I watched an HBO production of Grey Gardens just over a week ago.
I am still haunted by this picture.
The true story of Jackie O's aunt and first cousin had eluded me. I never heard of the 1970s documentary and knew absolutely nothing about these people. I watched the film because I have always enjoyed Drew Barrymore's work, though I have on occasion wondered about her choice of film.
She was absolutely fantastic in this role. Scarily so, actually. This was acting at its finest. She played opposite Jessica Lange and they were an incredible team.
In the 1930s, these two ladies were used to wealth and servants and the good life.
Somewhere along the line, things went terribly wrong.
The movie did not really give an indication to me as to what happened. They feel upon misfortune and lost their money because Dad left the house and didn't give Mom any allimony. Perhaps the documentary makes it clearer, I don't know.
The filth the women lived in, complete with cats and racoons, troubled me greatly. Obviously they were both mentally ill, but that for me needed to be clearer in the movie. The movie almost made it seem as if they thought that picking up their own trash was beneath them. So they'd rather live in squalor. There wasn't enough focus on the reasons to suit me, I suppose.
Which is the scary part, isn't it? That it can just happen... one minute you're living the good life and the next you're eating cat food. Sometimes there aren't any reasons and that makes it all the more terrifying.
The mother, played by Jessica Lange, was overbearing and dominating. She had her daughter under her fist, and the younger Edie never stood a chance. Mother Dearest was a rather scary woman as Lange portrayed her. Her daughter Edie had lots of sympathy from me but after a while I wanted to shake her into action. Obviously she could not take action, though.
In some discussions of young Edie I have read online, there is talk of schizophrenia, etc., and I can accept that. For both of the women.
That's because there was something deficit in the souls of these characters. Something strangely amiss.
By the 1970s the two were living alone in a falling-down ramshackled mansion. The city wanted to condemn the place. Jackie O and her sister stepped in and fixed the home back up.
And then some fellows came along and made a documentary, which from what I've read was an eye-opener that brought some modest fame to the younger Edie, at any rate.
I am always disturbed when I learn of people living in poor conditions, for whatever reason. It happens with greater frequency than most folks realize. I would hazard a guess that in every neighborhood in the US there is at least one home that has someone in similar circumstances. It might not be visible from the outside, but inside ... what a disaster.
But I believe these people are doing the best they can. It just doesn't live up to societal standards.
There are lists of homes with city health officials where people like firefighters are told they should not enter the home. I have seen them.
I think I live in fear of becoming a person like this. Someone beyond eccentric.
Anyway, I haven't been able to shake Grey Gardens from my brain. I am hoping this post will knock it loose from my skull.
Showing posts with label World. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World. Show all posts
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday, March 01, 2009
What's this stuff?
We woke this morning to an unfamiliar site!
About two inches of very wet snow blankets the ground.
I went outside twice before 8 a.m. to take a few photos so that in my older age I can remember what snow looked like.
The birds were chirping their morning greeting. The air was very still, waiting, I think, on more wintry weather. The bird noises echoed off the house. The sounds were quite lovely.
The roads are uncovered. This is a good kind of snow, when you can still travel but the ground gets the benefit of the moisture. From a farming point of view, this was much needed and will be a big help.
About two inches of very wet snow blankets the ground.
I went outside twice before 8 a.m. to take a few photos so that in my older age I can remember what snow looked like.
The birds were chirping their morning greeting. The air was very still, waiting, I think, on more wintry weather. The bird noises echoed off the house. The sounds were quite lovely.
The roads are uncovered. This is a good kind of snow, when you can still travel but the ground gets the benefit of the moisture. From a farming point of view, this was much needed and will be a big help.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
A Big Day
I simply could not let this day go by without acknowledging it on my blog.
A new day.
A new hope.
A new President of the United States.
I am not as enamoured of soon-to-be President Obama as some; I made no secret that I preferred Hillary Clinton, who will instead by the new Secretary of State. But Mr. Obama will be my president and as such I will give him my support until such time as he proves himself unworthy of it.
I pray that this does bring about a new dawn for this country, and that the many problems we have will begin to be addressed.
A new day.
A new hope.
A new President of the United States.
I am not as enamoured of soon-to-be President Obama as some; I made no secret that I preferred Hillary Clinton, who will instead by the new Secretary of State. But Mr. Obama will be my president and as such I will give him my support until such time as he proves himself unworthy of it.
I pray that this does bring about a new dawn for this country, and that the many problems we have will begin to be addressed.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Thursday Thirteen: Dona Nobis Pacem
1. Let there be Peace now.
2. A hush all over the world.
3. Quietness inside that spills over
4. Into the heart and soul
5. Of every man, woman and child.
6. Let there be Peace now.
7. No division, no war.
8. No poverty and no pain.
9. May gratitude and love
10. Find each soul and swell it
11. Until only goodness and joy abide
12. If tears must fall, fill rivers
13. And let us all drink each other's sorrows.
Today is the Blogblast for Peace, which I have participated in before. I think it is always a good time to hope for Peace.
*Blogblast for Peace comes from Mimi Writes.*
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; you can learn more about it here. My other Thursday Thirteens are here.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Younge in Roanoke
Remember I told you Gary Younge from the Guardian in the UK is here?
Read this important story on the lengthening bread lines.
Read this important story on the lengthening bread lines.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Project Censored
I ran across this article today:
Project Censored
The top 10 stories the US news media missed in the past year.
Some scary stuff in here. I will post a few bits and pieces but I strongly urge everyone to take a look at the entire article.
These are the top unreported stories in the past year. Things that we should know but don't, in other words. The stories generally have to do with war, presidential grab of power, and loss of civil liberties.
The stories are:
1. HOW MANY IRAQIS HAVE DIED?
...even more astounding is that so few journalists have mentioned the issue or cited the top estimate: 1.2 million. ...
2. NAFTA ON STEROIDS
.. the Security and Prosperity Partnership... was formed in secret, without public input...It's a coalition of private companies that are, according to the SPP Web site, "adding high-level business input [that] will assist governments in enhancing North America's competitive position and engage the private sector as partners in finding solutions."
The NACC includes the Chevron Corporation, Ford Motor Company, General Electric, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Merck & Co. Inc., New York Life Insurance Co., Procter & Gamble Co., and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. ...
3. INFRAGARD GUARDS ITSELF
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security have effectively deputized 23,000 members of the business community, asking them to tip off the feds in exchange for preferential treatment in the event of a crisis....
