Tuesday, September 28, 2010
to my congressman
I recently became a naturalized American citizen. I have lived in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1995, and I have held a green card since the year 2000. I am originally Swedish.
As required, I attended a swearing-in ceremony. People standing around me, in line, and during the ceremony, were friendly, helpful, and excited. There was chatting between strangers, and photos were taken. Overall is was a great experience.
However, there was one thing that concerned me that I want to bring to your attention.
As we were lining up to enter the building, over the friendly chatter you could hear the loud unfriendly voice of one of the officers working at the event. He would walk the line checking documents, and whoever hadn’t signed the letter each person was supposed to bring was asked to do so.
When signing the letter the applicant is asked to state the date and city of the signature. This lead the officer to quizzing the applicants who hadn’t yet signed the document on what city we were in. Some of the people in line were confused, and named a neighboring city. To me this is an easy mistake to make if you are not from the area. There are no obvious borders between the cities that make up the greater San Jose, Calif. area.
It’s also an easy mistake to make if you get intimidated by having an officer talk to you in a loud and unfriendly voice, while wearing dark glasses.
If the applicants were confused, the officer would continue asking them questions about the date, and their name, in the same loud and unfriendly voice. This went on for quite some time. When someone would get an answer correct, he would yell condescendingly, “There you go!”.
When my section reached the front of the line, there were 4 or 5 shorter lines to choose from, each leading to a door. Some people were hesitant, wondering if they were supposed to stand in a certain line. I was wondering the same thing. The same loud unfriendly voice told us that, “This is not hard, pick a line! Just like at the super market, pick the shortest one!”
At that point I turned around to get a closer look at him. I found his behavior rude, and unnecessary. As I turned around, the people standing directly behind me looked at me and quietly shook their heads.
As I stated earlier, I am originally Swedish. I am used to being one of the few white people present at any event or occasion relating to immigration. The swearing-in ceremony was no exception. There were a handful of Northern European faces in the crowd, but overwhelmingly the crowd was made up of people of color.
The man who consistently used a loud and unfriendly voice to speak to the crowd, and to members of the crowd, was one of the few other white faces I saw that afternoon. As a white person, and now as a white American, my heart sank when I saw and heard him in action. With his presence, and his use of language, he was intimidating people of color who wanted nothing but to please, and do things right. He was stressfully organizing a crowd that was happy, friendly, and accommodating. He created stress where there was none.
Maybe this officer needs some support. Maybe organizing 400+ people takes more staff than the few officers I saw working the lines.
Or, maybe the officer needs to work on his sensitivity towards other people. Maybe he is not aware of the impact his presence has.
From experience I know that many white Americans do not understand the impact they may have on people of color. They don’t understand that they speak, and act, from a position of strength, and power.
To put it bluntly: On the very day when the people at the ceremony were to be made equals in American society, it looked to me as if it was reinforced to us that we are not equal. We were quizzed, bullied, and yelled at by a stressed-out tall, big, white guy, wearing dark glasses.
I don’t think that is right.
As required, I attended a swearing-in ceremony. People standing around me, in line, and during the ceremony, were friendly, helpful, and excited. There was chatting between strangers, and photos were taken. Overall is was a great experience.
However, there was one thing that concerned me that I want to bring to your attention.
As we were lining up to enter the building, over the friendly chatter you could hear the loud unfriendly voice of one of the officers working at the event. He would walk the line checking documents, and whoever hadn’t signed the letter each person was supposed to bring was asked to do so.
When signing the letter the applicant is asked to state the date and city of the signature. This lead the officer to quizzing the applicants who hadn’t yet signed the document on what city we were in. Some of the people in line were confused, and named a neighboring city. To me this is an easy mistake to make if you are not from the area. There are no obvious borders between the cities that make up the greater San Jose, Calif. area.
It’s also an easy mistake to make if you get intimidated by having an officer talk to you in a loud and unfriendly voice, while wearing dark glasses.
