Roger O Green

Critical Race Theory

meaningless debates

Almost all social progress movements inevitably generate a pushback. The recent response to the march for social justice for people of color* has created a boogieman response about the Critical Race Theory.

And what is that? I’m not quite sure, but a writer in a Newsmax piece thinks he does. “Critical Race Theory is Marxist. Its real target is Christianity and the Bible.”

Sounds terrible. And here I thought it was a framework for a better understanding of systemic racism. For instance, Disney has launched a “diversity and inclusion” program, called “Reimagine Tomorrow,” which has Newsmax in a snit.

THE black Republican US Senator

Much of the recent discussion seems to center around the response by Senator Tim Scott to President Biden’s “Can’t Be Called the State of the Union” address. The Weekly Sift guy addresses this:

“The most quoted line of Scott’s response is ‘America is not a racist country.’ I have to agree with Matt Yglesias:

“Is America a Racist Country?” is the perfect meaningless culture war debate because it has basically no content at all. What is it asking? Compared to what?

“Scott clearly wasn’t claiming America has no racism, because he also said, ‘I have experienced the pain of discrimination.’ He even allowed that American racism is not entirely in the past: ‘I know our healing is not finished.'”

In fact, in a 2016 interview, the senator said he had been pulled over seven times by police; he acknowledged he was going too fast two of those times, but the other five times, the only thing he was guilty of was being Black.

“So the argument he started is basically semantic: How much racism does it take to count as a ‘racist country’? Today’s US is not as racist as the Confederacy or Nazi Germany or the old apartheid regime in South Africa. Is that good enough? How many angels of color have to be included before we consider a pinhead dance to be integrated?”

What IS racist?

Part of the problem is that race-focused “conversations derail when people are using the same terms in different ways.”

Or looking at it another way, the United States is a place. Can a location be “racist”? People can act in racist ways and clearly can create a system that perpetuates racism. So, no, Critical Race Theory isn’t ‘anti-American’.

“Remember: Meaningless debates serve the interests of people who have nothing to say. If you have a real vision of the future you want, avoid getting baited into arguing about nothing.”

The Department of Homeland Security produced a report in 2020, suppressed by the previous regime, identifying white supremacists as the leading domestic terror threat. In the past, the government told us violent white racists were few in number and weak in intent. Yeah, right.

Note the mental health issues facing the black community, sent to me by the publisher. Also, Race and Medicine from the New England Journal of Medicine.

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah explains Critical Race Theory as well as anyone. Check out the video near the bottom of the page.

Anniversary of George Floyd’s death

An article in Vanity Fair noted that less than 53 weeks ago, George Floyd was just an average guy trying to make it in this world.

Yes, there has been a lot of outrage over police violence in the past year. Eyes have been opened, hearts and minds changed. Lots of unexpected alliances have been formed.

While there is so much work to do, I’ve decided to be optimistic that things can never go back to the way they were. But change is slow; it usually is.

*or whatever term you prefer

Debra Johnson, nee Walker, nee Miller

relationships

Debra Johnson, fourth from left in the above picture, was my cousin. The photo is about 50 years old. It was taken, almost certainly, at Trinity A.M.E. Zion Church in Binghamton, NY, my church growing up. The young women appear to be in the choir loft.

Debbie was adopted by my great uncle – my paternal grandmother’s brother – Earl and his wife, Jessie. The adoption was no secret. They had already largely raised their biological family, so they were “older” parents to her. But from everything I knew, good ones.

I knew Debbie primarily from church, specifically from singing in church choirs. One group was the MAZET singers, directed by my father, which also featured my sister Leslie (left), Nita (2nd left), and Lauren H. (right). Lauren B. (in the middle) came to church slightly later.

Leslie was closer to Debbie than I was. I mean, guys of a certain age didn’t hang out with “girls,” even girl cousins. But neither of us kept in touch after I left town. I hadn’t seen her since the mid-1980s, possibly earlier. We were Facebook friends, that “the least you can do” relationship tentacle.

