This is why I shouldn't check my email so much:
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LA Times Article on the late Mildred Loving by Jocelyn Stewart
Mildred Loving, 68, a champion of marriage equality, passed away yesterday. Loving challenged Jim Crow laws that prohibited interracial marriage, which was led to the supreme court, and on 1967 over turned anti miscegenation laws. Stewart writes that "The Lovings never intended to be activists; they wanted to be married and live in Virginia."
i read this story and i think about "how far we have come"....but the pressing question i have is, marriage equality for whom?
although interracial marriage is legal, there are conventions - social, cultural, economic and legal- which inhibit it. the transferal of wealth is no longer a primary goal of marriage, but it is still a reality. we live in a society which is divided by race, and class.
although there are "diverse communities" which create spaces for interaction across class and race, people tend to stay -or be forced to stay- amongst themselves.
interracial marriage is not as prevelant as one would think, >Wikipedia Page on Marriage, and cross class unions are even rarer.
i cant think about Loving and interracial marriage without thinking about a myriad of other histories and injustices, one being that of Genarlow Wilson. Wilson a young black man, was sent to prison for two years for having sex with his white girlfriend. Wilson was 17 at the time, his girlfriend was 15. Wilson is one of countless young African American men who are victims of Jim Crow practices that still exists very much today.
yes, Mildred Loving's strong will and dedication to attaining the same rights that were afforded to white couples is landmark. but 40 years later, there are still practices by the state and society which prevent even the marriages or relationships of two heterosexual people. we must look at the experiences of Genarlow Wilson and others to see where we can move forward in addressing racism in society as well as institutions.
but for some, there is not even an option of marriage. but looking at this through a queer lens, i still think about privilege. Gay marriage is seen as the forefront of the gay agenda. When talking about issues affecting LGBT individuals, gay marriage is discussed ad nasuem. the people talking about it in the mainstream, are more often than not, white and professional. always with the arguments for the same "rights afforded to straight couples should be afforded to us." For me, its discussed in a very isolating way, that makes me disconnect. a lot of those same people "fighting" for marriage equality are the same white gay men and women that created queer havens like chelsea and park slope through ethnic cleansing gentrification. i have a hard time thinking about caring about gay marriage when police brutality of queer people of color is rampant, and HIV rates and homelessness of queer youth are still rising. those, to me, are much more immediate than a being able to spend a few grand on a ceremony to say " i do."
although these views are legitimate, they are very divisive. we are tricked into thinking gay marriage is something that would only really benefit white gays and lesbians. many studies show that queer couples of color would gain the most from legalization of gay marriage. Peacework Magazine printed an article last year titled Black, Latino, Asian Same-sex Couples Have Most to Gain, Lose from Marriage Fight with a great study.
This article cites studies that show
-people of color work are twice as likely to work in public sector jobs which by law have benefits for spouses.
-gay and lesbian couples of color are up to twice as likely to have children. gay marriage would provide not only benefits to children of queer households, but also legitimize children and create stronger families.
-immigration and citizenship are also issues that have been outside of discussion surrounding LGBT issues. asian and latino gay and lesbian couples in the united states are more likely to be non citizens than their white and black counterparts.
marriage is an institution that provides real benefits and services which lead to strong families and communities because of practical programs like first time home buyer programs, childcare services, family formation/planning and others like tax credits. i considered getting married for tax and health care purposes alone.... to a woman!
critics of marriage will talk about its history and its inherent evil, and that gay and lesbians should not assimilate or conform to archaic conventions. i feel this is such a privileged way to look at things... maybe if you are rich and dont need subsidies to get a house or provide for your family, its ok to reject marriage. But for the hundreds of thousands of gay households across the country, marriage and its benefits, are a little more savory than going against the grain.
for the prominent gay "movement" to acknowledge queer people of color and their struggles, it would require the introduction of class, race, and even more gendered consciousness and analysis into a population whose lexicon does not remotely contain words like intersectionality. Although LGBT organizations are getting better at recognizing the experiences of people of color, working class and immigrant communities, these issues must be brought to the forefront of organizing and discussions locally, from the bottom up. its very easy to criticize mainstream organizations, however even progressive grassroots organiations have done little to be inclusive of the LGBT individauls. we need to create these spaces to talk about the LGBT experience within issues like police brutality, education and healthcare, then we will create change, and shake things up.
