WHITE PRIVILEGE

I read an article by Tim Rice that Nancy has passed on to me.I truly believe that racism is alive and thriving in this country. It may not be as overt as it once was (I really couldn't tell you as I am not a direct victim and it would be foolish for me to speak for those who are victims of racial atrocities) but it is still present.

I think this article does a nice job of pointing out the hypocrisy off the media and the double-standard whites or any hegemonic power holder place on minorities. This race would not be close if Barack Obama was a white male.

here is the link or you can read it below.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

This is Your Nation on White Privilege (NOTE: I added some things to this piece, and made a few changes to other parts for accuracy and clarity. So, if you are going to send the piece around to more people m please send this version if possible) This is Your Nation on White Privilege By Tim Wise 9/13/08 For those who still can't grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help. White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because "every family has challenges," even as black and Latino families with similar "challenges" are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay. White privilege is when you can call yourself a "fuckin' redneck," like Bristol Palin's boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll "kick their fuckin' ass," and talk about how you like to "shoot shit" for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug. White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action. White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don't all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you're "untested." White privilege is being able to say that you support the words "under God" in the pledge of allegiance because "if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it's good enough for me," and not be immediately disqualified from holding office--since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the "under God" part wasn't added until the 1950s--while believing that reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because, ya know, the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), is a dangerous and silly idea only supported by mushy liberals. White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you. White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto is "Alaska first," and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family, while if you're black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she's being disrespectful. White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do--like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor--and people think you're being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college and the fact that she lives close to Russia--you're somehow being mean, or even sexist. White privilege is being able to convince white women who don't even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because suddenly your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a "second look." White privilege is being able to fire people who didn't support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt. White privilege is when you can take nearly twenty-four hours to get to a hospital after beginning to leak amniotic fluid, and still be viewed as a great mom whose commitment to her children is unquestionable, and whose "next door neighbor" qualities make her ready to be VP, while if you're a black candidate for president and you let your children be interviewed for a few seconds on TV, you're irresponsibly exploiting them. White privilege is being able to give a 36 minute speech in which you talk about lipstick and make fun of your opponent, while laying out no substantive policy positions on any issue at all, and still manage to be considered a legitimate candidate, while a black person who gives an hour speech the week before, in which he lays out specific policy proposals on several issues, is still criticized for being too vague about what he would do if elected. White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government, and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God's punishment on Jews for rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you're just a good church-going Christian, but if you're black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you're an extremist who probably hates America. White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a "trick question," while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O'Reilly means you're dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced. White privilege is being able to go to a prestigious prep school, then to Yale and then Harvard Business school, and yet, still be seen as just an average guy (George W. Bush) while being black, going to a prestigious prep school, then Occidental College, then Columbia, and then to Harvard Law, makes you "uppity," and a snob who probably looks down on regular folks. White privilege is being able to graduate near the bottom of your college class (McCain), or graduate with a C average from Yale (W.) and that's OK, and you're cut out to be president, but if you're black and you graduate near the top of your class from Harvard Law, you can't be trusted to make good decisions in office. White privilege is being able to dump your first wife after she's disfigured in a car crash so you can take up with a multi-millionaire beauty queen (who you go on to call the c-word in public) and still be thought of as a man of strong family values, while if you're black and married for nearly twenty years to the same woman, your family is viewed as un-American and your gestures of affection for each other are called "terrorist fist bumps." White privilege is being able to sing a song about bombing Iran and still be viewed as a sober and rational statesman, with the maturity to be president, while being black and suggesting that the U.S. should speak with other nations, even when we have disagreements with them, makes you "dangerously naive and immature." White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism and an absent father is apparently among the "lesser adversities" faced by other politicians, as Sarah Palin explained in her convention speech. And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren't sure about that whole "change" thing. Ya know, it's just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain. White privilege is, in short, the problem. Scott: here is part of the solution:

Form is emptiness. Emptiness is form.

