Category Archives: politics

Tone Deaf Privilege

human rights, politics,
Crimson and Clover

Fifteen years ago, my husband and I left the once-sleepy college town turned retirement mecca and moved south across the river (think wrong side of the tracks). We bought a farm, grew some food, raised pigs and chickens. While we have mostly left farming behind, we continue to live in our old farmhouse on the edge of a tiny town. In those 15 years, we have learned a lot about what it means to be underprivileged and underserved in America.

It was with that perspective that I read a thread from an urbanite this morning who listed all the companies he and his family would be boycotting from Amazon to Walmart. He also helpfully shared the businesses, both online and offline, that his family would be supporting. If you were wealthy and lived in a city with a car or good public transportation, it sounded quite doable. He admitted it took more time and planning but was willing to make the sacrifice to lodge his protest.

When one of his followers did suggest that those in “rural-esque” areas (fyi: we call it the country) might find this more of a struggle, the writers and his followers immediately went to the buying online argument, noting that you might incur shipping costs. But, again, all in sacrifice to this greater good they were pursuing.

I had to put the phone down and walk away as I make it a general rule not to engage on social media and, by this point, was just shaking my head at how little these people understood of the world beyond their bubble of privilege. My favorite part was the discussion of toilet paper. Of course, they all use bamboo toilet paper that, according to the writer, is generally the same price as the regular stuff. Seriously? Maybe in the city. The brand he referenced runs about $2/roll. In my “rural-esque” community, toilet paper is widely available at less than $1/roll. It may not be as soft or smooth on your bum, but it gets the job done.

One replier talked about missing the lovely vegetables at his upscale market. Unless you grow them and slaughter them yourself, fresh vegetables and meat are not available in my town. There was a grocery store in the town when we moved there: it smelled bad, and I learned that “manager’s special” meant items were often long out of date. It closed a decade ago so now the nearest full-service grocery store is almost ten miles away. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot for suburban commuters, but many people in my town do not have cars. There is no public transportation. They are limited to what can be purchased from one of the three discount stores. While those stores increased their inventory of food when the grocery has closed, they do not have fresh food, and the packaged food is low-end and over-processed. Even now, the milk delivery truck doesn’t always make it in time to replace the outdated milk. I laughed out loud at the writer when he described how they were now buying directly from a butcher and a baker, “just like the old days.” Again, seriously? My town probably had those things in the old days, but when the lumber mill closed, most businesses went right along with it.

I hesitate to jump into the conversation about why Democrats lost, but this thread gives a glimpse into one possibility. Poor “rural-esque” people (I just can’t quite get over that description) are struggling and were largely invisible in the previous election. As far as I know, neither of my senators, both good Democrats, has ever visited our town. At the fall festival, the local Democrats couldn’t even put together a booth.

Since Democrats seem to be starting from scratch, here’s a humble suggestion: come to my town and every other town like mine. There are plenty of them: if you drive Route 460 in Virginia to get to the beach, you pass through them. You may have gotten a speeding ticket because you decided you didn’t need to slow down to 35 when you passed through my town. Sorry, not sorry. Your law breaking (yes, friends, speeding IS breaking the law) helps fund our police force that does a lot of good community work.

I am sending out an open invitation to anyone who is interested to come to my town. We are happy to have you stay with us since the closest hotel is 30 minutes away on the interstate. On second thought, if you do stay at the hotel, your drive to my town will allow you to experience rural America: there are still crops and fields and animals, but more and more of the land is being taken over for industrial solar. I support solar as I know most liberals do, but I wonder how happy those in surbuban-esque areas would be if the fields outside their town suddenly sprouted solar panels. I can’t say for sure, but I suspect they would come down with a whole lot of NIMBY.

I know a few people who read my writing, and my intention is not to offend but rather help you see past your privilege. It took me some time, too. I remember how shocked I was to discover the closest dry cleaner was in my old town, a ferry ride away. What did these people do? Well, clothing at the dollar store is never dry clean only. And, to be completely transparent, my privilege is one of the reasons I can live here. I can afford to have food and essential supplies delivered to my house. I have a car to get to the “urban-esque” areas when I need to. We provide rides when we can and help our neighbors order online as their Internet access is often limited to cell phones with strict data plans.

Phew! I think I have had this rant in me for awhile. I know you may be wondering who, if anyone, these people voted for. It doesn’t matter. They have been left behind by everyone, Democrats, Independents, Greens, and Republicans alike. They are mostly invisible to the rest of the country. Perhaps I can help bring them into the light.

Meanwhile, go on with the boycotts and the protests. Wealthy white people tend to get attention and if your dollars start to make a difference in the pocketbooks of these companies, it could help. And, also spend some time learning about the struggle of rural communities. This article from The Chronicle of Philanthropy is a good starting point. You can learn more about poor people in the United State at the Poor People’s Campaign.

Grumpy Old Childless Cat Lady

art, politics, thinking out loud, ,

I am going to keep this short and sweet: the notion that I don’t have a stake in the future because I did not give birth is laughable. Also, I am not miserable. I certainly do not want others to be miserable. What I really want is to be left alone to make personal, private decisions.

I could go on but, thankfully, Moira Donegan from The Guardian said it perfectly: we are looking directly into the face of patriarchy.

