Women in Action: The Run-down

Mikaela says:
What a beautiful event. I admit that as it drew closer and closer, I was actually wishing I could just call in sick. I was totally exhausted and had no idea where I was going to get the energy for this. Then it looked like no one was going to come. I was ready to go home.

All of a sudden, we were started, the energy flowed through the room, and we had 40 people in our audience, feeding fuel to the fire.

These women were amazing. All different, all individual, yet somehow as we heard story after story, the picture of women's pivotal role in social change, in our communities, came into focus. There was a fabulous discussion, too. The audience was right there with the hard questions -- "You've taken on such big issues. Most days do you feel optimistic or depressed?" and "Given that so much has actually gone backward from the 60s, how do you still keep working and pushing to move forward?"

Here were some of the great lines of the night (some may be paraphrased, I admit):

• "Consciousness creates choices." -- Joann Bejar
• "I ask myself three questions about the way I spend my money, my time, and my relationships: 1) Is it giving me as much fulfillment as I put in? 2) It is in alignment with my values? 3) Is it in alignment with my purposes?" -- Margo Ganster
  
• "We ask our teens: How can you cause social change? How can you get beyond limitations? What are your core beliefs that hold you back?" -- Myra Murphy-Jacobs
• "Working for Corporate America is a little like jumping in with the wolves, but it's giving me the tools that companies have used for years to get ahead." -- Dory Wegryzn
• "I'm driven by desperation. But you have to do what you can with two small hands. You just have to keep flailing them until people see." -- Naomi Natale
• "I had dreams of my own, but for 27 years in an abusive relationship, I could not see people, even though I like being with others, or leave the house, or do anything. When I divorced my husband, it was like I was reborn again." -- Sandra Montes
• "Non-profits have a problem. They're too territorial about their projects. As long as they're fighting each other over crumbs, they will never succeed. And until we face the issues of race and gender -- which I've seen in every non-profit -- we can't move forward together." -- Dory Wegryn
  
• "We're in a better space than we ever have been before. We're at the tipping point, and we're right there where we need to be when this system stops working." -- Joann Bejar
• "I've faced a lot of hardships in my life. I ask myself: How do I harness this energy of sorrow? I have a promise to myself -- a dream, a vision: That we can powerfully and effectively communicate to the extent that we wake up the compassion for each other that will energize us to work for change. We teach a workshop to teens that focuses on 'awakening the dreamer, changing the dream.'" -- Myra Murphy-Jacobs
• "I've made a choice to read success stories." -- Margo Ganster
• "I focus on our successes. I refuse to think about everything that still needs to be done. That's overwhelming. I'm stubborn. If someone says I can't do something, I do the opposite." -- Sandra Montes
• "Be silent and notice what interests you. Follow that until you know what you need to know. Then move on to the next thing." -- Margo Ganster
• "We've faced lots of barriers, namely politics and men." -- Sandra Montes
• "In our organization, we have no hierarcy. We share the same title. When there's a problem or someone's uncomfortable, we talk about it. When somebody hears you, frequently nothing has to change." -- Margo Ganster

And that, dear friends, is exactly the power of events like last night. Sometimes when you make the space for people to tell their stories and be heard, nothing has to change. Sometimes, that's all that has to happen for change to begin.

The Bush Balloon

marjorie says...

I asked a friend over email yesterday if he ever watched things like presidential addresses with his two young children. Here is how he replied:

“No I never watch things with them like that. I prefer them think there is no such thing as war for now.....Santa Claus is real, Jerry Springer is not.......the tooth fairy gives you money when your tooth falls out, not ...’hey! you need a root canal!’........inflation is what happens when you blow up a balloon, not something that happens and all of a sudden your allowance doesn't go as far as it used to.........they will get enough of reality to deal with in their lives. It doesn't have to start at three and five....”

How can I argue with that? It brought to mind the icebreaker we had in our recent staff retreat. In pairs we were asked to articulate the things we would do in the first 100 days if we were president. The resulting butcher paper covering the wall listed a smorgasbord of pragmatic initiatives to make the world a better place mixed in with utopian visions of what our world would look like. Indeed, inflation in our world would be what happens when you blow up a balloon.

Over the years I’ve noticed a few phrases that are identical coming out of the mouths of people, regardless of age, race, gender, class, or religion. One of these is “It’s the best we can do…there is nothing better” when the question of capitalism surfaces. I often wonder when I hear this…so we can go to the moon but we can’t come up with a political economy better than what we have now? One that would actually ensure equity, that inflation only happens when you blow up a balloon?

Where is the imagination?

The next part of that particular conversation about capitalism has often been the moment in which I am challenged to articulate my own plan to replace capitalism. As if one person could do that. Before there can ever be a plan, there has to be a shift in public consciousness about capitalism, thereby creating the necessary space within which to change it.