If the applicants were confused, the officer would continue asking them questions about the date, and their name, in the same loud and unfriendly voice. This went on for quite some time. When someone would get an answer correct, he would yell condescendingly, “There you go!”.
When my section reached the front of the line, there were 4 or 5 shorter lines to choose from, each leading to a door. Some people were hesitant, wondering if they were supposed to stand in a certain line. I was wondering the same thing. The same loud unfriendly voice told us that, “This is not hard, pick a line! Just like at the super market, pick the shortest one!”
At that point I turned around to get a closer look at him. I found his behavior rude, and unnecessary. As I turned around, the people standing directly behind me looked at me and quietly shook their heads.
As I stated earlier, I am originally Swedish. I am used to being one of the few white people present at any event or occasion relating to immigration. The swearing-in ceremony was no exception. There were a handful of Northern European faces in the crowd, but overwhelmingly the crowd was made up of people of color.
The man who consistently used a loud and unfriendly voice to speak to the crowd, and to members of the crowd, was one of the few other white faces I saw that afternoon. As a white person, and now as a white American, my heart sank when I saw and heard him in action. With his presence, and his use of language, he was intimidating people of color who wanted nothing but to please, and do things right. He was stressfully organizing a crowd that was happy, friendly, and accommodating. He created stress where there was none.
Maybe this officer needs some support. Maybe organizing 400+ people takes more staff than the few officers I saw working the lines.
Or, maybe the officer needs to work on his sensitivity towards other people. Maybe he is not aware of the impact his presence has.
From experience I know that many white Americans do not understand the impact they may have on people of color. They don’t understand that they speak, and act, from a position of strength, and power.
To put it bluntly: On the very day when the people at the ceremony were to be made equals in American society, it looked to me as if it was reinforced to us that we are not equal. We were quizzed, bullied, and yelled at by a stressed-out tall, big, white guy, wearing dark glasses.
I don’t think that is right.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
stand up 2 cancer
I caught a glimpse of the Stand Up 2 Cancer telethon on Friday night. We were going out to dinner so I only watched for a few minutes, but had I had more time I probably would have watched more. As a cancer survivor I obviously feel a strong connection to others struck by the disease, and I value the support.
At the same time, there was something about the entire thing that I did not like. I couldn't put my finger on it, but the next day I found this column in the Washington Post, where writer Hank Steuver comes out kind of harshly against the telethon. He ends his piece like this:
[Cancer in America] is sacrosanct. Getting it, fighting it, coming back from the brink of it and even dying from it -- these are the sacraments of cancer, America's secular religion.
There are lots of comments to the column, and many of those are negative. How dare anyone criticize a good cause?
I liked the piece. It pointed out the use of celebrities to act as stylish preachers, and that hit the mood well, I thought.
But there was something else, too, that annoyed me. I realized I was annoyed the same way I was after having seen Slumdog Millionaire, the immensely popular movie about a boy from a Mumbai slum who wins big on a TV game-show. I think the movie turned an awful reality into a feel-good moment for privileged westerners, and at the same time allowed us, the privileged westerners, to continue doing nothing for kids who grow up with nothing.
The cancer telethon turned an awful reality into something palatable. It repackaged the horrors of cancer into something desirable.
I had five months of chemo. The reality? I hated being bald. I hated painting on my eyebrows in the morning. I hated gaining weight. I hated the smell in the chemo center. Now I have chronic joint pain. And those are the things I am comfortable talking about in public. There are many more side effects of chemo and radiation, during and after treatment, that I don't talk about. Why? I don't want to. It's private.
And that's not even mentioning the fact that cancer kills people. When you are diagnosed you are scared shitless. You deal with the information as well as you can, and you make choices that you believe will take you through the months of treatment that lay ahead.
I did well during treatment, I worked, and I didn't complain. I do well now. I can handle what's going on, and I am not scared. But that shouldn't lead anyone to think it's easy. It's not.
