"Dogs get better care in the dog pound"

Too exhausted to comment, or even to finish the remaining 2/3 of the article. It is devastating.

I will just repeat: Immigration is a human rights issue.

Are Immigration Authorities Going After School Children?

I wouldn't be fucking surprised.

God damn them. I grew up with these children. My late elementary school years were spent in a school way out in county land, attended mostly by the children of the immigrants at Linell Camp, who worked the fields day to night -- I was one of two white students in my grade. What the fuck did they do wrong? They came to school and they worked their hardest and I can say, having graduated with several of them, that they damn well made something of themselves by your standards. Their parents worked much harder than most of us ever will, and they lived in homes the size of my closet on a fenced-in campground, surviving on anemic wages. And they lived in fucking fear because of actions like this.

Immigration is not an economic issue. It is a human rights issue.

I remember the posters.

I grew up in central California, a heavily agricultural area, an area heavily populated by Latin@s. It has been a bit of a shock for me, as I moved on to other areas, that cities and towns would run into one another with nothing in between: in the central San Joaquin Valley, there was county land, with dense residential areas called towns, and it was usually a 10-15 minute drive through county land -- corn fields, grape fields, all varied sorts of orchards -- to reach the next town.

I did always wonder: where was your address, if your home was in that county land? And if something happened to you while you were there, who would come to your aid?

I remember the posters. I would see them posted on bulletin boards in grocery stores, fast food restaurants, secondary schools, county buildings. They were low quality copies, asking for my help, asking: have I seen this girl?

Almost always a girl. And there were other common features -- the eyes, the thick dark hair -- the shaded skin. And the name. Veronica. Consuelo. Yolanda. Maricela.

Nobody ever seemed to pay attention to these posters.

And I remember the signs on the highway, when we would drive down to Los Angeles to visit my doctor, or when Mom was being shunted around various hospitals for reasons I was too young to remember. They were the electronic types, set up over the road, the sort that would warn you of gusty winds on the Grapevine. They flashed messages of missing children. And I seem to remember different names in those messages.

And I remember the rationalizations. These low-class girls, in low-class families. Must be runaways. Won't be missed. What's another one? Turn your eyes, and in another few seconds all will be forgotten.

This is a systemic problem, with dirty roots reaching deep. From the casual observer to the detective whose job it is to do these searches, nobody seems to care. Nobody who matters, anyway.

Good God

I am far, far behind in my reading, but Matt was reading the news aggregator after we got home from dinner tonight, and my eyes caught a glimpse of the words "immigration raid" -- oh no -- in Iowa.

The AP has a brief sum. Cold comfort, that last line.

It does give me hope, at least, that some people saw it coming, and arranged a workshop for immigrants on their constitutional rights -- regardless of legal status. Not that it will change the system that is incarcerating them, the system that separates family members, that treats people like useless old dogs. But it will make people aware of the rights they are said to have, and maybe, maybe it will help save some.

Immigration may not be the issue that some exploitative politicians hoped it would be for whites in this country -- but make no mistake: Awful, evil things are happening in your name. Not only in Guantanamo Bay, not only at Abu Ghraib. They are happening every day in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we pay some smidge of attention to them, at least, but we are blind to what happens every day in these same states, in this same country, not leagues away and across a vast ocean where we can imagine a human separation: these things are happening on these grounds, in your town, next door to your home. And we look away.

Blogging against disablism

Jill(?) writes:

Accessibility is not and should not be just about ramps and elevators (though these things are certainly a lifesaver for me personally), but it should also be about addressing mental needs, emotional needs, spiritual needs.

I.

Our society, right now, is structured around the needs and expectations of a young (but not too young), white, cisgender, male, heteronormative, fully abled person. When issues of accessibility present themselves, the defense is: "We couldn't have expected a sick person would try to" use this service, be in this place, pursue an education, seek elected office, petition its government for fair treatment.

