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18 June 2007
11 April 2007
Imus, need I say more...
so, the man that looks most like a confederate soldier on msnbc has opened up a race debate that the country is exploring now. The seemingly wide discussion is great, cos unfortunately these problems that never go away are only given some attention when one of America's stars makes a "mistake," unless 20/20 has run out of ideas and wants to do a test on the street to see how people will react to things they see others doing.
The only problem is that, the central point of the discussion so easily gets lost because the focus has been shifted away from the main point of the conversation in the first place, which is: he said something (in the simplest terms) wrong, and how he is punished or dealt with is a reflection of his superior's understanding of the depth of the problem. He's been handed a two week suspension = CBS/NBC don't get it, and neither do a lot of the people on TV that are interviewing others and talking about it. Most of the Black people that's been on TV has a united front, they say Imus should be fired, cos in their understanding, the offense was that serious. And to me, it is, and should be to anyone who thinks about those three words that he said that's been played over and over again.
To explain: 'nappy headed:' For many years past and even now Black people have been socialized by American society to think that their natural, nappy hair was ugly, dirty, and not acceptable. I don't know when women started putting perms in their hair but I know I did from since before I was 10 up until a year after I graduated from college. We think we need to because the straight hair is what everyone else has, it looks better and your more likely to get a better job because we have taken a small step towards whiteness. So, Imus spit out a phrase thats never been used in any kind of positive light (especially when followed by 'hoes') to desribe a succesful group of women that are so much more than the state of their hair, most of which by the way looked like they actually didn't have.
'Hoes:' hoe, one of the minor derogatory ways to describe women but, again, nobody put pimps call women hoes as a term of endearment. Like one of the teammates said, he's calling someone's child, educated women at one of the nations notable schools, all playing a varsity highly demanding sport and completing a degree, and he reduces them to a hoe.
So, like I was saying those are highly problematic words to say. But when there are experts called in, or its discussion time on a daytime talk show - the focus gets shifted away from the gravity of what he said and how he's not held accountable for it, and goes to: 1) well, the top 3 rap songs has hoes in the lyrics, 2) don't we have freedom of speech in this country?, 3) is there a double standard whenever race comes up?, 4) but he's been on the air for 40 yrs, give some respect to his whole career, and so on. Like Spike said today, those are whole other discussions, what people are supposed to be talking about now is an appropriate punishment.
People even question the need for punishment, cos he's a shock jock of sorts, u gotta expect him to say shocking stuff every once in a while. These are people, like Rosie on the View, that aren't paying attention to his victims, and who are ignorant enough to not recognize that that was a racist statement. She is taking the high road of privilege and not even thinking about how big of an issue race is in the country. That's kinda the fundamental problem with the dialouge thats happening, a lot of people that are handling the discussion don't really understand it themselves. There's also the ignorance of Joy on the view, who when asked, why is this an issue now, she offered - maybe its because Barack Obama is running for office. Ah, I see, so now that America possible might have a Black president, NOW we can't say bad things about Black people anymore, NOW it is unacceptable. It makes me chuckle and my blood pressure rise at the same time to continually see how all those white people that make sense about a lot of issues on their talk shows and everything always fail on the Black show.
I remember on Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect, he seemed like a sensible guy, but when the time came around for him to have a Black panel, or there was some race issue discussed, he dropped from the level of grad student to 3rd grader. And now the same thing has happened with Rosie, she lost 2000 points, strangely, the crazy Elizabeth is making the most sense out of all of them whenever it comes up, but again she easily gets swayed to the points of the discussion that are not the main point. It's historic even. This is also a women's issue, but I haven't seen white feminist leaders taking a stand on the shows. Didn't this happen with the suffrage movement? White ladies wanted all women to support, but as soon as that issue was resolved and it was time to give their Black counterparts a helping hand, it mostly wasn't there. And in the Civil Rights movement, there were whites that marched at the front of the line beside Dr King, but what about the plight of Black female athletes, teachers, waitresses, whatever - who all had white counterparts that again, didn't support the other cause. Maybe it wasn't cos they were just selfish people, but again, when it came to issues of underlying disadvantages cos of skin color, they weren't willing or able to feel the gravity of how big of a deal it was.