The telethons, and the well meaning, and well groomed, celebrities, and the bald women in chic glasses, all make it look easy and attractive.
I had a student once, a white young man, who said that "If I were Mexican my life would be easier, because then I'd know who I was". To any person of color that statement is laughable. It completely negates the experience of under represented groups. Obviously, in America life is easier for a white person.
"Cancer survivors have a purpose", said the Today Show's Ann Curry in an interview with fellow morning star, and cancer survivor, Good Morning America's Robin Roberts.
That's the image we want to see, and constantly recreate: Cancer creates strength and purpose, and beauty in bald heads. We're almost saying, as misguidedly as my student, that life would be easier if we were cancer survivors.
Cancer is not pretty. The fact that everything on television has to be pretty is doing a disservice to survivors, and patients, and to all of us. I'm not a very religious person, but it seems to me a dose of old-fashioned religion would be helpful. Instead of turning to a 'new religion', we should be grateful for what we have, value our time on earth, and try to do good. We all have a purpose. Cancer does not give that to us.
At the same time, there was something about the entire thing that I did not like. I couldn't put my finger on it, but the next day I found this column in the Washington Post, where writer Hank Steuver comes out kind of harshly against the telethon. He ends his piece like this:
[Cancer in America] is sacrosanct. Getting it, fighting it, coming back from the brink of it and even dying from it -- these are the sacraments of cancer, America's secular religion.
There are lots of comments to the column, and many of those are negative. How dare anyone criticize a good cause?
I liked the piece. It pointed out the use of celebrities to act as stylish preachers, and that hit the mood well, I thought.
But there was something else, too, that annoyed me. I realized I was annoyed the same way I was after having seen Slumdog Millionaire, the immensely popular movie about a boy from a Mumbai slum who wins big on a TV game-show. I think the movie turned an awful reality into a feel-good moment for privileged westerners, and at the same time allowed us, the privileged westerners, to continue doing nothing for kids who grow up with nothing.
The cancer telethon turned an awful reality into something palatable. It repackaged the horrors of cancer into something desirable.
I had five months of chemo. The reality? I hated being bald. I hated painting on my eyebrows in the morning. I hated gaining weight. I hated the smell in the chemo center. Now I have chronic joint pain. And those are the things I am comfortable talking about in public. There are many more side effects of chemo and radiation, during and after treatment, that I don't talk about. Why? I don't want to. It's private.
And that's not even mentioning the fact that cancer kills people. When you are diagnosed you are scared shitless. You deal with the information as well as you can, and you make choices that you believe will take you through the months of treatment that lay ahead.
I did well during treatment, I worked, and I didn't complain. I do well now. I can handle what's going on, and I am not scared. But that shouldn't lead anyone to think it's easy. It's not.
The telethons, and the well meaning, and well groomed, celebrities, and the bald women in chic glasses, all make it look easy and attractive.
I had a student once, a white young man, who said that "If I were Mexican my life would be easier, because then I'd know who I was". To any person of color that statement is laughable. It completely negates the experience of under represented groups. Obviously, in America life is easier for a white person.
"Cancer survivors have a purpose", said the Today Show's Ann Curry in an interview with fellow morning star, and cancer survivor, Good Morning America's Robin Roberts.
That's the image we want to see, and constantly recreate: Cancer creates strength and purpose, and beauty in bald heads. We're almost saying, as misguidedly as my student, that life would be easier if we were cancer survivors.
Cancer is not pretty. The fact that everything on television has to be pretty is doing a disservice to survivors, and patients, and to all of us. I'm not a very religious person, but it seems to me a dose of old-fashioned religion would be helpful. Instead of turning to a 'new religion', we should be grateful for what we have, value our time on earth, and try to do good. We all have a purpose. Cancer does not give that to us.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
dispatches from daddyland
I've recently come across this blog (I don't remember how), written by an American living in Sweden. His reflections from the other side of Swedish-American migration, compared to my own, is extremely interesting. I recommend his blog to anyone curious on what that 'socialism' really looks like from the inside.