i will leave you with a great quote by Huey P. Newton "There's nothing to say that a homosexual cannot also be a revolutionary. On the contrary, maybe a homosexual could be the most revolutionary..."
the studies mentioned above studies can be found at the National Gay & Lesbian Taskforce's Website (A MUST VISIT) Reports and Research Page
As I am finishing up the workday, checking various blogs and new sites, i get an email from The Alameda County Labor Council for y'all non east bay kids, that's Oakland, Berkeley, and Fremont. The email was titled "ICE raids - Stonehurst School, 10315 E St Oakland CA - School out at 2:45pm" Stonehurst was a school my mom taught at way back in the day. This news is very upsetting. Raids are happening all over. The principal vetoed that ish, and told em to keep it moving. However, the audacity of theses bureaus is not something to bat an eye at.
growing up in Oakland public schools, and working for one, i have seen the worst. the rights of youth are constantly violated in schools. children are searched for drugs and weapons, harassed by security guards and police, taken away by CPS, and now we read, are at risk of being kidnapped by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
police state.
id write more, but I'm tired, its late, finals are approaching, dead lines at work.....maybe ill be more articulate on this matter in a few days...
oh, and here's a clip i found tonight from KTVU News
Another Story, Berkeley and Oakland Schools and Raids at SF GATE
Word.
One of my favorite DJ's is coming to the Bay. Fresh off tour with Jay Z and Mary J Blige, New York based DJ Neil Armstrong is performing at Poleng Lounge on May 16th.
The deets:
Friday, May 16
FUTURECLASSIC
featuring
DJ NEIL ARMSTRONG (5th platoon, jay-z's tour dj)
@ poleng lounge, sf
The murder of 15 year old Lawerence King in Oxnard, Ca is something that is hard for me to talk or write about, the very thought pains me so much. However, justice, not vengeance, seems to be in the forecast for not only Brandon McInerney, his killer, but victims of hate crimes everyhwere.
27 LGBT Groups are calling for Ventura County to try McInerney as a youth, not an adult. McInerney, 14, needs helps, and "justice" must be served. However, too often in our society we
confuse justice with revenge.
Various groups cited recidivism rates, which are insanely high for youth incarcerated at a young age. The California Youth Authority (CYA), now known as California Division of Juvenile Justice (CDJJ) has had recidivism rates as high at 91%. They have also argued that trying a 14 year old as an adult will not make schools safer for LGBT youth.
revenge would be locking McInerney up or even sentancing him to death- children are often tried as adults in America- justice is treating homophobia as a public health and social issue, creating a safe space for children and adults to learn about homosexuality and express their fear and ignorance in a safe setting. lets hope one day that will happen.
The murder of Lawerence King among countless others, represents a deep fear in America, but locking up youth for the rest of their lives is not going to stop this fear and hate being manifested, and a lot of organizations recognize this. Which is a very positive thing.
Sex in the media is nothing new but on Monday Vanity Fair published an article with pictures of tween star Miley Cyrus. Cyrus, better known as Hannah Montana was pictured with smoky eye makeup, red lipstick and tousled hair with a blanket seductively wrapped around her chest exposing her bare back. The sultry, sexy look immediately caught the attention of the media and Hannah Montana fans. The photo certainly does not exude the innocence that parents and fans so admire about Cyrus. This certainly isn't the first time that young stars have been seen in provocative poses. Just look at Britney Spears, she was only 16 when she danced around in a sexy school girl outfit for "Baby One More Time."
