The title of this article really doesn't do it justice. (And honestly, the article itself really buries the lede.) Some interesting passages:
He launched a “Night for Women” and asked the city’s men to
stay home in the evening and care for the children;
700,000 women went out on the first of three nights that
Mockus dedicated to them.
Another Mockus inspiration was to ask people to call his
office if they found a kind and honest taxi driver; 150
people called and the mayor organized a meeting with all
those good taxi drivers, who advised him about how to
improve the behavior of mean taxi drivers.
Initially 20 professional mimes shadowed pedestrians who
didn’t follow crossing rules: A pedestrian running across
the road would be tracked by a mime who mocked his every
move. Mimes also poked fun at reckless drivers.
It really strikes me how the "academic" in question, Antanas Mockus, was able to inject some whimsy and levity into the dour field of politics / civil service. Other politicians are so obsessed with how they come across that they sand off anything resembling humor.
>Mockus, the only son of a Lithuanian artist, burst onto the Colombian political scene in 1993 when, faced with a rowdy auditorium of the school of arts’ students, he dropped his pants and mooned them to gain quiet.
Wouldn't that be classified as sexual harassment now?
Actually recently in the last congress elections he ended doing that again, but not in the university, but in the congress itself in the ceremony to become congresist. He is a really nice guy actually the best rector the University has had.
https://lakalle.bluradio.com/virales/antanas-mockus-muestra-...
Love this. I help organize a group in San Francisco that aims to improve it through technology (code4SF). Considering most people in the organization work/want to work in civic tech, many of our members (and organizers!) are extremely PC and are afraid to take risks that might make them look bad to their peers. I think there is a lot of good that can come out of having fun helping others/your city, but I think most citizens are afraid of the potential ramifications.
What I especially like is that he knew that public life should be full of art and personality, not just pasty faced bureaucrats who try to avoid attention.
