tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24843854.post5284014204905083791..comments2023-10-24T04:46:01.468-05:00Comments on New Orleans Slate: DashedSam Jasperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15609640045088229908noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24843854.post-17107383239650764862007-08-20T15:47:00.000-05:002007-08-20T15:47:00.000-05:00p.s. O.k. now I feel that I sound like I was attac...p.s. O.k. now I feel that I sound like I was attacking WOMEN for wanting to talk about their weddings and their babies! Alright, listen, I acknowledge that people have a right to a personal life and these experiences are very IMPORTANT to people... But where I'm coming from is the personal experience of being in countless workplace environments where that's the ONLY kind of subject people will talk about. And you'd think for all the world that the U.S. was not at war, there wasn't a back-door draft going on (though the recruiters are having a harder time than ever, I guess, which is GREAT!), and there weren't countless other societal woes plaguing my city and the nation. <BR/><BR/>It's just plain weird and CREEPY to me, sometimes, how people want to sit around and act like these problems are not happening. And I think that we shouldn't underestimate the degree of FEAR behind it. <BR/>And speaking of which, I'm starting to feel fear myself!! No wonder people are afraid of getting involved in public life; all I'm doing is trying to put a few comments on a blog -- under a pseudonym, at that -- and even in this limited context, I'm engaged in a furious effort to extract my foot from my mouth, where it has become deeply entrenched!!!! Probably after I leave this comment -- if you publish it-- I'll have to take a break from the posting/ commenting cycle for awhile. I feel too much concern that just after I put out ONE fire, I'll start ANOTHER! Cripes I can't even imagine how Obama, Clinton, etc. get through a single DAY... !!!<BR/>thanks! mpmMartahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00587922715484459053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24843854.post-2691639745469538842007-08-20T14:49:00.000-05:002007-08-20T14:49:00.000-05:00Hi, Thanks for taking the time to reply to my spec...Hi, Thanks for taking the time to reply to my specific comment! As for my remarks about politically active men, I actually thought you, or someone, would think I sounded like I was really attacking these types of guys. So it was very funny to me to see you actually just said I got their number! :-) HA! So, yeah, just in case my comment WAS misunderstood at all... I am MARRIED to man, after all. But he's not actually the type to get up on a soapbox and rant & rave about political issues. It's not that can't get outraged, he just doesn't tend to PREACH or PROSELYTIZE about political issues... instead, he's devoted most of his adult life working at low wages to help various populations of at-risk youth and adults. So, yeah, I'd have to say he is a really committed guy and he "walks the walk"! But in my youth, before I got together with my husband, I had the tendency to get crushes on and in one case fall madly in love with the politically active type who is more likely to rant, rage, preach, sermonize, etc. And, for that matter, I (like you) am a female who tends to think in terms of grand, sweeping political analyses like "How do we get mobilize upper middle class Americans to be more politically active and less afraid of expressing political dissent?" So. I guess that's why I started analyzing this particular male/ female dynamic, trying to make sense of the "political activist male" mind; but after a certain point, I finally realized it defies analysis and there's no point trying to make sense of it anymore. Since on a personal level, I ended up with a guy who is a great match for me, it's a good reason to just shut up about all this!... (But anyway, since nobody accused me of attacking guys, I'm not sure why I felt the need to defend myself).<BR/><BR/>Re: the documentary on people working minimum wage, did this have to do with Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickle and Dimed - On Not Getting By in America? -- this was a great book.<BR/><BR/>Finally, what ties it all together for me is that... if I WERE single now, I wonder if I'd feel that in my free time I was torn between, say, going to work out at the gym and make myself look more appealing to the average "political guy," or spend most of my free time doing volunteer work, contacting representatives, etc. etc. I think it really could be a valid issue to consider, beyond just my own personal sour grapes/hobby horse. What social rewards do women receive, generally, for being politically committed vs., say, having an Artsy/ Creative Mystique, where they seem really pretty and funky in a kind of offbeat, artsy, bohemian way? I mean, granted, any woman can conceivably be BOTH brilliantly political and motivated and active, AND also be attractive in a really pretty, artsy, unconventional way. But I just wonder sometimes about the priorities women are encouraged to have. And, too, the women I mentioned who seem to love talking about nothing more than silly gossip,their new furniture, their baby's name, or what gifts they want to include in the bridal registry.<BR/>To conclude, again, I apologize if too much of my thinking sounds as though I am simply working through personal sour grapes, but I do wonder if I am reaching at any universal question/ answers regarding female participation in public life(?)<BR/>Best wishes, MPMMartahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00587922715484459053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24843854.post-14751220033186563882007-08-18T18:18:00.000-05:002007-08-18T18:18:00.000-05:00Tiburon, I know what you're saying.My husband work...Tiburon, I know what you're saying.<BR/><BR/>My husband worked two jobs forever. There simply wasn't time for a lot of activism. Please don't think that I don't get the pressure the American worker is under these days. There was a documentary done a few years ago about people trying to get by, mostly on minimum wage, and I can't for the life of me remember what the name of it was, but it was devastating. I mean, if a woman is waiting for a bus to take her to a night job, that is her second job, and her kid is home alone because she has no options, then what? What in hell is she supposed to do?