmth and competence. “What do
             who spend a                                          Haslam says there are many reasons          you need to know about people who are
             considerable amount                                  we do this. “Sometimes we dehuman-          unfamiliar to you?” she says. “First you
                                                                  ize people to make it easier to harm        need to know their intentions — good
             of time with our                                     them, but I don’t think this is the most    or ill. If their intentions are benign, you
             magazine:                                            common reason,” he says. “More often        trust them more. If they’re malignant,
                                                                  it is just one aspect of a general human    you don’t. Then you need to know
                                                                  tendency to favor the groups we belong      whether they can act on their inten-
             • Eight in ten (86%)                                 to over other groups. People tend to        tions. Because if they can’t act on their
                                                                  see their ‘in-group’ as better and more     intentions, they don’t really matter to
               read at least three of                             human than ‘out-groups.’ This may           you. That’s competence.”
               every four issues                                  serve an evolved function of promoting         These two measures form a square
                                                                  strong ties with one’s group.”              with four quadrants into which we
               published.                                             In the mists of time, this propensity   sort the people we meet. Those we con-
                                                                  to see our own group as more human          sider to be like us are both warm and
             • On average, readers                                than others would have had survival         competent. People we envy are those
                                                                  benefits to a small tribe trying to sur-    we see as competent but not warm
               spend 52 minutes                                   vive in a hostile world. We don’t live in   (think Wall Street bankers). We see
               with an issue.                                     small tribes anymore, but part of us        people we pity or sympathize with as
                                                                  still wants to find the border of our       warm but not competent (disabled or
                                                                  group, to defend it, to see those inside    elderly people). And people who are
                                                                  it as more human than those outside it      neither competent nor warm we see as
                                                                  — even if we know intellectually that       something else entirely.
             Interested?                                          this is not the case.                          Fiske’s groups correspond roughly
                                                                      Our ability to dehumanize runs so       to Haslam’s mechanistic dehumaniza-
             Contact us.
                                                                  deep that it can be observed in our         tion (cold/competent) and animalistic
                                                                  brains. In 2006, Princeton University       dehumanization (warm/incompetent).
             adv@rotary.org                                       scientists Susan Fiske and Lasana           But she adds a category for the more
                                                                  Harris published a study in which they      fully dehumanized group about whom
                                                                  put 22 students into a functional mag-      we feel nothing but disgust.
                                                                  netic resonance imaging (fMRI) ma-             This landscape of lines we draw be-
                                                                  chine, which allowed them to view           tween ourselves and others is far from
             Based on 2018 GfK MRI reader survey data             blood flow to and activation of parts of    simple, but researchers are starting to
                                                                  the brain. While the students were in       map it out. The next step is to figure

     24   | The Rotarian June 2020
1-3v drytoast-readership-promos-2018-nojwk.indd 1   9/18/19 2:35 PM

  JUN20 Combos-v2.indd 24                                                                                                                               5/1/20 1:59 AM
DOING GOOD IN THE WORLD
                           The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into service projects
                           that change lives close to home and around the world. By giving to the
                           Annual Fund, you make these life-changing projects possible so that
                           together, we can keep Doing Good in the World.

