Well despite the fact that a white man is the savior of the less capable and lacking leadership native people, I might go see this movie for the entertainment value.  But check out what the director has to say about the film himself.

see this for issues of racial undertones

There is nothing worse for a football fan than being frozen from watching his team in action. For most it will be better to see their team lose than being unable to catch the live game.

But this is precisely what a non-Premier League fan experiences if he wishes to see his favourite club tough it out. There is no way that you go to a pub and ask them to switch over from the British teams.

The UEFA Champions League encounter between Barcelona and Inter Milan was the biggest clash of the day. However, Sky Sports decided it only merited a screening on Sky Sports Extra.

This meant that anyone who wished to view the game had to have the whole Sky subscription. Furthermore, it also meant that many of the pubs would be unable to screen the game.

To be honest their decision is understandable as we are in England and not in the EU; not yet atleast. The pub owners can claim that their patrons are English and Scottish and not Italian fans like me.

But what surprised me was the complete lack of coverage that the game received even in the rest of the media. There was no kind of build-up or preview for the game in most of the papers despite the stature of the teams involved.

Monday Blues

This may not strike as particularly odd to the British but it did seem terribly ignorant to me. After all this was a clash between the heavyweights of European football and featured the current European champions.

Instead almost all the pubications, sites focussed on the implications for Liverpool if they were to exit the competition. To a viewer or a reader it might have almost appeared as if there was just one game on Tuesday.

Hailing from a country that does not have a strong footballing culture I am proud to say that at least my papers try their best to educate me about the world of football. The same cannot be said about papers here.

Every Monday I open the papers hoping to read something about the proceedings in the Spanish League or the Italian League and every week I am let down. The British to me are far too concerned about their own football.

I appreciate that you give priority to local football but to not even talk about the rest of the world seems highly patronizing. I was shocked when after a Champions League Matchday the following day’s papers carried no mention about the groups other than the ones featuring the British teams.

This culture of paying absolutely no attention to sporting events from around the world seems queer for a place which boasts of its remarkably talented press. Fleet Street may be a street in London but it is supposed to offer a world view too, but this doesn’t seem to be the case here.

The Need For Change

The sub-heading may sound like a terrible cliche but there is really a need to change the way the British media seem to cover their international sporting events. They need to recognize that other games around the world may be equally important as their own.

London is known for its cultural diaspora but the complete absence of the same in its media coverage is probably reflective of the views of the British people.  They may be an insular bunch but the media should be held accountable for making them an ignorant bunch as well.

The Guardian can boast of a ton of international coverage and note when they say international they mean only USA. But it cannot boast of comprehensive sports coverage. I am quite sure the name Semenya won’t mean a lot to most of the so-called sports aficionados.

I think it is important for papers to do a bit more of introspection and diversify their content even further. They have failed to realise that immigration affects not only the economy but also their readership.

“How sad to be grass,” said the roses
Advancing in their trellis careers.
“Of course,” said the roses at the top,
“They are silent because they are listening,
Listening to us,
And craving to make
The music of color.”
But who knows what the grass was really thinking?
Who among the rich roses actually cared
What the silent grass was thinking?

I’m listening to Julian Casablancas’s new song “River of Brakelights”. It’s beautiful. I love it.

I’m feeling kind of out of it right now. I just talked to my old roommate, I’ll call her Arashi. She had returned from India and was back in her small hometown. I was glad to hear from her but the call was not without some tension or awkward silences.

I made it sound like everything was fine. But actually I had just been on the tail end of an extended binge and book reading along with copious amounts of coca cola zero. I’m supportive of her growth and impressed that she had such an amazing trip and that she’s grown so much but I can’t help but feel something negative when I speak with her. When I talk about my own developments and my own goals and dreams, she says “Okay” in a patronizing way. That really bugs me.

I’m still going to visit her during Christmas break. I’m actually kind of excited to hear what she has to say about her trip to India. I want to know what affected her so much. I want to know about all the people she met and what kinds of insights that her travels provided her. I guess I accept the fact that she really sees me as a younger sister. I definitely can’t ever really come close to being on the same level as her according to her. I feel like a child trying to get the approval of a distant father or something when I’m around her. Please, dear Arashi, please pay attention to me! Accept me if I do enough to impress you by being a happy, productive person! Fucked up. But at the same time, I don’t really care. She’s not really a part of my life anymore. I’m appreciative of her caring and her conversation in the last year or so I’ve been in Tokyo but that’s over now. And I don’t accept her view of me as being somehow worthy only of patronizing okays. I enjoy her company and her conversation but I accept our relationship for what it is. Over. Well, except for the Christmas visit and perhaps some other perfunctory occasions, over. Over, over, over.

