Friday, June 17, 2011
I'm sorry for the long rambly email...ACTUALLY I'M NOT! HA!
I question the technology which mediates our conversations. The platforms we use to communicate shape in such subtle, yet intense ways what we end up saying.
CASE IN POINT: How many times have you apologized for a long email? I know I have. I just read one today with the same little disclaimer. It's bullcrap! You look at those long rambly emails and nine times out of ten they aren't rambly or too long at all. In fact, they're actually pretty short compared to a newspaper article, short story, solliloquy or a number of forms of communication.
Down with the confining norms of email and the apologies we feel obligated to make for expressing ourselves.
P.S. Sorry if this is too long or rambly. he he.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Mavs Beat Heat! Another Victory for Collectivism
They have made a statement that's a colossal statement. Not just about our team, but the game in general. Playing it a certain way. Trusting the pass. Playing collectively. Believing in each other. Our team is not about individual ability; it's about collective will, collective grit, collective guts. We're skilled and talented, too, but our game is on the ground. And the guys we were playing, their game was in the air. Fortunately, as the series went on, we stayed on the ground enough to be able to win it.
~Mavericks Coach Rick Carlisle
After the Nuggets were knocked out in the first round (AGAIN!) I wasn't sure how much I'd follow the NBA playoffs. However, I was able to find a team to hate- The Heat and a team to love- The Mavs. The Heat embody just about everything I hate about professional basketball: egoism, arrogance, raw talent trumping team play, avarice. Of course, all of these are pervasive among players and teams, but making a freaking tv show about yourself choosing what team you'd go to sure does raise the bar of self-righteousness.
The Mavs on the otherhand is a team of veterans and role players. I honestly didn't think all these old guys could match up with the Heat, I really didn't. So many others said the same. "The Heat are just too good" people would say. Yet, they did it!
Yes, they had Dirk Nowitzki, one of the all-time greats in basketball; however, like Jason Terry said in the post-game press conference- Dirk was great this season because of how good he made the players around him. Through it all too, he showed humility and made sure to redirect the spotlight from himself and onto the rest of those deserving it as well.
What is the Role of Exceptional Talent in a Collective-Minded Community?
In my last post on collectivism I appreciated the lack of superstardom of the Nuggets. As I wrote it, I wondered about stardom though. It's certainly not a bad thing to be talented. I'm not interested in some crazy dystopia where people are discouraged from becoming exceptional at something. That's not what collectivism means to me. So what is the role of the exceptional in a collective context? We hear capitalists argue about the exceptional being dragged down by collectivism.
I think Dirk showed how an exceptionally talented person furthers that collectivity- for one he is only as great as those around him. He figured out a way to succeed by maximizing the ability of those around him AND himself. He destroyed the false dichotomy of if I am successful you can't be. In fact he proved the opposite- we can't succeed unless others succeed as well.
It was exactly what the Heat did not understand. When Dirk remained humble both about battling a 102 fever and his performance in their Game 4 win, Lebron and Wade were mocking him off court. While key role players like JJ Barrea and Brian Cardinal stepped it up when Dirk and others struggled, the Heat were directionless as Lebron James was repeatedly a no-show.
So, it was great to see. It was great to see a bunch of old guys (I remember watching Jason Kidd when I was a freaking Middle Schooler!!) who just know how to play ball beat these players who are ridiculously talented. It was great to see collectivism shine again.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Random Thoughts on Floss
| Jokes.com | ||||
| Mitch Hedberg - Flossing | ||||
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I went to the dentist today for my periodontitis treatment. I still have not ever had a single cavity, but I SUCK at flossing. Whenever asked how I've been flossing I mumble "I've been doing ok I guess." I knew he knew and then when he was finishing it all up with a little flossing he said that if I just floss aggressively for two days my gums won't be sensitive to it anymore and it'll all be good. sigh. ok. I'll try.
We bought something like 20 floss dispensers at Costco the other day. Cambria and Ember got into one of them and strung it ALL OVER THE HOUSE. At least someone is using the floss...
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
The Denver Nuggets and the Spirit of Collectivism
I sit here writing this minutes after the Nuggets tragically lost Game 5 to the Oklahoma City Thunder by three points. I ended up finishing 3/4 of a bottle of Montes Wine in the process. I'm depressed; no doubt about it. However, I love the Nuggets. I love them so much and not just because they play in Denver, but because their style of ball reflect my politics. The Nuggets embody the spirit of collectivism which I dedicate every fiber of my being to.
Above all, I believe that when we as a people work together we are amazing. When we are allowed to live to our full potential we create beauty. When we are denied the ability to reach that potential it is a grave injustice. When we are denied our basic rights to water and food, to an exciting and inspiring education, to be able to love freely, to have a home we love to bring our family and friends into, to work a job that we know makes a better world and taps into our talents, and on and on then we are being denied life. We are denied what is possible; and if it possible then we should darn well have it!!! It's possible!!!
Everyday we are faced with structures and systems (cough cough capitalism cough cough) which not only deny us these fundamental rights, but are set up to ensure the exact opposite- to exploit, to degrade, to abuse.
And so yes, to get excited about a basketball team where players are paid millions to put a ball into a circular piece of metal is a bit absurd, but it's also exciting and important to celebrate those moments where that spirit of our potential and principle of collectivism shines through.
The National Basketball Association is driven, like most things in this world, by the bottomline- money. A fictitious representation of wealth. As a result, the typical team model is to build a team around one person- a superstar. Team basics are eschewed for the power of a superbeing. I fell into this. I fell in love with the persona of Carmelo Anthony. I fell in love with that smile. I fell in love with the way that we would echo out "Melllllo!" when he made a three. Boy am I glad that my starstruck awe of him was shattered when he was traded. It was also soooo satisfying to see that back-stabbing, attention-loving, ego-maniac choke and lead his team to a sweep in the first round. YEssssssss!!!
Also, I am glad he left because with this new roster I see the amazing force of a team driven not around a single player, but by the spirit of collectivism and teamwork.
There is no one on the Nuggets that is the go to guy and thank god for that! Superstars sell jerseys. Superstars sell front row tickets. Superstars get shoe contracts. Superstars make MONEY. But you know what else superstars make? Superstars make basketball that is sooooooooo freaking boring. Dribble down, clear the court and isolate the star. What the heck?!? That's boring. Sorry, but it is. It's BORING!!!!