                           GIVE TODAY: rotary.org/donate

EREY Ad_JUNE-EN20.indd 1                                                                       4/8/20 4:37 PM
FINDFIND
     A CLUB
         A CLUB
            ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD! ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD!
                                                                                            It’s as if we had
                                                                                          an internal dimmer
                                                                                           switch for turning
                                                                                          down the humanity
                                                                                                of others.
                                                                                       out how to blur the lines or erase them,
                                                                                       and thereby expand the circle of hu-
                                                                                       manity. To rehumanize people.
                                                                                          Some of this work was done in the
                                                                                       20th century with the rise of interna-
                                                                                       tionalism, out of which grew Rotary,
                                                                                       along with the United Nations, the
                                                                                       Red Cross, and other organizations
                                                                                       urging an expanded understanding of
                                                                                       humanity. As Article 1 of the Universal
                                                                                       Declaration of Human Rights states:
                                                                                       “All human beings are born free and
                                                                                       equal in dignity and rights. They are
                                                                                       endowed with reason and conscience
                                                                                       and should act towards one another
                                                                                       in a spirit of brotherhood.” We aspire
                                                                                       to this, even if we don’t always prac-
                                                                                       tice it. And we have come a long way
                                                                                       since the world of small, struggling
                                                                                       tribes. But there is always more prog-
                                                                                       ress to be made.
                                                                                          Fiske has found one method of
                                                                                       reversing dehumanization. The idea
                                                                                       behind it is simple: to force yourself
                                                                                       to see things from the other person’s
          Get Rotary’s free ClubGet
                                 Locator
                                    Rotary’s
                                           appfree Club Locator app                    perspective. To do this, she conducted
          and find a meeting wherever
                                and find you
                                         a meeting
                                             go! wherever you go!                      a study in which she simply asked sub-
                                                                                       jects in the imaging machine whether
          www.rotary.org/clublocator
                              www.rotary.org/clublocator                               the dehumanized person likes to eat a
                                                                                       particular vegetable. This strange
                                               %   $   5
                                                       6     + 2 7 6     5 ( 3 (   /
                                                                                       question had a profound effect: The
                                               (   /   ,
                                                       (     $ 8 5 $     $ 1 2 '   (
                                               5   2   7
                                                       $   5 < 7 ( /   ( 3 + 2 1   (   social cognition areas of the brain lit
                                               *   (   (
                                                       6   (     < (   :   $ ) $   5   up again. It turns out you can’t imag-
                                                       $   / ( &       ( 5 1           ine what someone likes without seeing
          Advertise in                         )
                                               8
                                                   ( / /
                                                   3 $ 7
                                                           2 : $ 0 (
                                                             ( 9 ( /
                                                                       5 , & $ 1
                                                                         3 ( ' $
                                                                                   6
                                                                                   /
                                                                                       them as a person.
                                                                                          “If you think about what’s going on
          The Rotarian
                                               6   2 1     2 1 ( 7 ,   0 (   5 7   (
                                               (   & $ 6   +   5 $ 6   3   5 $ &   (   inside someone’s head,” Fiske says,
                                               6   + , 3   6 , 1 7 +   ( 1 , * +   7   “they become a human being again.” n
                                                       /   2 6     $   * ( 6
              adv@rotary.org                   7   + $ ,     / ( ,       0 ( ' ,   $
                                               0   2 1 7   + ( 1 ' &   / 2 6 , 1   *   Frank Bures is the author of The Geog-
                                               (   1 1 8   ,   9 ( 5   (   7 $ 5   2   raphy of Madness and a frequent
                                               1   ( $ 3   6   < $ <   $   2 / (   *   contributor to The Rotarian.

    26   | The Rotarian June 2020

  JUN20 Combos-v2.indd 26                                                                                                     5/1/20 1:59 AM
What sort of people read
     The Rotarian?

                                                                People who make
                                                                 their community
                                                                    a better place.
                                                                   The Kigali Public Library, the brainchild
                                                                of Rotarians, is a center for peacebuilding,
                                                                                education, and connection.

     76% of our readers said working in their local community is their top priority.
     SOURCE: 2016 Rotarian Reader Survey conducted by GfK MRI

apr20-WhatKindAD_3.indd 2                                                                               2/24/20 3:32 PM
2020 PHOTO JUDGE

     IT JUST
     CLICKED
      When Damon Winter got his
    first real camera, a lens opened
     on a future that would include
       a Pulitzer Prize, a job at the
    New York Times, and a portfolio
       of artful photographs that
          tell compelling stories

  28   | The Rotarian June 2020

jun20_Photojudge-editOK-revised.indd 28   4/13/20 4:39 PM
DAMON WINTER / NEW YORK TIMES

                                          June 2020 The Rotarian   | 29

jun20_Photojudge-editOK-revised.indd 29                     4/13/20 4:39 PM
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