God, I’m fucked up. I got yet another ice cream. When is my diet going to continue? How am I going to continue it when I want to eat so much at night when things get boring and the emptiness surrounds? What can I do? Overeaters anonymous. Here I come.

OK. So here is another one of IMHO moments….

I think Dr. Schneiderman is knowledgeable about many medical areas. But she has been increasingly interjecting her own opinions into the segments she is on. What happened? Instead of saying, ‘Take good care of yourselves, exercise, and do xyz’ she adds ‘or else I think…. you’re foolish, taking extra risks, not right, blah blah blah….’

Remember when ‘Dr. Nancy’ used to be easier on the ears? Back when she was a bit more humble, and wasn’t so ‘do it my way or you are just plain stupid?’ I don’t know but that is how she comes across to me for the last year or longer. But dear Lord, I can’t stomach her attitude. Ok, so she is a doctor. She does have experience in pediatrics and head/neck cancer surgeries. But when she speaks on every medical subject under the sun, she seems to be a self-imposed expert on every single area. How can that be? No one can know everything about everything. But every time I see/hear her, she seems to want us to think, I mean, believe, that she does.

It’s like someone who specializes in plumbing trying to be an expert in every single aspect of building a huge skyscraper. How can that be?

Maybe it’s time for a her to eat more crow? Would that help her to back off from the ‘it’s my way or else you are wrong’ impression she leaves viewers? Like remember that little incident about insider trading and having to return the $50K for all the money you illegally gained that one month back in the 90s? Hmmm.

The point is, all of us, each human, is, well, imperfect. We ALL make mistakes, lots of them. I am sure even a la Nancy has made quite a few in her practice – all doctors and nurses make errors! Most of us are humble enough to realize we simply are not experts in every single subject under the sun, even in our so-called area of practice or field of work.

I’m afraid that the more opportunities in the media that ‘Dr. Nancy’ is receiving, the larger her ego and, subsequently, her head are becoming. It isn’t all of the information flowing from her mouth that is turning me off (although some of what she insists upon is insulting, patronizing and downright controversial):  it is her a-t-t-i-t-u-d-e that accompanies her opinions as she is dumping it down our throats.

Hey, NBC Today Show – someone please sit her down and ask her to lighten up the way in which she delivers her information, yeah? Sure would be easier for us to watch your show without grabbing the remote & mute button when her segments come up.

BTW how on earth does she have a current practice, keep up on the latest medical everything, while she is busy traveling, prepping for and sitting in on so many shows? Is her practice closed or does she have a minimal ‘hands-on’ practice? I don’t see how she can split herself into so many roles and do each one thoroughly. Again, IMHO.

Here’s an ideal example of the way I thought as a young girl growing up.

I thought, for sure, that if I believed in something “hard enough” — as in almost bugging my eyes out while holding my breath or just willing something to happen with my awesome, mind-bending power — I could make something become true. Granted, the thing I was usually willing with all my might was usually something that had been sitting on the proverbial fence, like would the folks let me have some saltwater taffy at the next rest stop? Or would my parents not care that much that my peas were hidden in the tiny mound of mashed potatoes still left on my plate? (I liked the potatoes, otherwise it would’ve been a massive mound of mashed potatoes hiding the rogue peas.) I thought that I could will my body into producing boys when the time came for children. I believed that I could will myself out of paralysis if the situation were to come up. Very Bionic Woman of me, I’d say.

Whoever did this doesn't know how to hide the peas very well (photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinwhelan/420240541)

I’m getting to the point, believe it or not, so stick with me for just a little while longer.

Up until very recently, I thought that patronize was spelled two ways because it had two meanings. It made perfect sense to me. It should be pronounced PAY-tron-ize if it’s supposed to mean that you are frequenting someone’s shop or buying a company’s stuff on a regular basis. Why? Because you are a patron (PAY-tron), so you are PAY-tron-iz-ing the shop.

It should be pronounced PAH-tron-ize (as in “pat”) if it’s supposed to mean that you are being condescending or are being treated in a condescending manner. Again, it made perfect sense to me. It’s condescending, as if someone were patting you on the head, saying, “Now, now, little Nellie, you just run along and play and the big girls will take care of everything. Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it.” Patronizing should totally sound like getting patted on the head or, perhaps worse, doing the patting on someone else’s head. That’s linear logic.