<BR/><BR/>But I'm not talking about all those people as much as I'm talking about folks who actually HAVE the time. Let them use their TIVO or their old VCR and tape the shows they want to watch, while they go to a city council meeting, or volunteer somewhere. They can get that last installment of the "Closer" the next night. These are the folks that are upsetting me.<BR/><BR/>These are the folks who are choosing ignorance of the situation. They instead decide that since they have theirs, they can write a check to some cause and assuage their conscience and be done with it. I mean really, WWE followed by American Idol followed by Flipping Out with commercials for contractors, stock portfolios, and the occasional "Oh my GOD, babies are starving in Africa!" are what fill these people's time in a lot of cases. Not ALL. Don't get me wrong. There are lots of great folks out there. But some, the ones who are choosing ignorance are the ones that bug me.<BR/><BR/>As for the men, the politically active men, um yeah, I think you got their number!<BR/><BR/>Not sure how to answer your question regarding how to make this change. I think your idea about making it more acceptable to discuss politics in the workplace is a good idea, but hell, I don't know how to accomplish that.<BR/><BR/>As for me running for office, the skeletons in my closet would totally preclude that possibility. But there are many out there who don't run and who would be great in office who aren't running because of the scrutiny they would be under. That leaves a lot of good leaders out of the loop, and out of the ballot box. It's a damn shame.Sam Jasperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15609640045088229908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24843854.post-60165552694348074632007-08-18T16:07:00.000-05:002007-08-18T16:07:00.000-05:00First, I just want to say that I love this post!! ...First, I just want to say that I love this post!! You are on FIRE! (If you run for office, can I work for your campaign?) It's a wonderful call to action, not just about New Orleans but about underlying systematic problems plaguing the U.S., as well as the f--ed up role the U.S. is playing in the world at large, wasting billions upon billions of dollars instigating civil wars (or at least creating conditions that increase the likelihood of such wars, including causing inevitable "collateral damage" = killing plenty of civilians in both Afghanistan and Iraq; and then not being able to figure out what the hell to do about it). <BR/>But: Can you specify concrete actions that you'd want people to take? Are you advocating a particular course of action? CAN everyone just stop worrying about day-to-day affairs, drop everything and become rabid political rabble-rousers? What ABOUT the person working two-three jobs, struggling to keep a roof over his or her head -- does this person or his/ her family have TIME to get "active"? ...I guess one approach would be to simply encourage political dialogue across more settings -- make people feel it is safe, good, patriotic to engage in political analysis and express dissent. I've worked in a lot of offices in the recent past, mostly medical/ hospital in nature, and the administrative staff of many these settings is predominantly female. These are generally well-meaning, very honest, hard working individuals -- but for them, serious political conversation tends to be completely anathema in the workplace. I think that many women of a certain generation, or even MY generation, might be somewhat politically repressed, and convinced that what is most appropriate is to discuss Baby and Wedding Showers -- and get caught up in stupid little bitchy gossip wars. So: how would you approach these women -- would you want to get them to talk about politics at the Baby Showers?... Or are you thinking about prioritization in allocation of resources? One prevailing viewpoint in the white collar, professional world, is that everyone needs to take vacations --it's seen as a birthright of being a middle/ upper middle class citizen. (Do we HAVE a middle class now? Maybe I should just say upper middle/ wealthy). So, would you want people to sacrifice or change that pattern? Spend less money on vacations... or less money on cars, less money on clothes or watches... and then take that money and do... what? Give it to causes? Start nonprofits? ...<BR/>As a side note, regarding use of resources: the 6-7 MEN I've met in my lifetime who are the most ardent and wound up political rabble rousers, drop all that politics at the bat of a beautiful eyelash. When they start thinking with their other major organ (other than the brain --and I DON'T mean the heart...), all the politics goes out the window. I've NEVER met a politically charged-up man who can resist the wiles of an beautiful, moderately intelligent/ creative female, regardless of what her political views are -- or whether she really gives much thought to the realm of politics WHATSOEVER. (Or -- some guys will be happy to sleep with her first, talk politics later. If he doesn't like her politics, he'll dump her after getting a few good shags out of it). -- So... should you, or I, blame any single heterosexual woman for spending her disposable income on "CRAP" like, say, a gym membership, or nice haircut, that is designed to attract the attention of these supposedly politically committed, driven men??<BR/>Admittedly, this might sound like sour grapes, or like a personal foolish hobbyhorse of mine. Sad to say, it probably is! I also have some issues with economic dependency, too, but I won't touch on that hobbyhorse. Enough of my personal folderol!!... Thank you for your passionate political commitment, and good day.Martahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00587922715484459053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24843854.post-65356714423216924022007-08-15T14:28:00.000-05:002007-08-15T14:28:00.000-05:00You're right, Slate. Just this morning I wondered...You're right, Slate. Just this morning I wondered what was it about OT that bugged me more than the others, and I realized it was the hurt. None of the other corruption scandals hurt this much. I really wanted so much more from a man I (really didn't know ALL that well) but trusted because of what he said after Katrina and the conviction with which he said it.<BR/><BR/>A friend said it was wrong to convict OT because ALL of them (local, state, federal) do it, but have their paperwork in order. I ruefully told my friend that, however much OT is the lesser of evils, he's still pretty bad and has to go. No excuses for a new, clean New Orleans.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com