Community Building Works!

I have been doing some volunteer work for a local organization called "Community Building Works!" Community Building Works is a not-for-profit group whose mission is to build affordable green housing while teaching skills to an all-volunteer labor force. We were rebuilding a home in Ithaca, rebuilding the second floor before tackling the insides which have been gutted.
This renovation is being done for Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, and the money Community Building Works earns for this work will help offset costs of future projects. Some of these projects include building homes in developing nations. Community Building Works plans to build one house abroad for every one it builds locally.

It was a really cool day as I was using circular saws to build scaffolding that I would later use to walk on. Then I used a nail gun to do top plating on the walls that we raised up, standing on the scaffolding we built (in the background in the below image) It was fun, and scary.

Here are some of the photos that were taken by the Ithaca Journal. We were featured in the paper on Saturday in the local news section.

I trusted you! more Andy Kaufman genius

My hero - Andy Kaufman

You may not know this about me but my favorite comedian, above all rest, is Andy Kaufman. Forget Man in the Moon - that horrible catastrophe of a movie, below are 4 embedded parts of an Andy Kaufman appearance on HBO. I won't even try to describe his comedy in depth. All I can say was that the man was a genius and he bent the rules of what comedy was and what a comedian can do on stage. Thank fgoes out to thelonelysandwich for posting these on youtube.com

rest in peace Genie

Genie passed away this weekend from internal complications related to stasis and adhesions from spaying. She was the most incredible rabbit I have ever encountered. She was big in every way, not just in size. Nancy and I first rescued her from Geneva, NY (hence the name Genie) where she was living on the street. Little did we know that this big rabbit was going to grow and grow and grow and take a big place in our hearts. It was amazing to watch her - from the soaring twirls and binkies in moments of happiness and the walloping flops she would make at your side, showing her loyalty and affection-she was always fun and interesting to watch. Sure she had an appetite for destruction (futon legs, book spines, carpet) but it was easy to overlook when you'd get a glimpse of those big eyes and that big bunny nose. She'll forever be linked to that great David Bowie song. which I know is playing somewhere as a big gray rabbit does binkies into the sky " the jean GENIE let yourself gooooooowwhooooah!" '

We'll miss you dearly.

Jill Bolte Taylor: Neuroscientist and Stroke Survivor

I listened to this woman speak on Fresh Air this morning. It is an amazing story and one that is close to my heart as my dear Aunt Blanche suffered a few years ago and I want to understand more about this medical occurrence..

In short, Jill's story:

One morning, a blood vessel in Jill Bolte Taylor's brain exploded. As a brain scientist, she realized she had a ringside seat to her own stroke. She watched as her brain functions shut down one by one: motion, speech, memory, self-awareness ...

Amazed to find herself alive, Taylor spent eight years recovering her ability to think, walk and talk. She has become a spokesperson for stroke recovery and for the possibility of coming back from brain injury stronger than before. In her case, although the stroke damaged the left side of her brain, her recovery unleashed a torrent of creative energy from her right. From her home base in Indiana, she now travels the country on behalf of the Harvard Brain Bank as the "Singin' Scientist."

4th Generation Cattle Rancher is VEGAN

If you care about the future of this planet you'll watch these. If you don't, you'll at least understand why I don't eat meat. It isn't ONLY about the animals. It is about the human race. We can't survive at this pace of reproduction, deforestation, and livestock farming. I am not trying to persuade anybody. I am just trying to get the information out there so that you can make an informed decision and TRULY understand the impact of a meat-eating diet. Al Gore, for all the good he did with The Inconvenient Truth left out the BIGGEST cause of greenhouse gases: confined factory farming. Not surprising since Al was raised by ranchers but it was an Incomplete Incovenient Truth. Well, here is Harold Lyman, the mad cowboy.

