Thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of people, died yesterday in Haiti due to an earthquake. Thousands more will die because of lack of water, medical attention, and other basic services. The world, including the US, is answering the call for help. As we should, because it's the right thing to do. But what do conservative "Christian" pundits go and do? That's right, they spew off ignorant vitriol that I'm sure would make their Jesus cringe in embarrassment.
Pat Robertson: (my paraphrase of the video below if you just can't stand to hear the ignorant asshat speak) The Haitians were punished because back under their colonial rule of the French, they made a pact with the devil in order to get the French out. But, because of this pact, they have forever been cursed.
Me: Riiiiiighhhttt! Obviously the Haitians haven't had trouble after colonization cause of, well, the effects of colonization. It was *totally* the Devil. Oh wait, that was redundant.
Rush Limbaugh: (again, my paraphrase if you are physically unable to stand this dude's voice) 1) Obama is only pretending to care about Haiti because he wants to look good to black people. Both the light and dark variety, might I add. 2) Why do you have to see where to donate through whitehouse.gov? It's a conspiracy! We already give Haitians money through income tax (har har har). Oh yeah, and no one is allowed to complain that we don't do enough for Haiti 'cause some church missions here and there go over and try to help.
Me: dkjldfjkladsfjkadjkhfhjkgfjkdkajlfjkdkjfhjkgahjkajkf!!! ::head smacks keyboard::
1) Seriously?! Turning this into a race issues makes a point how? If Bush were president (God that made me feel sick just to write), even he would try to give something 'cause this is too serious to ignore as one human to another human. His giving wouldn't be about race, would it? He'd just be showing his Christian values.
2) You're right, Rush, some people in this country on days that aren't disasters do care about others and spend their time and resources and money to try to help. Sure, the cynic in me says that they also are doing so in order to convert people and get into heaven, but I'll quiet that voice for a second and say that I admire the people who, for whatever reason, take time out of their lives to care. If I believed in a higher power, I think the appropriate line would be, God Bless Them.
HOWEVER, just because a couple of hundred people try to make a difference does not negate that most of us don't! And that rampant social injustice and poverty exists all over this world and we need to do something about it not only when hundreds of thousands of people are affected by an earthquake. We need to do something now, not then. But, when hundreds of thousands of people are affected by a disaster, don't negate the giving that happens. Sure we should be better, but now is not the time to make that point. Now is the time to help our fellow human brothers and sisters.
Okay, rant over. I know I tend to wash people like Rush and Pat with the same paintbrush of ignorant and hateful, but I sometimes still can't believe the things that come out of their mouths and into their listener's ears.
Let's just hope it doesn't make it into their hearts or we're all doomed.
UPDATE: Also, putting my money where my mouth is, I would like to urge everybody to donate to aid efforts for the victims of the Haiti earthquake by either texting "Haiti" to 90999, which will give $10 to the Red Cross by charging your cell bill, or giving to this amazing health care organization, founded by Paul Farmer, Partners in Health. Since geography means I can't donate time, at the very least, let's donate some money.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Surprise, Surprise
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Dances with Blue Aliens
Just in case anyone was curious (and since this is the MOVIE THAT WILL CHANGE ALL MOVIES), I would like to say that I have very mixed feelings about Avatar. [SPOILER WARNING] While I thought it was beautiful and "entertaining," I also thought its paradigm was horribly colonialist and, one could argue based on the rampant stereotypes of our indigenous persons, racist--seriously, horse-shaped animals for the "natives" to ride? feathers? "Mohawk" style hair? nose-bones?
::head bangs on desk::
And, although my giant sucker heart got tugged in all the right spots (and perhaps, admittedly, a bit weepy at one point), this is partly due to the very, very cliched use of the same ole' archetypes we've seen before: troubled hero, wise spiritual mother, beautiful young enchantress, evil greedy white dude. I'm practically programmed to respond to these sorts of stories. But, as engrossed as I was, I couldn't help it, my brain kept having internal "eye roll" moments throughout the film at some of the plot and characterizations. Particularly bothersome to me was that the colonialist dude goes in and makes the indigenous persons better than they were before. Sure he empathizes with them and helps us (the audience) see the error of our (past and future) ways, but why couldn't the Na'vi do it for themselves? And why couldn't we see a film from their eyes, for once?
io9 actually had great write-up about this type of film last week. Here's an excerpt:
These are movies about white guilt. Our main white characters realize that they are complicit in a system which is destroying aliens, AKA people of color - their cultures, their habitats, and their populations. The whites realize this when they begin to assimilate into the "alien" cultures and see things from a new perspective. To purge their overwhelming sense of guilt, they switch sides, become "race traitors," and fight against their old comrades. But then they go beyond assimilation and become leaders of the people they once oppressed. This is the essence of the white guilt fantasy, laid bare. It's not just a wish to be absolved of the crimes whites have committed against people of color; it's not just a wish to join the side of moral justice in battle. It's a wish to lead people of color from the inside rather than from the (oppressive, white) outside.