4. ILEA: TRAINING GROUND FOR ILLEGAL WARS?
5. SEIZING PROTEST
Protesting war could get you into big trouble, according to a critical read of two executive orders recently signed by President Bush....
6. RADICALS = TERRORISTS
On Oct. 23, 2007, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed — by a vote of 404-6 — the "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act," designed to root out the causes of radicalization in Americans.... This redefines civil disobedience as terrorism...
7. SLAVERY'S RUNNER-UP
Every year, about 121,000 people legally enter the United States to work with H-2 visas, a program legislators are touting as part of future immigration reform. But Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) called this guest worker program "the closest thing I've ever seen to slavery."...
8. BUSH CHANGES THE RULES
...
According to the three memos:
"There is no constitutional requirement for a President to issue a new executive order whenever he wishes to depart from the terms of a previous executive order. Rather than violate an executive order, the President has instead modified or waived it";
"The President, exercising his constitutional authority under Article II, can determine whether an action is a lawful exercise of the President's authority under Article II," and
"The Department of Justice is bound by the President's legal determinations."...
9. SOLDIERS SPEAK OUT
... in March, when more than 300 veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan convened for four days of public testimony on the war, they were largely ignored by the media....
10. APA HELPS CIA TORTURE
Psychologists have been assisting the CIA and US military with interrogation and torture of Guantánamo detainees — which the American Psychological Association has said is fine,...
***
Like I said, read the entire thing for yourself.
Project Censored
The top 10 stories the US news media missed in the past year.
Some scary stuff in here. I will post a few bits and pieces but I strongly urge everyone to take a look at the entire article.
These are the top unreported stories in the past year. Things that we should know but don't, in other words. The stories generally have to do with war, presidential grab of power, and loss of civil liberties.
The stories are:
1. HOW MANY IRAQIS HAVE DIED?
...even more astounding is that so few journalists have mentioned the issue or cited the top estimate: 1.2 million. ...
2. NAFTA ON STEROIDS
.. the Security and Prosperity Partnership... was formed in secret, without public input...It's a coalition of private companies that are, according to the SPP Web site, "adding high-level business input [that] will assist governments in enhancing North America's competitive position and engage the private sector as partners in finding solutions."
The NACC includes the Chevron Corporation, Ford Motor Company, General Electric, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Merck & Co. Inc., New York Life Insurance Co., Procter & Gamble Co., and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. ...
3. INFRAGARD GUARDS ITSELF
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security have effectively deputized 23,000 members of the business community, asking them to tip off the feds in exchange for preferential treatment in the event of a crisis....
4. ILEA: TRAINING GROUND FOR ILLEGAL WARS?
5. SEIZING PROTEST
Protesting war could get you into big trouble, according to a critical read of two executive orders recently signed by President Bush....
6. RADICALS = TERRORISTS
On Oct. 23, 2007, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed — by a vote of 404-6 — the "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act," designed to root out the causes of radicalization in Americans.... This redefines civil disobedience as terrorism...
7. SLAVERY'S RUNNER-UP
Every year, about 121,000 people legally enter the United States to work with H-2 visas, a program legislators are touting as part of future immigration reform. But Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) called this guest worker program "the closest thing I've ever seen to slavery."...
8. BUSH CHANGES THE RULES
...
According to the three memos:
"There is no constitutional requirement for a President to issue a new executive order whenever he wishes to depart from the terms of a previous executive order. Rather than violate an executive order, the President has instead modified or waived it";
"The President, exercising his constitutional authority under Article II, can determine whether an action is a lawful exercise of the President's authority under Article II," and
"The Department of Justice is bound by the President's legal determinations."...
9. SOLDIERS SPEAK OUT
... in March, when more than 300 veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan convened for four days of public testimony on the war, they were largely ignored by the media....
10. APA HELPS CIA TORTURE
Psychologists have been assisting the CIA and US military with interrogation and torture of Guantánamo detainees — which the American Psychological Association has said is fine,...
***
Like I said, read the entire thing for yourself.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Let's Have a Dialogue
One of my readers left a long answer about issues with health care and then deleted the comment. I received it anyway as an email.
I will respect the author's anonymity because I enjoy his/her blog and I am not out to make enemies. That's easy enough to do when you're not trying.
But I would like to make note of two of the writer's points.
One - Medicare (along with the insurance industry) is the real root of the problem. Medicare only pays a fraction of the actual cost of service, so charges must be made elsewhere to compensate.
Two - many people have no insurance and cannot pay. They fall under charity care because they haven't the funds to properly pay their medical bills.
These are critical issues but I think they go much deeper than just health care. This is a very wealthy country but there an amazing amount of people can barely scrap by. An amazing number of folks sleep on sidewalks or roam the streets of the city because they have nowhere else to go.
There are oodles of people living in substandard housing, living with a leaking roof and shivering in the cold because they can't pay their bills. I know because I have been in some of those homes.
The real issue, to me, isn't health care but this dual standard of living. We have the very rich and the middle class. Then there's this ghost poor who no one talks about and addresses accept to acknowledge that they are a drain on the system.
I think it's time we try to do something to help these people. What would this entail? Would we ask the churches to stop building larger buildings and instead tend to the needy? Would that become a mandate?
Would we increase the funds from Social Security and other government entitlement monies to increase the standard of living from barely there to maybe having a little something? If we do that, how do we pay for it? Do we stop fighting wars and train those funds on the poor? Do we stop paying for public education? Do we raise taxes on those who can pay? And then how do we define who can pay? Just folks making over XXX dollars? Folks who manage to live within their means?
This country needs a major conversation on very important issues just like what I've described above. We don't need to talk about who's daughter is pregnant, which church someone does or does not attend and what Britney Spears has had to drink today. None of that matters to the nation. It shouldn't matter to anyone but the parties involved.
How we handle our less fortunate has a big impact on the country. FDR managed to bring an entire class out of a state of drowning by creating jobs - upgrades to infrastructure that are now today badly in need of repair. In Virginia alone we need millions and millions of dollars of road work that the state is unwilling to pay for.
There are sewer lines to be laid and water lines to be put down. Bridges need repairing. If we put people back to work - real work - imagine how different it might be. Folks could pay their E.R. bill, maybe.
Instead of tossing out $600 stimulus checks that do little, why not set up another Civilian Conservation Corps? Why not let people have a little pride and go about helping their country while they are also economically sustaining it?
It's time for talking about this sort of thing, folks. We need a plan. And then we need action. We need to find our footing again so we can all stand up proud, healthy and strong - each and every one.
I will respect the author's anonymity because I enjoy his/her blog and I am not out to make enemies. That's easy enough to do when you're not trying.
