Category: LIFE

Artists for Obama: A Few of the Many

Obama Graphic hope
I’ve been kind of out of it all week.  Post-Inaugural ennui, worries, lots of appointments… whatever it was, it really sort of shut me up.  But when I saw the Obama video I’ve posted just below here, I started thinking about all the creativity that the campaign, and this presidency, seem to have engendered.

Then a friend sent me this.  I admit I’m a sucker for this kind of music, but it really is a combination of politics and joy that only such a campaign could have inspired.

We all remember Wil.i.am’s Yes We Can.  And Ron Howard as Opie. And Sarah Silverman.  And even Paris Hilton. 

And this, one of my favorites, just for the discipline.


I guess Les Miz must really resonate, because here’s another one.

Obama-mosaic
Of course these are only examples; there are dozens, probably hundreds more – and if you count the images, posters and paintings, many many more. If this kind of creativity goes toward solving our problems, we’re in good hands. Either way, it’s exciting (at least to me) to realize how many vocabularies came together to speak for this new president in the long journey that got him here.

Inaugural Reflections and Other Stuff at Blogging Boomers 102

Vaboomer
 Great minds definitely think in sync, at least some of them.  Although this week's Blogging Boomers Carnival isn't "all inauguration, all the time" there's plenty of The Big Day top choose from, although the perspectives differ enormously.  Beyond that there's everything from fashion to comic books to retirement in a bad economy.  Stop on by.

Pete, Bruce, Beyonce and Obama: the Changing of the Guard

Brucespringsteen_l

There they are: two of the cultural icons of my political life.  Pete Seeger, close to 90, peer and colleague of Woody Guthrie, creator of We Shall Overcome and Turn Turn Turn, of Abiyoyo and Sam the Whaler, leader of The Almanac Singers and the Weavers.  If there was a civil rights rally or a labor rally or an anti-war rally, he was there. 

Beside him, Bruce Springsteen, a modern troubadour whose songs speak for many Americans whose opinions are never sought, whose voices are seldom heard.

As they stood together at the Lincoln Memorial in celebration of the Inauguration of Barack Obama, they represented, to me, all that I had believed and tried to help bring into being.  To many, though, they were “the ultimate in subtly old-left populism.”  Speaking about the concert early Sunday before it began, I kept talking about Bruce.  A younger friend gently suggested that he was probably not the day’s headliner.  That would be Beyonce Knowles, she said.  I’m sure she’s right. 

As one who was present the last time “the torch was passed to a new generation;” as a strongly defined Baby Boomer, it’s painful to hear anchormen celebrate the fact that “there will never be another Baby Boom President.”  It’ s not that I mind the fact of that; it’s just painful that it seems to be something to celebrate.  So many of us have tried so to be productive agents of change, have spent our lives working either full or part of the time to see that our country offers more to the least powerful, demands quality education, justice and maybe, even peace.  So to hear Joe Scarborough revel in the fact that “16 horrible years of baby boomer presidents is over” really hurts.  All my adult life we’ve been tarred by the brush of the least attractive of us while the work of the rest of us went unnoticed.  For most campaigns, as I’ve written before, we were the secret weapon of the right.

So as exciting as all this is, especially for one who has supported Obama for so long, it’s also bittersweet because I feel the shadow of the disdain in which so many of us are held.  I really don’t know how to respond.  If I were to try, it might be by offering some of the words to Si Kahn‘s They All Sang Bread and Roses.  It’s better with the music, but it does the job.

They All Sang “Bread and Roses (Si Kahn, 1989,
1991)

The more I
study history,

The more I
seem to find

That in
every generation

There are
times just like that time

When folks
like you and me who thought

That they
were all alone

Within this
honored movement

Found a
home.

 

And ‘though
each generation fears

That it
will be the last,

Our
presence here is witness

To the
power of the past.

And just as
we have drawn our strength

From those
who now are gone,

Younger
hands will take our work

And carry
on.

This Is NOT (exactly) about Barack Obama – the Last Time for a While – It’s About Slumdog Millionaire (Hint: Not the Greatest Movie Ever Made)

Slumdog1
Fair warning.  I'm about to be contrarian, so if you're fond of Slumdog Millionaire, stop reading now.  I've just come from the theater, disappointed and even angry.  Granted, I don't read reviews before I see films; they give away so much that they spoil the impact of brilliant scenes and great dialogue.  So it's my own fault that I didn't know about the torture scene and the one where the kid is blinded when molten lead is poured into his eyes.  Just what you need in a fairy tale, right?  I was with someone I'd leaned on to come, someone who is squeamish and subject to nightmares, and there we were, experiencing vivid and disturbing imagery in considerable detail.

