At least, that was Wyclef's sentiment when shouting out Haiti on tonight's Grammys. I can't speak for the entire nation of Haiti (like Wyclef can, apparently), or even my own entire country, but as someone whose country's ancestral history is also from Africa, I HATE it when Americans say they're African. I'm not African-American. I'm American. I've never been to Africa. I know very little about Africa and I sure as hell don't know which country my family came from (thanks slave trade!).
As those who know me know, I also hate it when people ask me "where I'm from" as in what my ethnicity is - of course, as I've said before, it's usually men figuring me out, as in, whether to ask me out (hey mami! oh, you're not latina? but you look latina - are you sure?). I'm from Oregon. I can talk for days about why Portland is awesome and the cultural nuances of the Pacific Northwest, but even in the wake of tragedy I doubt I'd speak for the entire region.
My point, I suppose, is that what I value is global citizenry - we should be (somewhat) equally upset and provoked to action whether something happens in a place we have ties to or in a place we've never heard of. Aparna, one of my very wisest friends, made a great point the other day - as awful, horrible as the tragedy in Haiti is, even more unspeakable things happen daily in other places and we either don't know about them or no longer care. And that's unacceptable, no matter where you're from. In other words, let's not get so caught up in unnecessary identities that we can't be simply human. We've seen many times what happens when we go too far the other direction, so wouldn't it be wonderful if we could find out what happens when we move forward instead?
Now this is the kind of writing that need to be done about the theater. Then again, Broadway needs to bring us one hell of a lot more shows that actually spark conversation.
As much as I enjoyed the show, directed and choreographed by Bill T. Jones, it left me with lingering questions about the depiction of the African milieu it evoked. In short, the emphasis in “Fela!” on the spectacle of African culture tilted the show a little too closely toward minstrelsy. It evoked an unsettling feeling I can’t say I ever had before at the theater.
Ironically, this line pretty much sums up part of my discomfort with that little music awards show I'm watching as I type this:
The presentation of African culture as a feast of exotic pageantry has the potential, at least, to reinforce stereotypes of African people as primitive and unsophisticated, albeit endowed with astounding aptitudes for song and dance.
"Black celebrities have always been rewarded. The point - Martin Luther King's dream - is for mediocre black people to be rewarded, to have the same opportunities mediocre white people do." - Chris Rock
Lately, I've reluctantly been thinking that I need to be more compassionate towards those with differing political views. It simply isn't logical that only people who agree with me are intelligent and analytical, nor is it realistic that I will always feel the same way I do about the issues we (I) discuss here.
[Dramatic sigh.]
So in a grand gesture of understanding, tonight I have a date with a... Republican.
Not only is he a Republican, he works for the government AND went to Iraq. We're going to watch the State of the Union address. I'm just asking for it, aren't I?
Of course, my conspiracy theory is that the GOP has gotten wind of my impending mayordom and they've sent a special op to overthrow me before I even get elected. Preemptive strike, indeed.
Guys, I really want to adopt a Haitian orphan. But I'm telling myself that's not a good idea because I really don't want to be a single mom. But I just saw this article and I'm so jealous, truly.
But oh man, It would be just like Annie! Except that I'm not a kazillionaire and I definitely would need a full house staff and I'm not bald. But we would definitely sing and go to the movies and do cute little dances involving wide staircases.
Sigh.
I know this is a hugely touchy subject, but I just don't understand why people choose to birth children when there are so many out there who need homes. Well, no, I think I understand, I just don't agree. If I had more money and more help and wanted kids I'd be all over adoption, fo' reals. As things are now we risk a Miss Hannigan situation.
In related news, though, I just got invited to a breakfast at Mercy Corps, where I made my Haiti donation, to hear from one of their staff that went there! I'm excited to hear a firsthand account.
Not only has there been another earthquake in Haiti, the lovely people of Massachusetts have voted idiot and Republican Scott Brown to office. I'm sitting here listening to his victory speech and it makes me want to cry because it's full of arrogance and inaccuracies.
For those of you not following the story, the significance is that when legendary Democrat Ted Kennedy died, the Senate dropped down to 59 Dems. In order to push through a bill without any obstacles, 60 is that magic number, and there's some pretty partisan stuff on the table right now, specifically the health care bill. Because of this, President Obama even flew to Mass to campaign for the Democratic candidate, so now people are saying that Brown winning means everyone thinks Obama is doing a bad job and must be stopped.
Yeah, ridiculous.
I'd like to remind the Senate that the "filibuster proof majority" of having 60 Dems is not Constitutional law, it's Senate tradition. In truth, only a simple majority is needed to get things done.
Guys, I'm just now hearing about the Haiti Earthquake. Going along with our recent theme of belief in action, I'm calling on everyone reading this to go beyond saying "Oh, that's horrible" and donate to relief efforts. You can certainly afford $20... $50... $100 - this is important.
Keep the people of Haiti in your thoughts, prayers, positive intentions. Countries all over the world are already sending aid and millions of dollars, but we can all help.
Please leave a comment here if you donated! Thanks so much.
I noticed that on the flask page the categories you can filter by for recipient are all male (except "boss," although in this context it would seem you intend "boss" to be "male"). That's both sexist and bad business. I'll now proceed to slam you on Facebook, Twitter, and my blog, not that you know what these things are, because apparently this company thinks it's still the 19th century.