Think of it this way. Avatar is a fantasy about ceasing to be white, giving up the old human meatsack to join the blue people, but never losing white privilege. Jake never really knows what it's like to be a Na'vi because he always has the option to switch back into human mode. Interestingly, Wikus in District 9 learns a very different lesson. He's becoming alien and he can't go back. He has no other choice but to live in the slums and eat catfood. And guess what? He really hates it. He helps his alien buddy to escape Earth solely because he's hoping the guy will come back in a few years with a "cure" for his alienness. When whites fantasize about becoming other races, it's only fun if they can blithely ignore the fundamental experience of being an oppressed racial group. Which is that you are oppressed, and nobody will let you be a leader of anything.
Sure, Avatar goes a little bit beyond the basic colonizing story. We are told in no uncertain terms that it's wrong to colonize the lands of native people. Our hero chooses to join the Na'vi rather than abide the racist culture of his own people. But it is nevertheless a story that revisits the same old tropes of colonization. Whites still get to be leaders of the natives - just in a kinder, gentler way than they would have in an old Flash Gordon flick or in Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars novels.
I'm not trying to be a Negative Nellie or ubercritical--there are, in fact, lots of books, tv, and film that I enjoy despite my intellectual reactions to them, like Twilight (anti-feminist, chastity-glorifying, domestic violence model), Star Wars(white, male, sexist), or, honestly, pick nearly any romantic comedy, I'll watch it, because, despite being bothered by the sexist gender roles and punchlines, my heart goes pitter-patter. What can you do? Sometimes you just have to take things for what they are, admit what kind of societal rules are in play, and turn your brain off for a tiny second.
However, I do think there's a danger with never turning your brain back on, especially with films like Avatar, where people go and think they've seen an amazingly different story about how "we should all get along," when in fact, it's another movie about white, male privilege. Just because the hero is right in saying we shouldn't destroy the cultures of other peoples doesn't mean that he has to be the only one we were willing to listen to or, worse, the only one who can "save" them.
In sum, I thought Avatar (or as I'm calling it now, Dances with Blue Aliens) was a beautiful film, with a deeply detailed landscape just different enough for people to forget the movie is a story we've actually seen before. In my opinion, it's not a "game-changer," but rather another colonialist trope with exciting, tasty, and sometimes emotionally moving, eye candy. Did I "enjoy" it? Yes! My eyes were glued to the screen for two hours. But, like real candy, after I've eaten it, I'm not so certain it sits well in my belly.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
::face palm::
"Well, see, I got 15 emails that said it was true, which makes it more true than just one email saying it isn't true, you know?"
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Midweek Feminist Brainfood
Here are a couple of great videos passed to me by awesome, thoughtful, feminist friends. The first one, which is a bit long, but sooo worth it, is about the danger of "the single story" in narrowing our narratives about other people and places. The other is about how changing the way that women and girls are treated in this world will help change humanity for the better.
Friday, November 06, 2009
The 11/3 Project
If only the people that this is a satire of could get what's satirical about it, this country would be a lot better off.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| The 11/3 Project | ||||
| ||||
Friday, October 09, 2009
To Infinity and Beyond
Forever ago, I wrote a little piece on the Duggar family, you know the ones with a mazillion* "J"-named children?
Well, it seems as if one of their children has now had a child. And do you know what occurred to me, in a moment of pure, adrenaline-rush fright? That if this family has a mazillion children, and their children do the same, the Duggars will exponentially grow in size. EXPONENTIALLY.
It was not a good moment, sufficed to say.
*to be exact, it's 18, with the 19th on the way
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Judging a Book By Its Cover
I honestly don't think that I need to say anything about this video. I really think that the individuals in it speak for their ignorance just fine without me chirping in. Rebutting their claims that "fascism, socialism, and communism are all the same thing" is pointless...besides, I've already tried it before. Just watch and be appalled--as the boy said, "I really hope that this represents the lowest common denominator in our country or we're in trouble."