The media is constantly bombarding us with images of sex and it seems no age is too young to sell it. What shocks me about this particular photo is not the medias exploitation of another young star but the fact that Cyrus' parents were present at the photo shoot and did nothing. They somehow found it acceptable for their daughter to wear next to nothing and as Cyrus said herself "I think it’s really artsy...It wasn’t in a skanky way.… And you can’t say no to Annie [Leibovitz]. She’s so cute. She gets this puppy-dog look and you’re like, O.K."*
Here we have a star whose main audience is girls ages 8-13. Girls that look up to her as a role model and who are now seeing these images that say it's ok to be sexual. As they grow up the images of their age group will only get worse with television shows such as Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill showing high school students having casual sex and losing their virginity in the backseat of a moving car.
And all of this is happening while youth are being taught abstinence-only education in schools. Currently the only type of funding for sex education is for abstinence-only-until-marriage. Three major federal funding streams give money to states and community organizations for abstinence-only-until-marriage education which teaches that marriage is "only a legal union between one man and one woman as a husband and wife" and that "sexual activity outside of the context of marriage is likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects" as stated by the federal 8 point definition of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.
The government is telling youth to wait until marriage while the media tells them to go for it. Our youth are hearing two messages that contradict each other. Youth are not being given the tools they need to protect themselves if they do decide to have sex, which 70% do by the time they are 18. We need to stop sending mixed messages to our youth and start teaching them about all aspects of sexuality and how to protect themselves and their partners (of whichever gender they choose) so they will be able to make positive decisions in their lives.
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing on April 23rd titled “Domestic Abstinence-Only Programs: Assessing the Evidence”. Of those present the majority felt that abstinence-only programs do not work and are harmful to our nations youth. The American Public Health Association and U.S. Institute of Medicine both testified that abstinence-only programs have not decreased the rate of pregnancies or STD's. Much of the testimony also discussed the need for comprehensive sexuality education programs. The Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act (H.R. 1653, S. 972) would provide funding to states for comprehensive sex education programs. REAL would still teach abstinence as the only sure way to avoid pregnancy and STD's but it would also teach the benefits of contraception and protection, as well as encourage family discussions.
It is time for us to take a stand on this issue and let the government know that we will not accept abstinence-only programs and demand comprehensive sexuality education programs like the REAL Act.
*"Artsy" is the new word for "classy." "Do I look skanky in this outfit? -No, you look really classy!" "Posing for Playboy was great, really artsy." If you have to say it, it's not classy or artsy.
this is MAD old, but it reflects shit that bothers me on the daily.
Julie Goldman of The Big Gay Sketch Show, which airs on Logo, MTVs gay channel. May 17, 2007 episode of She Said What?
one the of the COMMON problems that most gay white people have is not being able to express themselves in SOME venues of MAINSTREAM society. this makes them feel like they have minority status. assuming the status of a minority, they feel they have license - often not even thinkin about it, because that's what being white is all about- to say dumb shit, like "i believe in personal expression," no matter the cost. because "Im not offend and I'm gay, so why would someone (insert race) be offended? were all in this together."
i think creating hierarchies of oppression tends to confuse the problem and minimize the relevance of personal experience. but equating race with sexuality -although both race and sexuality's respective inceptions are linked to the same thinkers- is pointless. one cant just look at race or class or gender or sexuality, but who each interact.
however, my experience has lead me understand that my following stats operate in such a way. first and foremost, race followed by class, gender and lastly sexuality.
maybe the problem with the Goldmans of the world is they don't recognize race as a primary vehicle for the privilege they experience, and sexuality and gender are primary to their identity. being gay has never been a big part of who i am, other than being called faggot and bitch and all the other shit- which was mainly attributed to my gender bending characteristics since birth- i don't feel like i am particularly OPPRESSED. i feel like i have to deal with a lot more bullshit than men who don't have sex with men, but all in all, i think the privilege/lack of privilege i experience from my race/class/gender has much more influence in my life.
some people say i am way too racialized. but being a gay man who is aware of my race and the privilege/lack of privilege i experience, it's really hard not to. we are a society divided by race, but in the gay community i think that tension is exacerbated by so many factors. I don't identify with the majority of white gay men, and hardly if at all, relate.
we are who we are because of experience, and i think my experience is valid.