Monday, September 06, 2010
Sunday, September 05, 2010
movies
Four good movies I've seen lately:
- Sweet Land tells the story of Norwegian immigrant farmers in Minnesota in the 1920s.
- In the Bedroom, lots of sadness but in a good way with my favorite Tom Wilkinson, and Sissy Spacek.
Those two were on Netflix. These two I've seen in the theater:
- The American, the new movie where George Clooney builds a gun. Don't trust anyone who doesn't like it. It's great.
- Get Low, with Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek (again, but that's a coincidence). Lovely.
- Sweet Land tells the story of Norwegian immigrant farmers in Minnesota in the 1920s.
- In the Bedroom, lots of sadness but in a good way with my favorite Tom Wilkinson, and Sissy Spacek.
Those two were on Netflix. These two I've seen in the theater:
- The American, the new movie where George Clooney builds a gun. Don't trust anyone who doesn't like it. It's great.
- Get Low, with Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek (again, but that's a coincidence). Lovely.
truckload of new photos
I've updated my smugmug galleries. Click here to see new Hipstamatics, and here to see new regular old photos.
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
will cancer kill you?
Everybody's favorite actor, Michael Douglas, has been diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer. He has a tumor the size a walnut at the base of his tongue, that was caused by drinking and smoking. Stage 4 means that the cancer has spread to other organs, and in general that is a very serious diagnosis.
Obviously this is awful news. On Tuesday Douglas went on the Late Show with David Letterman to talk about his upcoming film, and his illness. It seems that he and Letterman are friends, and it was a touching interview.
Today I caught a minute of Entertainment Tonight (or some show like that), and heard a woman ask the rhetorical question, "Will Michael Douglas loose his famous voice?".
Well, he might, obviously. And I am sure he is dealing with that possibility as well as he can, given the fact that his voice is his livelihood.
Famous people with cancer or other challenges are often held up as examples in our culture. They are complemented for their strength, and fawned over.
Or, they are treated with no respect at all. Drives me crazy.
dirt and a red bucket
I just found this photo of my grandma and me. I've always liked it because I like how grandma is sitting in the dirt in her city outfit playing with me.
I'm around a year old, and my grandma is a little over 60. It's amazing to me what 60 looked like then, and how different it looks today.
(Grandpa took the picture. He had a good eye.)
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
nothing you have to say can be that important
One of Dan's sisters was hit from behind and pushed into oncoming traffic when driving home from work a while ago. No one was hurt, but someone coming from the opposite direction had to drive into a field to avoid a collision.
My office mate's husband was in a similar accident a couple of months ago. He was the passenger in a car waiting at a red light when they were hit hard from behind and pushed into the intersection. No one was seriously injured, but my friend was bruised and hurt when he was thrown first forward, and then back. He's a big guy. The car seat broke from the impact of his weight. They were lucky no other cars were traveling through the intersection at the time.
Neither of the drivers hitting my friends from behind had time to brake. They didn't even engage their brakes. Why? They were both busy texting.
Tonight when Dan and I were driving to San Jose we noticed an SUV swerving and straddling two lanes on the onramp to 280. As we passed the car I turned around to see what was going on.
The driver was a guy, around 60, and he was operating a smart phone with both of his hands, looking down at it.
He was steering with his knees. He was going 50 mph.
My office mate's husband was in a similar accident a couple of months ago. He was the passenger in a car waiting at a red light when they were hit hard from behind and pushed into the intersection. No one was seriously injured, but my friend was bruised and hurt when he was thrown first forward, and then back. He's a big guy. The car seat broke from the impact of his weight. They were lucky no other cars were traveling through the intersection at the time.
Neither of the drivers hitting my friends from behind had time to brake. They didn't even engage their brakes. Why? They were both busy texting.