Meanwhile, I am actually feeling more optimistic than I have for some time. I have made creativity a priority this summer so spend less time doom scrolling and more time creating. I turned some of my gel prints into zines, and then was inspired by a variety of Instagram accounts to add interactivity. Here’s what I created:

Choose Carefully: Politics Over Friendship

Media, politics, social networking, thinking out loud,

Since my Twitter rant turned into a somewhat thoughtful blog post, I decided to do the same for a Facebook rant . I think this one is still pretty ranty so take it for what it’s worth. Mostly, let’s be kind to everyone.

Perhaps I am the last person in the world who hasn’t unfriended or unfollowed everyone with whom they disagree politically or religiously. To you, this  post will seem a bit outdated and naive and maybe even dangerous as I haven’t written everyone on the other side off as immoral and unethical.

Forgive me. Despite the political and religious divide in the world, I have attempted to maintain friendships with folks from the whole spectrum. And, while I don’t share overt political posts or rants on social media, I suspect my own politics are pretty clear from what I do share. (Let’s just say a lot of stuff from The Zinn Project and The Equal Justice Initiative.) I will admit to using the mute button liberally.

Mostly, I try not to be judgmental. We all have pasts and stories and cultures that define who we are and are difficult, and perhaps, impossible to shed.  I genuinely care about the people I follow, and I try to put relationship ahead of politics or religion. But, yesterday, as I scrolled through my Facebook feed, two posts, in particular, just seemed incredibly out of line: a ridiculous “I’m just sayin” kind of conspiracy theory post and then one that showed real hatred towards those on the other side. Mean and ugly posts about people like me from people that I regarded as friends. Granted, they did not originate the thought, but they shared it and pretty cleared agreed with it.

One of the women who posted checked in with me via Messenger almost every day as I was recovering from my surgery last year. Yet, her rhetoric in a public forum was really hateful. She genuinely seems to find people like me repugnant. While I am no snowflake, my feelings were hurt. Had she considered me at all before sharing the post? She knows me to be a good person, I think, and must be aware that her post was going to hurtful.  She has chosen politics over our relationship. I considered a confrontation, but I pressed mute for now. It is tempting to try to engage her, but if her ongoing posts and comments are any indication, she does not appear to be open to ideas outside her echo chamber.

I guess I feel a little betrayed: I stuck with these friends even though we disagreed on larger issues because I wanted to know about their lives and support them as friends and even be aware of what others outside my own echo chamber were thinking. Part of the reason I don’t do “those people on the other side are horrible” kinds of posts is because I do care about their feelings. I know I’m not going to change their minds and it would just be hurtful.  How could we still be friends if I took that path. I wonder if these women stopped to ask that question of themselves?

Here’s my plea: can we, just for a little while, focus on what connects us. I love the posts from families about surviving quarantine and doing simple gardening at home. I look forward to the posts from a friend who is asking daily questions about what we are learning or cooking or thinking.

Today, we all shared pics of meaningful art from our homes. Here’s mine: my favorite poem from Wendell Berry seems so appropriate now. It is done as a collage, and I know I purchased it at an art festival in Corolla, NC, a very long time ago. There doesn’t appear to be an artist’s name on it:

If you have managed to maintain any friendships with people with whom you disagree, try reaching out in a positive way. Or at least unmute them for a few days to wish them well.

Be safe out there.

 

 

In Celebration of Guy Fawkes

Media, Movies, politics,

January 25, 2019: As part of the #blogging28 challenge, I am updating this post to include another video suggested by the original inspiration for the post, Keith Reeves.

From The American President:

My friend and colleague, Keith Reeves, posted the V for Vendetta speech as a way to remember the Fifth of November, otherwise known as Guy Fawkes Day:

And it made me think of other great video speeches of resistance:

The opening speech from The Newsroom where Will McAvoy riffs on the question of why America is the greatest country in the world. (Hint: he doesn’t necessarily agree.)

Jedediah Bartlett’s biblical soliloquy  from The West Wing. I found this series belatedly and this was my first episode. I knew I had found my television home.

And, finally, just to show my age…the classic from Network..

I was just entering high school when this movie premiered, so it gives you a sense of why I may have a somewhat cynical world view.  Every so often, I fight the temptation to open my window and lean out…

Any others I’ve missed?

Watching the School Reform War in New York

Education, politics

I feel like I have much better insight into what’s happening in the New York mayorial race at least as it relates to education reform now that I’ve got Steven Brill’s Class Warfare under my belt. He focused a lot of attention on New York where battles over charter schools, union contracts, and using test scores for evaluation played out on a grand scale. That battle continues and if you’re interested, Gotham Schools provides daily news feeds related to education in the Big Apple.

Today’s links led to an editorial by Eva Moskowitz, famed CEO of Success Academy Charter Schools, whose students have outperformed even the most well-heeled schools on the state tests. She is bashing candidate Bill de Blasio over his plan to begin charging charters for the space provided in public school buildings. She talks about the dismal test scores of most New York public school students, particularly those of color. I thought it was interesting that she didn’t bother to mention her own success rate. Maybe she doesn’t have to.

Or maybe she doesn’t want to have to defend all charter schools. While the Success Academy has lived up to its name, other charters have shown similarly low scores, leading to the conclusion Brill came to in his book: trying to figure out how to “fix” schools is a complex process and just calling something a charter school is no guarantee of success.