Put another way, the majority people are abled in pretty much every way, and even the disabled as a whole are not disabled in the exact way that each individual disabled person is -- so of course individual institutions, from the largest to the smallest and most localized, could not have prepared for [insert whichever specific disability the person trying to access has].

The same concept comes into play when a city has installed a wheelchair ramp some place, somewhere, and a person with a disability is petitioning for access in some other way. Well, we already do this much for you -- what more could you people possibly want?!

What an unfortunate and narrow view of the world! How small a world these people experience. We are closing off contact from a great many people who have so much to add. As we restrict access to institutions and continually narrow our performed roles, we lose more and more richness and depth in our individual lives.

Things could be different. We could recognize that a person can have something to contribute even as sie benefits from support and assistance that most do not require. We could recognize that it would be in our own benefit! to provide that support and assistance, and that even beside that, these people deserve to be included by merit of their personhood.

Right now, though, for a good many people, the fundamental personhood of the disabled is a hard pill to swallow. Maybe someday.

II.

There is an all-too-common attitude across the population. Simplified, it says: Don't make me feel uncomfortable, thinking about your differences.

Ew, you bleed from a hole between your legs? And it happens every month? That's gross! Don't make me feel uncomfortable!

You say your voice as a person of color is systemically silenced in favored of white persons? That's ridiculous! That would mean that the due given to my voice is unmerited and that I should change how I speak to make way for people of color -- that's too much for me to deal with! Don't make me feel uncomfortable.

Prosperity is solely a matter of motivation and effort. You say that I was privileged by my birth into a stable middle/upper class family? But I've worked so hard, and that would mean that what gains I've realized weren't the result of my hard work. Don't make me feel uncomfortable!

And so forth.

As I've insisted in the past, it even manifests in more progressive persons. Consider the argument that periodically crops up when a person is told that no matter what they do, they still bear some culpability: but that means that I can't make it go away by saying the right words or joining the right groups or buying the right things! Don't make me feel uncomfortable!

Well, bully for you, because guess what? We live that "discomfort" every single day.

It takes various different forms for various classifications in various sets of people. Some seem far more innocuous; some bear that evident stench of bigotry. Neither is any less problematic. Both dismiss the experiences of members of the historically oppressed group, simply because they aren't pleasant to think about.

Which is why women are reminded to smile by men who regard them as decorative elements and don't want to be bothered by the thought of their personhood. Which is why sick people are urged to "lighten up" and to "learn to see the silver lining" and to "think positive" by people who think of sickness primarily as either the death of the person inside the body. Which is why people of color are told to stop being so angry by people who actually think it is possible to be "colorblind." And so forth.

Wouldn't want to make someone uncomfortable, after all.

Let's put a death to this, shall we?

Trying to turn around a situation so that it is about race instead of sex. (Or what have you.)

"If somebody said such-and-such about a black person..."

Cut it the fuck out. You are playing on the narrative that racism is dead in our society, which is a back-breaking load of rancid shit.

I understand the desire to try to communicate to people who might not otherwise understand how serious something is. But please find a way to do it without making things worse for our brothers and sisters living every fucking day as a gay person, trans person, person of color, person with a disability...

These systems of oppression are incomprehensibly large and they operate in different ways for different classes of persons. They are equally reprehensible, but that does not mean they all operate the same way, and that if something problematic about [x class] is not tolerated in society, [x class] must not have it so bad after all.

Check your privilege.

Wherefore art thou feminist?

It seems to be a common question these days.

I remember the first time I visited Nezua's site and admired his serious design skillzzz.* And scrolling down his sidebar, I hit upon this image:


and stopped.

It seems particularly appropriate now.

Why am I a feminist? Because I don't know how else to describe, concerned with issues of gender. Of course, gender is not the end-all-be-all oppression, as we all know. Thus, the genius of whomever thought up the term intersectional. But an intersectional approach has been around and widely practiced for quite some time now, and yet we find ourselves in this same rut. Concerned with issues of gender -- for people who are white, het, cis, abled, etc. Concerned with issues of gender -- for people who are dominant in every other way. Concerned with issues of gender -- for those who have no other concerns to be concerned about.