But there’s this pesky little thing called research.

I checked into the pronunciation issue on the word. And you know what? I couldn’t will the two pronunciations to mean what I wanted them to mean. Even with all my logic and self-admittedly rock-star Internet research capabilities, I couldn’t come up with facts to back up my beliefs. So disconcerting.

But I’ve decided to bend my mind around the facts at hand. Here’s the real deal on the pronunciation of patronize:

• PAY-tron-ize = American English pronunciation
• PAH-tron-ize = British English pronunciation

That’s it. Just the bloody American vs. English thing again. Doesn’t matter which meaning you’re trying to convey — just which side of the pond you’re on. If you’re in the United States, use the PAY-tron-ize pronunciation; if your primary audience is Britain-bound, use PAH-tron-ize.

Maddening as all get-out. You say “to-MAY-to,” I say “to-MAH-to.” Thank goodness that life goes on.

By the way, I have two lovely, amazing girly-girls. No boys. Go figure.

Happy trails!

SAK

I went to the brewhouse today with Rozy and Adolfo. It’s a common hang out for most of our friends. Bobby was there. He apologized again and told me that he really liked me and that he didn’t think badly of me and that it was him not me. He was super genuine about it. Later we were talking about thanksgiving and I mentioned how this is the first thanksgiving I’m going to be spending alone. Bobby then offered to make me dinner tomorrow night with his family!!! I don’t know what to do. I’m so nervous. Should I go? I think I’ll probably go if it works out but this is so weird.

My cat just puked on my floor. *sigh*

Every time I think about Bobby I just feel so incredibly stupid. I hate that. It just gets me so down. It puts me in this state of self loathing.

I’m going for coffee with my friend Jaycie this afternoon before work. Rozy wants me to go out with her tonight because she couldn’t go out last night. We’ll see.

And now for your daily dose of oppression.

I guess I wasn’t clear enough.  I guess this guy just really enjoys making an ass out of himself.  And this is why I hate organized religion, because ‘No, I really don’t believe in what you believe.’ isn’t enough.  Because, ‘Leave me alone, I don’t believe in your God.’ still isn’t enough.  And it’s very likely  that ‘I am going to report you for harassment if you do not separate yourself from me like this,’ still isn’t going to be enough.

I have made it very clear that I want nothing to do with this.  I don’t want him to pray for me, I don’t want him to make me have anything to do with his beliefs.  This is why a lot of people are assholes to people who are Christian.  He’s trying to be holier-than-thou, he’s trying to patronize me, and he’s trying to once again push his beliefs on me.

I guess now is my time to retaliate.

Who’d have thought it! John Cleese of Minister of Funny walks claim, helps write fascinating book.

I’d been advised to read the book by John Cleese and Robin Skynner Families and how to survive them. I had asked my local Writers’ Group how I should approach writing up my language learning diary I’s written for my PhD thesis. One of the members suggested that the format of Families and how to survive them might suit my book.

 On reading Families and how to survive them I find it’s not just the format that makes it – the writing is very approachable – not a patronizing word in sight as we are gradually led to greater understanding of what makes us tick and why we choose the mates we do. In a conversational style we are reminded of what had been discussed before, have specific points magnified and are generally entertained and informed in a gentle, relaxed and enthralling manner. It’s going to be very difficult to write a book of similar interest and tone!

Pokemon says “no” to bottle of booze, green tea, congratulatory and funeral flowers, school children’s backpacks, incense, expensive fruit baskets, and gifts of rice. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry seeing this government poster. Is it patronizing, funny or just ridiculous?

Given widespread corruption, not so different in Japan as in the United States– including dead people voting, illegal corporate contributions and staggering levels of distrust– do citizens need a children’s cartoon to tell them about the dangers and illegality of accepting small gifts from politicians?

Are small gifts the reason why Japanese politics are so dismal?

My wife suggested that I watch this YouTube video (audio recording) today of Glen Beck on his radio show. Now, I present to you…

“How to treat people as inhuman.”

Total lack of respect for human beings… the mainline view of TV and radio “news network” hosts.

“Argument against the idiots” is the name of his new book… Glen says, “The best book we’ve ever done”

“Idiots like this woman…”

He never once let her finish a sentence. He was constantly patronizing from the moment the phone call began… there was no conversation going on there at all… just disrespect (and the hilarious yet stunning screaming). Then, at the end of the clip he is justifying the disrespect with calling her (and everyone who disagrees with his new book) an idiot… and all you have to do is read his book (which he won’t quote or discuss with this lady) to get the “facts and logic.”

wow.