I think this will happen, is happening, but it’s so large and complex that we each in our own relatively small lives can’t really see it. Unlike the shift in public consciousness about our self-created Iraq problem which became profoundly evident by the Democrat ascension to the Congressional throne this month.

No one should question for one second that the sweep of the Democrats last November was a reflection of widespread and profound disagreement in this country with the Iraq war. It was a remarkable example of the public making their voice heard. And Bush, in his presidential address last night, embodied what I think Wall Street would be like in the face of a shift in public consciousness about capitalism. He flipped us all off.

The problem with Bush is that he is happy to remain in an ideological box created for him by others. He has no imagination. He doesn’t stop for one minute and ask himself what it would be like to embrace what the public is telling him, to open up his world to outsiders, to acknowledge that there is a different way. But in fact, there is always a different way.

In his speech, he carefully constructed a couple of boxes. The first box was Failure. Failure, in Bush speak, is government in Iraq being constructed in a way different from that imposed by American architects. The second box was Consequences. Consequences, in Bush speak, are that Islamic extremists grow in strength and Iran is emboldened. In sum, he suggested that the American way of life would be in peril. As long as these versions of reality are embraced, our hands are tied.

And he challenged Democrats to come up with a better plan.

No, George, you come up with a better plan. You are, after all, the Commander in Chief. The public along with your very own Iraq Study Group has told you to not escalate the war in Iraq. There is another way to inflate this balloon.

There is another way that we can find, in which American youth are not sacrificed to the geo-political and economic ambitions of certain people. A way that immediately lifts the burden of reality off of the countless children in Iraq who are beset with the stress and anxiety of war-making.

Ultimately, we want to live in a world in which the question of having to shelter our children during a presidential address never comes up. That’s another world…but I believe it is possible.

New Orleans Violence is a Post-Katrina Endemic Problem

marjorie says...

Many of you may have read the news lately about the rash of murders in New Orleans. It has become so bad that city leaders have proposed a curfew.

Reflecting back on the Katrina catastrophe, I remember the incredible outrage and upset so many of us felt. That disaster reflected back to all of us in horrific clarity the incredible problems we have in our society dealing with structural poverty. I call it structural because that is what it is: a condition present due to the economic and political structure that orders our society. A capitalist economy demands that poor people exist. And our political system mitigates this reality enough through social programs to allow for the survival of capitalism. I believe one of the reasons so many people don't want to confront the problem of racism is that to do so clearly shows this structural problem with capitalism, because there is a clear correlation between poverty (class) and race. To truly change that requires fundamental change. Hard fundamental change.

During the Katrina weeks, there was an enormous outpouring of grief, rage, confusion, not to mention charity and support to those in need, from across the United States. And when the crisis lessened there were a lot of calls to not forget and to not abandon the poor people of New Orleans to an uncertain future, who were overwhelmingly African American. But, really, that is what happened. The media dropped it. And the planners, developers, and political bureaucrats have swooped in to change the face of the city. Some of that might be good, but plenty of it is resulting in displacement. Violence is endemic because the plight of the poor in that city has remained, their already tenuous hold on stability incredibly strained by an unresponsive monolithic government and a profit driven land development system.

The violence is so bad that it is now spilling over into the lives of those who are normally more insulated from it...that may be one reason we are all finally hearing about it. I'd like to share an email I received from a friend and co-worker, Rosina Roibal, who lived in New Orleans for five years. In her email, Rosina talks about her friend who was shot and killed last week...mentioned in this newspaper article. I hope it will personalize this issue for more m-pyre readers, and I hope that we all can take some time to communicate with our congresspeople about this issue...because its an issue that belongs to all of us. There are other ways to help as well...for one, doing fundraisers in your homes to send money to community organizing groups working on the ground in New Orleans.

But in the bigger scheme of things, we all need to really examine how our system works. The plight in New Orleans is extraordinary in some ways, but there are struggling people throughout this country, many of them homeless. That isn't because they're lazy or don't want to help themselves. Its because they live in an economic system that requires them to exist. The only solution is a social response, which means us.

Dear Friends/family,

If you don't know, I went to college in New Orleans, lived there for 5 years.

I feel that you should know what New Orleans is like, and the devastation that has resulted due to the government’s lack of action to help it. Yesterday, my friend Teresa (who lives there now) called me to say that our friend Paul and Helen were shot in their home, and Helen died. There were 6 shootings in the same day around New Orleans. Paul was the leader of our band the “Troublemakers.” They have both been extremely active in making New Orleans a better place for poor people, like Food not Bombs (bringing free food to the community), a medical clinic for poor people, animal rights work. They were anarchist, atheist, and vegan with a 2 year old daughter and a pet pig named Rosie. If you had a chance to meet them, they were the happiest most energetic fun people I’ve ever met. Helen made films. There is a protest tomorrow to end the violence.

