Nothing is okay. Nothing feels okay. I was texting with a friend this morning who said woman will fight this hard and I said, "I agree but on the other hand something is deeply wrong with white women." She said, "White supremacy is the problem and white women buying into it." I keep running into that answer. It really hit me when seeing the results when Roy Moore *barely* lost his senate bid. He was defeated due to Black women turning out and trouncing him resoundingly. White women voted for him by a huge percentage. There is something so deeply ill about that.
Chris, I read this one twice, both times with angry tears. (The first time I also gasped to see my words next to yours. Thank you.) I once asked an organizer how she moved through an unjust world without being consumed with a desire to set everything on fire. She'd been subjected to so much, I felt like lighting the match on her behalf. She said that she loved individuals and hated oppressive systems. That provided the balance she needed. I saw this in action. Her love didn't excuse those individuals. She still held them accountable. That's love too, you know? Anyways, I've really tried to follow her example. But I am starting to lose my grip on her vision. I am having an increasingly difficult time separating the individual from the systems they eagerly support. Or even the systems I assume they eagerly support. And I don't know...that makes me feel like I am losing a little bit of my humanity. And that makes me angrier. And well. A mess.
I donated to Cora Neumann after reading your post. Thank you for linking to her campaign.
Fighting this shit however we can. But yeah it’s disheartening to hear “vote” when they won’t even try. Canceling student debt would be immense. I never had any myself. But I know how it crushes people… and the fucking economy, if you’re more interested in that than people. Imagine if you gave people billions to spend on shit we they love profiting off of? Housing, health care, fucking avocado toast, whatever, how “stimulated” the aristocrats would be? I voted progressive in the primaries here, I doubt it will change much, but we need politicians who will give us something to vote FOR, not just against the christofascists, who keep moving “normal” to the right and it never moves back to where it was, much less to anything that might be progress.
Also, re Land Back. I have a funny story about a time I was at a Native Days powwow at Crow Agency. Dale Old Horn was MC and a tourist stopped at the stand to turn in a camera he found....Dale announced that a camera had been found along with the following..."an honest white man...you don't see that every day (crowd chuckles). While the guy is walking away, Dale continues...and mister...tell your people....we want our land back! (Crowd comes apart). Guy quickly exists grounds.
In my opinion, if anybody really cared about human life, they would resoundingly uphold Roe. Let us continue to respect an individual’s right to choose. We would all be better off. Especially the children.
And yes. Caregivers are disgustingly undervalued, and under compensated. Think about this. Who will be precious to you when you begin your journey of physical and mental decline? The individuals who shepherd you through, who bless you with their patience, compassion, and grace. The ultimate gift. If anyone deserves to be adequately rewarded it is a caregiver.
I just returned from my first outing of any kind (and I mean ANY kind--as in actually leaving my condo) for 2 1/2 years. we drove to Pasadena (for a show about Parkinson's disease by a good Parkie friend of mine who wrote, produced and starred in it) then on to Tucson to visit another Parkie friend and his family. Both these visits raised my own Parkie spirit--except, it was clear amerika is still really fucked up. nothing is quite what it appears to be out there--workers in service industries (hotels and restaurants and gas stations), for instance, are still stressed way out, although they're trying hard to smile and say "yes sir whatever you want or need sir." their hearts are not in it because the jobs they are asked to do are impossible now. on the road, i thought, "we need a John Steinbeck to get in his pick-up camper again w/Charlie, and criss-cross amerika to help us know where who and how we are--maybe not a white novelist but someone else, an indigenous poet perhaps"--and I thought of you. you seem to be able to interact w/all sorts of folks despite how you might actually despise their values or condemn their views. do you know someone else might take on this kind of work if not you?