So, even though the Nuggets did what they have practically done for what? the last seven years? (basketball nerds- comment with the correct stats)_ lose in the first round- I am both depressed and ecstatic. The reason that this devastating blow is overshadowed by love for this team is because they have broken the mold. They have become a team which is a team, not a set of players built around one person.
Since the blockbuster Carmelo Anthony trade, the Nuggets have surprised basketball fans as they instantly clicked, finishing with 50 wins for the fourth time in a row. After the pre-Madonna Melo left, our assists went up to 24.1 a game and our defense jumped up to holding teams to 97.1 ppg (from allowing 105.2). Announcers, bloggers, columnists, and fans all agreed- it was refreshing to see real team basketball. What the Nuggets lack in stardom, they make up for in team chemistry and depth. Any of their top ten players could be starters elsewhere in the league. This parity of talent and wide array of skills brings a collectivism to the game that is great to watch. You never know who will shine each game.
The NBA has been criticized for its lack of team ball in general. It goes back to that flawed superstar formula. So, the fact that when it comes down to the wire the Nuggets have admittedly said that the final shot is a collective decision, makes me happy. We may have lost and our season may be over, but dang do I love to watch my team. It was a good run guys. You show what happens when the whole team is into the game, is working to win, is working to make sure that every single person reaches their potential. It's a quick snapshot of the world I fight for.
Also, I was able to attend the only game in the series we actually won :) Yesssssssss.
There is no one on the Nuggets that is the go to guy and thank god for that! Superstars sell jerseys. Superstars sell front row tickets. Superstars get shoe contracts. Superstars make MONEY. But you know what else superstars make? Superstars make basketball that is sooooooooo freaking boring. Dribble down, clear the court and isolate the star. What the heck?!? That's boring. Sorry, but it is. It's BORING!!!!
So, even though the Nuggets did what they have practically done for what? the last seven years? (basketball nerds- comment with the correct stats)_ lose in the first round- I am both depressed and ecstatic. The reason that this devastating blow is overshadowed by love for this team is because they have broken the mold. They have become a team which is a team, not a set of players built around one person.
Since the blockbuster Carmelo Anthony trade, the Nuggets have surprised basketball fans as they instantly clicked, finishing with 50 wins for the fourth time in a row. After the pre-Madonna Melo left, our assists went up to 24.1 a game and our defense jumped up to holding teams to 97.1 ppg (from allowing 105.2). Announcers, bloggers, columnists, and fans all agreed- it was refreshing to see real team basketball. What the Nuggets lack in stardom, they make up for in team chemistry and depth. Any of their top ten players could be starters elsewhere in the league. This parity of talent and wide array of skills brings a collectivism to the game that is great to watch. You never know who will shine each game.
The NBA has been criticized for its lack of team ball in general. It goes back to that flawed superstar formula. So, the fact that when it comes down to the wire the Nuggets have admittedly said that the final shot is a collective decision, makes me happy. We may have lost and our season may be over, but dang do I love to watch my team. It was a good run guys. You show what happens when the whole team is into the game, is working to win, is working to make sure that every single person reaches their potential. It's a quick snapshot of the world I fight for.
Also, I was able to attend the only game in the series we actually won :) Yesssssssss.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
I Would Teach Them to Walk on the Earth as Humans
I read this poem every morning at work. It reminds me why I do what I do. I guess I don't interpret it literally because it's definitely rooted in an experience (Chicano) that is not my own, but the spirit of it fits right into what I am striving for each day. Here it is, it's by Jimmy Santiago Baca who is probably my favorite poet.
Yellow school buses halt at small groups
of waiting mothers,
rebozos around their shoulders,
like their Indio ancestors,
huddled around a fire at night.
The kids scamper off
like young buffaloes nudging
their mothers' hands to play,
but then they finally dash off.
If I were a teacher
I would roam them along
the Rio Grande; teach them silence,
to listen to the air
brushing sunlight on leaves,
the soft stroking of wind quills
on leaves, sisst-sist-sist,
slowly drawing across the leaf, leaving
thin streaks of yellow, then turning them red and gold-
they would understand that
the poem is given away-
that golden leaves fall to earth,
to the black, warm steaming earth,
where the hands of roots
weave our gifts again into the whole picture
called life.
I would teach them to fight for solitude,
stand their ground like mountain rams-
do not let the city's nightlife
lure them away-demand, shivering
uncertainty in blood, demand solitude.
I would teach them to look-
face the tree and study the bark,
see how the grooves foretell
our lives, how rough-edged it is,
how it holds up the tree, encircling the soft, moist
bark inside. How the tree counts its years
in circles, completing its sorrow each autumn,
enduring its loss of innocence each winter,
turning to meet the circle it drew
with new leaves, offerings of leaves
quivering under the sun god.
I would teach them to walk on the earth
as humans: to regard the cities as they do
their log-cabin toys-shelved
after play hour, as they resume their lives
in the sunlight, under the moon, among the people.
Yellow school buses halt at small groups
of waiting mothers,
rebozos around their shoulders,
like their Indio ancestors,
huddled around a fire at night.
The kids scamper off
like young buffaloes nudging
their mothers' hands to play,
but then they finally dash off.
If I were a teacher
I would roam them along
the Rio Grande; teach them silence,
to listen to the air
brushing sunlight on leaves,
the soft stroking of wind quills
on leaves, sisst-sist-sist,
slowly drawing across the leaf, leaving
thin streaks of yellow, then turning them red and gold-
they would understand that
the poem is given away-
that golden leaves fall to earth,
to the black, warm steaming earth,
where the hands of roots
weave our gifts again into the whole picture
called life.
I would teach them to fight for solitude,
stand their ground like mountain rams-
do not let the city's nightlife
lure them away-demand, shivering
uncertainty in blood, demand solitude.
I would teach them to look-
face the tree and study the bark,
see how the grooves foretell
our lives, how rough-edged it is,
how it holds up the tree, encircling the soft, moist
bark inside. How the tree counts its years
in circles, completing its sorrow each autumn,
enduring its loss of innocence each winter,
turning to meet the circle it drew
with new leaves, offerings of leaves
quivering under the sun god.