Here

One of many things I didn’t know about Debra Johnson is that she continued to be in touch with one or both birth parents, surname Miller, plus her over a dozen siblings. More strange for me is that some of them live in Albany, which is where I live!

She died recently in the Binghamton area, I found out from her sister, my cousin Ruth, who also provided the photo. The first iteration of the narrative was that Debra fell down some steps.

There’s a lot of love showing on her Facebook page from some brokenhearted folks. It’s very touching, even if it’s from people most of whom I do not know.

Lydster: Missed the laundromat

The Roches

My daughter had the opportunity to use the laundromat, but alas! She missed it.

In late April, our clothes dryer died. This was not a particularly surprising occurrence, given the clunking racket it had been making for several months. Still, it was annoying, particularly for my daughter. She was straightening her room. So she had… a few loads to do. It was also a bother for me, as a jagged piece of metal on the machine – where did THAT come from? – punctured my thumb. Grawlix.

This took place on a Saturday, and my wife was visiting her mother out of town. We couldn’t even order a machine until she returned home on Monday. And the new machine would not be delivered until eight days after that.

My wife washed clothes that week and took them to the laundromat. Did my daughter want to do the same? NO! The idea of schlepping wet clothes to someplace else was weird to her.

Too bad. There is an art to cleaning one’s clothes in the public arena. Getting the quarters. Finding the empty machines. It’s a ritual of being on one’s own.

My sisters reminded me that the washer, and probably the dryer were in our kitchen. I have only vague recollections of this.

“Her cycle is through”

But I have vivid memories of gathering the dirty clothes and taking them to the various laundry establishments. Each has its own idiosyncrasies in terms of cost, size, lighting, cleanliness, and availability of machines.

Especially the latter. When you need a washer, the machines are all full, but the wash is done, how long do you wait until you pull out someone else’s stuff, place it in one of those baskets or on a counter, and put your own clothes in?

These are the negotiations of life that can be very useful in other venues. I would have introduced my daughter to the song The Death of Suzzy Roche by the sister singing group the Roches, who I saw perform back in the 1980s.

A rule to live by: “Everybody in the laundromat is equal.” It’ll be something my daughter will probably learn eventually.

Sunday Stealing: COVID edition

Yo-yo

Back in 2008-2011, I used to purloin quizzes for this blog from something called Sunday Stealing. I recently discovered that the site still exists.

And while there were some repetitive questions in the day, I obviously never did any COVID-related ones. Until now. There were actually three quizzes in 2020. While some are going to be dated, I thought I’d answer some of them. The first few are from March 2020.

2. How are you feeling about the Coronavirus?
As though God has a warped sense of humor.

5. Have you changed any of your personal habits due to the pandemic?
Until recently, I saw almost no one.

7. Do you think our politicians are doing enough to curb the crisis?
While I think the current ones are trying, the mixed results of the recent mask mandate rules are oddly unsatisfying. I’m good at being outdoors without a mask, but I’m not feeling comfortable in stores, even if the stores don’t require them.

8. Have you stockpiled anything because of the crisis?
No, and other people’s hoarding made me rather… grumpy.

13. Have any of your plans been upset by the outbreak?
Most of them.

16. Has the Coronavirus upset your mental health in any way?
Undoubtedly, in almost every way. I’m still not singing in the choir, e.g.

April 2020

1 – What is something you are doing due to the pandemic that you normally don’t do? After the pandemic will you continue to do this?
Possibly ZOOM with my sisters. They’re in NC and CA.

3- What is one of the first things you will do when the pandemic is over?
Even before it was all over, I went out to eat on April 6, after my second shot, with my friends Carol, Karen, Bill, and Michael. The former three I’ve known since kindergarten. And in a restaurant rather than takeout. I mean it was technically outdoors, but it had an overhang, so it FELT like indoors.

December 2020

1. Day 1 of serious isolation behavior.
Not going to church was huge.

2. First trip you had to cancel.
I was about to meet my friend, the aforementioned Carol (not to be confused with my spouse) in Binghamton in late March 2020. She was going to visit her mom. I was going to do research on my grandmother Agatha. That blew up. I’m planning to try again in September 2021.