But I would like to make note of two of the writer's points.
One - Medicare (along with the insurance industry) is the real root of the problem. Medicare only pays a fraction of the actual cost of service, so charges must be made elsewhere to compensate.
Two - many people have no insurance and cannot pay. They fall under charity care because they haven't the funds to properly pay their medical bills.
These are critical issues but I think they go much deeper than just health care. This is a very wealthy country but there an amazing amount of people can barely scrap by. An amazing number of folks sleep on sidewalks or roam the streets of the city because they have nowhere else to go.
There are oodles of people living in substandard housing, living with a leaking roof and shivering in the cold because they can't pay their bills. I know because I have been in some of those homes.
The real issue, to me, isn't health care but this dual standard of living. We have the very rich and the middle class. Then there's this ghost poor who no one talks about and addresses accept to acknowledge that they are a drain on the system.
I think it's time we try to do something to help these people. What would this entail? Would we ask the churches to stop building larger buildings and instead tend to the needy? Would that become a mandate?
Would we increase the funds from Social Security and other government entitlement monies to increase the standard of living from barely there to maybe having a little something? If we do that, how do we pay for it? Do we stop fighting wars and train those funds on the poor? Do we stop paying for public education? Do we raise taxes on those who can pay? And then how do we define who can pay? Just folks making over XXX dollars? Folks who manage to live within their means?
This country needs a major conversation on very important issues just like what I've described above. We don't need to talk about who's daughter is pregnant, which church someone does or does not attend and what Britney Spears has had to drink today. None of that matters to the nation. It shouldn't matter to anyone but the parties involved.
How we handle our less fortunate has a big impact on the country. FDR managed to bring an entire class out of a state of drowning by creating jobs - upgrades to infrastructure that are now today badly in need of repair. In Virginia alone we need millions and millions of dollars of road work that the state is unwilling to pay for.
There are sewer lines to be laid and water lines to be put down. Bridges need repairing. If we put people back to work - real work - imagine how different it might be. Folks could pay their E.R. bill, maybe.
Instead of tossing out $600 stimulus checks that do little, why not set up another Civilian Conservation Corps? Why not let people have a little pride and go about helping their country while they are also economically sustaining it?
It's time for talking about this sort of thing, folks. We need a plan. And then we need action. We need to find our footing again so we can all stand up proud, healthy and strong - each and every one.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Wasteland of the Free
Donna at Just Me has posted the words to a song that I found very powerful (the words, not necessary the singing of it).
It's called Wasteland of the Free by Iris Dement and it is a good reflection of how I feel about things in the U.S. much of the time.
Take a look.
It's called Wasteland of the Free by Iris Dement and it is a good reflection of how I feel about things in the U.S. much of the time.
Take a look.
Saturday, June 07, 2008
I Supported Hillary
Stay with me, dear readers, especially those of you who I know supported Obama. I read your missives; surely you can deal with this singular post of mine.
Don't worry; I'm still on the moderate-to-left side of the political spectrum. My vote will reflect that, regardless of candidate.
However, if your must comment and it as hate-filled as your own posts about your distaste of the female population have often been, don't waste your time here. A few of you, whom I used to read regularly but don't visit so often now because of your obvious distaste for your mothers, wives, sisters and daughters as portrayed in your venomous diatribes against the woman who would be president, can just go on about your day elsewhere. Come back tomorrow for the un-political me.
First, I will say why I supported Hillary. She had substance. Here are the points she made that I appreciated:
She noticed that there is a class war going on and that the middle class is under siege.
I liked her health care plan better than anyone else's, although I don't think it goes far enough. Our health care, to put it simply, is terrible. It needs a complete overhaul. We'd be better off bartering for chickens.
I appreciated her willingness to confront the Iraq issue. Yes, I know she voted for the war. I also think that she and the majority of Congress were spoon fed the BS that the Bush Administration put forth to get this war started so the good ol' boys at Halliburton could have their fun. I give her the benefit of the doubt on this issue because I think she voted based on the misinformation that was available at that time. And as for Obama, well, he wasn't in the senate when the vote took place, so you can pretty much say whatever you want after the fact when you're not there in the hot seat.
I felt like Hillary Clinton would take a lead on women's issues, which have been seriously neglected and indeed stomped on and shoved beneath the table by the Bush Administration.
Which brings me to the main reason for this post. I have been utterly appalled at the media sexism in this primary season. The lack of respect for Hillary portrayed by the media, and by various bloggers, has shown me that many men out there still believe they should be king of the castle, without a queen, and are badly in want of only a scullery maid to wash their clothes and soothe their poor little minnow-sized manhood.
I am not sure what to think about the women who bashed the first potential female candidate for president. I think perhaps they feared the loss of their position as scullery maid because they weren't ready for the promotion to queen. Maybe they like it down on their knees.
Please note that I am referring only to Hillary-bashers of both sexes. If you didn't support her because you disagreed with her issues or whatever, but still managed to respect her run for office, that's something else again. I have no quarrel with you; that is your right.
But the bashing was intense. Many men in particular and this mostly-male driven media, should be ashamed of themselves. I daresay they hold their chin up and go on about their day because they think they have won. Well, they may have gotten their candidate but they have certainly lost a great deal of respect not only from me but from a good portion of the population - the female side, that is.
I know we don't count, of course. We are, after all, the inferior sex in your mind.
If this primary has shown anything, it is that the women of my generation failed miserably by not picking up the reigns on the issues of women's equality. Obviously lip service only has been paid to this idea for the last 30 years.
True equality among the sexes in this country has been shown for what it is - a farce. The glass ceiling is as solid as it was in 1950. For every instance you can give me of a woman at the top, I can give you 1,000 of a place where she is not.
Sexual discrimination is a very real issue. White males in particular have never experienced this and so are clueless as to the very real pain this can cause.
I have experienced it and continue to experience it nearly every day of my life, and let me tell you, it is incredibly frustrating and demoralizing to be held back simply because you're female.
And it is humiliating to be grabbed up and fondled by the computer repairman just because he thinks he has that right. (Yes, that happened, and yes, I attempted to prosecute; he fled the state.)
To be dismissed simply because you can have a baby is extremely discouraging. It does nothing for your self esteem, let me tell you. It's not like we can change it.
The treatment men have given Hillary - calling her names, telling her to go home and iron their shirts - has only brought all of this sexual discrimination home. I see it everywhere, from the way I am treated by my physician to the way I am dismissed when I have a complaint at the supermarket.