I would teach them to walk on the earth
as humans: to regard the cities as they do
their log-cabin toys-shelved
after play hour, as they resume their lives
in the sunlight, under the moon, among the people.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
If Your God Exists, He Needs to Be Taken Down
Yeah, it's kind of harsh and I didn't actually say this to the Christians I met on campus, so here's what really happened.
I was walking through Auraria Campus and saw some people mingling around talking to people. They had a dry-erase easel and some literature. I figured they were evangelists or activists. Not sure which one is worse...just kidding, activists are totally annoying.
Anyways, they stopped me as I walked by and asked "Would you do a quick survey for us?"
"Sure."
"Ok, write down where you will go after this life on this board. If it's already on there you can put a tally next to it."
I looked at the board- heaven, hell, purgatory, not sure, I know I will be in heaven because I have accepted Jesus Christ as my one and only savior.
Hmmmm...
I ended up writing "universe/abyss"
"Interesting, what do you mean by that?" asked the Christian.
"Um, I guess I feel like there is no after life in the sense of me consciously occupying a place, but maybe my life energy goes out into the world in some manner."
"Ok ok," said the Christian. I'm just going to call him Brandon. He was REALLY nice by the way.
"So how confident are you in that?" Brandon asked.
"Probably something like 95%," I said.
"Ok, and if there is a heaven, how confident are you that you'd go there?"
"Hmm, probably 95% again."
"Ok, ok," said Brandon in a thoughtful and understanding way. (Did I say he was really nice?)
Brandon continued, "So why do you think you're going to heaven? I mean assuming there is one."
"Well I'm a good father, I love my kids, I love my wife, I love my friends and I try and do a lot of good in the world. I think if there was a God they'd appreciate that."
"Yeah, yeah totally. Well the thing is that we can never be perfect."
"For sure," I said.
"Well ok and though we can't be perfect we can accept Jesus Christ as our savior as the Bible says and have that imperfection forgiven."
"So basically you have to accept Jesus Christ and this specific God as one's God to get into heaven?" I asked.
"Yes, the Bible says how Jesus died, but it wasn't for free. In return we must accept him as our savior." Brandon explained
This went on for awhile. I said that it seemed a bit petty that God would not let people into heaven who held different belief systems. I wondered aloud to Brandon why a God that is all-powerful would have such a huge ego and such low self-esteem to punish good people to eternal damnation just because they didn't believe in him, or even that they believed in him but in a form he thought wasn't accurate enough. I asked about a hypothetical villager in rural Pakistan who grew up in a completely Muslim town who was good to his family and a great neighbor. He too would be sent to hell? Even though the predominant religion was something other than Christianity?
Brandon quoted some more Bible verses, but the end answer was- Yes. Unless he accepted this specific form of Christianity he would suffer eternal misery in hell.
So I finally said, "I'm sorry but even if you are right, I wouldn't want to go to heaven. I know that's extreme and maybe I'd change my mind if actually faced with this, but I just would not agree with a God like that. I can't imagine being in a heaven where so many of my friends and family and just really good people who I don't even know are suffering in hell. I'd rather just go to hell."
He was sort of taken aback and didn't know what to say. I felt bad because he was really nice so I said, "Well this has been a really interesting conversation with a lot to think about. I really appreciate it," and left.
After reading the Golden Compass and His Dark Materials series I started to change my position on religion some. Before I was really into what the truth is. I still am, but the reality is I don't know what is ultimately true. Still, in the Dark Materials book there is a wrathful God and what is amazing is that some people don't accept that. They try and take that God down because he is unjust. I think that's really powerful. It's powerful to think that even if certain oppressive and unjust beliefs are true, that people of conscious should still reject them and stand firmly on the side of what is right. So yes, if that God did exist, I wouldn't want to be in his heaven. I'd rather be in hell organizing towards a heaven that is open to all, regardless of creed.
I was walking through Auraria Campus and saw some people mingling around talking to people. They had a dry-erase easel and some literature. I figured they were evangelists or activists. Not sure which one is worse...just kidding, activists are totally annoying.
Anyways, they stopped me as I walked by and asked "Would you do a quick survey for us?"
"Sure."
"Ok, write down where you will go after this life on this board. If it's already on there you can put a tally next to it."
I looked at the board- heaven, hell, purgatory, not sure, I know I will be in heaven because I have accepted Jesus Christ as my one and only savior.
Hmmmm...
I ended up writing "universe/abyss"
"Interesting, what do you mean by that?" asked the Christian.
"Um, I guess I feel like there is no after life in the sense of me consciously occupying a place, but maybe my life energy goes out into the world in some manner."
"Ok ok," said the Christian. I'm just going to call him Brandon. He was REALLY nice by the way.
"So how confident are you in that?" Brandon asked.
"Probably something like 95%," I said.
"Ok, and if there is a heaven, how confident are you that you'd go there?"
"Hmm, probably 95% again."
"Ok, ok," said Brandon in a thoughtful and understanding way. (Did I say he was really nice?)
Brandon continued, "So why do you think you're going to heaven? I mean assuming there is one."
"Well I'm a good father, I love my kids, I love my wife, I love my friends and I try and do a lot of good in the world. I think if there was a God they'd appreciate that."
"Yeah, yeah totally. Well the thing is that we can never be perfect."
"For sure," I said.
"Well ok and though we can't be perfect we can accept Jesus Christ as our savior as the Bible says and have that imperfection forgiven."
"So basically you have to accept Jesus Christ and this specific God as one's God to get into heaven?" I asked.
"Yes, the Bible says how Jesus died, but it wasn't for free. In return we must accept him as our savior." Brandon explained
This went on for awhile. I said that it seemed a bit petty that God would not let people into heaven who held different belief systems. I wondered aloud to Brandon why a God that is all-powerful would have such a huge ego and such low self-esteem to punish good people to eternal damnation just because they didn't believe in him, or even that they believed in him but in a form he thought wasn't accurate enough. I asked about a hypothetical villager in rural Pakistan who grew up in a completely Muslim town who was good to his family and a great neighbor. He too would be sent to hell? Even though the predominant religion was something other than Christianity?