Thursday, September 10, 2009
No Country for Old Children
So, last night was President Obama's address to Congress about the health care plan. At this event, the Obama of old seemed to finally appear before our eyes, calling out the lies and mistruths being spread by "those who have made the calculation that it's better politics to kill this plan than to improve it" and arguing that the fight for healthcare was a fight for the character of America, stating not only that "[...] large-heartedness, that concern and regard for the plight of others is not a partisan feeling. It's not a Republican or a Democratic feeling. It, too, is part of the American character" and but also that when " any government measure, no matter how carefully crafted or beneficial, is subject to scorn; when any efforts to help people in need are attacked as un-American; when facts and reason are thrown overboard and only timidity passes for wisdom, and we can no longer even engage in a civil conversation with each other over the things that truly matter -- that at that point we don't merely lose our capacity to solve big challenges. We lose something essential about ourselves."
And what happened during this speech? That's right, exactly what you would expect from a group of immature, privileged, power-hungry Congresspersons wanting to appeal to the lowest common denominator: shouting, holding up signs, and ignoring the speech to check blackberries. It was despicable. Even more so that not allowing school children to be addressed by our President because of fear of "indoctrination." Is this what we teaching our children? That we don't even bother to listen to someone else's opinion because we don't like the person or because we assume they will say something we don't agree with? I suppose it is when the adults teaching them are men like Joe Wilson (R- S.C.) who call the President a "liar" while in the Congressional chambers.
What a sad state our country is in. Two wars, rampant poverty and ignorance, many Americans unwilling to have compassion for their fellow human beings, and jeering our President when he is in official capacity in our honored legislative chamber. Even I wouldn't do that... Heck, I didn't even shout at Condi Rice when we were both at Circuit City because her Mom was there and you don't yell at people in front of their mothers.
I guess I was just raised differently.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
This is kinda not funny, but at the same time reminds me of why I love Zachary Quintos so much... Perhaps I should give Heroes Season 3 another chance?
Monday, August 31, 2009
Bowties=Innocent and Friendly
So, I'm all about putting things into context and understanding that a lot of people who perpetrate violence are often part of a longer cycle of violence that came before them... and I try to understand that much of the world is grey and not black and white and that if we want to help lessen the amount of violence towards women in our society, we can't just go around shouting at people. BUT... I'm sorry, I'm going to shout this time and make strong, declarative statements: Chris Brown, the fact that "no one taught [you] how to control [your] emotions and anger" doesn't excuse beating the absolute shit out of your girlfriend and then making the media rounds to apologize to your fan base. And neither does wearing a friggin' bow tie and saying you don't "remember" it and it's "not who [you] are as a person." 'Cause you know what, I'm pretty sure your victim remembers it (and the other times you hit her but apparently you forgot all them about too), regardless of what you say and how many times it includes the word "sorry."
Seriously, after all the victim-hate that went on (it's her fault, she deserved it, I'm sure she hit him first, blah blah blah blah), and the leaking of the victim's crime photos, and the lack of any jail-time, I am really pissed off. If I had any of his records, I would get rid of them immediately. But, I'm not so into crappy studio pop/hip hop, a.k.a., misogyny in musical form, so thankfully that's one thing I can cross of my massive to-do list. Whew. You know, it would be really nice if someone with this sort of public presence could admit that they are responsible for what happened and not pull the "what? I'm young, oops/it's not like me, most of the time/I'll never do it again since I finally got caught" crap. The amount of change that he could affect by acknowledging what domestic violence is, how easily men in our society perpetrate it, and how damaging it is to the victim would mean a hell of a lot more to me than a nice-looking, albeit repentant, young man in a sharp tie giving a moving interview.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/31/chris.brown.interview/index.html
Monday, August 17, 2009
Ah, American Ingenuity: Where Would We Be Without Ye?!
I have NEVER wished I could figure out the damn screen capture for mac so much in my life as when Alli-gator sent me this add for DOG SNUGGIES! What?!?!?
Please, for the sake of your own eternal happiness, click on this link!
UPDATED:
I snagged the picture for your enjoyment!
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Happy Tuesday
I was home sick last week and was miserable except for the Golden Girl marathons on Hallmark in the morning--I know, what a lame-O life I lead :). Here's a hilarious video of those sexy ladies dancing, remixed.
Thanks to: http://www.urlesque.com/2009/08/04/stuff-betty-white-people-like/
Monday, July 27, 2009
In Defense of (Meat) Food
Even though I classify myself as a "flexitarian" or a "less-meatitarion" (shout-out to Sara for that term) and I try to eat at least one veggie-only meal a day and several vegan meals a week to help lessen my impact on the world and its available resources, I couldn't help but laugh at this video ribbing vegetarians. It's pretty smart, I think, regardless of how you feel about what food we eat and why.
Enjoy
Friday, June 12, 2009
Friday Fun-tavist Post!
Idiot's Guide to Biblical Definitions of Marriage... So, this is what people are trying to keep away from teh geys. Whew! Perhaps our LGBT friends out there are actually dodging an incestuous, confusing, non-monogamous bullet after all! Good to know...