The only problem is that, the central point of the discussion so easily gets lost because the focus has been shifted away from the main point of the conversation in the first place, which is: he said something (in the simplest terms) wrong, and how he is punished or dealt with is a reflection of his superior's understanding of the depth of the problem. He's been handed a two week suspension = CBS/NBC don't get it, and neither do a lot of the people on TV that are interviewing others and talking about it. Most of the Black people that's been on TV has a united front, they say Imus should be fired, cos in their understanding, the offense was that serious. And to me, it is, and should be to anyone who thinks about those three words that he said that's been played over and over again.
To explain: 'nappy headed:' For many years past and even now Black people have been socialized by American society to think that their natural, nappy hair was ugly, dirty, and not acceptable. I don't know when women started putting perms in their hair but I know I did from since before I was 10 up until a year after I graduated from college. We think we need to because the straight hair is what everyone else has, it looks better and your more likely to get a better job because we have taken a small step towards whiteness. So, Imus spit out a phrase thats never been used in any kind of positive light (especially when followed by 'hoes') to desribe a succesful group of women that are so much more than the state of their hair, most of which by the way looked like they actually didn't have.
'Hoes:' hoe, one of the minor derogatory ways to describe women but, again, nobody put pimps call women hoes as a term of endearment. Like one of the teammates said, he's calling someone's child, educated women at one of the nations notable schools, all playing a varsity highly demanding sport and completing a degree, and he reduces them to a hoe.
So, like I was saying those are highly problematic words to say. But when there are experts called in, or its discussion time on a daytime talk show - the focus gets shifted away from the gravity of what he said and how he's not held accountable for it, and goes to: 1) well, the top 3 rap songs has hoes in the lyrics, 2) don't we have freedom of speech in this country?, 3) is there a double standard whenever race comes up?, 4) but he's been on the air for 40 yrs, give some respect to his whole career, and so on. Like Spike said today, those are whole other discussions, what people are supposed to be talking about now is an appropriate punishment.
People even question the need for punishment, cos he's a shock jock of sorts, u gotta expect him to say shocking stuff every once in a while. These are people, like Rosie on the View, that aren't paying attention to his victims, and who are ignorant enough to not recognize that that was a racist statement. She is taking the high road of privilege and not even thinking about how big of an issue race is in the country. That's kinda the fundamental problem with the dialouge thats happening, a lot of people that are handling the discussion don't really understand it themselves. There's also the ignorance of Joy on the view, who when asked, why is this an issue now, she offered - maybe its because Barack Obama is running for office. Ah, I see, so now that America possible might have a Black president, NOW we can't say bad things about Black people anymore, NOW it is unacceptable. It makes me chuckle and my blood pressure rise at the same time to continually see how all those white people that make sense about a lot of issues on their talk shows and everything always fail on the Black show.
I remember on Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect, he seemed like a sensible guy, but when the time came around for him to have a Black panel, or there was some race issue discussed, he dropped from the level of grad student to 3rd grader. And now the same thing has happened with Rosie, she lost 2000 points, strangely, the crazy Elizabeth is making the most sense out of all of them whenever it comes up, but again she easily gets swayed to the points of the discussion that are not the main point. It's historic even. This is also a women's issue, but I haven't seen white feminist leaders taking a stand on the shows. Didn't this happen with the suffrage movement? White ladies wanted all women to support, but as soon as that issue was resolved and it was time to give their Black counterparts a helping hand, it mostly wasn't there. And in the Civil Rights movement, there were whites that marched at the front of the line beside Dr King, but what about the plight of Black female athletes, teachers, waitresses, whatever - who all had white counterparts that again, didn't support the other cause. Maybe it wasn't cos they were just selfish people, but again, when it came to issues of underlying disadvantages cos of skin color, they weren't willing or able to feel the gravity of how big of a deal it was.