But when so many of us live at those intersections, “intersectional analysis” can’t simply be a tool in feminism’s toolbox that gets whipped out to take care of us every now and then. It has to be the place that feminism lives at. Holly

So, I understand those who have become disillusioned with feminism after it has time and time again demonstrated itself to be on the side of the oppressor in any case where gender is not the only concern. What good are our words, our promises to do better, to try, next time!, when those promises are so quickly forgotten?

Myself? I have found an incredible community of women who are working to better the lives of those disadvantaged and battered down. I will continue to learn from them. And I will continue to explore outside my little privileged corner here, and learn from communities of persons who are working to better the lives of those disadvantaged and battered down in other ways. Whatever they call themselves. Because I think they're worth listening to, learning from, and working with either way.

I think it would do us all well to take another look at that image up there.

*Of course, his writing is sublime, but my brain does not always allow me to process such rich text, as it were. So I would visit his site on occasion, but sometimes my brain is running a 3.2ghz cpu, and sometimes it's running on 0.8ghz. In any case, dude's a talented dude, and you'd probably be better served reading his artful writing than my half-baked babbling.

You know.

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

I haven't written on the recent dustup. A lot of people have. (See Cara for example.)

And I feel those words. And I don't want to be silent.

But at the same time, I don't know that anything I say is what's going to matter, in the end.

One funny thing I’ve noticed lately is that amid the constant clamor of honky chick “allies” enjoining unenlightened honky chicks to “listen” to women of color, it is harder than ever before to hear much of anything except honky chicks clamoring at other honky chicks.

So. Rather than involving myself again in this fight that will not die -- I'm going to shut the fuck up, and start (and continue) reading what women of color have to say. And though I have no up to lift their voices, I'm going to let them do their own talking.

I've said it before: I have a lot to learn.

Consider

And it doesn’t matter how much you may *think* you support women of color; you can’t self-proclaim yourself an ally. That’s for the oppressed group to decide. Ico

This rings true, circumstances (and particular social class) regardless.

God, I am sick of

this primary.

Well, not so much the primary.

I am sick of calls for Clinton to drop out of the race.

I am sick of "tearing apart the party."

I am sick of "cares only about herself/her ambitions."

I am sick of the insecure assertions that Obama already has the nomination tied up, and Clinton has no chance to win, when both candidates are within reasonable reach of the nomination.

I am sick of assertions that the superdelegates have a responsibility to vote based on the popular vote/non-super delegate count (whichever is more favorable to their candidate, of course).

I am sick of how obvious the motivations behind that assertion are. If the superdelegates are obligated to replicate the will of the people, they have no purpose whatsoever. If people truly believe it is undemocratic that the superdels vote any other way, they should be arguing that there should be no superdelegates, not piddling around how they should justify their votes.

I am sick of people complaining about Clinton's call for Michigan and Florida to be counted, saying that she does so only because it is in her self-interest, while then turning around and making the two above arguments, as though they are being Objective and Rational and Above It All.

I am sick of the fucking misogyny that has reared its head in this primary, and how even so-called progressives can't seem to criticize Clinton without framing their argument in sexist slurs and stereotypes.

I am sick of the ugly racism that has made itself known across the country. The obvious white antipathy to being reminded that race exists, no less racism, even if it stays thousands of miles from ever implicating them personally. The Brown Menace, secret Muslim-ism, the deep-seated fear of the Angry Black Man. I am sick and tired of the unconscious but vehement effort put into preserving the system of white supremacy.

I am sick of the reflexive move to knock back down any woman in any position of power. Put her in her place. Remind her. Make it known that she can play the game, but she can never win.