Part I


Part II

food for thought and thoughts on food

The Skatalites

Thanks to my good friend, singer-songwriter Jonny Meyers I was given some free tickets to see The Skatalite at Castaway's here in Ithaca New York. This weekend was the Ithaca Festival and they were here as oine of the visiting bands . Jonny is doing some work with Kevin Batchelor who plays trumpet in the band and Kevin was nice enough to put me on the list. I wasn't feeling like going in the afternoon but i got my ass together and went to the show. Thanks nancy for being my designated driver! We saw Jon and Suki there - I even ran into my masseuse, Janna, who was dancing the night away — the press's IT guy, Adam, and a thousand others i always see around town. It was a fun night - thanks everybody! I especially want to thank the 60- year old white guy in the button-down shirt for doing the elaine-robot dance. That was rhythmic ;)

George Carlin

Found out that George Carlin passed away. I love people who test limits and push the edge, especially in a funny way. He just had an amazing perspective on things and could frame the absurd found in the ordinary and make it incredibly funny.

As good 'ol Wiki says:
George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was a Grammy-winning American stand-up comedian, actor, and author.

Carlin was especially noted for his political and black humor and his observations on language, psychology, and religion along with many taboo subjects. Carlin and his "Seven Dirty Words" comedy routine were central to the 1978 U.S. Supreme Court case F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, in which a narrow 5-4 decision by the justices affirmed the government's right to regulate Carlin's act on the public airwaves.

George Carlin's most recent stand-up routines were primarily focused on attacking the flaws in modern-day America. He often took on contemporary political issues in the United States and satirized the excesses of American culture.

He was considered by many to be a successor to the late Lenny Bruce and was described by Comedy Central as the second greatest stand-up comedian of all time behind Richard Pryor, and right before Lenny Bruce. He was a frequent performer and guest host on The Tonight Show during the three-decade Johnny Carson era, and was also the first person to host Saturday Night Live.

Below is a video of his famous "Seven Dirty Words." Enjoy!




Another great bit is Baseball and Football,
also below.


Here is a link to his bit on Stuff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac

Another bit on Drugs



And last but not least, SOME PEOPLE ARE STUPID

It's been a while....

...since I posted about what is going on or has gone on in the last few months. I guess the biggest thing would be the end of my relationship with nancy and the sale of our house in Groton. Nancy and I are still great friends and talk everyday so that has ended up well (and yes, I remain a vegetarian). The house sold in three weeks and we made a few bucks so that wasn't as bad as it could have been. Honestly I am not going to miss Groton. Now that I have moved back to Ithaca I realize how dead, boring, and backwards it was out there. Groton will remain behind because that is what it wants to do. The people there are just 'good 'ol boys' who blindly follow what has been passed on from generation to generation. Shit like hunting, and souping up your pick-up truck, the piles of junk on front porches and political views that scream "I am an ignorant, biased person." The house and yard were great but the populous not so much. I do have to say that I had great neighbors out there and there are maybe two handfuls of residents that are free thinkers.

So now I am renting an attic apartment in Cayuga Heights. It is a lot to get used to - less room, less privacy, neighbors that make noise.... One good thing is that I am able to walk to work and save money on the gas (it was a 1/2 hour each way driving back and forth to Groton). More exercise, less gas consumption: sounds good to me.
Plus, my commute leads me ovber suspension bridges that cross over the famous Ithacan gorges. I'll post some pics soon.

Peaceable Kingdom trailer

">

Need I say more? Watch. Learn.

Understand that the meat you eat and the milk you drink is laden with cruelty—that mothers and their children are separated, that it is unhealthy.
Some people say it is a choice.

Yes it is.

It is a choice between ignoring the truth about factory farming (and as a result dehumanizing yourself) and realizing the truth about where your food came from—the realization that it was once alive with emotions, feelings, desires just like yours.