It has not been pleasant to be reminded so constantly and consistently by the media that all I apparently am good for is doing the laundry.
It is not okay for the media to be so sexist. It's not okay to joke about pantsuits or how a woman laughs or to make fun of the women who so passionately supported Hillary Clinton for president.
I don't need a daddy to take care of me. I need a strong and powerful leader who would champion the people, not just their rich and powerful friends.
For me, that was Hillary Clinton.
As far as I'm concerned, the Democratic party has been completely disrespectful to women, and frankly, it owes us all, everyone of us, and in particular Hillary Clinton, a very big and heartfelt apology.
Don't worry; I'm still on the moderate-to-left side of the political spectrum. My vote will reflect that, regardless of candidate.
However, if your must comment and it as hate-filled as your own posts about your distaste of the female population have often been, don't waste your time here. A few of you, whom I used to read regularly but don't visit so often now because of your obvious distaste for your mothers, wives, sisters and daughters as portrayed in your venomous diatribes against the woman who would be president, can just go on about your day elsewhere. Come back tomorrow for the un-political me.
First, I will say why I supported Hillary. She had substance. Here are the points she made that I appreciated:
She noticed that there is a class war going on and that the middle class is under siege.
I liked her health care plan better than anyone else's, although I don't think it goes far enough. Our health care, to put it simply, is terrible. It needs a complete overhaul. We'd be better off bartering for chickens.
I appreciated her willingness to confront the Iraq issue. Yes, I know she voted for the war. I also think that she and the majority of Congress were spoon fed the BS that the Bush Administration put forth to get this war started so the good ol' boys at Halliburton could have their fun. I give her the benefit of the doubt on this issue because I think she voted based on the misinformation that was available at that time. And as for Obama, well, he wasn't in the senate when the vote took place, so you can pretty much say whatever you want after the fact when you're not there in the hot seat.
I felt like Hillary Clinton would take a lead on women's issues, which have been seriously neglected and indeed stomped on and shoved beneath the table by the Bush Administration.
Which brings me to the main reason for this post. I have been utterly appalled at the media sexism in this primary season. The lack of respect for Hillary portrayed by the media, and by various bloggers, has shown me that many men out there still believe they should be king of the castle, without a queen, and are badly in want of only a scullery maid to wash their clothes and soothe their poor little minnow-sized manhood.
I am not sure what to think about the women who bashed the first potential female candidate for president. I think perhaps they feared the loss of their position as scullery maid because they weren't ready for the promotion to queen. Maybe they like it down on their knees.
Please note that I am referring only to Hillary-bashers of both sexes. If you didn't support her because you disagreed with her issues or whatever, but still managed to respect her run for office, that's something else again. I have no quarrel with you; that is your right.
But the bashing was intense. Many men in particular and this mostly-male driven media, should be ashamed of themselves. I daresay they hold their chin up and go on about their day because they think they have won. Well, they may have gotten their candidate but they have certainly lost a great deal of respect not only from me but from a good portion of the population - the female side, that is.
I know we don't count, of course. We are, after all, the inferior sex in your mind.
If this primary has shown anything, it is that the women of my generation failed miserably by not picking up the reigns on the issues of women's equality. Obviously lip service only has been paid to this idea for the last 30 years.
True equality among the sexes in this country has been shown for what it is - a farce. The glass ceiling is as solid as it was in 1950. For every instance you can give me of a woman at the top, I can give you 1,000 of a place where she is not.
Sexual discrimination is a very real issue. White males in particular have never experienced this and so are clueless as to the very real pain this can cause.
I have experienced it and continue to experience it nearly every day of my life, and let me tell you, it is incredibly frustrating and demoralizing to be held back simply because you're female.
And it is humiliating to be grabbed up and fondled by the computer repairman just because he thinks he has that right. (Yes, that happened, and yes, I attempted to prosecute; he fled the state.)
To be dismissed simply because you can have a baby is extremely discouraging. It does nothing for your self esteem, let me tell you. It's not like we can change it.
The treatment men have given Hillary - calling her names, telling her to go home and iron their shirts - has only brought all of this sexual discrimination home. I see it everywhere, from the way I am treated by my physician to the way I am dismissed when I have a complaint at the supermarket.
It has not been pleasant to be reminded so constantly and consistently by the media that all I apparently am good for is doing the laundry.
It is not okay for the media to be so sexist. It's not okay to joke about pantsuits or how a woman laughs or to make fun of the women who so passionately supported Hillary Clinton for president.
I don't need a daddy to take care of me. I need a strong and powerful leader who would champion the people, not just their rich and powerful friends.
For me, that was Hillary Clinton.
As far as I'm concerned, the Democratic party has been completely disrespectful to women, and frankly, it owes us all, everyone of us, and in particular Hillary Clinton, a very big and heartfelt apology.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Saturday, May 31, 2008
The Word is "Joint"
Last night while watching a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers concert on TV, I noticed the interesting censorship that is going on this silly country.
In the song You Don't Know How It Feels, they messed with this line:
Let's get to the point. Let's roll another ????
WTF? (They do it on the video I linked to above, also.
Here's an uncensored version of the song.)
The censured word is joint. As in a marijuana cigarette. I am about 1000 percent sure that when this song was released in 1994 that the word joint was NOT censured. I wonder if it's censured these days on the radio, too. Maybe they just don't play it anymore.
Let's get to the point. Let's roll another joint.
And what doesn't get censured? What objectionable things did I hear Tom Petty sing about last night that wasn't bleeped out?
How about ... drinking booze and getting into a woman's jeans? It's not okay to roll a joint ... but it's okay to mess around and possibly impregnate a woman. And it's okay to get drunk.
I am so glad we have our priorities straight in this country. (That was sarcasm in case you missed it.)
I suppose this is part of the war on drugs. Another government initiative that has never made sense to me.
No, I don't use drugs but I think the policy of locking up someone for smoking MJ is ridiculous. Europe treats drugs as a health issue, not a criminal one, and I think that is the better way to go about this.
Obviously our way isn't working, so it's time to look to something that seems to be modestly successful.
In the meantime, government and TV and everyone else who thinks they know what is good for me, stop censuring my art. And everything else. What are we, a bunch of wilted flowers?
I hate censorship.
In the song You Don't Know How It Feels, they messed with this line:
Let's get to the point. Let's roll another ????
WTF? (They do it on the video I linked to above, also.
Here's an uncensored version of the song.)
The censured word is joint. As in a marijuana cigarette. I am about 1000 percent sure that when this song was released in 1994 that the word joint was NOT censured. I wonder if it's censured these days on the radio, too. Maybe they just don't play it anymore.