i have a few gay friends that are white, and they are pretty amazing. they grew up in the bay (specifically the east bay), new york, and philly. their politics are spot on, and they recognize how their whiteness trumps their gayness. i don't feel like i am on the defense with them -a feeling unfamiliar here, where the realms of dominant white gay culture are thrust upon me like speeding bus.
regardless of race, i tend to gravitate toward people who understand multiple aspects of themselves, and acknowledge all the communities that they identify with. and i will be the first to say, a lot of people, regardless of race, have shitty politics, its not just white people.
however, i assume when i meet a white gay man, republican or democrat, their politics are going to suck. economically, socially, culturally....garbage. people have told me that its a bad way to look at things, and i should see past race, however, 9 out of 10 times when meeting a white gay man, i am left feeling disgusted, so I'm gonna save myself the trouble.
half the people who read this are might think I'm racist, and the other half will agree. i dunno, what do you think?
Note: This post was originally posted on my office blog. I work for a liberal religious organization so the following post will contain religious language. You know, just in case anyone was wondering.
Each year California residents are bombarded with initiatives on the November ballot. The 700,000 signatures needed to put an initiative on the ballot are fairly easy to come by in the nation’s third largest state. Indian gaming and parental notification laws for abortions are usually on the ballot every other year and are often soundly defeated by California residents.
Unfortunately, gay marriage has not been treated as kindly. In 2000, Proposition 22 passed with a 60% yes vote by California residents, banning gay marriages performed in other states from being recognized in California. In the following years the California legislature passed a law allowing gay marriage three separate times, each being vetoed by the governor. Now California is facing another attack on BGLT rights. For the past few months the religious right has been gathering signatures to take Proposition 22 a step further and change the state constitution to forever ban gay marriage in California.In recent years states all over the country have passed constitutional bans on gay marriage. California is by far the most liberal of them all, yet as was seen in 2000, when put to a vote gay marriage does not hold up.
This is why Equality for All began a campaign to stop the initiative from even making the ballot. For the past three months, Equality for All staff and hundreds of volunteers have taken to the streets to stop the initiative. Paid signature gatherers (PSG’s) funded by the religious right stand in front of stores and gather signatures as customers enter and exit. The PSG’s have six different petitions and are paid between $1-2 for each signature giving them an extra incentive to collect signatures for all of the initiatives. The majority of the PSG’s are poor and some are addicted to drugs. Most do not have an invested interest in the “Limits on Marriage” initiative.Last week I worked with Equality for All. I stood in front of grocery stores, Targets and Walmarts and asked people to not sign the "Limits on Marriage" petition. Sometimes I stood in front of PSG's and warned people not to sign any of the petitions. Other times when there were no PSG's I asked for a pledge of support that they would not sign the petition if approached.
It was not easy work. Blocking PSG's from gathering signatures was hard for me. I didn't want people to sign the "Limits on Marriage" petition but I also did not want to block people from signing other petitions even though there had seen cases of signatures being copied from one petition to another.As a Unitarian Universalist it was important for me to make sure that the group was reminded that the "opposition" felt just as strongly for this issue as we did. They may have different views that we do not agree with, but they are still people and they should be respected. I learned during this time that it is easy to forget this, especially when some of the opposition called us names or said homophobic comments. "The inherent worth and dignity of every person" and "Justice, equity and compassion in human relations" were the most important Unitarian Universalist principles for me to remember. I was talking to a lot of people over the week and received a wide variety of responses to my question "Do you support the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples?" (The term BGLT while inclusive was not used since it is not widely known) Responses ranged from "Of course!" to people running away with a look of shock and disgust. No matter what I ended my conversation with the person with "Thank you! Have a great day!"
Petitions are due at the end of the month. We are hoping that they will have not gathered enough signatures but if they do that they miss the November ballot deadline and our put on the June 2010 ballot instead. This would give us two years to raise money and mobilize California to support marriage equality.Even though it has been a tough battle and regardless of the outcome, it will continue to be, I have great faith and hope for the American people and for California. One day I approached two older women at a grocery store. I asked if they were supportive of marriage equality and one went running inside. The other stopped and took my pledge sheet. As she signed she said "I am a conservative Christian.." and then she looked directly at me and said "but this is wrong. My step sister is a lesbian and she is the most loving and caring person I know. She should have the same rights as everyone else." I couldn't help smiling for the rest of the day. It's an uphill battle, but we will move forward and achieve equality.