Tonight when Dan and I were driving to San Jose we noticed an SUV swerving and straddling two lanes on the onramp to 280. As we passed the car I turned around to see what was going on.
The driver was a guy, around 60, and he was operating a smart phone with both of his hands, looking down at it.
He was steering with his knees. He was going 50 mph.
what an i can do, and an s
The HR department where I work puts on workshops. The fall schedule is just out and I glanced through it. Given the times that we're in, the title "How To Lead More Effectively With Less" shouldn't come as a surprise. But I read it as "How To Lead More Effectively With Lies".
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
ice cream-y
Freeze some bananas. Peel them first and cut into pieces.
When the bananas are frozen solid, get out the food processor. Throw in some pieces of banana - one banana per person is plenty. If you want you can add frozen berries, like blueberries or strawberries.
Also add some vanilla, and sugar to taste. Maybe a splash of orange juice or lemon.
Add a larger splash of milk, and pulse. Watch the consistency, and add more milk until everything is smooth and ice cream-like.
Yesterday I made a version with banana, milk, lemon, brown sugar, vanilla, and Bailey's Irish Cream. Yum. It was for Dan but I had a taste.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
equality
There are two things that are especially attractive to me in the American constitution and in American society: freedom of religion, and the absence of royalty, nobility, and hereditary titles. Freedom of religion is protected under the 1st amendment to the constitution, and when you become an American citizen you are stripped of any titles.
Sweden didn't have true freedom of religion until 1951, when Swedish citizens were allowed to leave the Swedish Church without being forced to join another church instead.
The Lutheran Swedish Church was a state church from the 16th century and until the year 2000. Up until 1996 you became a member not through baptism, but through birth.
Growing up I had Jewish friends who had had to wait until their 18th birthday to be able to leave the Lutheran state church.
The Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden got married earlier this year. I watched coverage of the ceremony and the dinner online. It was pretty, extravagant, and the couple was radiant. But after hours of commentary around who (of European royalty) was there, what they wore, and how they (in the European nobility) were all related, I had had enough. I started seeing not individuals, but an archaic system.
The Swedish monarch, now Victoria's dad, King Carl XVI Gustav, has no real power. He and his family act as bejeweled goodwill ambassadors at home and abroad. The cost for their upkeep is increasing every year. According to the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter, for the year 2010 Swedish tax payers will chip in 17 million dollars. They have staff, palaces, and travel expenses. They have to be addressed formally. Women are to curtsey.
Of all the ways someone can earn your respect, being born into a position ranks real low for me.
Sweden didn't have true freedom of religion until 1951, when Swedish citizens were allowed to leave the Swedish Church without being forced to join another church instead.
The Lutheran Swedish Church was a state church from the 16th century and until the year 2000. Up until 1996 you became a member not through baptism, but through birth.
Growing up I had Jewish friends who had had to wait until their 18th birthday to be able to leave the Lutheran state church.
The Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden got married earlier this year. I watched coverage of the ceremony and the dinner online. It was pretty, extravagant, and the couple was radiant. But after hours of commentary around who (of European royalty) was there, what they wore, and how they (in the European nobility) were all related, I had had enough. I started seeing not individuals, but an archaic system.
The Swedish monarch, now Victoria's dad, King Carl XVI Gustav, has no real power. He and his family act as bejeweled goodwill ambassadors at home and abroad. The cost for their upkeep is increasing every year. According to the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter, for the year 2010 Swedish tax payers will chip in 17 million dollars. They have staff, palaces, and travel expenses. They have to be addressed formally. Women are to curtsey.
Of all the ways someone can earn your respect, being born into a position ranks real low for me.
cancer and estrogen
Since being treated for invasive breast cancer two years ago I've had to make some changes to my diet. The type of cancer that I had is sensitive to estrogen, so I should avoid any foods with high levels of plant estrogen. That means soy, most importantly, but also other beans, and grains.
