Letters to the Editor
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@captainlarab
Actually I appreciate it when you step up to plate. You usually have something to say based on your life experience that you've chewed on for a bit. I generally feel like I've learned something new. It's a lot better than those showing up with a dump truck full of someone else's talking points.
I don't mean to be gushy, but we seem to be complaining a lot about the quality of the posting lately, so I thought I would take the contrarian viewpoint and highlight the good.
Boxes within boxes within boxes...Yes, I thought the point was to reduce the number of boxes. Tricksy Humans. I think it's hard sometimes for warriors to know when to lay down the sword; you have to stop fighting to win.
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Getting beaten up over clothes
Captainlarab, you -had- a dress code. It was a uniform. The other dress codes are either decorations or recognition symbols, as one prefers. I've done a lot of informal observation of the semiotics of dress, probably because I got so much flak for it back in the day. I didn't realize that the lipstick Lesbians had established such a caste system. I suppose the old saying applies: you haven't been trashed till you've been trashed by a sister. Same applies for heterosexuals. I've been hassled by academics and SF people for not being casual enough; weirdly enough, corporate types have been more tolerant, although many screen for price tags.
Basically, these days, I calibrate my clothes to my mood and the occasion. And, given the ageism I see about me, I use them for self-protection. Which is neither here nor there, but an extremely technical discussion of clothes. Not fashion. There's a difference.
Uncle Fester, I've been on the Net nearly 20 years and put in my time as a flamewar artist. That's not to go all gunslinger on anyone (and thanks for the kind words). I'll still flame if I see a reason for it, but interesting ideas trump flames any day and, lately, so does humor.
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Identity Politics: The Triumph Of Race Over Sex
Much of the stratgy on the left the last 40 years has been to form a coalition based upon a common enemy. In this case the enemy has been white people, especially white men. We dare not mention this reality due to political correctness but I am afraid that time is expiring on that relic.
Now that this stratgy is comming to fruition with the possible election to the highest office of either a black man or a white woman the cracks in this coalition cannot be papered over any more. We have a winner take all election system which means that one will be a winner and the other a loser.
To me there is an element of just desserts watching the white woman wing of this grand coalition wring it's hands and grouse about how this brash upstart Obama is not waiting his turn. Many of the white liberal elite had a feeling that the people of color would just fall in line as they always had. After all this was really about the environment, the war, and fairness. What is worse, neiter side can attack the other because it's primany defense is holding it's race or sex out in front of them like a sheild and their primary weapon is claiming to be the uber victim and therefore entitled to ...
If only they could be running against Joe Biden right now.
The scarce resources that both sides are clawing each others eyes out for (public jobs, afirmative action, progressive tax money (paid primarialy by white men)welfare benefits, health care dollars) is a shrinking resourse. We are getting older by
the day and health care costs will be doubling soon, most people don't save enough money to rub two thin dimes together, and our education system is quickly resembling that of a third world country (I wonder if this has anything to do with immigration?).
Both sides are licking their chops over what they will be doing with "our" tax money. Hillary naturally wants to give everybody health care which not coincedentally means that women will be the main beneficiaries. Obama has said only vauge mumblings about afirmative action which his wife has made into a carreer. The only thing the can agree on is that Dick Chainey is evil and that frat boys are the worst possible human beings in the world.
My money is on Obama. I don't think he will lose any supporters (for the obvious reason). Now we just get to watch the hippies and feminists jump of the Good Ship Hillary like rats during a fire.
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@Ghengis Can't
And self-gratulatory anger is okay HOW?
I'm sure you enjoyed posting that. What was its point? To exult in how coalitions are fragmenting or to brag about the contribution of white males?
I realize that spelling flames are tacky, but if you're worried about any kind of correctness, you might start with orthography, then move on to politics.
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@captainlarab
captainlarab: "I think I could make a decent case that the first woman president ought to be a lesbian. No hubby to deal with, takes a lot of these concerns right off the table. What do you all think?"
We already had a lesbian president; her name was Eleanor Roosevelt. Her husband Francis was her spokesman.
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@Hrududil -- told you, it was WATERSHIP DOWN
Francis? FRANCIS????
Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
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Why Hillary should be EVERYONE'S GIRL
I think this commentary is well constructed, and I would even use this in my writing classroom, as the credibility of the author and other speakers in the text are rather spectacular. This is truly a college writing teacher's dream text for beginning/budding critical thinkers. And it does not get much better than Rebecca Walker being quoted. This piece makes me want to gather up some of my feminist friends and go sit downton and talk (without getting offended by my best friend's constant psalms to Obama).
However, with that being said, I am a 34 year old queer identified woman with disabilties, white, and third wave feminist. i don't need to be "told" who to vote for or feel a sense of obligation, but thanks for patronizing me Jessica Valenti. I am UNDER the 40 benchmark (and look much younger than 34 I might add), and I still want Hillary to be OUR girl. It's a given that one political candidate is not going to encompass everything I espouse. No current candidate running has openly given me the thumbs up to making my swanky new year's eve backyard wedding legal. But I am not one of those queers who has a single vision. Wake up folks! Hillary is the ONLY candidate to even mention the two words "women's rights" and actually talk about WOMEN'S concerns in China, Darfur, etc. I really don't think I need to continue here. Do I?