I am sick of people who say that if their candidate doesn't win the nomination, they will defect and vote instead for McCain. What kind of fucking moron are you? Is it going to take a few knocks of the skull against a cement brick for you to regain consciousness and realize that yes, there are differences between Clinton and Obama, significant ones even, but that McCain is going to be outright dangerous for the country compared to either of the two? I understand those who choose not to vote for the Democratic candidate if said candidate does not meet their standards; I do not understand those who would then vote for a candidate who spits upon their standards.

I am sick of all of this. Shame on all of you. Fuck this. I'm tired of it. I will vote for either Democratic candidate in November, but I'm damn well not returning to read, watch or listen to some of you who resort to such tactics as you yourself would condemn when used by Rush Limbaugh or Karl Rove. Yes, I just compared you to those two fuckwits. You may not perform such grand evil, but you are feeding into their narratives. And you should damn well feel ashamed about it.

I have never voted in a primary contest before. I've only been old enough to vote in one presidential election. I have been excited for over a year now about my opportunity to vote for a candidate I was actually exicted about in an election that will actually matter.

And I got my twenty minutes of cheery happy yay-America-ness. And then I came back to the real world. And my enthusiasm for this party is just about shattered.

Way to gear up the youth of America, folks.

Word

Nobody’s ever defended themselves against assault charges by claiming “it doesn’t hurt when I punch me,” and you’d presumably think it pretty ridiculous if they had.

Words to be heretofore stricken from the English language.

"A racist."

As in, "That person is a racist."

There is no such thing as "a racist." This suggests a person is unique in practicing race-based bigotry. In fact, every single one of us both practices racism and benefits from a racist societal structure.

This can take the form of "overt" racist actions (using "the n word") or "subtle"/"passive" racist actions (picking a house in a "good" neighborhood; avoiding certain routes when walking to work; contributing to a matching 401(k); attending a prestigious university; eating a balanced, "healthful" diet). After all, a white person's ability to do any of these things does depend, in part, on hir benefitting from white privilege, from having had generations of stable family life, from living in an area with access to fresh foods and having the time and energy to prepare them.

It does not matter whether you chose something purposefully (or whether it is entirely out of your control), or whether you intended it to work against persons of color (or whether you were oblivious to its effects or even has nominally positive intentions). These actions, behaviors and attitudes still feed into the racist system.

Racism is not a quality that individual people hold; racism is a structure upon which we are all built and into which we all feed. Racism is a description of actions, behaviors and attitudes, not of people.

I will keep pounding this point for the rest of my days. And it holds steadfastly true as well for sexism, for classism, for ableism, for homophobia, and for all other sorts of bigotry and discrimination.

Effect, not intent, is what matters in the end.

Therefore, if you give a shit about making a difference, maybe you should stop getting so hung up over your (or anyone else's) intent, and start directing your concern toward the effect your life has on our situation.

Maybe if we would all start looking at things this way, we could affect some actual change.

Truth to Power

Here's an interactive question (as soon as I fix Haloscan -- sorry): Who else can you think of in history who's been greatly maligned for actions or comments that aren't, in retrospect, bad at all? (See previous post; Wright, Jeremiah.)

Something I don't understand

Jerry Falwell and his cohorts can damn America for allowing teh gays to exist, going so far as to call natural disaster upon the land -- calling for the destruction of the country. The most that happens is a roll of the eyes.

Jeremiah Wright says "God damn America" for its horrific treatment of blacks throughout its history, and the entire nation erupts in a fit.

I understand "God damn America" is the most blasphemous thing a person can say in this country (moreso than damning God himself, it seems), but most Americans seem perfectly comfortable with the concept, so long as the damning is based on their version of immorality.

But when a black preacher is calling out a nation for something that most people, even the most conservative, agree is plainly sinful -- the enslavement and continual discrimination against people of color in the country -- we all get our dainty fee-fees injured. Even the left seems to be largely in agreement that what Wright said was loathesome.

I don't get it.

Sixteen Maneuvers to Avoid Dealing with Racism

Holly at Feministe is fighting the good fight against a rather strong current of opposition.

The Bootstrap Myth
“Racism is a thing of the past… this is a free country, and anyone who works hard can make it in America.”