I'm Obama'ed out.
I'm not pro-Hillary or any more critical of Obama than I've ever been. But today I got another personalized campaign update, and after the initial giddiness, I realized that millions of other subscribers had gotten the same thing. Before even bothering to read it, I deleted it. This election has officially become fucking annoying.
Every ounce of coverage is starting to annoy me. Did I see Rev. Wright's latest speeches? No. Did I see how North Carolina's governor endorsed Hillary? Well, yeah, 'cause obviously I know that shit happened. But that's only because I still have a slightly played out habit of watching the morning news to start my day. When it comes to any and everything regarding election '08, I'm over it.
So work with me on this one. I'm trying to figure out exactly why, when and how I became completely uninterested in one of the biggest events of our era. Maybe it was last week, when a judge in Queens let Sean Bell's murderers get off and there was hardly any national news coverage. That definitely had me heated in the far removed but collectively outraged kind of way, but my disinterest in the election started way before that.
Maybe what really bothers me is that this election is a spectacle. Campaign 08' is big shit. An event. It's like a big ass family BBQ. It began hella late, got juicy when folks started fighting, got uncomfortable when someone's honest ass uncle spoke the truth about how fucked up the family was (Rev. Wright), and people got even more uncomfortable when somebody's hush-hush white girl said some dumb shit (Hillary's aide) loud enough for everyone else to hear. Now people are beefin' hella hard by playing dirty; bringing up bad histories, drug addictions, baby mama's and ashy nephews. Meanwhile, I'm one of those relatives looking at my phone every 30 seconds, trying to find the perfect time to spout an acceptable lie and bounce.
But back to the spectacle. By nature of the monumental proportion's of this election, the issues and debates brewing because of it become spectacles. Take everybody's favorite issue: race. CNN is running hour long features on the "state of Black America". Shouldn't that be enough? What more does my Black womanist ass want?
Maybe what I'm about to say, right here, in the next paragraph or two, will get my Black card revoked. Again. But fuck it:
Maybe I'm afraid to have a Black man become president.
Because putting a Black face and progressive politics on an old problem just doesn't seem so alluring to me. I'm still pro-Obama, but if the past few months have been any indication, a Black man becoming president might make shit way too complicated. Television pundits and the like will be evoking race, and Martin Luther King, and Civil Rights Movement, in some post-racial nod to how much we're improving, and our President will be physical evidence of that.
Who knows. Maybe if Cynthia McKinney were in Obama's position, I might feel the same way. When it comes to the kinds of politics that wear dark colored suits and sit behind big wooden desks, I have a hard time getting excited. I can't project my hopes and desires entirely onto a symbol, a myth, a construction of the news media -- or even my own -- imagination.
Saw this movie last weekend and trust me this preview does not do it any justice.
This movie is about Arnold Schwarzenegger's veto to allow undocumented people to obtain driver's licenses, the risks immigrants face in coming to the US, the daily terror that day laborers endure to earn a day's worth of wages, and tying it all together is the story of young boy risking it all to be reunited with his mother in the US.
It was most definitely a tear-jerker, but it was amazing to see so many Latina/o families all sitting in one theatre. Hey, it's not everyday we get the chance to see so many brown faces, amazing Latina/o actors and performers all on one screen, and especially in mainstream venues.
A bureaucratic decision that mocks my need for a safe space.
A security brief that makes me want to stay in my room all night.
A sideways double look that forces me to stare in the mirror for hours, just as confused.
A news paper article that reminds me that I always need to have my guard up.
A blog comment that tells me how angry my anger is allowed to be.
A piece of plastic that allows me to work.
A sheet of officially endorsed paper that I have to jump through black gowned hoops and 47 dinners to accept graciously. Worried that I won’t recognize my own butchered name when that moment comes.
Telling me how much hair I can show. Telling me who I can love.
Where I can live. What I can eat.