Let's get to the point. Let's roll another joint.
And what doesn't get censured? What objectionable things did I hear Tom Petty sing about last night that wasn't bleeped out?
How about ... drinking booze and getting into a woman's jeans? It's not okay to roll a joint ... but it's okay to mess around and possibly impregnate a woman. And it's okay to get drunk.
I am so glad we have our priorities straight in this country. (That was sarcasm in case you missed it.)
I suppose this is part of the war on drugs. Another government initiative that has never made sense to me.
No, I don't use drugs but I think the policy of locking up someone for smoking MJ is ridiculous. Europe treats drugs as a health issue, not a criminal one, and I think that is the better way to go about this.
Obviously our way isn't working, so it's time to look to something that seems to be modestly successful.
In the meantime, government and TV and everyone else who thinks they know what is good for me, stop censuring my art. And everything else. What are we, a bunch of wilted flowers?
I hate censorship.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
The Courtship
Meet Barack. He's looking for something. The path to a white house, maybe?
Sweetie, where are you? I'm ready for that interview!
There you are, Hillary! Why don't you come when I call?
Okay, sweetie, don't stand so far away. Move closer and maybe I'll name you my VP.
What's the matter with you, Hillary? You're still too far away! Can't you see me strutting my stuff over here? I'm the one with the colors and flash!
That's right. Give it up. I don't care if you are running a tough race. I'm the one with the fan tail.
I've got you now, Hillary. Even if we are nearly even in delegates! You will be mine!
Wait a minute. Where are you going, Hillary?
Damn! I missed her again!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
So 1984
So after a quick lunch with a friend today, I simply had to go to CVS to see if I could find my husband's cold medication.
He uses Drixoral and has for years. It keeps him from snoring, which is a good thing because he can snore long and loud and I do not sleep.
Husband snored a lot last night.
Into CVS I go, only to find they don't have the OTC drug either. Apparently this OTC drug has vanished from local shelves. This was the last place I had to look.
Drugs with pseudoephedrine are now a controlled substance. That is a decongestant, which up until 2005 I could buy as as easily as I could wipe my nose.
You can still buy it without a prescription, but you have to show ID and sign for it.
The pharmacist suggested a very expensive alternative to Drixoral. I had to do that produce your driver’s license and sign for it thing in order to obtain this.
While I was performing that activity, which always angers me and makes me feel like a criminal simply because I need a cold capsule, the PA in the store began blaring.
“There are new rules about passports that will take effect soon. You may not leave or enter the country, including from Mexico and Canada, without a valid passport,” it droned.
I felt like I was in some kind of police state.
I couldn't get out of that store fast enough.
He uses Drixoral and has for years. It keeps him from snoring, which is a good thing because he can snore long and loud and I do not sleep.
Husband snored a lot last night.
Into CVS I go, only to find they don't have the OTC drug either. Apparently this OTC drug has vanished from local shelves. This was the last place I had to look.
Drugs with pseudoephedrine are now a controlled substance. That is a decongestant, which up until 2005 I could buy as as easily as I could wipe my nose.
You can still buy it without a prescription, but you have to show ID and sign for it.
The pharmacist suggested a very expensive alternative to Drixoral. I had to do that produce your driver’s license and sign for it thing in order to obtain this.
While I was performing that activity, which always angers me and makes me feel like a criminal simply because I need a cold capsule, the PA in the store began blaring.
“There are new rules about passports that will take effect soon. You may not leave or enter the country, including from Mexico and Canada, without a valid passport,” it droned.
I felt like I was in some kind of police state.
I couldn't get out of that store fast enough.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Playing God
An article in yesterday's Roanoke Times highlighted a recommendation from a task force about who lives and who dies in the event of a health crisis.
It ran in other papers, too.
This should open up a dialogue about our health care, and about our values as a society. I daresay that will not happen.
We tend to ignore the things that most warrant our attention, I notice.
In any event, should we have an outbreak of pandemic flu, for example, these people for sure will be left for dead:
But I wonder why stop there? Any why just with a pandemic - why not with cancer cures, pneumonia shots, insulin - any of the things that the "lesser" folks need to survive?
After all, we already section out health care based on ability to pay. If you've got the money, you get the best care. If you've served in Congress, you get good care, too.
If you're middle class, you get poor to fair care. You might still get a flu shot.
If you're poor, well, you get the idea. Some hospital might take you in, only to dump you on the street the next day.
If it's the young and vibrant, those with skinny bodies, healthy tans and white teeth that we're looking for, then a pandemic is certainly a good way to root out all of us who miss the mark. Just withhold the drugs and take us all out at one time. It would leave the perfect society, wouldn't it?
The government has touted this pandemic thing very hard in recent years (it was never on my radar until this Administration). So much so, I strongly suspect they are hoping for one in order to wipe out all of us slobs who don't fit their idea of a perfect specimen. It would be a great way to cleanse the population.
This is wrong on so many levels I can't even begin to list them. This is amoral and it shows plainly how little regard that we as a society actually have for one another.
If this is what comes from a supposedly Christian nation, then God help us all.
It ran in other papers, too.
This should open up a dialogue about our health care, and about our values as a society. I daresay that will not happen.
We tend to ignore the things that most warrant our attention, I notice.
In any event, should we have an outbreak of pandemic flu, for example, these people for sure will be left for dead:
Those out of luck are the people at high risk of death and a slim chance of long-term survival. But the recommendations get much more specific, and include:
_People older than 85.
_Those with severe trauma, which could include critical injuries from car crashes and shootings.
_Severely burned patients older than 60.
_Those with severe mental impairment, which could include advanced Alzheimer's disease.
_Those with a severe chronic disease, such as advanced heart failure, lung disease or poorly controlled diabetes.
But I wonder why stop there? Any why just with a pandemic - why not with cancer cures, pneumonia shots, insulin - any of the things that the "lesser" folks need to survive?
After all, we already section out health care based on ability to pay. If you've got the money, you get the best care. If you've served in Congress, you get good care, too.
If you're middle class, you get poor to fair care. You might still get a flu shot.
If you're poor, well, you get the idea. Some hospital might take you in, only to dump you on the street the next day.
If it's the young and vibrant, those with skinny bodies, healthy tans and white teeth that we're looking for, then a pandemic is certainly a good way to root out all of us who miss the mark. Just withhold the drugs and take us all out at one time. It would leave the perfect society, wouldn't it?