From this high-larious site: http://www.bettybowers.com/
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Change Begins at Home?
"I am offering a vision for my country,” Ibrahim said. “I am telling my people that they are worth fighting for."
One of my old University of Missouri history professors, Professor Abdullahi Ali Ibrahim (who, btw, I really enjoyed and thought had a great spirit), is retiring this year. However, instead of enjoying leisure time, he is returning to his native Sudan to run for President. A life-long activist, Ibrahim hopes to help bring peace to the country... I wish him all the luck that I have to spare, and more, as it doesn't look like anything fair will be happening in Sudan anytime soon... Though, Ibrahim thinks I'm wrong, and I sincerely hope he's right:
To Ibrahim, Johnson is simply another negative thinker who is writing off Sudan’s ability to hold legitimate elections based on past precedents.
“This is the same apathy I see in Sudan – that nothing is going to happen,” he said. "The election that brought Bashir last time – this was not an election. This was completely controlled by the government. This was a one-man show."
This time, Ibrahim is sure things will be different. Because the Naivasha Agreement was an internationally brokered peace deal, he expects that the involvement of foreign governments will ensure that the 2010 election will be run fairly and provide a new direction for the country's ailing political system.
"The election is going to be the way to establish democracy and to see to the implementation of these nation-forming charters [of the Naivasha Agreement]," he said. “If (the National Congress Party) would rig it, we would fight it.”
Here's a quick video:
Monday, June 08, 2009
I can't post this video because it's way too... too
So, this video of Israeli-Americans and their opinions of Obama is extremely upsetting and, sadly, not so shocking. I especially love the kid that shouts "White Power"--um, buddy, the "White Power" guys would cut you if they had an opportunity. Is this ironic or just oblivious? I'm never sure of that definition...
Anyhow, I know that for a lot of a people the Israel/Arab conversation is a hot-button issue, and rightly so, for both sides. Any time where people are suffering and dying and committing acts of violence towards others is obviously not a good thing. Neither side, in my opinion, has clean hands.* But, the vitriol and sense of entitlement shown in these young people is inexcusable and certainly doesn't give me much faith in the situation finding a peaceful, reasonable solution that values the human rights of all people.**
http://gawker.com/5279556/some-young-jews-are-not-fans-of-obama
*And, before you post a reactive comment, no, I'm not anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian. I'm not anti-Semitic or a secret Muslim-hater (or lover) because I think both sides have valid points and both sides have committed unreasonable acts of violence. I'm not for or against any one side, other than that of all humans and the protection of everyone's basic rights to live in a safe area and have access to nutritious food, clean water, and housing.
**Also, I know that's a bit reactive, but I was upset by the video. Just like I know, from personal experience, that the racist, idiot words of the idiot rednecks don't represent the values of ALL Southerners, I get that there are a lot of Israelis and Jews that find what these dumbasses said abhorrent...
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Coincidence or Are We To Eat Pudding for 8 Years?
| Indecision | An Indecision Exclusive! | |||
| Barack Obama Is Cliff Huxtable | ||||
| ||||
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Beam Me Up
Though I'm not sure how it's possible, I actually have friends who have NEVER seen a Star Trek movie! So, for others like them out there, I've written a quick primer before this weekend's big release.
To enjoy ANY "the original series" Star Trek movie, here is all you need to know:
* In the 23rd century, there is a spaceship called the Enterprise whose crew spends their time exploring and discovering new worlds and alien life while generally getting into shenanigans that test our humanist ethical values.
* The Enterprise is part of Starfleet, the military organization of the Federation, which is basically an intergalactic UN. Earth seems to be a melting-pot of English speakers and dominates the political landscape kinda like the US does now. Also, apparently the gays and liberal commies win in our future as Starfleet is based in San Francisco.
* Its captain, James T. Kirk, is a kick-ass, witty, sexy beast of a man who always gets his guy or gal or blue-skinned dancer, whatever the case might be. He'll either get you with his phaser set to stun or with a crooked smile and a one-liner.
* Kirk's second in command, Spock, is part-Vulcan, which means he has pointy ears, weird hair, and an Enlightenment-sized obsession with "reason" and "logic." He's also very good at arching his eyebrow.
* There are other main crew members that, when the show originally aired in the 60s, were insanely progressive and controversial, including a black female, a Russian, and a generalized Asian. Basically the lady wears a short skirt, the Russian speaks with a silly accent, and the Asian is a good fencer.
* Klingons are BAD. Don't trust them. They want to rip your head off and put in on a necklace for their mum.
Posts
