Newsflash: My Demographic Doesn't Favor Romney

Shocking, I know.

This post by my favorite Jezebel is hilarious.

"Even though single people's strong preference for President Obama could tip the election away from the GOP, Romney campaign needn't fret. The election's still four months away, and there's still plenty of time to nominate a running mate that will appeal to single women — Channing Tatum wearing glasses, perhaps, or the song "Call Me Maybe" (what do you mean the constitution doesn't allow politicians to nominate musical compositions for office? Stupid activist court system)."


Well, I suppose if the GOP can make a VP out of Christian Bale making me dinner while reading me O Magazine and queuing up the latest ep of True Blood, I could sway right.  


Then again, probably not.

Why I Don't Donate to Crowdfunded Projects.

These days, it's nearly impossible to be on social media - nay, to have friends - without being asked for money.

And because I work in the arts, and have many professional and personal contacts who are creators of art - film, theatre, music, and beyond - I get donation requests an average of once a week, sometimes more.

This, of course, has been intensely accelerated by the phemonenon of crowdsourced fundraising.  Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, and similar platforms virtually encourage people to request money from their entire extended network.

I have made it my policy not to fund any of these requests, and here's why:

Sometimes the Best Explanation is None At All.

"People are still expected to provide reasons not to have children, but no reasons are required to have them. It’s assumed that if individuals do not have children it is because they are infertile, too selfish or have just not yet gotten around to it. In any case, they owe their interlocutor an explanation. On the other hand, no one says to the proud parents of a newborn, Why did you choose to have that child? What are your reasons? The choice to procreate is not regarded as needing any thought or justification."

Thank god for this article by Person I Most Want To Hug, Christine Overall. I am so tired of trying to figure out the perfect explanation for not wanting kids, and I feel like I've just been given permission to not have to have one.

And my favorite part, a well-articulated defense (not that we should need to defend, as she explains) against the strange but pervasive "selfishness" of not having/wanting offspring:

"The genuinely unselfish life plan may at least sometimes be the choice not to have children, especially in the case of individuals who would otherwise procreate merely to adhere to tradition, to please others, to conform to gender conventions, or to benefit themselves out of the inappropriate expectation that children will fix their problems. Children are neither human pets nor little therapists."

...Though they do ask a lot of questions and sometimes defecate inconveniently.

Full Article.

Person of the Week: Hugh Atkin

Who apparently has infinite hours to spend editing.  Check out his genius:

Farewell, Brooklyn

The Mayoress in 2004

After living in Brooklyn for over 11 years, my entire time in New York City, I'm moving to Manhattan today.  And being the sentimentalist I am, I thought it important to write an ode in closure.

I'm beyond excited to move to the city, for reasons both practical and superficial.  I'll be able to walk to work, get everywhere I go in far less time, be near my friends again.  But I'll be the first to admit, I'm a little tickled by the, well, status of a 100-- zip code.  But that's just buying into cultural keeping-up-with-the-Combses. Who you are doesn't depend on where you live.

What I will not become is a Manhattan snob, in the way of self-imposing a quarantine to the island unless I'm on my way to JFK.  There's too much that's too great about Brooklyn.  Instead of the ignorant quizzical face when someone references a neighborhood in our biggest borough, I'll nod and add something to the conversation.  And I make these promises:

I will come see my friends in Brooklyn and not demand that we meet in the city.
I will go to bars and restaurants in Brooklyn, because there are tons of excellent places of all kinds that simply are not anywhere else.  Well, except Portland.
I will go to a game the second they actually finish the Nets arena.
I will run the Brooklyn half-marathon if the NYRR every year I can.
I will go to cultural events in Brooklyn, because there are plenty and they are great.
I will stick up for my first borough when haters try to hate.

Because Brooklyn is its own borough.  A completely unique, wonderful, sometimes magical place.  It is not in competition with Manhattan, it is amazing in its own right, a stand-alone destination, whether to live or to visit.

My favorite part about Brooklyn is that it's undiscovered.  Every block of Manhattan is known, but I still stumble on amazing, historical, architectural, artistic marvels in Brooklyn that most people I know don't even know about.  That's an amazing thing in New York.

And in what other borough - what other city - can you take the subway to the beach; go to Coney Island and watch a baseball game, ride a roller coaster, and see a burlesque show all in one night; drink on the cheap; get lost in Prospect Park; be in a gallery all by yourself in the huge Brooklyn Museum; see the most splendid blossoming of spring at the Botanic Gardens; see the best views of the city and harbor from Red Hook (seriously, watch the sunset from Ikea); meet the most amazing characters from every walk of life - one of the best being our boisterous borough president Marty Markowitz; and most importantly, not stumble over tourists.

So, I love you Brooklyn.  Like Jay-Z, it's time for me to relocate - but after a mind-blowing 11 years, I got your back forever.

Your Weekly Metaphor

Truth of the Day

Thanks to Brian for this one...

In Which The Mayoress Bribes La Policia

Add this one to my negative campaign PR list, opponents!

Yes, it's true - my second mayoral campaign-threatening run-in with the law happened only days into the New Year.

I'm not going to get into the sordid details, but suffice it to say that I was NOT actually participating in any law-breaking activities, that a Mexican policeman can in fact turn out to be quite enjoyable when mimicking his perception of lawbreaking activities in order to illustrate his point, and that a mere 400 pesos can keep you out of handcuffs and give you an excellent blog post to boot.  A bargain, I say!

