Just because

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This world

Had a great discussion with Alex last night as I watched the Matrix on television.  Such a brilliant movie, for so many reasons - definitely one of my top 3 movies, and my source for analogies to progressive politics.  That, and Keanu Reeves is a hottie.

Just wanted to post this, direct from Yglesias:

NR’s Sotomayor Cover

So National Review decided to run this very odd cover image of Judge Sonia Sotomayor:

It seems that what happened was that, as conservatives are wont to do, they tried to do something that would be racist, but also arguably not racist. Hence, instead of depicting a Latina with a racist stereotyped image of a Latina, they depicted her with a racist stereotyped image of an Asian. It’s hard to know exactly what to make of that. But National Review editor Rich Lowry seems to have known exactly what to make of it since as this post makes clear he was anticipating people criticizing the imagery.

At any rate, then he waited around a bit, got the accusations of racism he was waiting for, and then got to engage in every white conservative’s favorite passtime of wallowing in self-pity and calling his accusers humorless.

Unfortunately, there’s not a good shorthand term for the psychology behind this kind of behavior. “Racism” doesn’t, I think, capture it. But there’s this deranged fascination with walking up to the line and dancing around there in hopes of getting called on it. Then you get to become indignant. Because, again, the contemporary right’s main view on race is that actual racism against non-white people is only a tiny problem compared with the vast social crisis that allegedly exists around people being vigilant against racism.

Hat tip on this to Brian Beutler who adds a funny unrelated joke “Also featured on the cover in the current issue: ‘Jonah Goldberg On His Critics.’ That better be a long article.”

It's so true, about this "walking up to the line and dancing around" business and then pulling the indignant card about how it's the offended's fault for taking it too seriously and being humorless or unappreciative of the type of humor.

Instead of an F bomb I'm just giving this a huge fat throbbing middle finger.  People who dance on that line should be figuratively shot in the face.

The Daily Bruin did it with their article on "Asians" because it was supposed to be a funny satire; other college campus newspapers that have made the mistake of running "humor" racist articles or editorials claimed the same, and somehow they all think it's supposed to be funny to the rest of us.  Readers who were offended?  It's our fault for misunderstanding it.

Get out.  Just get out.

This whole thing about Sotomayor is so ridiculous.  White men - all about being color blind, except when a Latina is in a place of power like this.  Here's another read, courtesy of Race Wire: 

5 Reasons Why Only White Males are Supreme Court Material

This talking points memo must have landed in the wrong inbox…

TO: All red-blooded God-fearing Americans

RE: 5 reasons why white men are more fit for the Supreme Court than that Latina woman

• White men are objective. Women and people of color are inherently biased, making all their opinions suspect. This should automatically disqualify them from serving on the bench. White men look out for everyone and aren’t just interested in taking care of their own. Frankly, people of color are secretly “out to get” white men and would use whatever power they have to settle a score.

• White people are color-blind and can transcend race. Today’s racists and sexists are actually people of color and women who cling to their identity politics just for their own gain. Judge Sonia Sotomayor thinks that race shapes one’s experiences and perspectives and that diversity somehow makes things better. Her Puerto Rican roots must be coloring her views for she clearly has little understanding of America or its citizens. No wonder Newt Gingrich authoritatively labels her a “Latina woman racist.” White American-born straight men have secure identities and don’t need identity politics.

Indeed, whites don’t even see race because they don’t really have a race. They’re just part of the human race. They prefer to blend in without calling attention to themselves. And they know that if we’d all just ignore race, then racism would disappear. That’s why Chief Justice John Roberts, when striking down a voluntary school integration plan, nobly asserted, “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.” In other words, race conscious remedies to address racial inequalities are, by definition, racist. Simple logic. It makes you wonder how the authors of the Brown v. Board of Education decision could have been so blatantly discriminatory.

• White men are more qualified. They consistently score better on standardized tests. That’s why they get into elite schools and high-paying jobs, fair and square, without any affirmative action. If white men excel, it’s only because meritocracy works. Those who make the rules and play by them deserve to succeed.