I want some more
Beyond that, even though, as far as I can tell, there aren't many who agree with me, there's much that seriously detracts from the enjoyment of this film.  I'm going to risk my emotional and artistic credibility and describe some of it.

First, it's highly derivative, a mix of The Usual Suspects police station flashbacks and Oliver Twist. Especially Oliver Twist, complete with Fagin, street urchins in great numbers, mischief and loss.  Beyond that, much of its emotional power leaches from political correctness.  We always root for the underdog; that's fair, and anyone who knows me will tell you that I'm a sucker for a fairy tale.  But there was something manipulative about this story: an unimaginably poor, dark-skinned street urchin in one of the roughest cities in India, facing down the establishment.

Despite the rhapsodic descriptions of handheld camera work that brought the slums of Mumbai live into the theater, they did not feel real.  I know much of the film was shot in the city, and some of the scenes were OK.  But I've been in neighborhoods like these in other countries and no matter how colorful and alive, they are sadder and more dangerous than these.  Oh, and everyone had very good teeth.  Not possible.

So why, on the eve of the most momentous Inauguration in the history of this country, am I complaining about a movie a couple of months old that will probably win many awards?  I'm not sure.  Like everyone else, I'm full of wonder at what is coming on Tuesday.  It will dominate this space for some time.  Today though, as we await the climax of this real story of triumph and ideals, the not-so-credible tale that is this film was a poor substitute.

At Your Service: Following the MLK Day Tradition on Inauguration Eve (and Yes, The Lorax)

Lorax
We're coming up on Martin Luther King Day, the eve of the Obama Inauguration, and the President-Elect is asking us all, as is traditional on this day, to find ways to volunteer.  As usual, Beth Kanter, whose Beth's Blog is a motherlode of social media strategy, especially for non-profits, suggests an easy to start.  Take part in Share Our Strength's Text for Food campaign.   It's not hard.  Here's what they suggest:

Ways that you can help:

  • Text "SHARE" to 20222 to donate $5 to Share Our Strength.
    When you do, AT&T will match your donation up to $100,000. 100% of
    this donation will go to supporting Share Our Strength's efforts to end
    childhood hunger in America.
  • Hold a protein-rich food drive.
    Food Drive efforts are essential sources of food for community food
    banks. They rely heavily on food donations to distribute much needed
    food to struggling people.
  • Make a Donation. If you want to make a donation but can't make one through your cell phone, please consider making a donation online.

A random survey suggest that many of us have found great ways to offer support on Monday, and our fellow bloggers have made it easy to find them.  Start with Blog Her's Britt Bravo post that covers everything: a myraid of volunteer match-up sites, ways to spread the word, reading material and more.   Lisa Sabater's  Culture Kitchen lists Democrats at Work resources in several states including Florida, Virginia and Washington, and links some in Washington DC,  too. Montgomery County?  Try A Parent in Silver Spring's list.   If you haven't found a place near you, this USA Service site will hook you up.  All you need is a zip code. 

Hilltown Families, a group in Western Massachusetts, my old stomping grounds, links to local activities and even has a video to get you going.  Moving from Granola gulch to the establishment, Citi has urged its 100,000+ employees to take part, and offers opportunities in many of its location cities.  Also nationally, Black Politics on the Web reports that nine major African American sororities (the divine nine) have joined together to answer the call.

As I suspect is happening in many cities, Sioux Falls is holding a major food drive.  Springfield, MO is running a multi-park cleanup.  Native American and Olympic Gold Medalist Billy Mills urges " As American Indians, we should join Americans from across the country in this call to service." and goes on to mention several youth activities in "Indian country" where help is needed.

If you're a loner, or just want to do something personal, Seth Godin (no surprise) provides a list of things you can do, from my own favorite:  "Read a copy of the Lorax to a child that's never heard it" to lots of great ways to share technical knowledge.  One example:  "Find a tool that non-profits need online, and then organize some brilliant people to build it as an opensource utility."