Now, I’ll admit, I’m not a big fan of Glen Beck… nor any other opinionated over-the-top TV/radio host… but really… about these TV “news” networks. They promote people like this, and teach Americans that this is how we decide issues… we disrespect and patronize each other, never allowing anyone to actually speak or have an opposing opinion. If they disagree, they are a “pinhead” or “idiot”  …either way, subhuman… and then we from there can treat them any bad way we want. We wonder why entire groups of people then act this way in real life. Both sides do this…. this is not a purely conservative or liberal issue. It is not just the politicians and talking heads… it is the soccer moms and regular church-goers.

I don’t care what your politics are… if at any point they lead you to stop caring for ANY real person… cause you to disrespect another human being… or act as a justification for conducting  yourself in a way that sub-humanizes other people groups… You sir/ma’am have lost your own humanity. Fail.

The 20th Century Organization:

i. Implicit 1984: Explicit Brave New World

ii. Implicit Psychopathy: Explicit Humanity

iii. Implicit Fraternity: Explicit Sorority

1. Management – Implicit Slavery: Explicit Liberation

2. Accounts – Implicit Scarcity: Explicit Abundance

3. Schedule – Implicit Death: Explicit Life

4. Facility – Implicit Prison: Explicit Palace

5. Policy – Implicit Moralizing: Explicit Neutrality

6. Procedure – Implicit Stereotyping: Explicit Individuality

7. Transaction – Implicit Purchase: Explicit Sale

In celebration of my season ending and my transition to day-light hours beginning, my sister and best friend came to visit me last weekend. To drive home how awesome an occasion this was, I demanded that everyone come out.

Apparently, everyone also meant four cousins, who I’m never see, including two who pretty much dropped in (also, there was a girl, who at a wedding last summer, hit on me pretty hardcore, and ended up taking a beer away from me, claiming that I didn’t need it. Talk about hurting your own case…).

After drinks and food at the first bar, we met with them on the Upper East Side and pretty much hung out late into the night. As everyone dispersed, I went to close out my surprisingly modest tab (for being out with that many people, anything under $50 is surprisingly awesome), and in the process, watched some guy get totally shut down by a girl at the bar. I smirked, ’cause, well, that shit is funny, right?

Yeah, she saw me. And started talking to me. She was cute, so I engaged for a hot minute.

“So what do you do?”

“Web-related work. It’s as exciting as it sound.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, I bet you’re awesome at it.”

Yes, dear. That’s the way to my heart, being a patronizing bitch at 2:30 in the morning.

“Let me buy you a drink.”

“Are you going to have one, too?”

“No, I’m about to leave, but I’d like to be nice.”

“If you’re not going to drink with me, what’s the point? I’m not even that good looking.”

“You’re cute, don’t sell yourself short. Hpefully someone else is nicer to you than I am. Have a good night.”

Ladies, let the lesson be stated: If you don’t want the drink, don’t take the drink. But don’t be a bitch about it.

And staying with my continual theme of stories I tell: Then I went home and masturbated.

      “Imagine that you consider me as your little brown brother;” and you say, ‘What’s wrong with that?   I’ll help you out.’   Well, it was the same thing that was said by many distinguished Americans among them Mark Twain.   If you’d listen to Mark Twain back then and thought about it, you would’ve told me, ‘I can help you out.’   Well, this was because you were bigger, you see, you had the wherewithal to help, and you had also learned to expect ‘thanks but no thanks.’   And if I were to say to you that I considered you to be my big white brother and at the same time turned down your offer to help, how would you feel?   I would’ve offended you, right?;  similarly you would’ve offended me, which we both managed to do when we became aware of each other’s identity.   Of course, learning to use your size advantage and your muscular might wasn’t exactly painless.   By then I had learned to fight back.   But you kept insisting that you wanted to help me.   The word ‘no’ should mean ‘no,’ in both English and Tagalog, and all the other eighty-seven or so dialects involved.   For instance, people from Cebu speak Cebuano instead of Tagalog, and I noticed that you offered them help too.     This is why I’d wished you’d stop calling me your ‘little brown brother’ and then we could go about our business without you patronizing me, even if you intend to help me.”