The government has touted this pandemic thing very hard in recent years (it was never on my radar until this Administration). So much so, I strongly suspect they are hoping for one in order to wipe out all of us slobs who don't fit their idea of a perfect specimen. It would be a great way to cleanse the population.
This is wrong on so many levels I can't even begin to list them. This is amoral and it shows plainly how little regard that we as a society actually have for one another.
If this is what comes from a supposedly Christian nation, then God help us all.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
The Roasting Pan
This morning I ventured to the store and decided chicken would be the meat of the day.
After scanning the selections carefully, I came home with an "organic" bird for which I paid a bit more for the assurance that it was sans drugs and steroids.
This afternoon I prepped the chicken for roasting. As I worked, I couldn't help but think that I was repeating the work of every generation of woman who came before me. Preparing the meat, making ready for the meal.
The differences between me and those many-great grandmothers was methodology - I was using an electric oven, and I didn't have to kill the chicken and pluck its feathers. I suspect they had a harder job.
My imagination went wild with me for a time as I envisioned my caveman grandmother, grunting and struggling to hack at the bird with a knife made from bone. I daresay she did not take the time to remove the fat, if there was indeed any fat on a bird back then. Maybe she simply wrung the bird's neck and cooked it with the head on and didn't need a knife.
The feathers would have been kept for use as something else - a pillow, a headdress, a duster, something. They would not have gone to waste, I am sure.
I created more waste simply getting the wrapping off my chicken than my caveman grandmother ever thought about, I think.
Down through the ages, from caveman to Tudor England to the New World, women have roasted chicken. I think too it was not an everyday meal. The birds would have been precious commodities, valued for laying eggs that provide food every day.
I think about when I watch Survivor on CBS and the winning team gets chickens. Invariably instead of keeping the birds around and eating the eggs every day, the chickens last about two days and are eaten. Usually the rooster goes first and then the chickens are a disappointment in the egg-laying department. Every good country girl knows chickens lay eggs better when there's a rooster around.
I think this is a great metaphor for the impatience of U.S. society. We want our chicken now, gosh darn it, and we haven't the patience to wait for the eggs! So what if we starve tomorrow, today we live like kings!
I think that is pretty much the attitude we have toward sustainability issues - use it up now and worry about tomorrow whenever it gets here. It is not very far-sighted and indeed is very short-sited. How much stronger would those survivor contestants be toward the end if they'd been eating eggs every day? I imagine they would be much better off if they had patience.
I am not sure how I went from roasting chickens to saving the planet, but there you go. Everything's connected somehow.
After scanning the selections carefully, I came home with an "organic" bird for which I paid a bit more for the assurance that it was sans drugs and steroids.
This afternoon I prepped the chicken for roasting. As I worked, I couldn't help but think that I was repeating the work of every generation of woman who came before me. Preparing the meat, making ready for the meal.
The differences between me and those many-great grandmothers was methodology - I was using an electric oven, and I didn't have to kill the chicken and pluck its feathers. I suspect they had a harder job.
My imagination went wild with me for a time as I envisioned my caveman grandmother, grunting and struggling to hack at the bird with a knife made from bone. I daresay she did not take the time to remove the fat, if there was indeed any fat on a bird back then. Maybe she simply wrung the bird's neck and cooked it with the head on and didn't need a knife.
The feathers would have been kept for use as something else - a pillow, a headdress, a duster, something. They would not have gone to waste, I am sure.
I created more waste simply getting the wrapping off my chicken than my caveman grandmother ever thought about, I think.
Down through the ages, from caveman to Tudor England to the New World, women have roasted chicken. I think too it was not an everyday meal. The birds would have been precious commodities, valued for laying eggs that provide food every day.
I think about when I watch Survivor on CBS and the winning team gets chickens. Invariably instead of keeping the birds around and eating the eggs every day, the chickens last about two days and are eaten. Usually the rooster goes first and then the chickens are a disappointment in the egg-laying department. Every good country girl knows chickens lay eggs better when there's a rooster around.
I think this is a great metaphor for the impatience of U.S. society. We want our chicken now, gosh darn it, and we haven't the patience to wait for the eggs! So what if we starve tomorrow, today we live like kings!
I think that is pretty much the attitude we have toward sustainability issues - use it up now and worry about tomorrow whenever it gets here. It is not very far-sighted and indeed is very short-sited. How much stronger would those survivor contestants be toward the end if they'd been eating eggs every day? I imagine they would be much better off if they had patience.
I am not sure how I went from roasting chickens to saving the planet, but there you go. Everything's connected somehow.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Windstorm
I have never seen such wind. I understand there are downed trees every where, lots of power outages. Worst of all, there are forest fires.
The wind is gusting at 60 mph and is expected to last into early tomorrow morning.
We have fence down, but that is nothing in the big picture. One of our neighbors has lost half of his roof - and his house is brand new!
My brother is without power and has been told he will be for DAYS.
Above: Leaves dance across the grass, moving faster than a cheetah.
Above: This is what my view of oak trees looked like yesterday morning.
Above: This is what it looked like at 3 p.m. Note the new addition of cedar where there used to be only grass...
Above: My little well house that covers my well pump has been blown over.
Above: Smoke rises from a forest fire out my front window. I believe that to be in Craig County.
The wind is gusting at 60 mph and is expected to last into early tomorrow morning.
We have fence down, but that is nothing in the big picture. One of our neighbors has lost half of his roof - and his house is brand new!
My brother is without power and has been told he will be for DAYS.
Above: Leaves dance across the grass, moving faster than a cheetah.
Above: This is what my view of oak trees looked like yesterday morning.
Above: This is what it looked like at 3 p.m. Note the new addition of cedar where there used to be only grass...
Above: My little well house that covers my well pump has been blown over.
Above: Smoke rises from a forest fire out my front window. I believe that to be in Craig County.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Too Much Stuff
I want to direct you to The Story of Stuff. This is a 20 minute film about ... all the junk we acquire.
It's about all of the stuff you have around you. It's about my computer and your chair and the books I read. It's about your house and my clothes and the cars we drive.
We have too much stuff, I think. I have spent a bit of time in recent years attempting to rid myself of some of the stuff I have thoughtlessly accumulated. Most of it I was sorry I bought; some of it I don't even know how I obtained. Or why, for that matter.
Stuff collects dirt, wastes money that might be put to better use, wastes time, energy, and resources. Sometimes I look at all the "sitty-around" stuff I have in my house and wonder why I need it. I really *don't* need to collect Department 56 figures and houses. Would my life be incomplete without that collection? Probably not.