Brandon quoted some more Bible verses, but the end answer was- Yes. Unless he accepted this specific form of Christianity he would suffer eternal misery in hell.
So I finally said, "I'm sorry but even if you are right, I wouldn't want to go to heaven. I know that's extreme and maybe I'd change my mind if actually faced with this, but I just would not agree with a God like that. I can't imagine being in a heaven where so many of my friends and family and just really good people who I don't even know are suffering in hell. I'd rather just go to hell."
He was sort of taken aback and didn't know what to say. I felt bad because he was really nice so I said, "Well this has been a really interesting conversation with a lot to think about. I really appreciate it," and left.
After reading the Golden Compass and His Dark Materials series I started to change my position on religion some. Before I was really into what the truth is. I still am, but the reality is I don't know what is ultimately true. Still, in the Dark Materials book there is a wrathful God and what is amazing is that some people don't accept that. They try and take that God down because he is unjust. I think that's really powerful. It's powerful to think that even if certain oppressive and unjust beliefs are true, that people of conscious should still reject them and stand firmly on the side of what is right. So yes, if that God did exist, I wouldn't want to be in his heaven. I'd rather be in hell organizing towards a heaven that is open to all, regardless of creed.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Making Funny Comments During Movies
Rules for Making Funny Commentary
- refer to all weird looking people as specific celebrities
- do lots of voices
- finish people's sentences whenever there is any pause in speech
- answer questions before the actors do in humorous way
- poke fun at inconsistencies
- vocalize characters' perceived thoughts
- develop reoccurring jokes
- crack jokes at extras' actions all the time
- sing funny lyrics to theme song
I wrote these down after my friend Matt and I watched the RiffTrax of Raiders of the Lost Ark, which is basically Mystery Science Theater 3000 without the silhouettes and space craft scenes (which were the best!!). Watching made me realize that watching these movies was not just funnier, but it actually deepened my viewing of the movie. You notice the extras, you notice the awkward nuanced actions of the main characters, the flawed dialogue, the costumes, and the specific action moves.
I loved MST3 as a kid. I'd always watch it with my dad. I want to be those guys. I mean, minus the being held captive on a space shuttle by an evil scientist who forces you to watch horrible movies. Anyways, to do that I'm going to have to practice. Hopefully Matt will be up for that because the rest of my friends I see just getting mad at me for trying to provide a hilarious running commentary.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Poems
I didn't think Wal-Mart could be cute until we stumbled through the aisles drunk together.
Refusal to Sleep on a Winter Night
It's even colder to slip into bed without you. I'm staying up.
Richard Brautigan Poems That I Like
I used to write really verbose poetry. I didn't know how to fix it. Then I discovered Richard Brautigan.
"Deer Tracks"
Beautiful, sobbing, high-geared fucking
and then to lie silently like deer tracks
in the freshly-fallen snow beside the one
you love. That’s all.
"The Net Wt. of Winter is 6.75 Ozs."
The net wt. of winter is 6.75 ozs.
and winter has a regular flavor
with Fluoristan to stop tooth decay.
A month ago I bought a huge tube
of Crest tooth paste and when I put it
in the bathroom, I looked at it
and said, "Winter."
December 4, 1968
"Hinged to Forgetfulness like a Door"
Hinged to forgetfulness like a door,
she slowly closed out of sight,
and she was the woman that I loved,
but too many times she slept like
a mechanical deer in my caresses,
and I ached in the metal silence
of her dreams.
"Romeo and Juliet"
If you will die for me,
I will die for you
and our graves will
be like two lovers washing
their clothes together
in a Laundromat.
If you will bring the soap,
I will bring the bleach.
"Late Starting Dawn"
It's a late starting dawn that breathes my vision,
inhales and exhales the sound of waking birds
and pokes ten miles of cold gray sky at a deer
standing alone in a meadow.
"My Concern for Your Tomato Plants"
I stare at your tomato plants.
You're not, I'm not pleased with the way
they are growing.
I try to think of ways to help them.
I study them. What do I know about tomatoes?
"Perhaps some nitrate," I suggest.
But I don’t know anything and now I've taken
to gossiping about them. I'm as shameless
as their lack of growing.
"Deer Tracks"
Beautiful, sobbing, high-geared fucking
and then to lie silently like deer tracks
in the freshly-fallen snow beside the one
you love. That’s all.
"The Net Wt. of Winter is 6.75 Ozs."
The net wt. of winter is 6.75 ozs.
and winter has a regular flavor
with Fluoristan to stop tooth decay.
A month ago I bought a huge tube
of Crest tooth paste and when I put it
in the bathroom, I looked at it
and said, "Winter."
December 4, 1968
"Hinged to Forgetfulness like a Door"
Hinged to forgetfulness like a door,
she slowly closed out of sight,
and she was the woman that I loved,
but too many times she slept like
a mechanical deer in my caresses,
and I ached in the metal silence
of her dreams.
"Romeo and Juliet"
If you will die for me,
I will die for you
and our graves will
be like two lovers washing
their clothes together
in a Laundromat.
If you will bring the soap,
I will bring the bleach.
"Late Starting Dawn"
It's a late starting dawn that breathes my vision,
inhales and exhales the sound of waking birds
and pokes ten miles of cold gray sky at a deer
standing alone in a meadow.
"My Concern for Your Tomato Plants"
I stare at your tomato plants.
You're not, I'm not pleased with the way
they are growing.
I try to think of ways to help them.
I study them. What do I know about tomatoes?
"Perhaps some nitrate," I suggest.
But I don’t know anything and now I've taken
to gossiping about them. I'm as shameless
as their lack of growing.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Remembering Griselda
I was now completely broken down in tears, clutching Cambria in my arms as I danced across the cheap linoleum in our kitchen. We'd been dancing to a mix cd I'd made and I completely forgot that I had put El Niagara en Bicicleta on it.
My high school Spanish teacher had played that song for us in class. The song eloquently describes the near impossibility of accessing decent medical care (it's like trying to cross Niagara Falls on bike) in Juan Luis Guerra's home country of the Dominican Republic. A relevant song for these times, when in the richest country my wife has to wait 6 months before a treatment she needs will be covered. And of course, that pales in comparison to the thousands (maybe millions) of more dire situations that so many are hell bent, some against their own interests, on perpetuating by preventing reform.