      Nick’s ideas about imperialism, I learned, was influenced by Philippine/American history, where the Philippine version was different from the American one.   From his perspective, he realized that a truce in the war started during the time of McKinley, Taft, and Twain hadn’t been obtained, and that many of the attitudes remained the same as when McKinley searched for the Philippines on a map and said ‘they need American’s help to be free.’”   They said back then, “We told you, ‘we don’t want your help.”  “But did you listen?   The offer of help, whether direct or implied, which came with you when you came over here, wasn’t given without a cost to us.”

      Indeed, Nick’s ideas about imperialism came from honest feelings he had about our generosity.   He went on to tell me whenever anyone called him brother and offered him something it made him feel small, and that feeling that way, to be honest, translated into feelings of inferiority.   “This means,” he explained, “that if you do something for me, then I’m obligated to you and that makes me feel little; then I’ve committed myself to you as your little brown brother.   Furthermore, if I’m in this position, then I’m bound to you…obligated also.   Then if you say I ought to do something, then I have no choice: I have to do it.   In a real sense then, I’ve lost my freedom.   If you believe what I’m telling you,” Nick went on, “what can I say: you’re white and tall: I’m brown and short.   I hope that I haven’t offended you by what I’ve said.”   I assured him that he hadn’t; but I admitted, however, that the discussion had made me feel uneasy.   And that, I imagined, went with the territory.

      What was the relationship between Nick and me like after that?

      “The thing wrong with all of this talk,” Nick said, “is that it gets in the way of friendships.   I sometimes think that my relationship with Elaine is entirely wrong and I should go back home and take on a ‘forest bride’.   (In an attempt to explain, he said, ‘Sex, love, and revolution.   The ‘forest bride’ is the revolutionary solution to ‘the sex problem.’)   You see, I know our relationship won’t work out in the end and, knowing that, then I have to tell her.   I think what makes us all humans are our inconsistencies.   But you ought to see Elaine when I try to talk about this.   She won’t hear of it.   Then too why should I give up a good thing?   She has no sympathy for me and doesn’t attempt to help me with my dilemma, which in a strange way is uplifting.”

      Was it possible to be a Filipino revolutionary and love a white American woman?

      Nick pointed out that the relationship between a male guerrilla and his “forest bride” was never meant to last forever.   He went on to say that it was acceptable for married men to take “forest brides”, as long as the legal wives and the forest brides were aware of the arrangement, and they all knew it was meant to be temporary.   “If you wish to know the rationale behind it,” he went on, “you’ve got to look at the adverse affects of having to be away from wives for a very long time.   I personally think taking a ‘forest bride’ was a very sensible way of solving the problem.   As human beings, we can solve our problems in our own way, which may or may not work for someone else, but I think Elaine is very mature and between us we’ll be able to work it out.   I know that some of my revolutionary friends would frown on our relationship, and that’s hard to accept.   They would take a hard line and call it “betrayal.”   She and I reconcile it by downplaying the emotional part.   I truly believe we love each other.   When someone joined the Huks, he or she knew they would have to make sacrifices.   So much for loving someone!   I think that if you’re a revolutionary and are going to be a good one, you almost have to forget about having a life.   It almost has to be one or the other…I mean…I don’t know what I mean.   I could easily talk myself out of my relationship with Elaine, but I don’t want to do that.”

      We had been talking too long, and he said he had a class.   We would have to continue this some other time, so I said goodbye, and he insisted that I take his copy of THE LITTLE BROWN BROTHER.   I thank him and felt as if I had sat through one his lectures.

      Nick bared his soul.   I wondered why, and why we were suspicious of each other.

       Randy Ford

I’d rather have no weekends than spend them entertaining random people.
I’d rather be alone than to be out with many and left alone.
I’d rather eat with 10 acquaintances than 1 good friend and 9 others I feel uncomfortable around with.

I don’t like saying no nicely.
I don’t like saying yes to everything.
I don’t like persuasive people.

I am feeling angsty.

Maybe it’s the lack of eyelashes.

Here is an outstanding analysis and exposition on Obama and the liberals war on Christianity. There’s very littl to add to the article except this:

Obama says we (Americans) are not and never will be at war with Islam. This may prove to be true, but the simple fact is that Islam IS and HAS BEEN at war with America and western civilization for some time. Sadly, most of our Neville Chamberlain, head-in-the-sand liberals refuse to admit this fact.

Obama’s Unholy War Against Christianity, Not Islam

By George Neumayr on 4.8.09 @ 6:08AM

The more illiberal a religion, the more liberals tend to like it. Western liberals who propose no place for God in the public square can usually be counted on to excuse non-western religions that impose a false and dangerous one upon it.

