Snowed In

Periodically I am having a conversation about race or gender or something, and I do something bad: I invoke the words of a woman or person of color as support for some point I’m making.  It’s shady.  Because that woman or person of color or person with a disability or WHATEVER did not give me permission to use their words to advance myself.  It’s exploitative.  I’m trying to check it.

To “check” one’s privilege is to stop and understand that you are exploiting a power differential, and that you need to stop.  Men calling a woman a b**** (that’s a word men can use against women, but women have no such word to use against men).  Straight people calling someone a f** (same deal).  Checking your privilege is realizing that you’re exploiting that differential and stopping yourself, preferably before you start.  But better late than never.

So anyway, I was looking back at some old posts, and came across this one, where I invoke the words of a veteran to prop up my support of the new GI bill.  And it made me think: am I exploiting this person?  The military preys on people with less privilege.  That’s how they snare people: offer college educations to people who don’t think they can otherwise get one.  Am I, a person who was basically handed not just a college education but multiple opportunities at graduate education, exploiting this person?

In the end, I decided: no.  Because the veteran explicitly says that they are “spreading the word among my fellow vets and my family and friends, asking them to spread the word about Bush and McCain not supporting the GI Bill.” And so in reblogging their words, I’m doing something they ASKED me to do.

But what about this post, from a couple months ago, where I liberally quote Latoya Peterson and dnA, two people of color?  I’m quoting them, with attribution and links.  And in some sense, deferring to their analysis, without any real changes of my own.  But I chose their voices out of many.  And I chose to crop their voices out of the original context of their own blogs, and their own writing.  And I chose to add my own voice, and post it on my own blog.  And my friends read it, and I get some status from this whole thing, right?

So how messed up is that?  What if I had just posted links to their entries, or the full content?  Is that something I should be doing more of?

Or should I try to use my voice and my own writing to translate ideas for my audience?

Honestly, I’m not sure.  Advice?

We’re trying to find a cure for AIDS, because OH MY GOD, AFRICA and everything, but what about the diseases we already have cures for?  Malaria?  You know?  Other stuff?

I think the truth is, the whole “cure for AIDS” thing is easy for privileged Americans to endorse and that’s why we’re so into it.  It’s easy for a few reasons: 1) few of us are disease researchers, so we don’t actually have to DO anything, except maybe donate a little cash, or buy a red ipod 2) it pumps up our economy 3) in the end, the “cure” will only be available to rich white people anyway.

In other words, it’s exactly the kind of “help” that privileged people love.

You know, like writing self-righteous blog posts.

Sometimes you have an idea for something you want to do.

1. be cool like miranda july and write a book like this.  You know, just write a little every day
2. look around more in public spaces and look for almost-art. Like, splotches on the sidewalk that kind of look like an alien. Add little eyes so it is an alien
3. volunteer or get a job with barack obama working on his web site. lots to do there.  I would love that job.
4. keep working on an old project like forkolator
5. get on point. go for a run, eat some good food. get a bunch done in a day instead of loafing so much (but don’t hate on the loafing).
6. call your family

Then you think “oh, yeah, that’d be cool. maybe I’ll do that.  maybe I’ll do that later.  tomorrow or something.”

But seriously, there is no future.  The future doesn’t exist.  We think “the future will be here soon” but it’s not true.  All you get is a bunch of “nows”.  The future is always one step ahead.  And the past is over, don’t try doing anything with the past.  You do it now or you do it never.

If you’re really feeling lazy, you don’t have to actually do it, but just set it in motion.  Think about what you can actually do.  In practical terms, what can really be done.  You know, like writing that first paragraph.  Or contacting someone about something.  At the very least think of that and then think of the time later on when you’re gonna do it.  Plan on it.

And then get back to loafing.  But only then.

The Young Buck - 50 Cent Phone Call

George Carlin died yesterday. He is the originator of Frisbeetarianism, the belief that when you die your soul goes up on the roof and get stuck.

Caption:

“Strawberry Shortcake is a berry sweet, spunky red-haired girl with enough optimism to fill a strawberry field!  She believes things are growing better all the time and puts her heart in all she does! No wonder she has so many berry good friends!”

Translation:

“Strawberry Shortcake, who takes a bashful stance, actively courts the camera, and wears a short skirt to show off her legs, is nice, and takes a lot of bullshit without speaking out against it. She has enough optimism to fill a strawberry field.  Her optimism prevents her from getting angry.  No one likes an angry girl!  She believes things are growing better all the time, and doesn’t like to focus on enduring problems like those crazy feminists always do.  What Negative Nellys!  She puts her heart into all she does.  With enough heart, who needs brains or experience?  Her many friends are evidence that she’s doing things right.  The patriarchy takes care of its own.”

Caption:

“Huckleberry Pie lives in Huckleberry Briar. His house is a tree fort with lookout port, skateboard ramps, and even secret entrances!  He’s adventurous and fun, and zooms over on his skateboard to visit his friends.”

Translation:

“Huckleberry Pie, who stands confidently and can only be bothered for a second to glance at the camera before he continues skateboarding, lives somewhere cool.  He owns property, and things happen there.  There’s need for a lookout port and secret entrances, that’s how important the things are that happen there.  He has a skateboard ramp because unlike Strawberry he has a body and does things with his body.  It’s best Strawberry doesn’t know she has a body because her body is owned by men.  Huckeberry takes risks and goes on adventures, while Strawberry takes care of the “optimism”.  He actively constructs a social network for himself, whereas Strawberry just draws people to her with her virtue.”

Jakob Lodwick is full of “anger” about “racist” Black Music Month and “disgust” for some people who think it’s ok.

I’m a bit confused here… Is Black History Month really racist?

My feeling is that what’s racist is the ghettoisation of black music in the other 11 months.  What’s racist is that MC’s and DJ’s can’t get into college music programs, but opera singers and violists can.

And I also sort of feel that if we’re going to be angry and disgusted about anything, it should be the racism in the police and judicial system.  Or the racism in our drug policy.  These are big deals.  Black Music Month just doesn’t seem that serious to me.

Am I missing something?

In order to prepare for my new career as a musician, I needed some glamour shots:

There’s a concept called flow in pop psychology. It’s what happens when athletes achieve the singular focus required to achieve superhuman feats. It’s what happens when chess players drift away so completely into the world of knights and pawns that they can play a brilliant move without really knowing why.

It’s what happens when you become so much a part of what you are doing that the parts of you that are needed for the job at hand are imbued with all of the energy and focus you can muster, while the rest of your unneeded body and mind stand so silent that they seem to disappear.

We all have different gifts, and can enter this flow state at certain times. Certain people only hit this stride while creating art, or playing sports. Others hit this state while working on difficult math problems or while telling stories to a playful crowd of friends. Some people, like Martin Luther King, and like many other preachers before and after him, enter this flow state from behind the pulpit or the podium.

After watching Barack Obama’s speech, it’s clear he’s one of those people. His speech started off slowly and at times he felt cold, listing off his well rehearsed hopes. But he gathered his momentum with great skill, playing the crowd in an expert crescendo. And as he entered the last minutes of his time, with his supporters reaching an ever increasing frenzy, he hit his stride.

He found flow.

And that’s a magical thing. That’s a really magical thing. It’s the difference between craft and art.

I know people say there’s more to being president than speaking well. And they’re right. But he’s got good judgement, a good heart, and he’s spent a lot of years working to better government from without and within.

And those things, in a person who can truly speak to people, is about all I need in a president.