But I digress. Griselda was a strong socialist, feminist, Puerto Rican woman. She legally dropped her last name because she explained to us that the last name is passed on by men, historically a marker of who owned a woman. No one owned her. She told that to the judge and successfully had her last name removed from her driver's license, social security card and credit cards.
I look up to her in so many ways, and now that I am a teacher myself I look up to her because she was herself through and through every day. There was no doubt where she stood politically, religiously, and on most important topics. And yet, I also do not doubt at all that Mary, the evangelical student felt completely comfortable with her own beliefs in that classroom. Why? Wasn't she brainwashing us with her socialist propaganda? She had a freaking poster of Fidel in her classroom!!
No. Why were all of us comfortable expressing our own views in that classroom? Well for one because she did. She showed us to love ourselves and share ourselves. We knew what her butterfly tattoo symbolized, we knew how her uncle had been killed when Puerto Rican students rose up against the occupying US Army and the twisted irony of when her son told her he was joining the military and would later be deployed to Iraq. She shared her poetry with us and she shared it with so much pride as those words left her mouth. She didn't shy away from herself or controversy and that classroom was alive. It was what learning should be- an outpouring of ideas and opinions and honesty and people just being genuine with each other.
She lead by example and we wanted to follow her lead, not by adopting her politics but by passionately speaking our minds. Also, she loved us. She loved us unconditionally. There was no doubt that me, the punk dabbling in anti-authoritarian politics and vegetarianism, or that Mary the born again Christian were loved by her. Since she loved us, it wasn't our beliefs that mattered, it was how we used our minds. Did we think critically of our world? Did we really analyze the stories we were reading, or were we just falling back on shallow rhetoric?
We watched documentaries about the Sandanistas, read plays on Judas, struggled through a Mexican novel all told in second person. It was incredible.
So, Cambria was reaching up at the tears streaking down my cheeks because Griselda never met my kids. She never met my wife. She died after an overdose of anti-depressant pills. It was that whole situation where it wasn't clear if she was trying to kill herself or if she was just in a dark place and tried to get out or just made a careless decision. And again, the tragic irony isn't lost on me that the woman who taught me to love myself as hard as I could would leave this world because of her own carelessness for her own life.
She would go on to be the most important mentor outside of my family. We marched together in the streets, discussed philosophy with Billy Holiday playing in the background of her flat and argued politics (I loathed the authoritarianism of her socialist politics and she shook her head at my anarchist idealism). Her brujeria nature would come out and she'd always tell me her visions that I'd love three times and that I should end up with the soft-spoken lover because she might not be on the frontlines with me, but she'd always support me. She said I'd grow up to be a lawyer who would ruthlessly fight for justice and even arranged a meeting with me and Ernie Duran (president of the UFCW Local 400) to help that process along.
Well, I did love three times like she said. I ended up with the outspoken woman and I'm not a lawyer (at least not yet). But I don't doubt for a second how proud she is of me. She made that known every chance she could. She told me over and over that I was a wise soul to the point that I would start to think it might be true.
In class that day, when the song was playing, I asked why a song about such a tragic topic would be so upbeat. She smiled and asked, "When life is that hard, what else can you do? You just dance and insist on joy. With death and pain all around, you insist on life."
And that answer came back to me in my chest and I pressed Cambria to that soreness as I danced harder to the words "Bajé los ojos a media asta y me agarré la cabeza porque es muy duro pasar el Niágara en bicicleta."
My high school Spanish teacher had played that song for us in class. The song eloquently describes the near impossibility of accessing decent medical care (it's like trying to cross Niagara Falls on bike) in Juan Luis Guerra's home country of the Dominican Republic. A relevant song for these times, when in the richest country my wife has to wait 6 months before a treatment she needs will be covered. And of course, that pales in comparison to the thousands (maybe millions) of more dire situations that so many are hell bent, some against their own interests, on perpetuating by preventing reform.
But I digress. Griselda was a strong socialist, feminist, Puerto Rican woman. She legally dropped her last name because she explained to us that the last name is passed on by men, historically a marker of who owned a woman. No one owned her. She told that to the judge and successfully had her last name removed from her driver's license, social security card and credit cards.
I look up to her in so many ways, and now that I am a teacher myself I look up to her because she was herself through and through every day. There was no doubt where she stood politically, religiously, and on most important topics. And yet, I also do not doubt at all that Mary, the evangelical student felt completely comfortable with her own beliefs in that classroom. Why? Wasn't she brainwashing us with her socialist propaganda? She had a freaking poster of Fidel in her classroom!!
No. Why were all of us comfortable expressing our own views in that classroom? Well for one because she did. She showed us to love ourselves and share ourselves. We knew what her butterfly tattoo symbolized, we knew how her uncle had been killed when Puerto Rican students rose up against the occupying US Army and the twisted irony of when her son told her he was joining the military and would later be deployed to Iraq. She shared her poetry with us and she shared it with so much pride as those words left her mouth. She didn't shy away from herself or controversy and that classroom was alive. It was what learning should be- an outpouring of ideas and opinions and honesty and people just being genuine with each other.
She lead by example and we wanted to follow her lead, not by adopting her politics but by passionately speaking our minds. Also, she loved us. She loved us unconditionally. There was no doubt that me, the punk dabbling in anti-authoritarian politics and vegetarianism, or that Mary the born again Christian were loved by her. Since she loved us, it wasn't our beliefs that mattered, it was how we used our minds. Did we think critically of our world? Did we really analyze the stories we were reading, or were we just falling back on shallow rhetoric?
We watched documentaries about the Sandanistas, read plays on Judas, struggled through a Mexican novel all told in second person. It was incredible.
So, Cambria was reaching up at the tears streaking down my cheeks because Griselda never met my kids. She never met my wife. She died after an overdose of anti-depressant pills. It was that whole situation where it wasn't clear if she was trying to kill herself or if she was just in a dark place and tried to get out or just made a careless decision. And again, the tragic irony isn't lost on me that the woman who taught me to love myself as hard as I could would leave this world because of her own carelessness for her own life.