The explanation for this apparent contradiction goes beyond the childish and self-hating affinity of western liberals for all things non-western. The deeper reason is western liberalism’s attachment to irrationality. Having ruptured a once-harmonious relationship between reason and religion in their own culture, western liberals can’t seem to stop themselves from championing similar ruptures in alien ones.

By different routes of irrationality, western liberals and militant Muslims arrive at the same spot. Western liberals reach it by a distorted “reason” without faith, militant Muslims by a distorted “faith” without reason, with each imbalance producing its own culture of death: abortion and euthanasia in the west, jihad in the east.

An old-style liberal like Oriana Fallaci found it amazing that Enlightenment liberals could defend so enthusiastically the gross illiberal tendencies of militant Muslims and puzzled over how two seemingly different groups could turn up on the same side in debates. But it is not surprising if one considers their shared rejection of reason properly understood and the common enemy that rouses them — a lingering Christianity in the west.

But, says the day-to-day watcher of politics, who cares? What does any of this have to do with Barack Obama’s speech in Turkey earlier in the week? A lot, actually. Behind the speech is the above-mentioned phenomenon; it contained a deep sympathy for Islam that Obama would never extend to traditional Christianity.

As Obama gears up to abolish the conscience rights of Christian pro-lifers at American hospitals, as he uses executive orders to force Christians to finance abortions at home and abroad, as he places Christian opponents of gay marriage in the moral category of racists, he tells Turkey that “America is not and never will be at war with Islam” and accepts the moderation of Muslims without question.

Never mind that self-proclaimed moderate Muslims in Turkey, Sufi-Shia Muslims, have been persecuted by the Turkish government; never mind that Turkish Christians have been persecuted too, banned from opening churches or running seminaries and thrown into jail for insulting “Turkishness” after giving open witness to Jesus Christ.

No, none of this is worrisome to Obama. His enemy is not Islam abroad, but Christianity at home. Indeed, if he treated Muslims the way he treats believing Christians in America, Muslims would call it a holy war.

As far as Obama is concerned, the only religion to be “reformed” — which is to say destroyed — is not the west’s historic adversary but its progenitor. Islam is peaceful, he pronounces, while traditional Christianity is bigoted and dangerous. Islam is a friend to America, while traditional Christians are, as Obama supporter Tom Hanks described Proposition 8 supporters, “un-American.”

Obama has in effect declared to Christians in America: either bring your understanding of Christianity into line with my liberalism or don’t bother entering the public square. You want federal money? Well, then perform abortions, distribute condoms, hire homosexual activists, etc., etc. He would never dare talk to Muslims in those terms. He will give back ancestral swords to freed Muslims from Guantanamo Bay and hand forceps to Christian doctors.

If Muslims had to endure patronizing and lying secularist drivel from him like “Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values,” they would riot. Cowed and secularized Christians just nod and offer him an honorary degree.

George Neumayr is editor of Catholic World Report and press critic for California Political Review.

The cost of racism by resistance at Resist racism:

Another way that racism harms white people is by denying them the ability to develop their critical thinking. This is due in part to the constant, regular reinforcement that white is right. White people are raised in an environment in which they are regularly assured of their superiority. Their experts are white, like them. And they often live in segregation, thus denying them the opportunity to be exposed to other viewpoints.

What happens in a culture of white supremacy? White people assume that they are the experts. Even in the absence of any history, education or knowledge.

The most blatant example of this is when a white person (typically a white man) is pontificating about a subject and is challenged when a person of color expresses an opinion. The white person will assume that the person of color knows nothing about the subject and will strive to “correct” him or her. I’ve had this happen when a white person who was not in my field was speaking with authority about something in my field. They never assume that you might actually be knowledgeable on the subject, nor do they assume that you might have professional credentials. (I’d also note that this is a very common experience on the part of people of color. And I recently heard a anecdote about this happening to a writer of color with a white man who was discussing her book. Only he didn’t know she had written it.)

It does not cross their minds. This is racism.

[Read the rest of this post at Resist racism.]

It does not even cross their minds that they are noticing race; this assessment occurs unconsciously.

Terry Thomas said, “Do not always assume the other fellow has intelligence equal to yours. He may have more.”

He still doesn’t get it right.

Do not always assume the other person has intelligence equal to yours. He or she may have more.

Do not always assume a woman has intelligence equal to yours. She may have more.