08 March 2007
3 is the magic number
Three Things Survey
Three things that scare me:
1: spiders
2: lonliness
3: desperation
Three people who make me laugh:
1: friends and family
2: Inglebert Humperdink
3: my cat
Three Things I love:
1: friends and family
2: my cat
3: roller coasters
Three Things I hate:
1: spiders
2: rudeness
3: eggs
Three things I don't understand:
1: voluntary ignorance
2: asian languages
3: why people like jell-o
Three things on my desk:
1: teddy ruxpin catepillar
2: wolverine
3: carved wooden cheetah
Three things I'm doing right now:
1: looking for a job
2: washing clothes
3: watching tv
Three things I want to do before I die:
1: live abroad for an extended period
2: write down family history
3: be satisfied with my success
Three things I can do:
1: cook italian
2: feed my cat
3: love little things
Three ways to describe my personality:
1: patient
2: loyal
3: cerebral
Three things I can't do:
1: have full mobility in my right knee
2: grow much taller
3: give up completely
Three things that scare me:
1: spiders
2: lonliness
3: desperation
Three people who make me laugh:
1: friends and family
2: Inglebert Humperdink
3: my cat
Three Things I love:
1: friends and family
2: my cat
3: roller coasters
Three Things I hate:
1: spiders
2: rudeness
3: eggs
Three things I don't understand:
1: voluntary ignorance
2: asian languages
3: why people like jell-o
Three things on my desk:
1: teddy ruxpin catepillar
2: wolverine
3: carved wooden cheetah
Three things I'm doing right now:
1: looking for a job
2: washing clothes
3: watching tv
Three things I want to do before I die:
1: live abroad for an extended period
2: write down family history
3: be satisfied with my success
Three things I can do:
1: cook italian
2: feed my cat
3: love little things
Three ways to describe my personality:
1: patient
2: loyal
3: cerebral
Three things I can't do:
1: have full mobility in my right knee
2: grow much taller
3: give up completely
16 February 2007
Movies to Watch in Class for Black History Month
on the eve of Black History Month, the Daily Show had their "Senior Black History Month Correspondent" (worst stupidest title ever) Joe Black-guy, come on. The segment wasn't that funny, altho he did make a few great remarks: a month for 28 days of triva for white people; and how there should be a kick-off celebration, "Whitey Gras."
I'd like to do my part and promote movies that could be watch this month in various classrooms across the world.
#1: Some Non-conventional Sidney Poitier movie
We can't just watch A Raisin in the Sun over and over again, the commonfolk must be more exposed to the full catalouge of this man's range. Ok, in Raisin he's not so much an upstanding gentleman that, well, my generation I believe, knows him as - he was just a young dude trying to be the honorable man, but still with flaws a young man would have.
The other day I saw For Love of Ivy(1968) which, to my shock, Sidney had a sex scene in it! I was constantly diverting my eyes(shudder). Besides the sex scene being the most shocking thing, his charecter was an upstanding gentleman that also happened to run an illegal gambling business on the side, and also a self described ladies man.
Altho I haven't seen it, I hear Brother John(1970) is an excellent film too. He's an upstanding fight-for-ur-rights type guy, like a focused part from his charecter in In the Heat of the Night(1967). Let's not see Sidney be an enabler to the white man like he did in The Defiant Ones(1958) let people watch Sidney as you've probably never seen him, hell, even watch one of his Bill Cosby movies like A Piece of the Action(1977).
13 February 2007
Heroes pt 1: Cyclops
One of my friends has recently given me a focus by way of her myspce page. She's working on a very heavy theme of villans to display and quote and such, so I'll unknowingly counter and do some of my favorite heroes.
now, with the trilogy of great X-Men films, Cyclops has wrongly become the whiney, least liked leader of the X-Men. He's like the symbol of pitiful mutant, which he should never ever ever be. Here's why Cyke does not suck, and actually, RULES:
Cyclops
now, with the trilogy of great X-Men films, Cyclops has wrongly become the whiney, least liked leader of the X-Men. He's like the symbol of pitiful mutant, which he should never ever ever be. Here's why Cyke does not suck, and actually, RULES:
- one of the most powerful mutants
- depth of his charecter
- the cool glasses
Cyclops' power is to shoot a concussive force from his eyes. This power can't be controlled because he hit his head after falling outta a plane as a child (well, recently, its come about that he simply gave up his control whilst a teenager). Either way, because the power can't be controlled, that sorta means there's no limit to it, right? One of my favorite displays of his power came in an issue of Astonishing X-Men, where he blew a sentinel completely away from the woods of the X-mansion, he did say, "Get off my lawn." Cyke rules
and this is why Stan is the man of all comics, he gave Scott Summers such a story, not just him, but a whole lotta other marvel peeps too. Scott Summers has issues! Most rudimentary: he can't look anyone in the eye. That simple flaw in his whole being just gives way to a big pandora's box of what is wrong with him. Stan Lee, has revealed to the masses the negative possibilities when u don't look anyone in ur life in the eye. Scott Summers isn't really a blind man, cos he's able to see, but the effects of him not plainly looking back at people: he's detached, has attachment issues, marital problems, over worked, obsessed with his career, blah blah, but all those things make his story so great.
throughout his costume history, Cyclops has had pretty weird outfits and matching goggles, but for the most part, they were cool in their own time. He always looks sharp in the shades at nite.