She would go on to be the most important mentor outside of my family. We marched together in the streets, discussed philosophy with Billy Holiday playing in the background of her flat and argued politics (I loathed the authoritarianism of her socialist politics and she shook her head at my anarchist idealism). Her brujeria nature would come out and she'd always tell me her visions that I'd love three times and that I should end up with the soft-spoken lover because she might not be on the frontlines with me, but she'd always support me. She said I'd grow up to be a lawyer who would ruthlessly fight for justice and even arranged a meeting with me and Ernie Duran (president of the UFCW Local 400) to help that process along.
Well, I did love three times like she said. I ended up with the outspoken woman and I'm not a lawyer (at least not yet). But I don't doubt for a second how proud she is of me. She made that known every chance she could. She told me over and over that I was a wise soul to the point that I would start to think it might be true.
In class that day, when the song was playing, I asked why a song about such a tragic topic would be so upbeat. She smiled and asked, "When life is that hard, what else can you do? You just dance and insist on joy. With death and pain all around, you insist on life."
And that answer came back to me in my chest and I pressed Cambria to that soreness as I danced harder to the words "Bajé los ojos a media asta y me agarré la cabeza porque es muy duro pasar el Niágara en bicicleta."
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Malcolm X Was a Proficient Reader, What About My Students?
"At one-hour intervals the night guards paced past every room. Each time I heard the approaching footsteps, I jumped into bed and feigned sleep. And as soon as the guard passed, I got back out of bed onto the floor area of that light-glow, where I would read for another fifty-eight minutes --until the guard approached again. That went on until three or four every morning. Three or four hours of sleep a night was enough for me."My school's CSAP scores, including reading, dropped last year. As a result, the topics of literacy and proficient readers permeates every conversation, every thought, every footstep through the hall. How do we get our kids to score well on CSAP this year? However, this preoccupation with reading instruction has not lead the school to adopt a love-of-reading culture. Because the question being asked is the wrong one. We are not asking How do we share our love of reading with our students? Instead the conversation and the thinking is narrowly directed to a standardized test.
-Malcolm X, Autobiography of Malcolm X
So no, our students as a whole do not love reading. Instead the school administration has done what Herbert Kohl eloquently wrote in an Open Letter to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan-
"In the panic over teaching students to perform well on reading tests, educators seem to have lost sight of the fact that reading is a tool, an instrument that is used for pleasure and for the acquisition of knowledge and information about the way the world works."I think about the proficient readers I know or have read about. Malcolm X's story of reading whenever possible while in prison, even if he had to sneak it, exemplifies a simple mantra I've always carried with me "A proficient reader loves to read." And his story as to why he began reading, echoes Kohl's assertion-
"I knew right there in prison that reading had changed forever the course of my life. The ability to read awoke inside me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive."Would he have reached this in my school, as a 5th grader? I seriously doubt it. If so, it would have been because his teacher had been intuitive, bucked the system and would have been in spite of the curriculum rather than because of it.
Because test scores have hijacked our building's ability to see reading for what it is - our students who are not proficient readers are treated as if they are diseased. My assistant principal, speaking of students scoring Unsatisfactory on their reading test, explained that "If they don't get it first in the classroom, then we can give them a second dose, and then a third dose with an SES, and then a fourth dose with intervention." The thinking here is that if they aren't reading on grade level then something is wrong with them, that they need reading skills drilled into their heads and if they don't get it the first time we'll do it again, and again, and again, and again.
Of course, the sick irony with this approach is that the more that we "intervene" the clearer it becomes in the student's mind that reading is not for them. That they are not good readers and that reading is not for enjoyment or the gateway to life-changing experiences, it's a test that they will take and which will most likely come back telling them that they are "Unsatisfactory."
And so, instead of following in the footsteps of Malcolm X by poring over a book with a flashlight at night, our children will return to their homes, grateful not to see a book. They will turn on the tv and escape to a place where they are not coerced to read a passage and then fill in a bubble about it, a place where history and science and art and PE are denied to them because they need to practice their reading instead.
Rather than a tool, they will see reading as a barrier to the things that they love. They will associate it with the time that they are pulled from Science to sound out words. We can take that mantra for proficient readers and invert it, "Non-proficient readers loathe reading."
And even within the confining goal of improving test scores, they most likely won't by making our kids hate to read. And if they do, it will come at a high price.
Of course, the scores are true to an extent. Many of our students do struggle at reading. However, instead of looking at the students as stupid or failures (thus prompting the question over how to cram more literacy instruction into the day) what if we took Kohl's quote as guidance? What if we reframed the question to say "How can we help students use reading as a tool to tap into their passions and transform their worlds?"
Mind you, Malcolm X was not a proficient reader. He quit school early. To learn to read at an academic level he read every single page out of the dictionary and then wrote down every single character onto paper. He did this twice.
Why would he go through such a laborious, boring process? Because he realized what reading could do for him. For him he knew that there were volumes of books and countless stories of his people that had been denied to him and he wanted to know them.
So even for our struggling readers who do in fact need phonics instruction or practice with fluency or other activities that are typically not the most engaging, that understanding of literature's potential for them is essential. If they do not see reading as the profound tool that it is, they will not empty their heart onto those pages like Malcolm X did. They will, no let me start over- They are being denied the joy and liberation of reading and they will continue to be robbed of this joy so as long as we treat them like they are deficient and as long as we take our guidance from standardized tests rather than from our students.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Chipotle Kicks Fair Food Activists Out of Food Inc. Screening
Chipotle has got to be one of the slickest companies when it comes to PR, so when fair food activists showed up to one of their events to uncover the truth about Chipotle they weren't too happy.
People can't get enough of those burritos and it makes it all the better when they see the feel-good signage everywhere about all the great things the company does. Playing off their socially-responsible reputation, the company sponsored free screenings of the new movie Food Inc.
At the movie, activists from Denver Fair Food were slated to speak to the audience about the work of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. Well that and the fact that Chipotle has FAILED to agree to their straightforward demands of earning a penny more per pound of tomatoes they pick. Instead, they were greeted by a Chipotle representative who kindly kicked them out of the event, barring from speaking or tabling as previously agreed.
You can read the whole account at Denver Fair Food's blog. It's a pretty good story.
The tomato pickers make poverty wages and companies such as Taco Bell, McDonald's and Burger King have agreed to the modest raise.
