This activity combines "What do we want? When do we want it?" with "Ten levels of 'Why?'"
Good for: animation, personal reflection, starting discussion of goals and strategic vision.
Set-up: circle-game, sitting or standing, walking (like on picket line), followed by individual work and then, at the end, circle again
Number of people: enough for a "we"
Materials: none (could be interesting to have people create placards or picket signs at the end)
Time: 10 mins. for initial chanting, 30 mins. for whys?, another 10 minutes for chanting
Flow: Explain the activity and your motivation for using it. Set the context -- this is a typical chant used in many types of protest. Chants can get stale, but really, they reflect the most basic and important questions.
Have people do the "What do we want? When do we want it?" activity to warm up. Keep a list of the things we want that come up. Skip the de-brief and discussion of "when do we want it?"
When you have a list of things we want, ask each person to choose one item from the list (or add a new one) that is especially important to them.
Have them write at the top of a piece of paper:
"What do I want? _____________" (inserting the thing they want).
Then, add the new phrase:
"Why do I want it? Because I want*_________________"
Each person should fill in the gap with a reason in this form: "because I want...." (This kills the chant rhythm, but you can play with that later.) *It is important to stick to the "because I want..." form because that enables you to repeat the chant at each level.
Once each person has a couplet: "What do I want? --- Why do I want it? Because I want--- " have a few people share with the group.
Then explain to people that they have to repeat this nine times, until they have reached "ten levels of why." (Why ten levels? Because it forces you to really dig and explore past the point of easy or cliche answers.) Each time, the previous "because..." becomes the starting point for the next couplet.
Example:
What do I want? Contract!
Why do I want it? Because I want more money.
What do I want? More money!
Why do I want it? Because I want to save money.
What do I want? To save money!
Why do I want it? Because I want to be secure.
What do I want? To be secure!
Why do I want it? Because I don't want to die in poverty.
What do I want? Not to die in Poverty!
Why do I want it? Because I want to be a happy old man.
What do I want? To be a happy old man!
Why do I want it? Because I want to feel good.
What do I want? To feel good!
Why do I want it? Because I want to enjoy life.
What do I want? To enjoy life!
Why do I want it? Because I want to experience beauty.
What do I want? To experience beauty!
Why do I want it? Because I want to be in bliss.
What do I want? To be in bliss!
Why do I want it? Because I want to live forever.
What do I want? To live forever!
Why do I want it? Because I want to always be in the world.
When you have reached the tenth level, you take the opening clause:
What do I want? Contract!
and add to it the final clause:
Why do I want it? Because I want to always be in the world.
Have everyone in the group take turns leading their chant. The resulting chant may be funny, or enlightening or just confusing. But the process of articulating the desires at work in our demands will add an awareness of their real depth.
Variations:
Other chants: "The workers united will never be defeated!" -- Why? Because if all the workers strike, the employers will lose control. "If all the workers strike, the employers will lose control!" Why? Because they won't be able to fire workers or move their capital. "The employers won't be able to fire workers or move their capital!" Why? etc... Again the idea is to play with the chant, extending it to see if interesting ideas or assumptions are revealed.
"Hey, Hey! Ho, Ho! Unpaid wages got to go!" -- Why? Because everyone should be paid for their work. "Hey, Hey! Ho, Ho! Everyone should be paid for their work!" Why? Because it's fair. "Hey, Hey! Ho, Ho! It's fair!" Why? Because we are all equal.... etc.
Expand the discussion to include a deeper discussion of the goals and needs of the group, and their vision of when and how they can be achieved.
Note: tautologies often creep up -- What do I want? To save money! Why? Because I want to have money. -- but it is usually safe to ignore them as long as the person doesn't get stuck. Drilling down ten levels should help break through tautologies. Also, simply saying the same thing differently often introduces a nuance - be open to that.
Comments: This would be a great way to lead into a discussion of goals, at any level. Also a good way to lead into strategic planning. I like the way it takes something stale and boring and tries to recover the content and purpose.