The Backtrack
“Hey, wait a second, that’s not what I meant… I mean… you took my words out of context, don’t make it try to sound like I’m racist!”

The Remove the Right To Be Angry
“You’re too sensitive… if you weren’t so aggressive, vocal, hostile, angry, or upset, people would listen to you and you wouldn’t get in trouble!”

The Utopian Eye-Gouger
“I’m colorblind, personally… why can’t we all just ignore race, it’s not like it’s even real… it’s not like I tangibly benefit from being white every day or anything! Can’t we all just get along?”

Turning the Tables
“You’re being just as racist against white people, you realize. You’re being racist against me right now, you reverse-racist hypocrites!”

The Good White Person (not like those obvious racists!)
“Whoa, that guy over there is SUCH a racist, unlike me… I know exactly the right things to say and I’m never racist. By which I mean overtly offensive about it. Hold on, I think I’m going to go spit on that guy. I hate him.”

The Unblemished Family History
“Hey, my family never owned slaves, so it’s not like I, as an individual, get any benefit from racism!”

The Bending Over Backwards (makes you look flexible, but accomplishes little else)
“You people of color are so right. I agree with everything you say. Because you’re right, of course… not just because I’m guilty and white and wrong!”

The Personal Justification
“But a black person, Mexican, mean old Asian lady, or Native American once cut in front of me in line, said something stupid, mugged me, or took my hubcaps! So as far as I’m concerned, they proved all of my prejudices!”

The Loophole of Escape
“I can’t possibly be a bigot or a racist… I’m part of the oppressed due to the fact that I’m a woman!” (or gay, poor, young, trans, etc.)

The Culture Appropriator
“Damn, bro! You know I’m down with the homies, I ain’t no wack racist cracker, shiznit.”

The Lean On You When I’m Not Strong
“Teach me, help me. I’m just a white person, so I need your wisdom as a person of color to show me how not to be racist. Wait, is what I said earlier racist? How about this shirt I’m wearing? Can you come with me to this party, so they know I’m not a racist?”

The Pause for Applause
“Unlike all those other white people out there, I’m an anti-racist.” (…) “I do anti-racist work and I try to educate other people about anti-racism.” (…) “Wait, did you hear me?”

The Smoke and Mirrors
“I totally agree. Racism is one system of oppression among many interlocking ones, that specifically awards more privilege and power to all white people, whether they like it or not, and serves to keep the existing power structure in place. Oh… what? You want me to volunteer in a community organization, contribute money, do security for your protest march? Uh… yeah maybe next time, I’ve got to wash my hair tonight. And walk my dog, see the latest episode of Lost, manage my stock portfolio…”

The Penitent Paralysis (will not truly absolve you)
“Oh my god… that is so awful. I’m so sorry. Sorry. I can’t imagine what it must be like… I’m sorry. That’s so awful. I feel so bad for you. Sorry.”

Whipping Out Your Best Friends
“Hey, I’m not a racist, OK? Some of my best friends are black. See?”
Best Friend: “Yeah, I’ve known him since we were kids, and he’s never said anything racist to me!”

…and one bonus one for all your folks of color out there.

It Doesn’t Matter What Comes Out of My Mouth, Just Look at My Skin
“What? I can’t possibly be racist. I AM a person of color. How can I be racist against myself, huh? No, I haven’t heard of internalized racism, and I still think affirmative action is reverse racism!”

The people in comments are doing a hell of a lot of maneuvering, too.

People seem to be taking this rather personally, because it doesn't offer an out for the "good" people. The non-racists. It implicates everyone, even those with a heightened awareness of racism.

Thing is, those non-racists? There is no such creature.

Holly continually points out that looking at the situation this way is dangerous. When we frame racism as the actions of individuals, as a character judgment, this is where we end up: we can't own up to an attitude or behavior as being racist because, you know, it's not dressing up in white gowns and forming a lynch mob. It allows us to separate out us good people from those nasty racists, who are way over there, nowhere near us, nuh uh. It allows us to absolve ourselves of any responsibility for our participation in the institution of racism.