• White men have the right judicial temperament. The last thing our highest court needs is angry people of color, hysterical women, or both. White men have well-honed skills for staying cool and collected. And they’re less likely to be “activist” judges. In fact, we’d be better off with a strict interpretation of our original constitution--before it got all mucked up with amendments that gave too many people rights they didn’t even earn or deserve, like the right to vote. Look where that’s gotten us.

• White men are the new minority. White men are endangered, having to fend off reverse racism at every turn. With a Black president, who knows what could happen to the Supreme Court and every other sacred institution? Under our unwritten quota system, every vacancy sets off a bean-counting frenzy. Now, anyone and their cousin with dark skin or limited testosterone is instantly qualified for a seat on the Supreme Court. That’s why this nomination fight is the new ground zero of Pat Buchanan’s prophetic “culture war.” And it may well become the frontline of the war on terror. For it’s not just the survival of white men at stake, but the sanctity of our entire social order.

-----

In case you didn’t get the memo, the bottom line is that we all just need to be color-blind, and gender-blind. Except when a woman of color gets nominated to the Supreme Court.

I went to First Friday today, an arts oriented event that happens in Downtown Honolulu, and there are so many white people that come to these events.  I felt like I was back in LA - its like an indescribable racial frustration I feel, reading too much into the white people that decide to walk slowly in front of me and then stop to watch while I'm watching a performance, or do other similarly seemingly rude things.  It'll sound ridiculous to a lot of you, but I'm just programmed that way.

I am going to have such a hard time when I have to move back home - to the swarms of white people, everywhere.

If I could, I would jam an enormous red pill down every one of those racist conservative throats. Especially the white ones. 

A new month

Time sure is flying by.  I can't believe it is already June and I have been in Hawai'i for about 10 months now.

Lots has happened, a Maui trip this past weekend in particular, and I saw Drag Me To Hell tonight.  Crazy movie, very Sam Raimi, left me pretty exhausted emotionally.  It is a stressful movie, but in a good way, as strange as that may sound.  Just see it, you'll see what I mean.

The trip to Maui was pretty amazing - I have to admit, I was kind of excited about just taking the trip, but I had no idea what a blast it would turn out to be.

We watched the sun rise out at Haleakala, got sunned out at Ka'anapali Beach in incredibly hot weather, and had the most fun drunk night ever.  Oh beer pong, how I had missed you.

Some pictures to share!

The sunrise went from this:

To this:

And finally to this:

It was pretty breathtaking to watch, and I think the most fun thing was just being with all of these great people.  Yes, we drove out there ridic early and slept in the car til 4:30 am to watch this, but really, so worth it.

Yeah, I know, the finger.  But it's such a great group picture.  As for the night, one picture pretty much sums it all up.

Let's just say: alcohol, temporary tattoos, and way too much fun.  I'll leave the rest to your imagination.  I still laugh when I think about some of these pictures we took that night.  You can see the rest of the trip here.  On facebook, though.

Am done with the Kaimuki kids, we finished off our class with an amazing experience participating in the Lantern Floating Festival that happens every Memorial Day, out at Ala Moana Beach Park.  Here are a few pics:

Above, my students with the lanterns they had made on a previous day.  There are candles inside to be lit.  Each lantern has names of people previously passed, written onto them by various folks and families.  I put the names of my paternal grandparents on one of thousands of lanterns that were floated that night.

I know its a blurry picture, but it was really the best one of my students could take before my camera battery died.  Bummer, but as you can imagine the spectacle was really beautiful.  That, and it was a great last bonding experience with the kids.  I'll miss it it later I know, but I like to be able to remember it positively like this.  It was an unexpected learning experience for sure, being their teacher, and I am so appreciative to have had the opportunity to do it.

Anyhow, that's all I've got for now.  Life here right now is just so wonderful, and I know I'm going to miss it all so badly when I have to move back home in March.  Living it up, while I can!  Yays.

Just more cat.

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Lantern floating today, that should be interesting if not totally fun.  Hopefully the kids will enjoy it.

Happy Mem Day.