The research around plant estrogen is not conclusive, though. It's actually contradictory. Plant estrogen can alleviate symptoms of menopause in healthy women, and some argue that it protects healthy women from breast cancer. But in my case it's the other way around.
In addition to the plant estrogen I'm avoiding food stuffs that are bad for you in general, or bad for cancer patients in particular. This is what I don't eat or drink:
red meat
alcohol
coffee
soy
garbanzo beans
flax seed
sweets, desserts
anything white (rice, white flour, sugar)
There are also a bunch of chemicals that act as estrogen in the body. Those include BPA, which is used in plastics and in the lining of cans, and parabens, which are preservatives that are used in skin lotions, shampoos, and other cosmetics.
I don't store food in plastic containers, and I don't eat or drink anything out of a can. The parabens, though, are harder to avoid. But I'm working on it.
The research around plant estrogen is not conclusive, though. It's actually contradictory. Plant estrogen can alleviate symptoms of menopause in healthy women, and some argue that it protects healthy women from breast cancer. But in my case it's the other way around.
In addition to the plant estrogen I'm avoiding food stuffs that are bad for you in general, or bad for cancer patients in particular. This is what I don't eat or drink:
red meat
alcohol
coffee
soy
garbanzo beans
flax seed
sweets, desserts
anything white (rice, white flour, sugar)
There are also a bunch of chemicals that act as estrogen in the body. Those include BPA, which is used in plastics and in the lining of cans, and parabens, which are preservatives that are used in skin lotions, shampoos, and other cosmetics.
I don't store food in plastic containers, and I don't eat or drink anything out of a can. The parabens, though, are harder to avoid. But I'm working on it.
utlandssvenskar
The Swedish language actually has a word for Swedes living abroad: utlandssvenskar. The literal translation would be abroad-Swedes, or Swedes abroad. I've asked a few people, but I haven't been able to find another language, or culture, that makes the same distinction.
The connotations of 'Swedes living abroad' are not positive. The stereotype is negative: someone who retires early, moves to a warm and sunny climate, and from that vantage point proceeds to criticize the old homeland, while at the same time growing increasingly out of touch with what actually goes on there.
Obviously this is interesting to me because I am one of those Swedes living abroad, and I don't think the stereotype applies to me. I keep wondering why this category exists, what that reveals about Swedish culture. I haven't been able to come up with a good answer.
The connotations of 'Swedes living abroad' are not positive. The stereotype is negative: someone who retires early, moves to a warm and sunny climate, and from that vantage point proceeds to criticize the old homeland, while at the same time growing increasingly out of touch with what actually goes on there.
Obviously this is interesting to me because I am one of those Swedes living abroad, and I don't think the stereotype applies to me. I keep wondering why this category exists, what that reveals about Swedish culture. I haven't been able to come up with a good answer.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
choices, choices
So I haven't shopped at Whole Foods for a year, sticking to the boycott initiated after the the CEO weighed in against President Obama's health care reform.
Now I am asked to boycott Target, because they have given $150 000 to a Minnesota politician who opposes gay marriage.
I'll do it, no problem. But where am I to get my stuff? I guess I'll just have to avoid news stories about Safeway and Trader Joe's.
Now I am asked to boycott Target, because they have given $150 000 to a Minnesota politician who opposes gay marriage.
I'll do it, no problem. But where am I to get my stuff? I guess I'll just have to avoid news stories about Safeway and Trader Joe's.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
what is an amendment? what is the name of the ocean on the east coast of the US?
I'm studying for my citizenship interview. Here are the questions I need to know.
Saturday, August 07, 2010
gay marriage
People who are saying that gay marriage is a threat to traditional marriage are really saying that gay marriage is a threat to the unearned privilege that is granted straight people, and they don't like it.
(Here is a link for the court's decision in the case that ruled California's Proposition 8 unconstitutional.)