You know that the person pontificating about a subject knows little about it when, based on what he says, it is obvious that he has not taken an introductory course on the subject. Yet, unthinkingly and without reflection, he reflexively “corrects” you when you challenge him, doing so in a patronizing fashion.

Do not always assume a non-white person has intelligence equal to yours. He or she may have more.

Having grown up as one of four children in my family, then spending 7+ years living with multiple roommates during college, I have developed a strong (if not healthy) habit of messing with people.

Every once in a while, when I’m not really thinking about what I’m doing, I accidentally turn my talents against the innocent.

And so it was one day that I was in RadioShack looking for an audio cable, with that mischievous instinct took hold of me. It was a very small RadioShack, with a circular counter in the center of the store and just enough room around the counter for a couple of aisles. Two employees, one an older male and the other a younger female, looked bored as they stood behind the counter.

As soon as I walked through the door, the gentleman asked, “can I help you find anything?”

“I’m looking for a audio line-in cable, if you have any,” I said.

“Yeah, I think we can find one of those, if you’ll just follow me over here to the far wall…”

I tilted my head and adopted my most patronizing tone. “Oh, come on,” I said. “It’s not that far…”

And the poor innocent victim hung his head a little bit, as one does after hearing a particularly bad joke, and trudged over towards the wall to help me find the cable, as the other employee stifled a giggle and turned away.

Don’t patronize
please don’t patronize

to you I’m just a fool
without any conscience
just crazy and insensate
maybe to passionate
my love suddenly turned to hate

but how can I change my nature?
I pretended to be someone else to please you
it’s not the first time,in love it never works
in the long run it will only hurt

don’t judge me
don’t be a prophet

come down from the podium
if ,according to you I’m wrong
too much value give to a song
you are the most strong

then help me to be stronger
to change my ways
waiting for better days

if you think that your way of living
is more commonsense
would you in me instill more sense?
but please not with your indifference

your coldness is killing me
for the way you are treating me
won’t you please cure me?

as if I were a plant to water
or of mine the father
who cares and yes for me bothers
to fight in the name of the love for eachother

from me you want an attitude more steady
but I don’t think I’m ready
please don’t tease me

be sincere with me
but not brutal
for I don’t think I deserve it
you say I should take the risk
and give you a kiss
but in my dreams I’ve done more than this
I would die peacefully in the bliss

of your embrace
but now this I have to face
it’s a risk I should take
but now it’s too late

I’m all out of faith
for you I can but wait
invain

standing under the rain
of my tears
haunted by fears
waiting for you to gain
please don’t leave me in pain
come back to me again.

So, I do not have anything specific to write about today.  Except for the fact that someone at work thought it would be a good idea to pat me on the head as he walked by today.  WHY in the world would you do that?  I’m not a kitten or a dog.  I’m not your cute little niece. 

This pat comes right after I was called a princess.   Hmmm…..I have been annoyed enough lately.  I just don’t get it.  First this dude tells me…”oh Tiffany you look like you’re a little bit of everything. That’s what America is all about.  It’s a melting pot.”  Then he says he hopes we look good in burkas.  Hmm……on top of the fact that he CONSTANTLY talks to me like I’m some little girl and is always commenting on the fact that I’m “easy on the eyes.”  Hmmm…..I’m just a little fed up.

It didn’t help that I was exhausted today though.  A lack of sleep never helps me deal with arrogant, cultureless, patronizing white men.  Hmm…..

Anyway, I just wanted to comment on that.  For some reason this stuff is REALLY getting to me.  It has nothing to do with feminism.  This is about treating me like a am a PERSON, not some product.  So, maybe this is about feminism and all the other principles I carry with me.    I just need to figure out what I need to do to get me through this days that seem to be so damn trying.  It’s hard to work for people that talk down to me.  And it’s hard to work for a company when everyone is unhappy.  Hmmm…..

Well, I had an interview at Crate & Barrel today.  I have a second interview tomorrow.  It’s just a part time thing for the holidays, but extra cash is very very necessary right now.

Hopefully I will be back later with something you guys can bite into and chew on for a while. LOL Yeah right. I am going to finish my laundry now.  buh-bye

“Joe the Plumber”, the rhetorical device that John McCain repeatedly invoked during the 3rd presidential debate, is an actual person who was interviewed by Katie Couric on CBSNEWS.com after the debate. During this interview, he referred to Obama as “well spoken” and said he “tap danced like Sammy Davis Jr.” Wow. You just don’t find racism like that any more. Not outside the Republican party anyway. Obama’s a Harvard educated lawyer and a U.S. Senator. Well spoken? What did you expect, you stupid cracker? All black people sound like Flavor Flav? I’m embarrassed as hell by white folks sometimes.