I have no idea what resources are wasted in making such things. All of this stuff ... we can live without it. Can't we? If we're not careful one day we might have to.
You can read an article about The Story of Stuff and how it came to be here if you want.
Also, I had a bit of trouble with the video loading; I'm on a DSL connection. In case it takes a long time for you, too.
It's about all of the stuff you have around you. It's about my computer and your chair and the books I read. It's about your house and my clothes and the cars we drive.
We have too much stuff, I think. I have spent a bit of time in recent years attempting to rid myself of some of the stuff I have thoughtlessly accumulated. Most of it I was sorry I bought; some of it I don't even know how I obtained. Or why, for that matter.
Stuff collects dirt, wastes money that might be put to better use, wastes time, energy, and resources. Sometimes I look at all the "sitty-around" stuff I have in my house and wonder why I need it. I really *don't* need to collect Department 56 figures and houses. Would my life be incomplete without that collection? Probably not.
I have no idea what resources are wasted in making such things. All of this stuff ... we can live without it. Can't we? If we're not careful one day we might have to.
You can read an article about The Story of Stuff and how it came to be here if you want.
Also, I had a bit of trouble with the video loading; I'm on a DSL connection. In case it takes a long time for you, too.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Tax Cuts
I truly wonder what world the politicians live in.
It isn't one recognizable to any of my friends.
When I ask them, "Will this tax rebate help you?" the answer is a resounding no.
Offering a tax rebate implies that paying taxes are the reason we're in a recession.
It is not the reason.
This article (a version was in The Roanoke Times today; this one is from MSNBC) notes that:
It isn't just retirees who are driving less, eating out less, and staying in more. It's practically everyone who makes less than $100,000 a year. And that is most people I know.
It is the economy, stupid. And the economy is in distress because of the focus on "letting the market rule," i.e., capitalism, and because of deregulation. Because we focus on businesses and money, not people.
It is uncapped rising costs of electricity, gasoline, milk, bread, hamburger, etc. that is the problem, combined with no increase in wages for the majority of people. And those wages that are adjusted are not keeping up with the rate of the rising costs.
It is the lack of unity among the workers and the inability of people to do anything more than think for themselves because they are so scared that they will lose what little bit they have.
When you start messing with the basics, you hurt people. People are hurting.
Our elected rulers are over their heads, every last one of them, from the federal government down. They are so out of touch with the America I live in, anyway, that they may as well live on Mars.
Locally, the General Assembly had a fracas and Salem's lead elected ruler made this comment:
Democrats "are leading us to unionization, strikes of public employees, abolishment of the right-to-work law and, ultimately, the demise of Virginia as one of the best states in the union in which to do business."
Having a great state "in which to do business" is all well and good, but frankly I would rather live in a great state - and a great nation - that is a good place for people to live.
It isn't one recognizable to any of my friends.
When I ask them, "Will this tax rebate help you?" the answer is a resounding no.
Offering a tax rebate implies that paying taxes are the reason we're in a recession.
It is not the reason.
This article (a version was in The Roanoke Times today; this one is from MSNBC) notes that:
Rising food and fuel prices, falling interest rates and screeching declines in
worldwide stock markets have ... thousands of other retirees paring spending to
levels some haven't seen in decades, forgoing dinners out, cutting back on
groceries and canceling plans to visit grandchildren.
It isn't just retirees who are driving less, eating out less, and staying in more. It's practically everyone who makes less than $100,000 a year. And that is most people I know.
It is the economy, stupid. And the economy is in distress because of the focus on "letting the market rule," i.e., capitalism, and because of deregulation. Because we focus on businesses and money, not people.
It is uncapped rising costs of electricity, gasoline, milk, bread, hamburger, etc. that is the problem, combined with no increase in wages for the majority of people. And those wages that are adjusted are not keeping up with the rate of the rising costs.
It is the lack of unity among the workers and the inability of people to do anything more than think for themselves because they are so scared that they will lose what little bit they have.
When you start messing with the basics, you hurt people. People are hurting.
Our elected rulers are over their heads, every last one of them, from the federal government down. They are so out of touch with the America I live in, anyway, that they may as well live on Mars.
Locally, the General Assembly had a fracas and Salem's lead elected ruler made this comment:
Democrats "are leading us to unionization, strikes of public employees, abolishment of the right-to-work law and, ultimately, the demise of Virginia as one of the best states in the union in which to do business."
Having a great state "in which to do business" is all well and good, but frankly I would rather live in a great state - and a great nation - that is a good place for people to live.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Looking Ahead
So what does 2008 hold?
I want this year to be the year of embraced change - a new president of the country to replace the tired and mean one we have now, a new media that focuses on real issues and not fake celebrity news, universal health care for all so that this broken system can mend and doctors can become healers again, not moneychangers.
A girl can dream.
And I hope that in 2008 I dream a lot. I hope for many good nights of sleep, for songs, for sunshine with rain because we surely need the water, for rainbows and snow and green grass. Not necessarily all in one day, but wouldn't it be a cool day if it did all happen?
I pray that in 2008 that the suicide rate drops, that cars burn less fuel, that the poor raise their head and look up - I am pretty sure the reflection from that vast number of eyes would catch someone's attention. Maybe someone would move a mountain and make things better.
I believe it can be done.
For 2008 I wish good things for everyone, even folks I don't know, and those who have been unkind to me. I wish for open minds, for hugging hearts, and for cherished thoughts. I wish for joy and peace, and a new day each and every day. I want to jump up to the embrace of the light.
Let 2008 be the best New Year ever. Let freedom ring and democracy become true. May each and every soul know love.
May the New Year be blessed.
I want this year to be the year of embraced change - a new president of the country to replace the tired and mean one we have now, a new media that focuses on real issues and not fake celebrity news, universal health care for all so that this broken system can mend and doctors can become healers again, not moneychangers.
A girl can dream.
And I hope that in 2008 I dream a lot. I hope for many good nights of sleep, for songs, for sunshine with rain because we surely need the water, for rainbows and snow and green grass. Not necessarily all in one day, but wouldn't it be a cool day if it did all happen?
I pray that in 2008 that the suicide rate drops, that cars burn less fuel, that the poor raise their head and look up - I am pretty sure the reflection from that vast number of eyes would catch someone's attention. Maybe someone would move a mountain and make things better.
I believe it can be done.
For 2008 I wish good things for everyone, even folks I don't know, and those who have been unkind to me. I wish for open minds, for hugging hearts, and for cherished thoughts. I wish for joy and peace, and a new day each and every day. I want to jump up to the embrace of the light.