Lisa Catherine Harper, of Generation X Raising Generation O has a nice meditation on how to figure out what sort of service will have the most impact on younger children.  So does The Green Parent.  Progressive News from the Big Apple links to a directory of many NYC opportunities, some of which begin before the 19th.

As I said, this is a random survey.  I'm sure there are local events for every age in every city.  It's going to be quite a day.

Mommy Wisdom Across the InterWeb

Cindy Josh 6 Flags June 1975
This week I took dinner over to a couple who just became parents of an infant son.  It had been a long time coming and it was very moving to sit in their living room and sense the peace and – to be honest – blessedness of their parenthood.  I started out "doing something nice" by taking dinner and of course got far more out of it myself.  Being in that room is a memory I will cherish.

I told them about all the parenting tips offered in virtual baby showers I'd been part of, and about all the other posts I'd done about my children and my life as a mother.  Then I kind of promised I'd send them the links.  I figured, though, that as long as I was pulling it all together I'd make a little package for anyone else looking for the kind of parenting advice that A) might be really good and B) you can ignore without hurting anyone's feelings.  So here they are — and as The Band wrote, "take what you need and leave the rest."

First of all, since you have a son, here's a Julie's gift: a blog list filled with wisdom — a virtual baby shower of advice and warnings about raising boys.   There's a list of "boy songs" too.  That's a bonus.  If you want to read my contribution, it's here.

And what about just plain good advice about being a mom?  That was the first shower, and it's full of funny and often very moving posts.  Here's mine.

This one's kind of funny, and will look like it's a million years away – but it's fun: what to do when a second kid shows up and makes everything crazy all over again.  I wrote for that one, too.

My favorite is the one whose subject was "memories of the first thirty days."  It was an emotional whopper; once I started I had trouble stopping.  Here's what I remember.

Finally, as you enter this amazing new life, a preview of what it's like when your kids are grown and gone.  They're from December of 2006 and this past Thanksgiving.  For some reason both struck a nerve with readers; it's an amazing adventure you've embarked upon – and it's glorious in all its phases.  I wish you half the joy I've known.

Oh Sarah! (Palin) But Could She Be (A Little Bit) Right?

Just when we thought it was safe to go back in the water…. there she is again!  This time, though, some of what she says is creepily unsettling.  This loads slowly but is worth the wait – we can talk about it after you watch it.


Here’s the thing: Do you really think people, especially journalists, would have been so cruel to an “unwed mother” whose parents were progressive politicians?  Or to a Rockefeller or even a Bush? Throughout the interview, Palin raises the issue of class, and of the attacks on her kids; we’ll touch on that in a minute.

During the campaign, I wrote about Palin and the class issue, and the sad parallels to Paula Jones.  The fact is that Sarah Palin isn’t sophisticated, that she’ be a popular Girl Scout leader or Women’s Club president in the life that existed when I was a kid – around the Mad Men era.  Maybe that would have been OK if she’d known more, or been less cruel and incendiary in her speeches.  Her inherent lack of sophistication and experience, what William Galston has called “a celebration of ignorance” enabled much of the class snobbery the followed.  But follow it did; not in the “she’s not our kind” sort of way – it was far more subtle than that.  More in the collective realization of the “cool people” that she was a WalMart, polyester lady thrust into a J Crew sort of world.

Now.  Let’s think about the kids.  The family itself was kind of a throwback I guess.  And their omnipresence – thrust onto the stage – was weird.  But when Elizabeth Edwards was criticized for taking the kids on the road during the campaign, feminists and others leapt to her defense.  When Al Gore Jr. was arrested in a DUI it was a “private family matter,”  not a continuing object of ridicule.  Somehow though, the way this pregnancy and relationship has been portrayed has been cruel and tawdry without casting much light on Palin, her tenure or her philosophy.*  And remember the whole “mommy wars” thing – did Palin put her career ahead of her kids?  One person who wrote consistently well about this is PunditMom.  Take a look.

None of what I’m saying here justifies what Palin stood for or did as a candidate.  She was, and is, a scary person hiding behind “adorableness.”  But we need to think about the mainstream coverage of her campaign and how much of it derided matters of class and family, not policy and ideology.  There was certainly enough of that substantial stuff to keep any reporter busy.

What do you think? 

*I am not talking about conversations concerning issues of choice, sex education or contraception but of the less substantial, more visible harumphing.