As I write this post, it’s been one year since George Floyd was killed, sparking all kinds of protests nationwide and bringing attention to racist police brutality, systemic racism, and the importance of recognizing how Black lives have been devalued. And those protests were on a scale we really hadn’t seen before. It was a wave of anger and demand …
The “benefit of the doubt” has always puzzled me. I can’t tell if it’s real. Is it a kindness we grant one another in absence of evidence? Or is it some kind of ceremonial gesture masking an obvious and opposing truth? Is it something we do out of generosity or cowardice? There is a clear implication, though, when you see …
Unfortunately, there aren’t enough things in the world that are nicely cut-and-dried and you can simply slap a simple “yes/no” or “good/evil” on it. I feel pretty confident saying “Being a Nazi is just wrong period” but you don’t get too many of those in life. And that’s where I am with the whole “cancel culture” issue regarding demeaning, racist, …
On May 13, 1985, police bombed the home of a communal group of environmentalists living in west Philadelphia. The members of this group, called “MOVE,” were racial justice and animal rights activists. After their home was bombed and 11 people—including five children—were killed, the only adult to escape, Ramona Africa, was arrested. Take a moment to let this sink in. …
We liberals spend a lot of time blaming the world’s problems on stupid people. The more thoughtful among us might be so kind as to say the problem is people believing in stupid ideas. Q-Anon. The Big Lie. COVID denial. Whatever it is, we tend to believe everything is simply a matter of education. Wouldn’t that be great? Wouldn’t it …
The…Other. That boogeyman that exists only to blame stuff on or to unload on. Not a scary monster in the closet but the neighbor you can point to in accusation. The “Other” is a convenient tool for blame or to make yourself feel superior or to deflect an argument that isn’t going your way or to avoid looking within. Don’t …
After George Floyd’s murder, thousands and thousands of people protested across the country, many demanding changes in policing. Similar to what happened after Michael Brown Jr. was killed in Ferguson, Missouri, by a police officer, a lot of white people opened their eyes to the fact that the police endanger the lives of Black people every day. White people peeling …
TODAY’S EPISODE: One victory does not win the campaign There is, I think—or at least it’s something that I perceive pretty widely—a problem among us white people who aren’t open oppressors or obvious bigots in terms of stupid optimism and wildly misplaced idealism. We are, so many of us (especially online and in offices and such), privileged in our …
My girlfriend and I were in Sweden. She has family there and I have friends there and this was during a time when you could just go visit people in another country. It seems so long ago… Anyway, we covered a lot of ground driving around Sweden and I discovered a few things. One is that as a people, the …
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Happy Friday! It’s a gorgeous day up in my corner of the world and way too beautiful to be writing a blog post today. So I present you with the Friday Round-Up a list of blog posts this week from other bloggers that blew my mind. Perhaps if you need to kill some time or have a quiet moment you can check them out. http://ravingblacklunatic.blogspot.com/ Check out this cat, I have been a fan of his work forever. http://www.whataboutourdaughters.com/ Good stuff here as well http://sweetersalt.com/ A Maine blogger who talks fashion and food…the best of both worlds http://paganchild-starmommy.blogspot.com/2011/03/keeping-focused.html A new blog that offers words of wisdom for all of us. http://mscleaver.com/ Another Mainer who for Lent is giving up pants, she is also a crafty gal If you have any links to good blogs, feel free to leave em. It’s my hope to make the Friday Round Up a regular feature at my new home specifically I would live to shine some light and love on smaller bloggers. It’s hard out here in this blogosphere with so many good blogs to choose from and so little time so let’s help everyone get a slice of the pie. I will be back on Monday, at that time I will unveil some ideas I have around monetizing things but You May Also Like: No related posts.
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Calling All White People, Part 53: Too dark for some of ya?
TODAY’S EPISODE: Where’s the good news about race and Black people and stuff? It’s too dark, man. It’s too grim. Why can’t you be more positive? Now, I don’t know how many people think this when they look at news about race and racism and Black people and Indigenous rights and all the rest, but I’m thinking it’s in …
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