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    • Mar

    16

    The Myth of Progress

    Filed Under anecdotes, capitalism, from the heart, life changes, politics, spiritual practice, uuism | 4 Comments

    This began as a political thought that became religious, then social. I’m too sick to go to church today, so I’m doing my spiritual work online.

    About two months ago, while comparing viable options for Presidential candidates, I was struck by a feeling I’d never had before: maybe it was time to accept a candidate who could represent all Americans - including the ones who believed the opposite of what I believed.

    This is a no brainer, right? Taking into consideration other people’s needs and values, and allowing them a voice and access to the political process - isn’t this what we are taught by our teachers and parents? I don’t remember. I feel like it was, but why did it take 31 years for it to sink in?

    Since then, this has been percolating in the back of my mind. This weekend, I’ve been reading lots about Islam and current Islamic thinking among young people. I started to recall many things about the Muslim mindset. I guess the pot started boiling over, because last night at dinner with Michael, I had another epiphany.

    “Maybe America is never going to be the America I think it should be.”

    “What do you mean?”

    “Well, when I was Muslim, everyone was so sure what America needed was Islam - that Islam was going to illuminate the society, transform people’s lives - slowly, but surely. That we were on that road of progression towards the Truth. And even then, I’d meet other people who felt the same way: Christians, conservatives - not to mention the various subsets of Muslims: the Salaafi, the Qur’an-Only folks, the Black Muslims. And now as a UU, I see it, too. Everyone thinks we are heading towards their vision of their world, but the visions are all different. It can’t be true.”

    Michael thought about this for a moment, then said, “Well, that’s the myth of progress, isn’t it? That’s a criticism I have of Marx, for example. His notion that capitalism would inevitably lead to communism, socialism. The world is a complex system; you can’t make predictions like that. Civilizations aren’t always moving forward. We know this from history. [UU historian James] Loewen talks about this in his tapes [Everything You've Been Taught is Wrong]. Sometimes things get ‘better’ and sometimes they get ‘worse’. It doesn’t matter how great an idea is - what matters is what it’s up against. It has to interact with other ideas.”

    “And this is why you were asking those questions about The Great Turning group, and the concept of an earth community versus an empire?”

    He smacked the steering wheel. “Yes! And it goes back to that conversation we had about pacifism, and you were saying it doesn’t always seem appropriate. And I agree. Gandhi used pacifism to overthrow the rule of the British. But I don’t think it would have worked against, say … Russia.”

    I nodded. “Yeah, I don’t think so, either. I think Gandhi would have been ganked. Plenty of movements have been completely crushed. I don’t even know if Gandhi’s approach would have worked had there not been mass media. The Civil Rights movement in the US would have looked very, very different were it not for television.”

    We sat in the car in our driveway for a few minutes more talking about this. Ultimately, I came away with a much more shifting sense of the world. Like people, strategies need to adapt and evolve. There is no pre-destined outcome that we are working our way towards. This thinking differs from that of people who believe in Armaggedon - but also some of my friends who believe we are “cycling” towards a particular kind of world community.

    I do believe social “progress” is possible. But as Loewen alludes to in his lecture series - particularly the segment titled the Nadir of Race Relations in which he describes how conditions for Blacks improved dramatically for 25 years after the Civil War, and then became horrendous again up until the Civil Rights Movement - we are not pushing forward in some inevitable way. It is through things like human effort, ingenuity, circumstance, and trial and error that positive change happens.

    This does help me. It helps me to expect less from the top. I’m less inclined to trust “movements” in the sense that I know a wave doesn’t always reach the shore. And I know I don’t stand at the center of righteousness - not unless the center can hold everyone, in which case it would no longer be “the center.” I feel less overwhelmed by the world, because I don’t think anyone has all the solutions. I’m not looking for the eternal panacea, or the way.

    Popularity: 42% [?]

    Mar

    11

    Epiphany about Racism

    Filed Under anecdotes, race, rants | 9 Comments

    The LH and I talk about race at least once every day, and last week I had a real moment of epiphany. We were talking about this black, Christian minister named Jesse Lee Peterson, who appears on Fox (Bill O’Reilly’s show in particular) to confirm all the anti-black feelings the white viewers of the show want to see justified. In one particular segment he made the statement that “most - not all, not all - but MOST black people are immoral.” 

    I got so angry, I called him a “self-hating black man.” (Wrong, I know.)  Then I got all indignant about the “lynch him in a back alley” comment about Tiger Woods from the white lady on the Golf Channel; and Fuzzy Zoeller’s earlier statements about Tiger Woods and “fried chicken” and “collards, or whatever they like to eat.” Of course, Tiger never takes offense to any of these things and publicly “okays” these things. And then there is that nutcase Pastor Hagee, (endorser of John McCain) who after being called out for advertising a “slave auction” as a church fundraiser claimed not to have “a racial bone in my body.”