What is all the fuss about this guy? He's not even hot. He's like Colbert-cute, like Rebecca's type. Although judging from my trip to DC last year and the lack of talent, by Washington standards he's a 9 or 10, but whatever, he needs to get his shit together because he's making a joke out of his office. Obama - go have a talk with this adolescent.
A pause - perhaps I'm being a bit hypocritical: one of my intended campaign media strategies in 2012 or so is to take my player-dom to the streets, Page Six style. Okay Peter, well played. Carry on then.
Last night I saw Fela! on Broadway, and it sparked all kinds of thoughts, many of which I'm still processing. Please, please do not miss this show. Reading this review in the Times made me vow to see it, and I'm so glad I didn't let it fall into that list of good intentions sans follow-through.
(Here is a ticket discount. I went to the box office an hour before and got standing room tix for only $27.)
Two main things I want to address re Fela:
Activism Flora and I talked a lot after the show about the nature and impetus for revolution. She made an excellent point: "How is it any different when Shell is exploiting Nigerians for oil versus the big banks exploiting middle class Americans for credit?" Why are we so different, because we're a superpower or the West or??
It's ridiculous. We just sit around and let these corrupt things happen. People won't even write a fucking email to their elected official from the comfort of their own living room, boycott a product post a link to Facebook; let alone take to the streets and march on Wall Street, which is what we all should have done last fall when everything started spinning out of control.
We deserve what we get if we're too lazy to do anything besides complain to our friends who already think the same things we do anyway.
Responsibility I have a strong belief that most of us, certainly anyone reading this blog, have a responsibility to do certain things simply because we can.
This belief comes from my Christian upbringing, more specifically, my interpretation of Paul's letter to the Ephesians (see verse 4:11, or Jesus' lesson on the widow's offering in Mark 12:41ff, his words to the Pharisees in Luke 11:41, the parable of the talents, or Luke 19:11ff). God gives each person different talents, and a different measure thereof. So each of us has a different capacity for giving in respect to what we have. Bill Gates and Oprah giving $1 billion to help children is the same as you or me giving a few thousand. The Times did an interesting article on this a couple years ago.
So I write this blog because I can articulate my convictions about what's going on in the world and this is one of my ways of putting my words into action, not just having an opinion. I have the luxury of time and education and access to news, so I digest as much of it as I can. I have plenty of resources to have all I need, so I have an obligation to donate time and/or money to the less fortunate. I was blessed with a lovely home so I open it to others as much as I can. You see where I'm going with this.
So another thing we talked about after the show was that those of us with the blessing of living in New York, in the middle of some of the best art in the world, and with the resources to take advantage of it all, have an obligation to go to these shows, go to these museums, purchase this music, and tell our friends so that it can survive.
And those of us working in the arts have a responsibility to make it accessible to those who can't afford $250 Broadway tickets. We were turned away from another show last night that wasn't sold out, but we weren't able to pay $80, the lowest-priced ticket, to see it. (Suck it, David Mamet's Race!) There's something wrong with that when we're talking about art rather than a product. (Yes, I know, but art as commodity is a whole other post.)
And beyond the arts - I vote out of respect for the blessing of living in a democracy and respect for the women and African-Americans who secured my right to have a voice. And the hospitality thing, volunteerism, etc. But I'm not trying to be on a pedestal about this; I don't think I give at the level I can or should yet, but I'm working toward it. May we all give in relation to what we've been given, and encourage others to do so too.
Ever since I read about that Danish cartoonist narrowly escaping his murder a couple weeks ago, I've been thinking a lot about freedom of speech.
You remember a few years back when a Danish newspaper published a cartoon depicting the prophet Muhammed. Well, showing an image of Muhammed is considered extremely blasphemous among Muslims, and riots ensued. A hit was put out on this cartoonist. Luckily, the Danish government took it very seriously and protected him, including installing a saferoom with a panic button in his home. The cartoonist was home with his young granddaughter when a man broke into his house with an axe to kill him, and the cartoonist narrowly escaped to the saferoom, protected his granddaughter, and survived.
The main doubts I have about writing this blog tend to be offending some business contact who googles me or my words getting quoted out of context some day if I run for office. But this story made me realize how much I take my First Amendment rights for granted. In other places, voicing my opinions could be grounds for imprisonment. Hell, McCarthyism here in America wasn't so long ago; what if the teabaggers and the Glenn Beck conservatives get some sort of crazy power and decide to punish everyone who doesn't agree with them? It sounds extreme, but you just never know who will be running things a few years down the road.
So glad I stumbled on the delightful Oprah White House Christmas Special on Hulu. Definitely worth watching - it made my whole night.
I do wish they gave props to the very fabulous stylist Simon Doonan for his decor direction. Also, as much as I appreciate tradition, I'm not sure six weeks making a gingerbread house is the best use of federal time, but hey.
Ms. Pressler is a New Yorker who, years ago after attending a marvelous staged reading of Sondheim's Anyone Can Whistle, thought it would be most hilarious if she were mayor and made everyone refer to her as The Mayoress. The nickname stuck. She works as a marketing consultant and in her spare time, volunteers on campaigns and runs a lot. She likes the arts, marathons, SVU, hip hop, opera, brunch, the Obamas, WNYC, style, fun events, and people who read her blog.
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