I don’t know why I hang on to my front so hard.
Walk cool, talk hard, drive fast and with one hand, roll eyes, make sarcastic but funny comment. And repeat.
I can’t rationalize why I am unable to be with who I want to be with.
And I can’t explain why I still give a shit.
Today was just one of those days.
So dead-tired in the morning I couldn't even wake myself long enough to hit snooze. Just let the alarm ring every 5 minutes for half an hour as I tried to pull myself from that sobbing dream I have so much--the one where everything inside of me is breaking and all I can do is cry to the one I love, who is leaving me.
Finally pulled myself up and brushed my teeth. Took my sweet-ass time making lunch; even ate some breakfast cuz I didn't eat any yesterday. Or dinner, for that matter.
Thought about the long walk to the bus stop, checked my watch and decided to drive. Hopped in the car and tried to psych myself into my day; threw the jumper cables on and tried to get my engine going. Today, that meant beating down those self-injurious visions; quelling the urge to cut, strangle, shoot, drown; commending myself for renting a spot with a low ceiling and no fan; thanking my lucky stars that I could never own a gun.
Pulled out the alley, drove up the street, and remembered the one I love loving me once, up this same path. Tried hard not to miss her. Tried not to feel that pain on top of the shit I was already dealing with.
*WhoopWhoop*
FUCK.
Stopped my car on the curb about half a mile from home. Cops had to approach me from BOTH sides of my vehicle.
"Sir, could you please turn off your engine? Are you aware that under California law, section BLAH BLAH BLAH it's illegal to stop beyond the painted line? Back there you stopped at the curb, not at the line. Can I see your license and registration?"
Popped open the glove compartment, got out my wallet, and pulled em out. "Sir, that's not your registration."
"Yes it is."
"No, sir, that's a license plate renewal form. Please give me your registration."
Panicked a little, but tried not to show it. How could that NOT be my registration? I always thought it was. But I've never been pulled over before. Proceeded to pull out every piece of paper from EVERY compartment my car had. Even tried the trunk. Flipped through EVERYTHING once, twice, three times, then four, all under her watchful eye, as her partner ran my Missouri plates back at their car.
Then it came: "MA'AM? What are you doing out here? Are you visiting somebody?"
Fuck me, my Missouri license, my brown face and my trans identity.
"I work at UCLA," I whispered. "I'm headed to work."
"MA'AM, Do you live around here?"
"Two streets over."
"Are you staying with a friend, MA'AM?"
"No, I rent a place." My voice kept getting smaller.
"How do you mean, you rent a place?"
"I signed a lease."
"For how long?"
"A year."
Gave him my address. Signed the damn thing saying I'd appear in court; got cited for failure to stop at the line and for failure to carry my registration (it WAS my registration. Verified that shit on the internet).
Got to work an hour later than if I'd just walked to the damn bus stop.
Work was marginally better. Kept dropping things and forgetting things, still had that "you're worthless" voice in the back of my mind, but managed to throw a surprise party, dig up lost papers, and find a Notary Public who could verify that a Hebrew to English translation was accurate. Just had me swear that it was right "so help me god."
But today was a "she" day. Don't usually hear these folks slip up, but today was something else. It was "sheImeanHe" this and "sheHeshe" that. Got through okay, though, and only worked 3 hours overtime. Left the office at 8:55 and RAN to catch the bus by 8:59...
Well, I woulda caught it...if it didn't leave a minute early. Instead I watched it pull away, chased it futilely for three blocks, and finally resigned myself to walking the mile and a half to where I'd parked my car this morning.
It was a good walk. Couple of white folks found the need to cross over to the sidewalk on the other side of the street to assuage their fears of being stalked by me. Started walking faster behind them on purpose--just to fuck with em--then stopped abruptly at my car and stared them down so they'd know how stupid they looked.
Got in the car and drove EXTRA carfully. No radio, no nothin. Just had to make it back and shake it off. Trying to remember that it was just one of those days.
According to The New York Times, universities and colleges are making changes to their dining menus. Lobster, prime steak, white spinach lasagna are all making an appearance in college dinning halls...
gosh, when I was in college, all I looked forward to was leaving the dining hall without a queasy stomach...