Just one week before, I was in New Orleans staying with my friends Ben, Teresa, and Chester. One day we heard 8 gun shots two doors down. A 17 year old boy was shot and died. His aunt was shot in the head 3 weeks before. They were into crack.

There is a film by Spike Lee, called “When the Levees Broke.” You should see it when it comes out on dvd, it was on HBO, and is great. However, most people don’t realize the long lasting problems that the people of New Orleans are facing. I don’t know if people like you and me can help change things in New Orleans. Poor people in New Orleans don’t have homes, they are not being given rights, they are not allowed to move back into their past homes, which are now being turned into condominiums for the rich. They’ve lost their families and friends and jobs and belongings. They’re depressed. They get into drugs to help the pain. Crack is all they can afford. Then they crack. They shoot someone for just a little money, for something to eat or just to buy some more crack. My friends living there say it’s so bad, they have to leave, even the ones who’ve lived there their entire lives. Teachers are stuck with huge class sizes, no supplies. The poverty and violence is overwhelming. We could go on and on about the horrible conditions and issues in New Orleans, but the bottom line is that our government doesn’t care about the poor people of New Orleans or the poor people of our country or the world for that matter.

George, how many more of my friends have to be shot? How many more people in New Orleans have to live without homes or help? How many more times will you allow levees to break? How many more thousands of people and animals will you leave stuck in a disaster? George, I don’t trust you, and I hate you and your posse.

I don't know what to do and feel scared and helpless. New Orleans was already behind in terms of social justice and being progressive. I give my friends in New Orleans all of my power and know you will fight till the death.

Rosina Roibal

I'm not glad Pinochet is dead

marjorie says...

While its true that my first thought upon hearing that Pinochet was dead was "good riddance," I am not "glad" he's dead. Those two sentiments are not the same.

In truth, I would have preferred to have seen Pinochet brought to justice for his crimes before his death. His crimes were many: he presided over the whole sale murder of Chilean leftists, he initiated a rein of terror for those he left alive, and he was a thief. More broadly, he destroyed a democratic socialist government and paved the way for neoliberalism in Latin America. In this sense, he hurt us all...every last one of us. Speaking of neoliberalism, isn't it odd that Pinochet died very shortly after Milton Friedman, the neoliberal economist who gave him instructions? Frankly, I'd put Friedman right up there with Pinochet, along with the U.S. government, in culpability for the crimes I listed. Just because you don't have the actual blood on your hands doesn't mean you aren't responsible for your work behind the scenes.

You can never expect much from the mainstream media so don't expect good commentary now. But as you're reading all the drivel, much of which I am sure will mention the Soviet Union and Communism, keep in mind that Salvador Allende was a democratically elected socialist president of Chile. It was his government that was destroyed by Pinochet not some communist dictatorship. In fact, its the way of the right, not the left, to destroy democracies...history bears that out.

Blind Consumption of Life Itself

marjorie says...

How do you like my dramatic title? What can I say...it was the thing that popped into my head as I was reading Erik's great history post about Sam "The Banana Man" Zemurray over on Alterdestiny. Yes, I'm having a bit of a lovefest with Alterdestiny this week...but its well-deserved. In this post, Erik describes the life of this guy Zemurray, who in order to build a banana empire in Central America provoked insurrections, coups, and armed conflict all in the name of his own profit. Its a very instructive synopsis of how money can corrupt government, and how democracy is never a given but rather constantly in danger of being completely undermined if not simply eliminated. Erik also gives an incredibly concise description of how blind consumption of goods that are "marketed" to the public can lead to not only mass bloodshed but incredible environmental destruction. In this passage, he describes the environmental consequences of one man's determination to make money off of bananas, which had before been considered a luxury item:

"The US demand for bananas, which soon became one of the cheapest fruits on the market, also spawned widespread environmental destruction. Millions of acres of native jungle were destroyed to provide for bananas, decimating wildlife populations. The monocultures that replaced the jungle became susceptible to diseases such as Panama disease and Sigatoka disease. Today, much of that originial Cuyamel and United land cannot support bananas."

This is, of course, how the much vaunted market works. A person decides to make some money so looks for a product. Upon coming up with an idea, that product is "marketed" to the public, composed of people who probably never realized before they needed that product. And because it is generally presented completely devoid of any kind of context about how its production impacts people or the environment, the public will blindly consume it.

We see the impacts all the time. Sweatshops are a good example, or piecework at home that forces young children to work brutal 20 hour days. I saw that with my own eyes one evening after dark in India...a child sewing away on a beautiful sari. Or the food production industry in this country that abuses animals at the same time it grossly pollutes our water supply. Or the complete destruction of the ocean itself. There are countless examples, from history and from today.

