Why blog?

Every day a new outrage.  So, why blog?  I began in 2014.   Two events: one personal, one political.  A need to, at the very least, shout into the wind.  But with the internet, a new wind tunnel opens up.

I hoped revealing my struggles might touch someone else who is struggling.  There is a whole supportive community now, so we don’t have to be alone.  And comments and conversations tell me it is a good path.

The bigger questions remain.  Inequality, racism, alternative facts, bizarre interpretations of religious texts.  Trump looming over all that is good like a schoolyard bully looking to dominate weakness and to exploit divisions for his own gain.  I thought perhaps I had some good arguments people could use against the bullies in power or to convince those who are uninformed to join the good fight.

But right now everybody and their brother is putting forth those same arguments, and the result is a digging in and doubling down of the ignorant and the privileged.

Here are some questions and answers for those pesky white supremacists

Their mantra is Asia for Asians, Africa for Africans, and Europe for Europeans. When someone says that to you, the obvious retort is:  Then you must believe that the Americas and Australia are for Aboriginals!  Then you must believe that European Colonialism was very wrong, and upset the “balance” of the continents!  (Perhaps the Europeans venturing into the other continents set up the history and politics that result in the current immigration from those countries back into Europe.)

Women’s March in Montreal: What ARE we marching for?

Place des Arts – Hundreds of people walked this corridor on their way from the metro to the demonstration.

Next to the crowds, an aboriginal woman and her 2 puppies were basically living in this little alcove. (She has a black & white striped jacket on.)
People just walked on by her on their way to and from the march.
I spoke with her, gave her some money, and asked her to Prends Soins (take care of herself).

The Greatest

The Greatest Boxer.

The Greatest Muslim American.

The Greatest International Symbol of Non Violent Protest.

I’d love to give credit, but I found it in a comments section.

Make America Great Again, please

Elect a Democrat…  or a Republican that is not a racist or a religious nut.

CBC had a good documentary on last night: “The Mad World of Donald Trump”.  His slogans stir up the latent anger in Americans.  Conservatives have a fear of  change, where liberals have hope for  change.  The conservatives in America who love Trump now, might be the ones most angry at him later.

Oscar Rules!

So it turns out you CAN kick the old white men out! (Actually the irrelevant ones will just be stripped of voting privileges.) In order to understand these newest changes, I have been all over the http://www.oscars.org site reading about the rules of the club, which I have compared to a Lodge.

The beginning of “Who are you wearing?” Fred and Barney’s sartorial choices.

 

Here are the Oscars by the numbers.  There are around 6,000 members, and as we have heard, an overwhelming majority are old white men.

Politically correct

Trump supporters are said to like him because he “tells it like it is”, and “says things people think but don’t say”, and of course because he is not “politically correct.”  If you define yourself as politically incorrect, what is actually happening to you beyond people speaking up and calling you out on it?  Are there laws about thought and attitude being passed?

Manchester, New Hampshire, June 17, 2015. REUTERS/Dominick Reuter

Oscar Diversity

It’s not a democracy, it’s a club.  You get to vote, but only if you are a member.  

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a club with entrance rules.  You get nominated, you get in.  You get an honorary award, you get in.

That’s it.*  You can’t kick out the old white guys because they are old white guys.  You can’t make new rules for how to get in without changing the whole nature of the club.  Which is: motion picture artists and scientists nominate and vote for motion picture artists and scientists.

Bad Cops

©2001 Marion Pennell

Is there any other profession that fights as hard to protect its worst members? Where the mentality becomes us VERSUS them/our clients/citizens?  Where interactions become so rigid and one-sided as to continually produce results that undermine the very institution? 

Jason, Josh, and Jimmy

Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller Aug 24/15

This morning I saw Jason arrested on St. Jacques Street.  He’s a large man, blond hair, bushy beard, wearing a white loose cotton tunic style top that was falling off the shoulder.  He looked like Jesus’ older brother.  A group of the homeless men regularly panhandle from cars at the stoplight coming off the highway into this part of the city. A new-ish fancy condo is also at that corner, and the tenants regularly call the police to remove the beggars from that corner.  Sometimes Jason can be loud, but he is very articulate and obviously educated.  Some people see his size and booming voice and body language and find him frightening.