(Here is a link for the court's decision in the case that ruled California's Proposition 8 unconstitutional.)
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
poem (II)
I hate pollen
pollen hates me
everyday on the pollen report
it says
"today: moderate levels
tomorrow: low"
pollen hates me
everyday on the pollen report
it says
"today: moderate levels
tomorrow: low"
poem
being american
means
having someone drive you to your car
(after you went somewhere together in
their car)
and when you see
not yourself
but your car
down the street
you say
"that's me"
means
having someone drive you to your car
(after you went somewhere together in
their car)
and when you see
not yourself
but your car
down the street
you say
"that's me"
Thursday, July 29, 2010
my two cents
I'm watching President Obama on The View. He just said that yes, there are still differences in society, but the important thing is for us to treat each other right, and try to see life through other people's eyes.
The problem with that? That we can not think our ways into someone else's experience. We have to learn about the lives of others in order to understand them.
I tell my students over and over again that understanding is not an attitude, but that it has to be based in knowledge. Students may come into an Ethnic Studies class thinking that they have the right attitude, but when they leave they say that "never knew what it was like before".
We live in a society where one version of the world (predominantly white, heterosexual, and male) is held up as an all-encompassing truth. What we need to learn are three things:
1. White, heterosexual, and male people think that they know what the world is like, because their own image, and attitudes that support it, is reflected back at them wherever they turn.
2. There are pockets of knowledge among other groups that rarely rise to the surface of our collective culture. If they do, those images are often produced by the dominant culture, for dominant culture consumption.
3. We need to learn to be sensitive to the experiences of individuals in both dominant groups and underrepresented groups, through conversation.
The problem with that? That we can not think our ways into someone else's experience. We have to learn about the lives of others in order to understand them.
I tell my students over and over again that understanding is not an attitude, but that it has to be based in knowledge. Students may come into an Ethnic Studies class thinking that they have the right attitude, but when they leave they say that "never knew what it was like before".
We live in a society where one version of the world (predominantly white, heterosexual, and male) is held up as an all-encompassing truth. What we need to learn are three things:
1. White, heterosexual, and male people think that they know what the world is like, because their own image, and attitudes that support it, is reflected back at them wherever they turn.
2. There are pockets of knowledge among other groups that rarely rise to the surface of our collective culture. If they do, those images are often produced by the dominant culture, for dominant culture consumption.
3. We need to learn to be sensitive to the experiences of individuals in both dominant groups and underrepresented groups, through conversation.
Monday, July 26, 2010
what's a girl
In her new movie Salt Angelina Jolie is supposed to be a super athletic spy. But any time she runs you wonder what's wrong with her.
I think I've figured out Angelina Jolie's one weakness. I think she might run like a girl. And I think that doesn't go well with the industry's fantasy image of a female super spy.
I think it took a lot of movie making effort to take out the girlishness. The end result is that she looks awkward, and she doesn't look strong. But I bet if they had let her be, her natural athleticism would have come through.
I think I've figured out Angelina Jolie's one weakness. I think she might run like a girl. And I think that doesn't go well with the industry's fantasy image of a female super spy.
I think it took a lot of movie making effort to take out the girlishness. The end result is that she looks awkward, and she doesn't look strong. But I bet if they had let her be, her natural athleticism would have come through.
I think they built the tower just for the pigeons
Kathy and I moved into a new office at work last week. This is our new view. Pretty.
it's time
Hard as it is I've decided to sell my 1972 Karmann Ghia convertible. I just bought another convertible, and I don't have the time or interest to give this one the attention it deserves. There are more photos here. If you want info, email me. Yeah, it has nose damage and needs a new top. But it runs great!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
the deal with the ä and the ö
Babs told me about this very funny bit in the current issue of The New Yorker. Nora Ephron makes fun of Stieg Larsson. Only problem? Ephron doesn't know that a Swedish keyboard contains the actual å, ä, and ö letters. The title of the piece is The Girl Who Fixed the Umlaut, and Ephron, along with every other American, is stuck in the belief that the two dots above the o or a, to make the ä and ö, are umlauts. They are not. They are parts of the letter. Ä and ö aren't as and os gone wild, they are real stand-alone letters.