It's strange to think that Chipotle, a supposed pioneer in food justice, wouldn't go along with fast food giants to work with farmworkers committed to a fair food system, but so far it's true. Let's keep the pressure on Chipotle and continue to speak the truth everytime they try and speaking nice to food justice.
What Church Can Teach Us About Movement Building
Will Potter who runs a blog about the green scare entitled Green is the New Red gave a short speech at an environmental/animal rights conference about the lessons he learned from the Catholic Church about creating community and building healthy movements. It only began to scratch at the surface of how we create strong and lasting communities, but I think it was a good start.
Many of us have had really bad experiences with organized religion growing up and understandably have tossed it aside to pursue a more fulfilling spirituality, or even abandon spirituality altogether. Potter also left the religion he was raised in for many good reasons. However, it was nice to see him reflect back on the elements of the Catholicism he was raised under that were healthy.
Even though much of religion can be pointed to as the source, or at least a large contributor, to many of the injustices we've experienced in the world, many of them also have a wisdom that runs centuries deep as to how we can best relate to one another and support one another.
My parents came from the Mormon religion and I am absolutely amazed and impressed with the way in which many Mormons maintain close-knit and supportive family and church structures. Of course there are elements of coercion and dogmatism present, but many of the simple acts that Potter points to in the Catholic Church are also seen in the Mormon church.
As we continue to work towards relating to one another in new and healthy ways, it's important to draw from our own experiences, even from places we have formally left. They often hold pieces of incredibly profound insight into the human condition.
Will Potter Opens the 2009 Let Live Conference from Let Live Foundation on Vimeo.
Many of us have had really bad experiences with organized religion growing up and understandably have tossed it aside to pursue a more fulfilling spirituality, or even abandon spirituality altogether. Potter also left the religion he was raised in for many good reasons. However, it was nice to see him reflect back on the elements of the Catholicism he was raised under that were healthy.
Even though much of religion can be pointed to as the source, or at least a large contributor, to many of the injustices we've experienced in the world, many of them also have a wisdom that runs centuries deep as to how we can best relate to one another and support one another.
My parents came from the Mormon religion and I am absolutely amazed and impressed with the way in which many Mormons maintain close-knit and supportive family and church structures. Of course there are elements of coercion and dogmatism present, but many of the simple acts that Potter points to in the Catholic Church are also seen in the Mormon church.
As we continue to work towards relating to one another in new and healthy ways, it's important to draw from our own experiences, even from places we have formally left. They often hold pieces of incredibly profound insight into the human condition.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Hondurans Anti-Coup Blockades Paralyze Economy
In response to the military coup against left-leaning President Manuel Zelaya, protesters have established blockades of the four major highways leading out of the capitol Tegucigalpa.
According to several news reports, three of the four reports have been successfully shutdown by Hondurans protesting the coup.
Honduras' reliance on a few major highways for transport means that these blockades are quickly slowing economic activity to a practical standstill. The blockades by all accounts have also been done non-violently.
One group participating in the blockades is the United Workers Federation of Honduras, the largest union bloc in the country. Other blockades are springing up along the border by fellow unions in Nicaragua and El Salvador in solidarity with those opposing the coup.
You can follow the status of the blockades with Narco News' around the clock coverage.
Meanwhile, negotiations continue slowly after the interim-president Roberto Micheletti rejected a proposal by Costa Rican president and crisis mediator Oscar Arias for Zelaya's re-instatement followed by early elections.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Harry Potter and the Half-Assed Movie
I'm assuming that you have either read the Harry Potter books or you never will. But to be polite- SPOILERS ABOUND.
I went last night to the premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I had a fun time: got a free bucket of popcorn from a kind and generous friend, made someone fart from a joke I cracked about caretaker Argus Finch being played by Willie Nelson, and made friends with another trombone player. Still, I can unequivocally say that this movie SUCKED!!!
Even forgiving the fact that these amazing books are being Hollywoodified, the movie was still a flop.
First off, it lacked a good fight scene. They took out the entire epic battle that the book ends with and replaces it with a totally anti-climactic scene of Snape killing Dumbledore. It leaves the audience feeling a hint of sadness, but nothing like the despair or tragedy that drips off the pages. Instead they insert a manufactured scene of Bellatrix and Fenrir Greyback attacking the Weasley's. The scene was short and BOORRRRRING. I mean, come on, that scene ended with tghe Deatheaters suddenly flying away. Excuse me? How is that entertainment? I know they have the budget to make a kick-ass, all-out fighting sequence and it didn't happen.
Then there's the characterization of the kids. They did an ok job of showing Malfoy's inner conflict and dread at killing Dumbledore, but what about Harry?!? In the books, we see Potter's self-absorbed side. We see his emotionally illiteracy, common for so many adolescent boys. I loved that! It showed the imperfection of people, even heroes. It was a way for boys to be able to see from the outside how the inability to express one's emotions and empathize with others jeopardizes friendships and intimacy. This was almost completely lacking. There were shots of humorous teenage awkwardness, but nowhere the social shortcomings of Potter. In fact, there's even (also manufactured) scene of Potter consoling Hermione after Ron chooses to snog that one girl instead of her. THAT NEVER HAPPENED! And it never would have because Potter wasn't like that.
And then there's the complicated history of Severus Snape and Harry's mother Lilly. That was not even as much as mentioned in passing in this movie at all. This past is so foundational to Snape's approach to Harry and also an important key to why he is loyal to Dumbledore. So when we find out who the Half-Blood Prince is ( the freakin name of the movie) it's revealed through Snape bluntly telling Potter that is the Half-Blood Prince and for him not to use his spells. Whoa. Big deal. Damn that was disappointing.
So, in the end this was in fact a half-assed movie. It seemed the production team simply wanted to string along key events. Wait, not even that. They cut out key events...So just half-heartedly stringing along some key events to put together a movie. They must know that Harry Potter fans are suckers enough to go watch the movie regardless of quality. So, there you go- a painfully mediocre movie. My recommendation: save the money you would have spent on an absurdly large bucket of popcorn and go buy the book instead. Unless of course, you're a half ass.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Immigrant Taxi Drivers Form Co-Op in Denver
Denver cab drivers have successfully broken the stranglehold three major taxi companies in Denver had on the market by forming their own worker cooperative, Union Taxi.