The Trump Era has forced the rational Left to attempt to understand and accommodate the irrational Right. We are dealing with the difference between spending a day at the Museum of Modern Art and attending a Monster Truck Rally. We are dealing with the difference between Critical Race Theory (History) and Master Race Theory (Christian White Supremacy). Thanks to Supreme Court Justice "Sam the Sham" Alito, we now know that Catholics and Republicans hate sex. Alito's face is akin to a death mask, a tell as to the contents of his embittered soul... and the boyish-looking Roberts, Kavanaugh and Gorsuch were ruined by the pedophile Catholic priests who groomed them to worship "the scepter of Jesus." Amy Coney Barrett is a second class member of a Catholic patriarchal sex cult. Clarence Thomas is a Catholic convert addicted to porn. All this proves that God is a stand-up comedian. The key to the abortion controversy has nothing to do with the irrational belief in God's Plan. The key is rational acceptance of abortion that is "safe, legal and rare," along with no-nonsense sex education and free contraception. The ultimate goal of the Left is Community. The ultimate goal of the Right is a bar fight. It is a death match between the Superego and the Id.
I surely understand the very justified anger and outrage. Maybe the white feminists I know aren’t the same? They are the ones who have and do March for the rights of black, brown, LGBTQ rights and more. We are so not a caring country. It’s a huge part of what’s so wrong. I live in a deep red state. My state district last year elected a Republican who’s children had accused him publicly of molestation rather than a guy working for equal rights. He was so bad the MO GOP threw him out of the caucus - that’s a crazy level of bad. I wish I had something better to offer.
May 12, 2022·edited May 12, 2022Liked by Chris La Tray
Please don't give up on your allies...we are here, steeped in our own tears, migraines from the daily assault on humanity. So much what Dr. Twyla said. I feel less every day that this is my town, county, state, and nation...and that's okay. But what now? Sitting here with too many questions and so much anger. You're 100% correct. WtF. What is the end game?
A couple of quotes: the first is from Heather Cox Richardson's Letters from an American, May 10, 2022. The second quote is a comment (from, proud to say, a fellow Montanan) to an op-ed in the
NYT on May 5, 2022
"Journalists for Business Insider ran the numbers and found that 84% of the state lawmakers who have sponsored trigger laws are men, five states had no women sponsors for trigger laws, all but one of the 13 governors who have signed trigger laws are men, and 91% of the senators who confirmed the antiabortion majority on the Supreme Court are men. These men are overwhelmingly Republican: 86% of the trigger law sponsors were Republican, all of the antiabortion justices were nominated by Republicans, and 94% of the senators who voted to confirm the antiabortion justices were Republicans.
At the same time that a small minority is imposing its will on the majority of Americans, Republicans are insisting they, not those who are losing their rights, are the victims."
Kirk
Montana May 5
"If you give Republicans your vote, they will take away your rights. The five assenting justices are obviously poorly educated in the hard sciences and social sciences so making scientific arguments will not change their minds. Their lack of principles is based on their adherence to their faith over their oath to the US Constitution. If you give Republicans your vote they will take away your rights. It is just this simple. You can enumerate many other rights that they are actually and potentially aiming at with their twisted, faith based reading of the Constitution but the most important argument is: If you give Republicans your vote, they will take away your rights. The Republicans have put six faith based justices on the SCOTUS with the sole intention of taking away your rights. They have campaigned on this for fifty years and strategically uprooted institutional government norms in order to do it. The voter has listened to the siren song of lies and voted for theocratic Republican legislators. If you give the Republicans your vote, they will take away your rights."
I've been thinking a lot about the ideas of care, the devaluing of care, and how pickled white women are in the patriarchy, how so many for so long have upheld patriarchal racist structures under the guise of feminism--of the dreaded girl boss, hustle culture--still chasing the white male ideal, just as white women. How quickly people descend into a culture of power-over, rather than power-with. I feel like I'm scrambling around in countless history books trying to find an answer to the origin of all the horseshit we are witnessing, of the incalculable cruelty that has been imposed on so many for so long in this 'country.' Thank you for linking my work friend, it made me tear up. And I too donated to Cora Neumann's campaign--at the end of the day I still want to fight and burn it all down, and I'll keep trying because of knowing people like you and your followers are out there in solidarity.