Vogue Fail

I know this was up somewhere before, but RACIST MUCH, VOGUE?  yeesh.

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I don't care if he "knew" what he was posing for, the implications and insinuations of this picture are clear.  

It will never end, will it?

And then, just to lighten the mood, this, just because:

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Malcolm X and Yuri Kochiyama - Happy Birthday yesterday

May 19 - the day 2 great people were born (though 4 years apart - Yuri Kochiyama turned 88, Malcolm X would have been 84).  I found this on RaceWire and it was so inspiring. It's just about Malcolm X, one of my heroes of all time. Written by Grace Lee Boggs (amazing!!), but posted from the site noted.

via www.adriennemareebrown.net/blog

yesterday was malcolm x’s 84th birthday. happy birthday el-hajj malik el-shabazz. here’s a wonderful post from grace lee boggs on knowing malcolm.

today i’ve been thinking about the violence of last night here in Oakland, and the lessons of malcolm’s life. at one point in his life, malcolm, aka detroit red, was engaged in a violent, survival-based life. he was doing cocaine, robbing rich people, menacing society, and shaming himself and his people.

the brother who committed this violent, awful crime last night is someone who has the potential of malcolm x within him. every single person who engages in desperate, violent acts, has that potential. for malcolm, it took going to prison, discovering god and humility, feeling the call to greatness and the power of words and service that was waiting in the wings of his life, finding himself and staying true to himself. his life was so short and so powerful, and it focused around this pivot to greatness. what would it take for the perpetrator of last night’s violence?

because i actually would go so far as to say that malcolm’s greatness came from the depths to which he had sunk. that is why his story stays with us, that is why we read his autobiography and then recommend it to people we love. that is why he was was our “manhood”, our “black shining prince”. because he was not just the story of a clean, neat life; doing the right things and succeeding personally. his was the story of vulnerability and impact - only by being vulnerable to his circumstances and his need for something greater could he transform into malcolm x. and only by being impacted could he know the full story of humanity - impacted by the place and time and people to which he was born; impacted by the circumstances of slavery and racism; impacted by desperation and ego; impacted by love, by god, by community.

the places he reached in the hearts and minds of those who heard him and followed were deep, and dark. the places where we hate ourselves, and believe we are inferior; the places where we believe we deserve no better. he used humor, ridicule and rhetoric to slip past the walls that surround the black community and say this tiny life of mental slavery and prison is not the way for us. we are a great people. we have to unshackle ourselves, and then love each other enough to free our greater selves - the community.

and that could have been enough. but at the end of his short life, when he could have chosen a road of limited but stable success, he humbled himself even more, he made himself even more vulnerable. he opened his heart to the people he had only ever thought of as his enemy, and saw that they too were human, were struggling, were creatures of deep spiritual potential.

i hold malcolm x in my mind’s eye when i think of what happened last night. i send my heart out to the little woman i held yesterday, and then send it out the further, harder journey to the man who beat her. i meditate on the humanity within him, the divine spark that he is holding, however deep down.

i hold malcolm x in my heart when i think of all of us, sitting with this unparalleled potential to love, restore, heal, grow and learn, pushing that part of ourselves down under layers of bitterness, sarcasm, hate, distrust, fear and even strategy.

can we reach out to those engaged in vastly different strategies than ourselves and ask to learn? can we travel outside of our comfort zones to grow our hearts? can we humble ourselves to the divine power so much greater than our individual needs that it can provide enough for everyone?

are we vulnerable enough to surrender? whether it is to forgiveness, or to greatness?

happy birthday, el-hajj malik el-shabazz. you humbled us all.

Get Real

This will be brief because I'm not in much of a long-entry kind of mood, but I heard an incredibly sexist comment come out of a male in his late-20s today.  As Andy said, "I didn't think they made them like that anymore." 

Something about how a woman needs to cook a man his dinner when he gets home, and the way it was said?  It was bad.

Seriously, fuck that.  

You don't even have to be incredibly self-aware to know that's a ridiculous comment to make, even half-serious.  Get a life, and learn how to respect women.  Shit like this makes me so angry sometimes!