We need to make this clear: Racism is not a character trait. Racism is a SYSTEM.

Racism is the tea in which we are all steeped as children. No person can escape it. Racism is clutching your purse when a black person walks by; racism is managing your investments in Quicken. Racism is mocking a person as stupid by affecting an "ebonics" voice; racism is sticking to the safe neighborhoods when you take your children out trick-or-treating. Racism is hiring a Mexican maid or landscaper under the table for low wages; racism is staying at a hotel that employs same. Even if you didn't know it and didn't intend it.

Makes you feel squirmy and defensive, doesn't it?

You cannot escape this system. And the fact that you think you can bespeaks your white privilege in itself: no black person can escape the system where the taxi passes them on the street. No Latin@ can escape the system where they are assumed to be dumb and illiterate until proven otherwise. No person of color can escape the system where their resumes are passed up because of the explicitly ethnic name at the top -- where research proves that employers would rather hire a convicted felon with white skin than a person of color with a clean slate and the exact same resume.

The fact that you think you get to escape that system, just by saying the right things, is, frankly, an insult to the people who struggle against that system every day.

Don't take this as saying "therefore, you are a Bad Person." Because this isn't about who is Good and who is Bad. We all breathe the same air; you aren't bad because you take in some random gases along with the oxygen when you inhale.

But there is hope. Because when you stop viewing racism as an individual character trait, and as an all-encompassing system that none of us can escape, then you start to see how things can change -- really change.

You start to see that even though you do contribute to that racist system, you can reduce your contribution as much as possible.

You can start examining that privilege you've got.
You can monitor your language for slurs and dogwhistles.
You can attempt to change the latent attitudes you didn't even know you had.

And you can start taking action. Knowing that this isn't because you're some saintly Good Person, but because it's just the proper thing to do.

I myself use plenty of those Sixteen Maneuvers. We all do, really. It doesn't mean one of us is worse than the other. It just means we all grew up in the same world. And maybe, then, we can stop turning it into a holier-than-thou competition, and start working together to make things better.

Predictions

Yes:

... an alleged lack of patriotism will be the main line of argument against Barack Obama.

And the thing about this argument is that's not the end of it.

There's been a lot of talk recently in the feminist blogosphere of dogwhistles. And I would argue that this line of attack is exactly one. The "unpatriotic" whine is usually wrapped up in arguments about Obama being a secret Muslim, a black nationalist, Communist, etc. By extracting out the most innocuous (of the set, not on an absolute scale) and repeating it, the upper punditry and co. can signify to the bottomfeeders that they're on their side, without explicitly saying so, and while maintaining plausible deniability against accusations of racism.

Two cents.

Comments on TAPPED aren't cooperating with me, so I'll post it here.

Mark Schmitt on Edwards, poverty and race:

And yet, as I point out, he actually talks about poverty in a relatively safe way that treats it purely as an economic issue and he often (though not always) avoids the issues of race, racism and power that are inherently connected to entrenched poverty, especially urban poverty. His major speech on poverty last fall mentioned race only as something that used to be a problem, whereas now income is the problem.

The popular narrative today among many liberals and liberal-leanings seems to be that racism and misogyny are over, done with, relegated to a few extremists with no power to do anything about it, and instead the major social justice problem of our time is class. It's not exclusive to Edwards.

It's frustrating to try to argue with people who subscribe to this narrative, because they'll take any evidence of discrimination or mistreatment and automatically tie it back to class. Yes, the two (three, or more) are inextricably intertwined. No, this does not mean that racism and sexism no longer exist and are simply expressions of classism. It's an overly- simplistic view, and I suspect it comes in part out of a desire to free the movement of the conservative backlash against the increasing power of women and minorities in the country, an attempt to distill the progressive message and make it more palatable to those who suffer some forms of discrimination, but benefit from male or white privilege and are averse to a frank recognition of same.