(no subject)
Aug. 11th, 2013 03:24 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwydion* Those of you who know me, know I was no fan of the Clintons for reasons too numerous to list here. I certainly have no interest in watching crappy bio pics of Hillary Clinton whether for or against. However, I am deeply uncomfortable with one political party having veto power over what can or can't be aired by the media.
* I am definitely in favor of the boycott of Russian goods and putting whatever political pressure it is possible to bring to lift the ban on even discussing QUILTBAG issues in the country and to stop the human rights abuses going on. The thing is though, I remember the Olympic boycotts of my childhood and how useless they were. I keep thinking about Jesse Owens instead, rubbing Hitler's nose in the athletic superiority Mr. Owen brought to the Berlin Olympics. I keep thinking what a beautiful and powerful symbol he was.
I think there are ways to make the Olympics a showcase for PRIDE that might mean more in the long run than a boycott would. I am thinking not just of Jesse Owens, but the raised fists in Mexico, of Cathy Freeman's Indigenous rights flag. Images like that are powerful and cross the decades and are ultimately more memorable for their simplicity than an Olympic boycott nearly forgotten the moment it was over. What if instead of us walking out, athletes not just from one country, but from all countries of good will came out en masse and kicked ass? What if all their team mates showed their support. I'm not saying it would happen, but if I had an in to that world, I'd be trying to make that happen with all I had.
I'm not saying I know for sure that this is the right answer, and there is plenty of room for civil disagreement and debate. I'm just saying that's where my instincts lead.
* On very physical intrusions into the privacy of POC:
* "Hate Speech Plus Hate Thoughts Equals Hate Murder:" http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2013/08/hate-speech-plus-hate-thoughts-equals.html
* "The Top Five Ways That White Feminists Continue To Discredit Women of Color:" http://problemchylde.wordpress.com/2009/03/08/the-top-five-ways-that-white-feminists-continue-to-discredit-women-of-color/
* I am having a pretty intense response to Macklemore. For sure, the songs I've heard of his, I genuinely like, but it's one of those weird random connections to past associations. He just looks and sounds so much like the boy I nearly died for in High School, only grown up. And sane. It's like he's some version of that boy from a better alternate reality, where he grew up in a home full of love, instead of violence, the time between ours and his just enough to make the culture just a little less toxic. I hear Macklemore, and in my head I see that boy performing the rap he wrote for me the wild, dangerous weekend I turned 18, and my heart breaks a little for my lost boy, my broken boy, who never had much of a chance. I love the Thrift Store song and "Same Love" is so beautiful and powerful, but some thing tears inside me whenever I hear them. I think I will need to buy the album, but only play it very rarely for the sake of my heart.
* "Top Ten Horrible Book Covers:" http://ramp.ie/index.php/reviews/books/top-ten-horrible-book-covers/
* Dragon Cave:
* I am definitely in favor of the boycott of Russian goods and putting whatever political pressure it is possible to bring to lift the ban on even discussing QUILTBAG issues in the country and to stop the human rights abuses going on. The thing is though, I remember the Olympic boycotts of my childhood and how useless they were. I keep thinking about Jesse Owens instead, rubbing Hitler's nose in the athletic superiority Mr. Owen brought to the Berlin Olympics. I keep thinking what a beautiful and powerful symbol he was.
I think there are ways to make the Olympics a showcase for PRIDE that might mean more in the long run than a boycott would. I am thinking not just of Jesse Owens, but the raised fists in Mexico, of Cathy Freeman's Indigenous rights flag. Images like that are powerful and cross the decades and are ultimately more memorable for their simplicity than an Olympic boycott nearly forgotten the moment it was over. What if instead of us walking out, athletes not just from one country, but from all countries of good will came out en masse and kicked ass? What if all their team mates showed their support. I'm not saying it would happen, but if I had an in to that world, I'd be trying to make that happen with all I had.
I'm not saying I know for sure that this is the right answer, and there is plenty of room for civil disagreement and debate. I'm just saying that's where my instincts lead.
* On very physical intrusions into the privacy of POC:
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
* "Hate Speech Plus Hate Thoughts Equals Hate Murder:" http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2013/08/hate-speech-plus-hate-thoughts-equals.html
* "The Top Five Ways That White Feminists Continue To Discredit Women of Color:" http://problemchylde.wordpress.com/2009/03/08/the-top-five-ways-that-white-feminists-continue-to-discredit-women-of-color/
* I am having a pretty intense response to Macklemore. For sure, the songs I've heard of his, I genuinely like, but it's one of those weird random connections to past associations. He just looks and sounds so much like the boy I nearly died for in High School, only grown up. And sane. It's like he's some version of that boy from a better alternate reality, where he grew up in a home full of love, instead of violence, the time between ours and his just enough to make the culture just a little less toxic. I hear Macklemore, and in my head I see that boy performing the rap he wrote for me the wild, dangerous weekend I turned 18, and my heart breaks a little for my lost boy, my broken boy, who never had much of a chance. I love the Thrift Store song and "Same Love" is so beautiful and powerful, but some thing tears inside me whenever I hear them. I think I will need to buy the album, but only play it very rarely for the sake of my heart.
* "Top Ten Horrible Book Covers:" http://ramp.ie/index.php/reviews/books/top-ten-horrible-book-covers/
* Dragon Cave:
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(no subject)
Date: 2013-08-12 02:38 am (UTC)I'm not sure what I'm going to do - my primary journal is already at DW (and i have an account here that keeps me from seeing the ads), and I don't buy much at all from the usual sponsors (TM) of the Olympics. I could write letters (spun to cover where I *already* don't spend money), not sure whether boycotting the local Russian stores or flagging/flying colors when I go in would do anything at all...
(no subject)
Date: 2013-08-12 05:18 am (UTC)The thing about the local "Russian" businesses in my area is that they are nearly all Ukrainians who's families had nearly a century of persecution under Russian rule. Boycotting the victims doesn't really make sense, though I can see checking labels. I don't know what the history of your local immigrants are likely to be, but I do think it's a good idea to separate products from there and the people who left on purpose.
This clearly needs more thinking.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-08-12 06:00 am (UTC)I know a fair number of the local Irish bars used to send money "back home" to the IRA, have no idea if anything like that is applicable to the local "Russian" shops (no idea what they'd be sending money back to, and can't tell somebody from Ukraine from Jewish emigres from the most recent wave).
(no subject)
Date: 2013-08-12 07:24 am (UTC)Again, I think this is worth thinking about and debating.