How?
Well, umlauts indicate vowel shifts. Some uses of å, ä and ö in modern Swedish can be traced back to vowel shifts in the original German (from which lots of Swedish words were borrowed), but in some instances (and to the general public) å, ä and ö only represent sounds. (That was probably more than you wanted to know, but it's Saturday and you have the time.)
Here is a long complicated wikipedia article on the matter. And read Nora Ephron's piece. It's super funny.
How?
Well, umlauts indicate vowel shifts. Some uses of å, ä and ö in modern Swedish can be traced back to vowel shifts in the original German (from which lots of Swedish words were borrowed), but in some instances (and to the general public) å, ä and ö only represent sounds. (That was probably more than you wanted to know, but it's Saturday and you have the time.)
Here is a long complicated wikipedia article on the matter. And read Nora Ephron's piece. It's super funny.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
something else we never knew existed
I experienced some very weird flashes of light in my field of vision this morning. Obviously this made me think of brain tumors, and stroke. So I called the doctor, and had an appointment with an eye specialist two hours later.
The verdict: An ocular migraine, meaning symptoms of migraine, but in one of the eyes only. Some people get the headache and the nausea too, but I didn't.
Thanks Dr. Duggan, my new favorite physician.
The verdict: An ocular migraine, meaning symptoms of migraine, but in one of the eyes only. Some people get the headache and the nausea too, but I didn't.
Thanks Dr. Duggan, my new favorite physician.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
one counselor per 2400 students
Apple products - ipods, iphones, ipads, computers - are marked "Designed by Apple in California", evoking sun, palm trees, and capability. Here is a San Jose Mercury News article about the situation in East San Jose High Schools. That's California too.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
all you can eat stinky fish
I may be the only person who is excited about this, but IKEA East Palo Alto has an all-you-can-eat Midsummer Buffet Dinner from 5:30-8:00 this coming Friday.
new batch of photos
I've updated my hipstamatic smugmug galleries. Click here to go there and have a look.
Monday, June 07, 2010
veggie soup
Dan likes to make vegetable juice in the juicer. It's healthy, and tasty. The only downside is all the pulp that is left behind. It's such a waste throwing it away.
A couple of years ago we would make little patties: We'd take the pulp, mix it with egg, boiled potatoes, and spices. Then we would form patties and dip them in bread crumbs, and fry them. It was pretty good.
Today I made a soup. I cut up onion, garlic, carrots, and cauliflower, and sauteed it for a while. Then I dumped in the pulp, and spices. I added water and chicken stock and let it boil until the carrots were soft, before I blended everything using the hand blender. It turned out well. I ate mine with some truffle oil on top, but Dan sad no thanks to that.
looks like a church, right?
To celebrate the dual holiday of the Swedish National Day and National Cancer Survivor Day on June 6, Dan and I went to History San Jose. That is an outdoors museum in San Jose that features old buildings, a piece of a tram-line, and in all honesty not much more. But some of the old buildings are pretty, and they have an old fashioned soda fountain with ice cream sundaes, floats, and malts.
So we had ice cream, and wandered around for a bit. This pretty white building is an old fire station.
Sunday, June 06, 2010
vanilla, yum
Today is the Swedish National Day, as well as National Cancer Survivors Day. Double reason for ice cream, if you ask me. Click here to see the sundae Dan and I split today.
speechless
Thanks to Mayka I found this well worth your time blog post by Roger Ebert: How do they get to be that way?
He is referring to a story about an Arizona mural, that had kids of color re-painted white, after racists had complained.
He is referring to a story about an Arizona mural, that had kids of color re-painted white, after racists had complained.
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