I ask how any mother would feel if their children were taken away from them so that milk could be harvested from their breasts.
How can any Jew or any culture that has been slaughtered and treated "like an animal" by another "superior authority" not make the connection between that experience and what a farm animal goes through before it gets to your plate, into your mouth, and a part of your body.

You may find plenty of rationalizations and excuses but none of them ring more true than reality—the reality of now, the reality of the choice you have. I am not trying to change you- I am trying to give you the opportunity to seek the truth and listen to your heart and make that decision to change, all by yourself.

It's Springtime in Ithaca

Been a while since i have posted. Lots has happened. The relationship is over (but the friendship isn't) and the house is in the process of being sold, and everything is going to be alright.

What isn't ok is the snow we got last night. It is officially Spring, but you wouldn't know it based on the snow on the ground. It's pretty the first few times but by the 20th snowfall I can say that i am officially sick of the snow. I'll be less aggravated by it once i move into my new apartment in Cayuga Heights. I'll be able to walk to work if I want and won't have to worry about driving in this snow. The public bus has a pickup a block from home and a drop-off right in front of work.

Official Designer

Many have heard of the NBA (National Basketball Association) but few people know about the NDA.
The NDA you say? Yes, the national Designers Association. I got this t-shirt online after a co-worker saw it. I had to have it. It takes the style of the NBA logo and MLB logo but puts a designer in it-obviously.
The dude in the picture actually looks a lot like me. Which is funny.

First Snow

Last night it started to snow. I was driving home from the car mechanic on dark country roads and I got the strangest sensation. The flakes were so big and because of the forward motion of the car it had a strange vertigo-like effect. I had to pull over because it made me feel sick to my stomach. It reminded me of that amusement park "ride" where you are in front of a huge screen and are sent flying through the air on a first-person perspective of a roller coaster. It always made me queasy because my eyes told the brain we were moving but the part of the ears that helps us balance was telling the brain we weren't moving. The end result-nausea. I took nancy's advice and didn't focus on what was straight ahead and just kept my eyes on the white line of the shoulder. Needless to say we made it home in one piece but it was really weird.

Anyway, here is a picture of the year's first snowfall (for those of us who live the in Groton and Ithaca area). Was just a dusting, but hey, it counts!

A note to Cameron - I bet you aren't missing Ithaca right now ;)

Farm Sanctuary, Watkins Glen, NY

Nancy and i went with a group of animal friendly vegans and vegetarians to Farm Sanctuary, located in Watkins Glen, NY. It is a great place that gives homes to farm animals who have been mistreated and abused because of factory farming practices.

This is Bertha. She had the softest hair on top - this wavy white blonde patch of hair. She was really sweet and greeted us as we approached. The moo was so loud it echoed back at us 3 times.

Now that is a real goatee!


Jennifer and the group check out the turkeys.

This poor guy gets around on a prosthetic leg.

Nancy is petting some of the younger pigs. They were adorable and LOVED to have their bellies rubbed.


Pigs like to sleep too. Look at those little arms! I have video of one of them snoring. Perhaps I'll add it to the post when I figure out how to get the movies off the camera - the disk won't mount.

With a snout like that it is no wonder they can smell things several feet underground.

Autumn pics

After nancy ran her half-marathon we decided to take the long way home and drove through some of the farmland that surrounds Groton. It was a clear crisp fall day - perfect for being a lazy photographer and taking pictures from the passenger side of nancy's car. Here are some photos. It was a particularly good year for foliage.

See nancy run. Run Nancy run.

A couple of weekends ago nancy broke a personal record of running 13.3 miles (a half marathon) just over 1 hour and 52 minute ath the Cortland "Leaf peeper" race. I am impressed. Congratulations nancy! It was a beautiful fall day complete with mist rising over the early morning water.

the cold is trying to return.

As many of you know, Central NY is cold. It has long dreary winters. Some of us like it, some of us can't take it (you know who you are). I like the change of seasons but I really dislike having to deal with a frozen car every morning. Here are a few pics of the frost.