The real kicker for me was the picture of him on the back of the CD cover in a strange, caricatured pose. It looked self-absorbed. And beyond that, I didn’t like that he chose to distribute it through Starbucks coffee chain. It was all so commercial; it was more isolating than inspiring “an experience of oneness” as we have been defining community lately during our work with the team at Freedom Lab.
I envisioned someone who had such great success and talent just cutting another album for his label…”mailing it in”…this is off code with how I consider my own work ethic and drive to inspire and create in all my work. I am part of communities of many sorts that also aim to work diligently to do high quality, authentic work. I am part of communities that aim to be as “alive” as possible in all areas of life. Paul McCartney’s message was off code with the beliefs and goals of those communities. Even with all his fame and resources, he looked lifeless. An over-produced pop singer packaged for the Baby Boomers, fake as can be.

My reaction to Paul McCartney’s label was instantaneous. It may have seemed like a simple personal preference that is fleeting and ultimately unimportant, but I think I was protecting the integrity of the community by quickly, almost subconsciously, deciding Paul McCartney most absolutely did not fit.

In this case, Paul McCartney’s “threat” to the integrity of communities is extremely low, but there are far more serious threats to communities every day, and I think there are built in mechanisms for protection and self-preservation, or “instincts” within a living community to reject and kick out that which they know or sense is inauthentic on a low level and a serious threat to well-being and life on a high level.

For example, teens on MySpace, other social networks, and the web in general, are often contacted by adult predators. There are many reports of children and teens who, when within their communities on the web, are able to quickly detect when there is some kind of intruder, for example, a middle aged man posing as another teen. In this case, it may be use of language or slang which tips the teens off, but there are a number of social norms within these communities that oftentimes, outsiders have no idea whether or not they are really acting “on” or “off code” with the community. But oftentimes, as the other kids recognize that there is someone who doesn’t “belong” in the room, they are able to recognize it and cut off contact with the intruder.

The intruder is “kicked out”. Instead of a presence that weakens the community and gets in the way of its experience of oneness, the community reacts to expel that person from the community.

There’s a level of authenticity required to build trust and integrity in a community. It allows us to kick out intruders and those who would interfere with the experience of oneness, even if their name is Paul McCartney. Recognizing what is authentic and what is not, as defined by each community, becomes a mode of self-preservation. Without it, communities wouldn’t survive.