The article states,
"But as palates grow more sophisticated and admissions become more competitive, many top colleges are paying attention to dining rooms as well as classrooms."
One college director of housing and dining adds,
"And [students] don't just want that product in name only, but they want it to be authentic, because they've eaten at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant and they want to smell that hickory wood burning."
I don't know but this leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Are palates growing more sophisticated? Or are more students from affluent backgrounds who are accustomed to this style of eating being accepted to these colleges?
One student says,
"I didn't apply to Bates, because, well, I ate there, the meal was not very good," Lucas Braun, a 17-year-old senior at Westtown School, outside of Philadelphia, who has been accepted at several colleges in the Northeast. "There's something subliminal from the food you see in the dining hall and the meal they give you that influences your decision."
Really, now. When I was applying to colleges, it was the cost of the school and the financial aid package that was the influencing factor in my decision. Well, I did think about food, but more in the would I even get to eat considering the cost of tuition kind of way.
As a Latina from one of the poorest neighborhoods in Los Angeles county, I was fortunate enough to even get the chance to apply to colleges, and that was only because many of those annoying application fees were waived based on the plain fact that my high school was both poor and underachieving. I was lucky enough to be on the campus of a small, private, liberal-arts school. And during my time there, I was much too busy fighting the system to care whether my food was cooked to order. I only demanded an occasional tortilla here and there to calm my homesickness.
With this in mind, I can't help but think that rich kids are the motivating force behind wood-fired pizza, grilled sesame crusted tuna with wasabi mayo, and lobster.
Lobster, yeah,
lobster…
Bill "who's not black" Clinton recently said that:
"Because once you've reached a certain age, you won't sit there and listen to somebody tell you there's really no difference between what happened in the Bush years and the Clinton years; that there's not much difference in how small-town Pennsylvania fared when I was president, and in this decade." From The Huffington Post
Bill is right, there is a difference between the Bush and Clinton years. During Clinton's administration, prisons were built like condos. The prison population grew faster and quicker than any administration before him, even good old Ronald Regan- who most of us know as the devil. Clinton also abolished welfare, spent less on education than any other president before him, and increased military spending. Clinton enacted Conservative and often Republican change that had been brewing for decades before him. For once, that good ole boy is telling the truth, but that's besides the point.
Clinton's diatribe was a response to Obama stating that the problems facing this country "simmered" long before Bush took office. Obama is right in stating that. Clinton says that history isn't important, its what is happening now and what is going to happen in the future. I couldn't disagree more. How are we going to understand where we are at without analyzing our past? If we learned about the peoples history of the united states in school(I'm not referencing Zinn's book, it ain't even all that) we would have a better idea of where we were. White people wouldn't need Obama to tell them that race is still a problem if they had learned it in U.S History.
But i appreciate Obama's optimism that so many claim is fake or delusional, the fact he can talk you young people speaks to me. Clinton is criticizing Obama for mobilizing people left out of discourse. Whether you like Obama or not, he is creating spaces for people to talk.
The issues facing this country, and the inequalities which divide us start at birth. From the first shot we do or do not receive at the doctor, to our first year of primary miseducation, builds the foundation of our lives. Whether or not we go to public school and receive skills training us to be blue collar workers for the rest of our lives, or attend private schools and have opportunity hit us like a speeding bus, and end up an exec at JP Morgan. issues that affect the youth, affect the country today, and more affect who will be able to take power later.
A portrait of the current congress wouldn't look too different from an AARP ad. america isnt just old white people, its young, black, white and everythign in between. in no way am i saying senoirs should be absent from political discourse, as populations age needs particular to those demographics need to be addressed. but our political representation should be REPRESENTATIVE of the entire population. I hate sitting and hearing someone who wasn't been in school since 1960 tell me the problems facing youth in public education. I hate hearing someone from the suburbs tell me the problems in inner cities. Our country has never been led by the people, special interest groups were the same in 1976 as they are today, from cotton to cotton, oil to oil, same shit different day.