Speaking of stupid crackers. Did you hear John McCain propose a “Troops to Teachers” program? Apparently this disasterous proposition involves letting people come out of the military and go straight into teaching jobs without going through the normal licensing and evaluation that other teachers go through. (His words.) Let’s look at who goes into the military. People who go into the military, by and large, are desperate and undereducated. I’m sure you can name a few exceptions, so can I, but in general this is the case. So we take these folks, teach them to kill and then turn them loose on our kids without testing their qualifications? No. That is a terrible idea, and John McCain is a madman. I’m not against someone going into teaching after a stint in the services, but no way would I allow them to use their military experience as a sufficient and complete proof of competence.

UPDATE!:

Unbelievable! A conservative blogger blows the lid off of the link between Joe The Plumber and the Keating Five Scandal. It turns out that this guy who was the centerpiece of the McCain strategy in the 3rd debate is actually the son-in-law of a guy who was sentenced in the Keating Scandal that McCain was involved in. That means he’s not an average American with real concerns about the economy, but rather a Republican operative who was planted by the McCain campaign! Hint for McCain staffers: If you’re going to plant an operative at an Obama rally and have him go in front of cameras, you might want to pick someone with a name less unique than Wurzelbacher. And you might also want to make sure he has more than one degree of separation from a criminal that your candidate is connected to.

Update Update: Joe’s not even a plumber.

Update Update Update: He makes less than $250K/year

Update Update Update Update: He’s a tax cheat and has a lien on his house.

Pwn3d1!!

When boys become men we call them ‘men’ or ‘guys’ or ‘blokes’ or ‘dudes’. The most common casual word for ‘men’ is ‘guys’. We don’t have any similar casual word to use for women. So instead we use “girls”. [I have heard one person say the word “gals” serves this purpose: however this word is obviously taken off of the child word “girls” so it is still connecting women with girls. It is also an exclusively American word, we don’t use it where I live.]

Why are women still called “girls” after we grow up?

Females are not supposed to mature. We are more valuable in this society (to men) if we stay young, and sexy/attractive. We are supposed to be a bit sillier, too. Not as intelligent as our husbands, and not as serious. We can (and should) spend a good amount of time making ourselves look “cute” and sexy (for the men). We wear clothes that make us look smaller, we sit “smaller” than men (legs together/crossed), and we generally try to make ourselves look slimmer/littler/petite. Like a girl. So we look good to guys. In contrast, boys are encouraged to “man-up” and become a man quickly, it is good for them to mature. They aren’t supposed to continue looking like boys, if they do they will be effeminate men, who are ‘less’ than real men.  

“Girls” is demeaning to women:

Calling us “girls” makes many women feel patronized, demeaned, belittled infantilized, talked down to and less respected.

Other belittling terms for women include “chick”, “babe”, “baby” (“babe”/”baby” may not always be belittling, but it can be belittling if a man uses it for his girlfriend but she does not use it for him).

The sex industry almost always calls it’s female workers “girls” (partly because this is considered ‘sexier’ than ‘woman’). The word “Ladies” is sexy too. Using the word “ladies” would show that the sex worker women are adults, and that they should be respected (not belittled). I think the sex industry likes the term ‘girls’ over ‘ladies’ because it implies a hierarchy where the johns are more important than the women who serve them, they are ‘Kings’ for a while, and their needs are more important than the needs of the women. The sex industry thrives off the need for these men to feel important/valuable. That it has to do this by demeaning/belittling women, however, is very disturbing.

Alternatives to the word “Girl”:

1.       The word “lady” used to be used for only upper class white women – and today is still used more for white, well-off women than for non-white or poor women, I think. So using the word “ladies” to refer to all women may be problematic.

2.       The word “woman” may be better. The only ‘problem’ with this word is that it is considered sexless, unsexy, boring, prudish, old, plain, and ugly.  The word “girl” is seen as sexy. It is creepy to me that “girl” is considered sexy when “woman” is not (a ‘woman’ is considered ‘too old’ to be sexy. This is part of the beauty myth). ‘Woman’ should be considered sexy, not ‘girl’. We need to help change this definition of ‘woman’ so that it can include attractive and sexy.