    So I was complaining about these things. “What does a white person gotta say before other white people will agree it’s racist!?” I was pretty hot under the collar. All I want is for somebody to stand up and just ADMIT they were thinking racist things. Just admit it. Don’t try to act like the rest of us are overreacting morons. Take responsibility, for heaven’s sake.

    But then Michael (the LH) pointed out that the reason lots of people won’t call something racist is because they believe it to be true. For white people like O’Reilly, he said, if it’s true, it’s not racist. The reason they get so indignant when accused of racism is because they see it as punishment for being honest. 

    Hmm. If true, that would certainly explain a lot.  I’m going to have to mull that over for a while. Who knows; maybe the same applies to other things, as well (e.g. ageism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, etc.). I swear, one day, I’m going to better understand these things from a non black woman’s perspective. Heaven knows why I feel it’s necessary.

    p.s. Despite my anger, I do understand the mentality of the self-hating black person; I do. But I still want to gouge my eyes out when I see that Rev. Peterson has a chapter in one of his books titled, “Why Black Women Are So Mean.” Michael’s response is to laugh at racism (both internalized inferiority and superiority). I might laugh sometimes, but my blood pressure still goes up.   

    Popularity: 22% [?]

    Feb

    29

    From Obama to Alpha Centauri

    Filed Under anecdotes, capitalism, politics, religion, science | 1 Comment

    My youngest brother started it. He prompted a conversation between me and the husband about imperialism, liberal interventionism, and the concept of universal human rights. From this, somehow we got to talking about the privileged position of faith and the contradictions that creates, how it’s strange to accept the “miracles” of Jesus based on the word people who didn’t understand much about how the natural world worked, and then magicians …. On to the God of Gaps, and the popular idea that when we die our “energy” lives on as a personal spirit, how long would it take to travel to Alpha Centauri, intelligent life on other planets wouldn’t need to be “humanoid,” and finally, the Prime Directive. Which led us right back to non interventionist vs interventionist politics.

    This all began when my brother told me he’d send me his copy of Obama’s Audacity of Hope (he’s read both of Obama’s books), and wanted me to pay special attention to the chapter “Beyond Our Borders” (or something along those lines). “And then tell me if you think Obama is an imperialist.”

    Two hours later I was sitting here thinking about the fact that when I look into the Milky Way I’m looking years into the past. Even the sun is always ten minutes old to my eyes. And many “primitive” people saw themselves as “the people” in the same way that some religions advocate humans as special to God. We are thriving and striving in a narrow and delicate slip of our planet. I want the primacy of a ripe orange in my hand and an understanding of magnitude.

    Taken one by one, we are minor things repetitively criss-crossing the streets of the towns we live in, but as a whole we’ve constructed elaborate universes of knowledge, some real, some imagined.

    Popularity: 22% [?]

    Feb

    10

    Best Five Minutes and a Cultural Divide

    Filed Under anecdotes, pop culture | 6 Comments

    How awesome. I got to see Carole King introduce an award. She’s 66?! I hope I look that youthful and happy at 66. Then some nice Canadian woman sang a pretty song about Teenage Hopes, and then Keelie Smith sang with Kid Rock as Dave Koz played saxophone right next to them. That was catchy, even though I normally hate Kid Rock. And I got to see an audience shot of Bonnie Raitt! Then the Foo Fighters won an award for something! I suspect this has to be the best five minutes of the Grammy’s I’ve seen in ten years, so I should probably turn off the tv now.

    Oh. my. God. The LH made a comment about one of the presenters, saying, “he must not be able to see the teleprompter very well.” I was like, “That’s STEVIE WONDER!” His response: “Oh, is it?” I definitely did not marry a black man.

    *appalled*

    Popularity: 25% [?]

    Dec

    28

    Are You “Not Hispanic”?

    Filed Under anecdotes, lil things, politics, race | 2 Comments

    Over the last year or so I’ve come across numerous “demographic” questionnaires that are very particular about ferreting out the “Hispanics” among us. Last winter, the first of these threw both the LH and me for a real loop:

    Strange Questionnaire

    As you may or may not be able to see, the creators of this form apparently believe that if you are Hispanic you cannot identify as anything else. I especially love the last line: “Two or more races (not Hispanic or Latino).”

    For a few moments, the LH was in a bit of quandary as to what box to check seeing as how he is half Japanese and half Mexican (European + indigenous + who knows). But eventually he chose Asian because … majority rules. (???) The thing is, the LH is not that unusual. I know of a dozen people who have one Mexican parent and one Pakistani parent. Not to mention the Chinese Cubans, and myriads of other folks.

    This questionnaire came up when the LH was completing paperwork for employment - something to do with Homeland Security. Since that time, we’ve seen similar forms at the bank and other places. The most recent form that I saw like this was for the SATs - it was identical except for one curious addition: being Mexican warranted its very own box on its very own line.

    At least it didn’t say “Mexican (not Hispanic or Latino).”

    Popularity: 20% [?]

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