Let 2008 be the best New Year ever. Let freedom ring and democracy become true. May each and every soul know love.
May the New Year be blessed.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The Tin Man Syndrome
If you rest you'll rust.
That line came from a Denise Austin work out the other morning as I sweated to her Daily Work Out on Lifetime TV.
It gave me pause. Well, I didn't stop exercising but I did look up. Then I started thinking.
I don't want to rust. But I would like to rest occasionally.
I blame the Protestant Work Ethic. This bugaboo has its proponents because it means people work themselves mercilessly. Even in Social Studies at the secondary level, this work ethic is considered a good thing. It is called the Root of Democracy.
This work ethic has made the U.S. the most materially wealthy nation in the world. We're hardworking, prosperous...
We're tired, is what we are.
The New Yorker in 2005 noted that Americans work more and play less than most other nations. Our leisure time is non-existent. The French people work 28 percent less than we do. "Americans trade their productivity for more money, while Europeans trade it for more leisure," the author of this article writes.
He goes on to say this is a result of unions and collective agreements. Europeans had better bargainers. They may have less stuff, but they get to actually enjoy what they have.
In this article about the work ethic in the U.S., note that the Europeans are getting paid vacation. We can't even get time off to have babies, take care of our elderly relatives, deal with sickness... any of the stuff of life. We have to beg and borrow whatever time off we do receive, and then it's given to us begrudgingly.
And when we do finally take vacation, do we spend that entire two weeks away from the office? Nope. We check e-mail, call in, make business phone calls, turn our travel plans upside down to make some out-of-the-area conference.
The reality is, some of us are working hard for stuff. Bigger houses, or a second home, a nicer car, better sofa - whatever.
But it's also a reality that many of us are doing all of this work simply to keep a modest roof over our heads and to pay the necessary bills. I'm talking about utility bills, like electricity and heating, and food bills. There are an awful lot of people who are working two and three jobs just to keep food on the table.
I think millions of Americans can't afford to rest, not because they think they'll rust, but because they think they'll starve.
This is wrong.
I recently learned from the Commondreams article at that link that in 1948, the United Nations set forth a declaration called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I keep up with a lot of things, but I was completely unaware that such a document existed.
As that article points out, the United States violates this document. A lot. And we're in the process of dismantling it even more.
Of course, this document apparently has no legal strength. I suppose it's just a wish list.
I was most interested in Articles 23 and 24, which state: (1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment. (2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work. (3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection. (4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
Article 24.
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Does working 60 hours a week fall under those rights? I don't think so.
I am not a fan of capitalism. I think it is demeaning system, a way of having slave labor and calling it something else, like factory worker. It creates class distinctions and allows too much privilege for those who by virtue of birth or luck are able to manipulate the system to their benefit. I have long noticed that folks who play by the rules, which seems to be many people, are the ones left without heat because they can no longer pay the bills.
I think there are better ways to do things, ways that are fairer and more humane. Ways in which to get the job done that are fair to everyone concerned. However, until our society en masse decides this, I don't see a change coming.
I am not saying we should not work, or that people should just receive a handout so they can sit around and watch TV. I am saying that I would like to see justice in the workplace, some fairness and equity in the way salaries and vacations are dispensed. I would like to see people love their life, not hate it. Living should be a joy, not a grind, but our work ethic has made life a drudgery.
Rest or rust?
Why should that be our only choice?
That line came from a Denise Austin work out the other morning as I sweated to her Daily Work Out on Lifetime TV.
It gave me pause. Well, I didn't stop exercising but I did look up. Then I started thinking.
I don't want to rust. But I would like to rest occasionally.
I blame the Protestant Work Ethic. This bugaboo has its proponents because it means people work themselves mercilessly. Even in Social Studies at the secondary level, this work ethic is considered a good thing. It is called the Root of Democracy.
This work ethic has made the U.S. the most materially wealthy nation in the world. We're hardworking, prosperous...
We're tired, is what we are.
The New Yorker in 2005 noted that Americans work more and play less than most other nations. Our leisure time is non-existent. The French people work 28 percent less than we do. "Americans trade their productivity for more money, while Europeans trade it for more leisure," the author of this article writes.
He goes on to say this is a result of unions and collective agreements. Europeans had better bargainers. They may have less stuff, but they get to actually enjoy what they have.
In this article about the work ethic in the U.S., note that the Europeans are getting paid vacation. We can't even get time off to have babies, take care of our elderly relatives, deal with sickness... any of the stuff of life. We have to beg and borrow whatever time off we do receive, and then it's given to us begrudgingly.
And when we do finally take vacation, do we spend that entire two weeks away from the office? Nope. We check e-mail, call in, make business phone calls, turn our travel plans upside down to make some out-of-the-area conference.
The reality is, some of us are working hard for stuff. Bigger houses, or a second home, a nicer car, better sofa - whatever.
But it's also a reality that many of us are doing all of this work simply to keep a modest roof over our heads and to pay the necessary bills. I'm talking about utility bills, like electricity and heating, and food bills. There are an awful lot of people who are working two and three jobs just to keep food on the table.
I think millions of Americans can't afford to rest, not because they think they'll rust, but because they think they'll starve.
This is wrong.
I recently learned from the Commondreams article at that link that in 1948, the United Nations set forth a declaration called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I keep up with a lot of things, but I was completely unaware that such a document existed.
As that article points out, the United States violates this document. A lot. And we're in the process of dismantling it even more.
Of course, this document apparently has no legal strength. I suppose it's just a wish list.
I was most interested in Articles 23 and 24, which state: (1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment. (2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work. (3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection. (4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
Article 24.
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Does working 60 hours a week fall under those rights? I don't think so.
I am not a fan of capitalism. I think it is demeaning system, a way of having slave labor and calling it something else, like factory worker. It creates class distinctions and allows too much privilege for those who by virtue of birth or luck are able to manipulate the system to their benefit. I have long noticed that folks who play by the rules, which seems to be many people, are the ones left without heat because they can no longer pay the bills.
I think there are better ways to do things, ways that are fairer and more humane. Ways in which to get the job done that are fair to everyone concerned. However, until our society en masse decides this, I don't see a change coming.
I am not saying we should not work, or that people should just receive a handout so they can sit around and watch TV. I am saying that I would like to see justice in the workplace, some fairness and equity in the way salaries and vacations are dispensed. I would like to see people love their life, not hate it. Living should be a joy, not a grind, but our work ethic has made life a drudgery.
Rest or rust?
Why should that be our only choice?
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