Driving a taxi means long hours and high monthly leases to cab companies. In the article Denver Taxi Drivers' Struggle Pays Off , Sudanese driver Yousif explains, "I worked seven days a week, 18 hours a day, no day off. Sometimes I didn't make nothing for myself."
Drivers have to pay anywhere from $1,600 to $2,100 a month to lease a vehicle. Many drivers struggled to earn fares to even break even, forcing them to put in ridiculously long hours. Now in the co-op all drivers put in $700. The drivers will then split profits earned.
The co-op is part of the Communications Workers of America, the union that helped them change a state law which had previously made it near impossible to start its own business.
Union Taxi is an exciting example of workers coming together to run their own business and have a voice in the work they do. It will be a difficult road ahead, to be sure, but it sounds like they are pleased to be working on their own terms in a company based on solidarity instead of filling the coffers of large taxi companies.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: An Anarchist Critique
WARNING: SPOILERS ABOUND.
Robbing banks. Liberating animals. Storming the statehouse. Abolishing speciesism and racial/Blood Purity as demarcation lines between magical beings. Creating a revoutionary guerilla foco in the forest while mounting a base of support in the population. Joining with other focos to foment a popular revolt in a rebel stronghold that will bring down the government once and for all. But Harry Potter does not strive for wizard liberation, nor the liberation of the “magic” internal colonies. Harry Potter’s Hogwarts revolt does nothing more than to restore state power to those with whom Harry Potter agrees.
Read the rest of the review and the wonderfully nerdy comments here.
Anarchists dorking out on Harry Potter?!? Ummm of course!
Honestly I'm mostly surprised that it has taken this long for an anarchist critique to come out. Also, I'm glad to see some comments defending the liberatory principles of J.K. Rowling's series. Sure, Potter and Aurors aren't purely non-hierarchical, but their actions and goals are more emancipatory than the reviewer gives them credit.
I also found this review, Harry Potter, Anarchist which gives a more thorough look into the anti-authoritarian themes within the the Harry Potter series.
All of this makes me want to re-read The Deathly Hallows so that I can better participate in this glorious intersection between anarchist theory geekery and Harry Potter fanatacism.
Friday, July 3, 2009
An Excellent Anti-Capitalist Analysis of the Financial Crisis
It's always hard to get good anti-capitalist perspectives on the financial crisis because unfortunately anti-capitalists oftentimes have little patience and understanding of the inner-workings of modern day capitalism. I understand why. I remember in college several friends of mine trying to major in business to understand the economy so they could better subvert and help build something better. They all dropped out before it was over.
So, when I came across Promissory Notes by the Midnight Notes Collective, a group of Autonomist-Marxists, I was relieved. It was like listening to NPR's Planet Money if those guys were on the frontlines of a global justice summit.
The Midnight Notes analysis is refreshing because it looks at how capital reacts to working class resistance and other social movements actions. It flips the dominant view on its head- how are we going to respond to all the injustices being wreaked on the planet by elites? And says- actually capitalists are constantly responding to us and how they can continue maximizing their profits while holding on to all that power.
The basic premise of Promissory Notes, which I love, is that the global financial meltdown happened in part because of grassroots resistance. And their case is compelling. Also, there are certain irreconcilable contradictions in capitalism that those in power have continued to try and keep at bay through corporate globalization and recently financialization and finally those contradictions could not be brushed aside or glossed over any more.
Their analysis is compelling and thoughtful. Also, it ends with a very solid and inspiring suggestion for organizing towards a more just world. Everyone should definitely check it out.
Again that link is here- Promissory Notes
So, when I came across Promissory Notes by the Midnight Notes Collective, a group of Autonomist-Marxists, I was relieved. It was like listening to NPR's Planet Money if those guys were on the frontlines of a global justice summit.
The Midnight Notes analysis is refreshing because it looks at how capital reacts to working class resistance and other social movements actions. It flips the dominant view on its head- how are we going to respond to all the injustices being wreaked on the planet by elites? And says- actually capitalists are constantly responding to us and how they can continue maximizing their profits while holding on to all that power.
The basic premise of Promissory Notes, which I love, is that the global financial meltdown happened in part because of grassroots resistance. And their case is compelling. Also, there are certain irreconcilable contradictions in capitalism that those in power have continued to try and keep at bay through corporate globalization and recently financialization and finally those contradictions could not be brushed aside or glossed over any more.
Their analysis is compelling and thoughtful. Also, it ends with a very solid and inspiring suggestion for organizing towards a more just world. Everyone should definitely check it out.
Again that link is here- Promissory Notes
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Best Invitations EVER!
I had my friends at P&L Printing, a worker-run print shop, come up with a custom made birthday invitation. Special thanks to Matt for spending two hours designing this thing (he's a perfectionist).
Robot Birthday Party
I'm going to make a real effort to plan this party so it rocks. Celebrations always sneak up on me and I end up half-assing it all the time. Well not this time! We're talking about TWO birthdays in one, so it's got to be done right.
Just so everyone knows, this is Obsidian and Ember's party. It's Saturday, August 8th at noon. You and all your friends are invited.
I got really excited about their party early on when Whitney picked up a copy of this hipster magazine Cookie. It's all you'd expect from a hipster magazine, with really absurdly priced fashion forward kids clothes, models that aren't real human beings but robots pretending to be mothers and their cute children, but also with some admittedly cool ideas.
The one I am running with is their Robot Party.
I am doing these suggestions of theirs:
Just so everyone knows, this is Obsidian and Ember's party. It's Saturday, August 8th at noon. You and all your friends are invited.
I got really excited about their party early on when Whitney picked up a copy of this hipster magazine Cookie. It's all you'd expect from a hipster magazine, with really absurdly priced fashion forward kids clothes, models that aren't real human beings but robots pretending to be mothers and their cute children, but also with some admittedly cool ideas.
The one I am running with is their Robot Party.
I am doing these suggestions of theirs:
- Make a Robot
Use an aluminum takeout container with a paper lid for the body of this robot craft. Gather metal items, such as large screws, paper clips, and washers, that kids can use to make faces. Arms and legs can be crafted from silver pipe cleaners or aluminum foil.
Takeout containers, from 36 cents each, KitchenDance.com.
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