3. Other trips canceled.
Uthaclena and I were going to see a concert with members of Jefferson Airplane and other related groups.

4. Last trip out of town before isolation.
Is Schenectady out of town? Then going to Proctors, but then staying overnight in January 2020.

5. Farthest from home since isolation.
Oneonta, my MIL’s house, about 70 miles.

6. Last Meal sitting in a restaurant before Isolation.
Almost certainly on Valentine’s Day, Sam’s Italian Restaurant?

7. How many books have you read?
Not many. A couple of graphic novels, We Return Fighting. Lots of magazines that had been accumulating.

8. First event you didn’t attend due to virus.
See above.

9. Date and event of last over 200-person event.
See next.

10. Last live music event. Cheap Trick, February 7. Unless you count the kids doing Once on this Island on March 8.

11. Things you are eating more of since isolation.
Wheat Thins.

12. Things you are eating less of since isolation.
Nothing.

13. What restaurants have you gotten take-out meals from?
Subway, all of the restaurants on the last block of Madison Ave, mostly pizza, Indian food, and bar food. Also Sam’s Italian, Caffe Italia.

Also

14. Have you found yourself bored in isolation?
Not bored. Never bored. But frustrated and depressed.

15. Have you gained or lost weight?
Yes. Yo-yo.

16. Do you drink alcohol?
Occasionally.

17. If so, more or less in isolation?
Although the IDEA of getting a little (or a lot) drunk was appealing in theory, it just didn’t happen. Some breakers in the psyche are still working.

18. What entertainments have you explored?
Movies online. Inferior to in-person, but that was the option at the time.

19. Gotten into anything new?
Not really.

20. Have you done crosswords? Board games? Jigsaw puzzles?
No, yes, no. But this was true pre-COVID.

21. Have you cleaned out some cabinet, drawer, closet, etc. thoroughly?
A few.

22. Are you spending about the same amount of money?
Generally less.

23. Done Zoom, Facetime, etc. meetups?
WAY too often.

24. Had a social occasion with a small group of people you consider safe?
There were a couple of people on my front porch last fall, distanced and usually masked.

25. Did you vote? In-Person? On Election Day?
Always. Yes. No, early.

Movie review: Quo Vadis, Aida?

Bosnian war

Quo Vadis, Aida? is a film nominated as the best in the International Feature Film category. It was the entry from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Jasmila Zbanic is the writer, director, and co-producer. The film is mostly in Serbo-Croatian and is subtitled.

The movie is based on true events in July 1995. We see the commander of the local United Nations brigade in Bosnia calling the chain of command. Where are the airstrikes to stem the invasion by the Serbian army? It becomes clear to all involved, including the local translator, Aida (Jasna Đuričić), that no air support is forthcoming.

The Serbian army takes over Srebrenica. Thousands of citizens are looking for shelter in the UN camp. Its capacity is maybe 4000, leaving a sea of 20,000 outside of its gates.

Negotiations take place among the Serbian army leaders, the UN peacekeepers (mostly Dutch), and a handful of local representatives. But the talks are, as it turns out, largely for show. Then we see the UN bureaucracy deal with the invading force, or try, violating its own rules.

Tense

Quo Vadis, the title of a 1951 film, means Where are you marching? And that is most applicable of Quo Vadis, Aida? Every one of the 54 reviews in Rotten Tomatoes was positive, as well as 88% of the general audience. It is a taut thriller, with Aida feeling frustrated that, even as an “insider,” she’s very limited in terms of what she can accomplish.

Anna Swanson of the Globe and Mail writes: “Refreshingly, this is a war drama that doesn’t hinge on indulgent or shameless violence. Instead, it focuses on the heart-wrenching devastation of more offhand cruelties.”

This is a few days during a war that took place in my lifetime that I know too little about. The fine acting, especially by Jasna Đuričić, and the excellent direction and editing make this an important, albeit sad, movie. I viewed this on Hulu.