Another net bruhaha

Former President Clinton meets with a bunch of Democrat-friendly bloggers in Harlem. A picture is posted. Guess what? Let's meet in Harlem with a bucnh of white people. One of the bloggers who attended is questioned about it. Said blogger goes on the offensive against the blogger who questions him.

Some good posts about it:

the internet, racism and women of color by the Brownfemipower.

Bill Clinton Lunches With Whites. Also, Firedoglake sucks. by Ampersand.

Sometimes It's The Best You Can Do by Bint.

On being Electra or why the Democratic Party continues to suck by Black Amazon.

Diversity in the Blogosphere by Pam’s House Blend.

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I can't saying anything better than these posters have, except that, man the Democratic Party really really sucks at PR. I've been doing political work for over 20 years in one of the whitest states in the nation, and I can't remember the last time I participated in an all-white forum. It's just a stupid thing to do. If it looks like you're going to an all-white event, the thing to do is cancel the event. At the very least, don't take pictures.

The discussion is, however, a good way to view all the different ways we white people react badly to charges of racism and how easy it is to focus on ourselves rather than the issue. I hope to hell someone is listening.

Draft number 2

Not sure of the place as yet. Plus got some suggestions from the committee.

More flyers

Not as busy as usual, but here are a couple of flyers I've done recently.

Jackson Pollock

Turn your internet browser into a Jackson Pollock painting. Got to the web site, move your cursor around. click the mouse to change colors. Have fun!

Activism

On Labor Day, I participated in a rally in St. Paul of a couple of thousand people supporting Immigrant Rights -- both legal and illegal. The rally was a wonderful event.

Last Saturday, I attended a forum on the history of Lebanon and the Israeli occupation that began in 1982 and has yet to end.

Today I went to an anti-war rally on the anniversary of 9/11.

Yet I feel as if I am taking a vacation from activism. The trip to Boston and the focus on typesetting and printing has kept me wrapped up in thoughts and activities on the creative side of my life. The activism has significantly decreased as a result.

I've also read a lot of books lately without blogging about them. None of them were particularly good although all of them were on somebody's recommended list.

My youngest daughter turns 24 on Saturday. Does that make me old?

Nah!

Epiphany

I had to work late tonight because a particular project had to go to the printer, no deadlines allowed. So I hung around waiting for the final OKs from everyone involved. And I mentioned my recent run in with the evil bicylicst that has left me battered and bruised.

And I realized what a tremendous benefit I have been to a complete stranger. After all, this bicyclist could have been seriously injured by running into an innocent pedestrian walking on the green light. Instead, she had the benefit of falling on top of my pleasantly plump body, thus protecting herself from the harshness of pavement.

See? I can be an unwitting benefit for complete strangers. How fulfilling!

Boom!

So there I was walking across the street in front of my workplace on the green light and "walk" sign and the next thing I know, I'm flat on the pavement with a bicycle and a woman on top of me.

Apparently, this twit was so intent on crossing on the red that she didn't bother to see if there was a pedestrian in her path. As far as I can tell, her HEAD hit my head first and then the rest of her came tumbling down on top of me. Several strangers helped me up and to the curb. I was basically in shock. And TwitWoman .... loser that she is ... took off! Hit and run with bicycle!

Apparently, I have a very hard head. I stepped into a nearby Starbucks where I got an icepack for my head and the bruise on my leg. Then I sat waiting for my bus for a half and hour and went home.

Ravenhub was here when I got home and immediately began pampering me. He made me call the nurseline so now I know what symptoms to watch for in case I have a concussion.

Who's the President? Abraham Lincoln!

I can't take painkillers -- it would mask the headache that would be a warning of a concussion. So I'm achy and cranky. What a lovely combination! And very pissed.

Lost Access

I think Blogger has finally upgraded enough and my computer at home has NOT been updated enough so that I no longer can access blogger from home. Thus the lack of posts.

Today I am at work, continuing to work on my Mom's multi-volume book. We're planning on self-publishing this fall. It's a ton of work, but it's good work. I have so much grunt work to do on it, that I haven't had a chance to think creatively. Fortunately I have a good friend with experience in book design who is willing to take a look at it and help spark some ideas. I'm really looking forward to it.

Meanwhile, I'm just formatting, paginated, laying out the illustrations and checking line endings through the first 100 or so pages of copy. Good for me.

There's a ton of things I've been meaning to post about and I'll try to list a few:

Blackademic has a great post critiquing the new "I am African" campaign by the Keep a Child Alive campaign.

Also, check out her post about the Sorry Ass Baby Dadies website in which she questions whether blaming is effective. Of course, many commenters discussed WHO they blamed whether than whether blaming was worthwhile. Nubian should get some award for commenters ignoring what she's actually saying. She's a wonderful writer, so there must be something else going on there. Hmmm.....

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Now I have to confess to a really odd habit I've gotten into lately. There have been extremely long, involved, multi-site discussions in the feminist blogosphere over the last few weeks and months. I often get into them late in the game and I find myself reading every one of the 600 plus comments, trying to get my mind around all the opposition and anger going on.

There have been discussions of blowjobs and of high heels and of pro-sex versus anti-sex feminists and pro-porn and anti-porn feminists.

The latest one has the interesting feature in that a relatively unknown blogger, Random Bird. I first noticed it via BitchLab who directed me Pandagon's post which is as good as any place to start.

An odd thing that occurred in that debate, which is now at 335 comments, is a dust-up that occurred betwen two of the commenters, KH and Delphyne based on a quote about, of all things, Willy Loman.

First, my love of Willy Loman and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman is off the charts. I am continually reminded by the "attentionn must be paid" speach by Linda Loman, that even the lowest among us are important:

I don't say he's a great man. Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He's not the finest character that ever lived. But he's a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. He's not to be allowed to fall into his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must finally be paid to such a person. You called him crazy... no, a lot of people think he's lost his... balance. But you don't have to be very smart to know what his trouble is. The man is exhausted. A small man can be just as exhausted as a great man.

But, back to the discussion at Pandagon. Apparently KH used this line in a discussion:

"more Willy Lomans have died slowly in front of their customers than all the hookers in the world"

Delphyne proceded to use this quote as proof that KH was fundamentally flawed and that was the ONLY possible interpretation of that quote. KH proceeded to put the quote in context and to explain her reasoning.

But Delphyne was relentless. KH was wrong because of that quote, the quote could only mean what Delphyne decided it meant and no one could disuade Delphyne from explaining the point of view of KH, least of all KH herself.

Bi-zarre. But familiar. I used to be part of an internet community in which I was known for various harsh viewpoints. But at some point it was decided that I believed X and my whole goal was to be Anti-Z Nothing I could do would change that false belief of me or my goals. It got so that if I even dared to comment in certain places, it was assumed I was there to attack someone or something. I had ceased to be a person and had become an Enemy and every word I wrote was suspect.

Seeing the same thing occur from the outside, I have to wonder what the hell people like Delphyne think they are doing? Do you really think I'm going to believe you have a better interpretation of somebody's point of view than the person herself? Even if you convince one or two people, what kind of morons have you now got lined up as friends? And how long before they do the same to you?

That was my final conclusion about my old hangouts. If people were going to take someone else's word for what I believed, then what was the point?

So here are a couple of feminist places I've been hanging out lately and enjoying. I don't agree with everything said there, but I like the way the discussions are handled:

Bitch Lab "where lefties and feminists have dirty minds, too".

Fetch Me My Axe by BelleDame who also posts at BitchLab.

Woman of Color Blog by Brownfemipower.

Blackademic by Nubian.

I'll be back when I get a chance!