I just wanted to say that opening for this particular Let’s Go Brandon crowd seems like it would be very unnerving & a lot to process emotionally. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Nothing is okay. Nothing feels okay. I was texting with a friend this morning who said woman will fight this hard and I said, "I agree but on the other hand something is deeply wrong with white women." She said, "White supremacy is the problem and white women buying into it." I keep running into that answer. It really hit me when seeing the results when Roy Moore *barely* lost his senate bid. He was defeated due to Black women turning out and trouncing him resoundingly. White women voted for him by a huge percentage. There is something so deeply ill about that.
Chris, I read this one twice, both times with angry tears. (The first time I also gasped to see my words next to yours. Thank you.) I once asked an organizer how she moved through an unjust world without being consumed with a desire to set everything on fire. She'd been subjected to so much, I felt like lighting the match on her behalf. She said that she loved individuals and hated oppressive systems. That provided the balance she needed. I saw this in action. Her love didn't excuse those individuals. She still held them accountable. That's love too, you know? Anyways, I've really tried to follow her example. But I am starting to lose my grip on her vision. I am having an increasingly difficult time separating the individual from the systems they eagerly support. Or even the systems I assume they eagerly support. And I don't know...that makes me feel like I am losing a little bit of my humanity. And that makes me angrier. And well. A mess.
I donated to Cora Neumann after reading your post. Thank you for linking to her campaign.
Fighting this shit however we can. But yeah it’s disheartening to hear “vote” when they won’t even try. Canceling student debt would be immense. I never had any myself. But I know how it crushes people… and the fucking economy, if you’re more interested in that than people. Imagine if you gave people billions to spend on shit we they love profiting off of? Housing, health care, fucking avocado toast, whatever, how “stimulated” the aristocrats would be? I voted progressive in the primaries here, I doubt it will change much, but we need politicians who will give us something to vote FOR, not just against the christofascists, who keep moving “normal” to the right and it never moves back to where it was, much less to anything that might be progress.
Also, re Land Back. I have a funny story about a time I was at a Native Days powwow at Crow Agency. Dale Old Horn was MC and a tourist stopped at the stand to turn in a camera he found....Dale announced that a camera had been found along with the following..."an honest white man...you don't see that every day (crowd chuckles). While the guy is walking away, Dale continues...and mister...tell your people....we want our land back! (Crowd comes apart). Guy quickly exists grounds.
Great piece Chris.
In my opinion, if anybody really cared about human life, they would resoundingly uphold Roe. Let us continue to respect an individual’s right to choose. We would all be better off. Especially the children.
And yes. Caregivers are disgustingly undervalued, and under compensated. Think about this. Who will be precious to you when you begin your journey of physical and mental decline? The individuals who shepherd you through, who bless you with their patience, compassion, and grace. The ultimate gift. If anyone deserves to be adequately rewarded it is a caregiver.
An awesome photograph of you, by the way.
Sincerely,
Melissa
I just returned from my first outing of any kind (and I mean ANY kind--as in actually leaving my condo) for 2 1/2 years. we drove to Pasadena (for a show about Parkinson's disease by a good Parkie friend of mine who wrote, produced and starred in it) then on to Tucson to visit another Parkie friend and his family. Both these visits raised my own Parkie spirit--except, it was clear amerika is still really fucked up. nothing is quite what it appears to be out there--workers in service industries (hotels and restaurants and gas stations), for instance, are still stressed way out, although they're trying hard to smile and say "yes sir whatever you want or need sir." their hearts are not in it because the jobs they are asked to do are impossible now. on the road, i thought, "we need a John Steinbeck to get in his pick-up camper again w/Charlie, and criss-cross amerika to help us know where who and how we are--maybe not a white novelist but someone else, an indigenous poet perhaps"--and I thought of you. you seem to be able to interact w/all sorts of folks despite how you might actually despise their values or condemn their views. do you know someone else might take on this kind of work if not you?