The Mayoress Makes Some Resolutions for 2012

Can you believe it, dear constituents?  It's not only a new year, it's an election year, and will mark the fourth year of Meet the Pressler.  How the time does fly, much like a soaring bald eagle in the opening credits of The Colbert Report.

I swore in 2008 that a) if the Republicans won, I would move out of the country for a year, or b) no matter who won, I would be out of here for the 2012 election cycle.  I was just too exhausted from the emotion, involvement, and constant news onslaught of '08.

But here we are, it's 2012, and I don't plan on leaving the country (disregard the fact that I am currently out of the country).  So, in accordance with keep my sanity and yours as we enter Obama v Romney (prediction!), here are my three 2012 resolutions to you:

1. I'm going to stay more objective.  Not because I am - barring any major revelations, I'm voting for Obama, let's just get that out of the way (more on why later).  But rather than get emotional about it...

2. I'm going to go all pundit on your ass.  Opinions backed up by sorta facts but mostly other opinions!  But for serious, if I distance myself a bit in order to evaluate strategic moves, especially when it comes to my specialty of marketing and PR, I'll emerge far less emotionally exhausted.  Also, watch for me on CNN or MSNBC or Comedy Central.  Don't blink!

3. I'm going to wear my now-vintage Obama tank from '08 more often.  I can't resist gold metallic, people.  Gold metallic!

Winning.

In Which The Mayoress Encounters the Chair of the NYC Cultural Affairs Committee

On the rare occasion, my passionate career in promotion and persistent participation in politics (as well as absolute adoration of alliteration) intersects.

Last Wednesday, my client Fractured Atlas hosted a conversation with NYC 26th District Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer (Long Island City, Astoria, Sunnyside, Woodside), also Chair of the NYC Cultural Affairs Committee.

If you have ever had the privilege of encountering Van Bramer, you undoubtedly share my full-blown political crush. Though it shall remain unrequited (Sorry ladies, he’s gay! Sorry boys, he’s engaged!), I am content, as I am fully in support of any politician who can make me laugh while making me think – and isn’t afraid to drop a few F-bombs and thinly veiled insults along the way.

The Mayoress with the hosts of the evening.

The event had a surprisingly fantastic turnout, and Van Bramer stayed an hour late just to answer every question from the overflowing audience of artists, whether from his district or not. He was candid, cohesive, informative, and passionate. He explained how things work and how any of us can influence that process.

I say “surprisingly” not because it was an FA event – as the nation's largest nonprofit arts services organization, their following is strong, and deservedly so. I was surprised because it is very difficult to get almost any audience – let alone artists who work long hours with full schedules – to take time out to find out about the political system and how it affects their life, work, and funding; and how they can improve the way it all happens. Huge kudos to those who showed up, asked questions, gave input. They were heard.

But if you’ve never been to an event like that, or otherwise been in contact with your elected official, whether City Council, Community Board, City Executives, State Senate, State Assembly, State Executives, U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress, or U.S. Executives (whew!), or if you do not vote, not only in November elections but in primaries, you are not heard.

Your opinions, effectively, do not matter.

Here is where I begin my rant, and reason for writing this post. If you read this blog you’ve heard it before, but I’d rather be a broken record than not pound home the point.

You cannot complain about something happening – or not happening – if you are not willing to do something about it. This is America, you have many avenues toward trying to make a change. You can vote, you can participate, you can write your representatives.

Here’s what I don’t think a lot of the frustrated-while-uninvolved people understand: most people are also frustrated but uninvolved. So if you join the very small ranks of the involved, heard, and counted, you are heard.

Every elected official I have come into contact with beyond a handshake bases his or her decisions heavily on what his or her constituency thinks. How do they know what their constituency thinks? Well, all they can base it on is what their constituents tell them that they want and need. So the very small percentage who bother to do so are the ones who dictate what life will be like for everyone else in their district.

When I attended a city council campaign debate in ’05 while volunteering on a campaign, do you know what topics they covered? Whether bikes should be allowed to ride on the sidewalks and whether they would do something about it.

Are. You. Fucking. Kidding. Me.

But guess what? The people who showed up cared about that. And I won’t mention the neighborhood, but you better believe the Upper East Side had a lot more revenue that next year in the form of tickets to bicycle riders.

If you want things to be a certain way, you have to tell your elected official. Complaining to yourself or the closest person who will listen may be effective for letting off steam, but not for moving the world forward.

I'll be the first to admit: I’m not satisfied with how much I do to make my neighborhood, city, state, or country, the place I’d like it to be. But I do do something, even if it’s not yet at the level I hope. I write this blog so I can sway your opinion. I volunteer periodically. I donate to causes I care about. I write my elected officials when I’m really hot and bothered. (It takes both conditions, you see, because I try to be the former on the daily, what what.)

Van Bramer made allusions to a future run for mayor, but it seems his campaign will be about 15 years before mine, so I graciously nod to his Bramerness and offer my early support.

Why the 99% Should Demand More

Absolute must-read editorial from my favorite Paul Krugman.

For who are the 0.1 percent? Very few of them are Steve Jobs-type innovators; most of them are corporate bigwigs and financial wheeler-dealers. One recent analysis found that 43 percent of the super-elite are executives at nonfinancial companies, 18 percent are in finance and another 12 percent are lawyers or in real estate. And these are not, to put it mildly, professions in which there is a clear relationship between someone’s income and his economic contribution.