08 February 2007
ode to kitty
this is a great frickin year... So far I lost a job that well suited for me(besides the morning commute) amid great horrible drama, and on 6 February 2007 I was forced to put my cat Bookey to sleep. So how am I getitng through this:
#1: blame the animal hospital for causing my present grief and stress.
I noticed he wasn't doing so hot a day or two before, I was even spooning water in his mouth cos Bookey wasn't drinking anything. So I took him to the first vet where she thought she felt a mass in his liver(=possibly/most likely cancer). He was also dehydrated and his body temp was below normal. I'm smart enough to hear that someone's felt a mass somewhere on my cat and know that that can't be good news at all, but, trying to stay behind the gun and not jump in front of it, I asked her what she reccomended.
Of course Bookey was obviously very sick, and she was straight with me, having him put down as a logical option, along with possible places he could be taken to diagnose whatever it is. I really didn't want to write his death sentence without knowing if it was possible he could get better, so I took him somewhere else where they could do a sonogram or x-ray or something.
The next place took him back, without me able t ogo with him, examined him, a doc came back out, and said they would like to check him in immediately cos he was so sick. Then they came out with a "care plan" for him - the bill of how much it would cost for them to figure out what was wrong with him.
Here, is where I start blame... animal care, expectedly, can get very expensive, and Bookey's care plan came to more than $2100, to which the DEPOSIT to start his treatment was $2100. There was no partial payment, lower deposit, nothing really, just give us $2100 now if u want your cat to live.
So, after basically either having the choice of bringing him home and watching him suffer and pass away maybe painfully, or letting him go right then, I got my sis to tell them that he'd be euthanized.
#2: blame the hospital
I was/am having equal trouble with losing one of my cats forever and making a choice to end his life that very day. At the first place I stalled and kept trying to ask in a lot of different ways, what do u reccomend? or what are my options again, cos I didnt want to come to that conclusion, even tho that was always the likely outcome.
And at the second place, I sat with my sister in the lobby trying not to break down in tears because everyone else's pet that was in there was gonna come out again. I was in there for like 30 minutes not saying anything cos I couldn't say in direct words to put him to sleep, or euthanize or anything like that, I mostly just said well I don't have another choice do I?
So, Bookey is gone...
#3: deal with Ashlee
Ashlee is his mother. The mom tragically outlived her son, sad. So far, I've set out the carrier with a blanket they had him on, and the pillow case and a towel around, and the same blankets are on my floor that they always lay on. Somehow it makes sense to leave his scent around as much as possible, I think it'll help, especially once she realizes that he's not coming back.
She came out when I came home that nite, and kinda searched around for him a bit, smelled the carrier a lot. Last nite I noticed she was sleeping in it, the day before she layed on the towel I put by the table. Last nite she also started meowing at nite, kinda the mother cry.
I'm hoping Ashlee can get through this, cos she's old and thin already, at least let the seasons change before I lose her too.
#1: blame the animal hospital for causing my present grief and stress.
I noticed he wasn't doing so hot a day or two before, I was even spooning water in his mouth cos Bookey wasn't drinking anything. So I took him to the first vet where she thought she felt a mass in his liver(=possibly/most likely cancer). He was also dehydrated and his body temp was below normal. I'm smart enough to hear that someone's felt a mass somewhere on my cat and know that that can't be good news at all, but, trying to stay behind the gun and not jump in front of it, I asked her what she reccomended.
Of course Bookey was obviously very sick, and she was straight with me, having him put down as a logical option, along with possible places he could be taken to diagnose whatever it is. I really didn't want to write his death sentence without knowing if it was possible he could get better, so I took him somewhere else where they could do a sonogram or x-ray or something.
The next place took him back, without me able t ogo with him, examined him, a doc came back out, and said they would like to check him in immediately cos he was so sick. Then they came out with a "care plan" for him - the bill of how much it would cost for them to figure out what was wrong with him.
Here, is where I start blame... animal care, expectedly, can get very expensive, and Bookey's care plan came to more than $2100, to which the DEPOSIT to start his treatment was $2100. There was no partial payment, lower deposit, nothing really, just give us $2100 now if u want your cat to live.