The Trump Era has forced the rational Left to attempt to understand and accommodate the irrational Right. We are dealing with the difference between spending a day at the Museum of Modern Art and attending a Monster Truck Rally. We are dealing with the difference between Critical Race Theory (History) and Master Race Theory (Christian White Supremacy). Thanks to Supreme Court Justice "Sam the Sham" Alito, we now know that Catholics and Republicans hate sex. Alito's face is akin to a death mask, a tell as to the contents of his embittered soul... and the boyish-looking Roberts, Kavanaugh and Gorsuch were ruined by the pedophile Catholic priests who groomed them to worship "the scepter of Jesus." Amy Coney Barrett is a second class member of a Catholic patriarchal sex cult. Clarence Thomas is a Catholic convert addicted to porn. All this proves that God is a stand-up comedian. The key to the abortion controversy has nothing to do with the irrational belief in God's Plan. The key is rational acceptance of abortion that is "safe, legal and rare," along with no-nonsense sex education and free contraception. The ultimate goal of the Left is Community. The ultimate goal of the Right is a bar fight. It is a death match between the Superego and the Id.
I surely understand the very justified anger and outrage. Maybe the white feminists I know aren’t the same? They are the ones who have and do March for the rights of black, brown, LGBTQ rights and more. We are so not a caring country. It’s a huge part of what’s so wrong. I live in a deep red state. My state district last year elected a Republican who’s children had accused him publicly of molestation rather than a guy working for equal rights. He was so bad the MO GOP threw him out of the caucus - that’s a crazy level of bad. I wish I had something better to offer.
Please don't give up on your allies...we are here, steeped in our own tears, migraines from the daily assault on humanity. So much what Dr. Twyla said. I feel less every day that this is my town, county, state, and nation...and that's okay. But what now? Sitting here with too many questions and so much anger. You're 100% correct. WtF. What is the end game?
A couple of quotes: the first is from Heather Cox Richardson's Letters from an American, May 10, 2022. The second quote is a comment (from, proud to say, a fellow Montanan) to an op-ed in the
NYT on May 5, 2022
"Journalists for Business Insider ran the numbers and found that 84% of the state lawmakers who have sponsored trigger laws are men, five states had no women sponsors for trigger laws, all but one of the 13 governors who have signed trigger laws are men, and 91% of the senators who confirmed the antiabortion majority on the Supreme Court are men. These men are overwhelmingly Republican: 86% of the trigger law sponsors were Republican, all of the antiabortion justices were nominated by Republicans, and 94% of the senators who voted to confirm the antiabortion justices were Republicans.
At the same time that a small minority is imposing its will on the majority of Americans, Republicans are insisting they, not those who are losing their rights, are the victims."
Kirk
Montana May 5
"If you give Republicans your vote, they will take away your rights. The five assenting justices are obviously poorly educated in the hard sciences and social sciences so making scientific arguments will not change their minds. Their lack of principles is based on their adherence to their faith over their oath to the US Constitution. If you give Republicans your vote they will take away your rights. It is just this simple. You can enumerate many other rights that they are actually and potentially aiming at with their twisted, faith based reading of the Constitution but the most important argument is: If you give Republicans your vote, they will take away your rights. The Republicans have put six faith based justices on the SCOTUS with the sole intention of taking away your rights. They have campaigned on this for fifty years and strategically uprooted institutional government norms in order to do it. The voter has listened to the siren song of lies and voted for theocratic Republican legislators. If you give the Republicans your vote, they will take away your rights."
I've been thinking a lot about the ideas of care, the devaluing of care, and how pickled white women are in the patriarchy, how so many for so long have upheld patriarchal racist structures under the guise of feminism--of the dreaded girl boss, hustle culture--still chasing the white male ideal, just as white women. How quickly people descend into a culture of power-over, rather than power-with. I feel like I'm scrambling around in countless history books trying to find an answer to the origin of all the horseshit we are witnessing, of the incalculable cruelty that has been imposed on so many for so long in this 'country.' Thank you for linking my work friend, it made me tear up. And I too donated to Cora Neumann's campaign--at the end of the day I still want to fight and burn it all down, and I'll keep trying because of knowing people like you and your followers are out there in solidarity.
I just wanted to say that opening for this particular Let’s Go Brandon crowd seems like it would be very unnerving & a lot to process emotionally. Thanks for sharing this with us.