So, after basically either having the choice of bringing him home and watching him suffer and pass away maybe painfully, or letting him go right then, I got my sis to tell them that he'd be euthanized.
#2: blame the hospital
I was/am having equal trouble with losing one of my cats forever and making a choice to end his life that very day. At the first place I stalled and kept trying to ask in a lot of different ways, what do u reccomend? or what are my options again, cos I didnt want to come to that conclusion, even tho that was always the likely outcome.
And at the second place, I sat with my sister in the lobby trying not to break down in tears because everyone else's pet that was in there was gonna come out again. I was in there for like 30 minutes not saying anything cos I couldn't say in direct words to put him to sleep, or euthanize or anything like that, I mostly just said well I don't have another choice do I?
So, Bookey is gone...
#3: deal with Ashlee
Ashlee is his mother. The mom tragically outlived her son, sad. So far, I've set out the carrier with a blanket they had him on, and the pillow case and a towel around, and the same blankets are on my floor that they always lay on. Somehow it makes sense to leave his scent around as much as possible, I think it'll help, especially once she realizes that he's not coming back.
She came out when I came home that nite, and kinda searched around for him a bit, smelled the carrier a lot. Last nite I noticed she was sleeping in it, the day before she layed on the towel I put by the table. Last nite she also started meowing at nite, kinda the mother cry.
I'm hoping Ashlee can get through this, cos she's old and thin already, at least let the seasons change before I lose her too.
11 September 2006
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
this movie reminds me of my mom's black and white tv. It was probably the first or only one she bought when she was living on her own after separating from dad, cheap but functional. wow - just think you could still get a black and white tv in the early 80's. It was a little 12" (wow, computer screens are bigger now) with its own antenna on top - that of course eventually broke off and was replaced/reinforced with tin foil - and the channel turns were on dials - they made hard clicks, you could burn calories turning those channels; your whole hand and palm were involved, couldn't just use one finger like with our buttons today.
But anyhoo, in my random memory progression - I remember watching this movie when I was little on the set. I remember storing it in my memory banks as a child because after reading this trivia book on the presidents, I somehow decided that Teddy Roosevelt was my favorite. Then when I stayed up (relatively)late one night - not really flipping channels cos it wasn't possible - I came across this movie that had Teddy Roosevelt in it! Who knew presidents did movies?! That's all really funny or endearing now cos 1) notice the obvious lack of timeline in the young childs mind; and 2) for a really long while I didn't even know that that movie was an "old" movie - I thought if I was to see it on my dad's tv it'd turn color, lol.
Isn't it funny what makes you remember things? When I came into conscious thinking about the movie I was greatly thrilled with it. It's one of the funniest movies in the world and every time its on u cant turn away, because it'll make you laugh. Cary Grant is my fav old movie actor, and now IMDB tells me that he thought this was one of the worst performances in all his films b/c it was over the top. yeaaaah, BUT every new time I see it, I find I am laughing more at his subtle performances in the movie. There is a lot of him panicking and trippin over chairs, but there are also the much more funny parts where he really doesn't say anything and hopelessly whimpers cos he knows he is in a nuthouse; I enjoy those moments the most.
But anyhoo, in my random memory progression - I remember watching this movie when I was little on the set. I remember storing it in my memory banks as a child because after reading this trivia book on the presidents, I somehow decided that Teddy Roosevelt was my favorite. Then when I stayed up (relatively)late one night - not really flipping channels cos it wasn't possible - I came across this movie that had Teddy Roosevelt in it! Who knew presidents did movies?! That's all really funny or endearing now cos 1) notice the obvious lack of timeline in the young childs mind; and 2) for a really long while I didn't even know that that movie was an "old" movie - I thought if I was to see it on my dad's tv it'd turn color, lol.
Isn't it funny what makes you remember things? When I came into conscious thinking about the movie I was greatly thrilled with it. It's one of the funniest movies in the world and every time its on u cant turn away, because it'll make you laugh. Cary Grant is my fav old movie actor, and now IMDB tells me that he thought this was one of the worst performances in all his films b/c it was over the top. yeaaaah, BUT every new time I see it, I find I am laughing more at his subtle performances in the movie. There is a lot of him panicking and trippin over chairs, but there are also the much more funny parts where he really doesn't say anything and hopelessly whimpers cos he knows he is in a nuthouse; I enjoy those moments the most.
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