This dilemma of blind consumption begs for a new way of doing business. Rather than digress on an elitist tear about the grossness of the American public, I will simply note that there is no systemic way for the public to make informed decisions about these things. Specific issue activism itself is a great thing. For instance, child labor laws are, in my mind, one of the greatest points of progress we've made as a society, and the elimination of child labor should continue to be an issue actively pressed everywhere. But we have to think broadly when it comes to how consumption decisions are made. We certainly see heightened awareness of this issue when it comes to Global Warming. And certain efforts, such as the Fair Trade movement, are a step in the right direction although not an actual solution. Our government recognized a long time ago that capitalism has to be countered by strong social welfare programs and regulations. In the face of how capitalism works, its imperative now that we construct mechanisms to counter the destructive nature of our consumption.

Getting stuck in Iraq: how...stooopid. Not!

marjorie says...

I’m sure you’ve all noticed the latest “he said/she said--someone has to apologize”…stink between the R’s and the D’s, this time about what John Kerry said at a campaign rally. Here’s the quote that has the Republicans self-righteously shrieking that John Kerry, who is an actual Vietnam combat veteran, insulted all U.S. military personnel:

“You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.”

The R’s claim that Kerry, in essence, is calling the troops “stupid” while the D’s claim that Kerry simply botched a joke that was supposed to be aimed at Bush. In this instance I have to like the stink actually, because Kerry's comment is so blatant. Unfortunately, the stink never addresses the real issue...which should be no surprise given the unwillingness of the American public, much less either party, to address it: the lot of uneducated (and less affluent) people in this country is to fight our wars for us, with all the incumbent risks…such as death or being subjected to a lifetime of trauma and ill-health.

That is what Kerry is saying here. And he is right. Both parties think that is ok and they don't want to dwell on it. And there are a lot of Americans who think it’s ok too. Do the majority of us think that? I know that the ignorant “pull yourself up by your bootstraps or die” mentality is alive and well. But I like to think that more of us understand the structural inequality built into our system.

Take education as an example, since Kerry brought it up. Structurally, our system does not allow everyone to get a decent education. If it were based on equality, we wouldn’t glorify brainwashed Harvard-ites, as one example, and we’d funnel a lot more money into public education. Is smarts synonymous with education? Kerry shows his Ivy League background on that one…thankfully there are plenty “uneducated” people out there who recognize just how stupid his statement is, who recognize that “getting stuck in Iraq” has a lot more to do with access and opportunity than it does with making “an effort to be smart.”

Happy What Day?

marjorie says...

What kind of Happy should I give m-pyre readers today?

Happy Columbus Day? no…somehow I don’t think that will work.
Happy Genocide Day?
Happy Slavery Day?

Sorry to rain on the parade, but the holiday itself is so ridiculous that it has to be said. This holiday epitomizes the type of celebration we see in history, where conquering nations celebrate their subjugation of other people. If anyone hadn’t noticed…in the modern era we don’t do those things anymore…it’s pretty well established on the international stage that people have the right to govern themselves. So why do we celebrate a man who symbolizes the beginning of a massive rape, enslavement, pillage and destroy campaign against the native people of the Americas? That’s what it was of course. It was not the discovery of a “new world” without any people already living in it.

Ok, I overstated myself…we *do* do those things today…we just do them differently. So in some ways our celebration of Columbus is just being honest…

(Speaking of the “New World”…did any of you see that movie that just came out? They should have just called it “Pocohontas”…that’s what it was about. It was sheer Hollywood drivel too…completely romanticized mythology about Pocohontas and her two English lovers, who were of course…Very Good Men. bleck!)

Now that we’ve covered that, let’s think for a sec about the current world we live in…the outcome of that very first European arrival...

Here we have a news article chronicling the increase of homelessness among seniors in this country. Between 1990 and 2003, the homeless population above the age of 50 increased from 11% to 30%. That’s a huge leap. This article describes the health problems that seniors on the street experience…for instance, it's ridiculous to expect a person with diabetes to be able to follow a proper diet when living on the street.

Upon describing the increase, this gem of an observation is made: “That has implications for governments, which may find housing the chronically homeless is cheaper than treating the health problems exacerbated by aging on the streets.”

It never fails I’ve found…when discussing social problems, the author invariably resorts to a cost-benefit analysis early on as a way to persuade the reader that we must increase public expenditures for poor people. Of course it’s true. But I always come away thinking that the Moral Issue should have top billing…

The article does go on and quote medical professionals from a moral standpoint. For one, an internist, Margot Kushel, at a San Francisco hospital says this: “"It's heartbreaking, not to mention immoral, to discharge a debilitated 60-year-old with heart failure to the street, knowing they would be exposed to all the elements. We can perfect our medical treatments as much as we can, but it's not addressing the problem."

No Margot, it isn’t addressing the problem. But in the capitalist world we live in don’t expect the problem to be solved until the public at large realizes that it costs less to provide a roof over the heads of everyone.

And what does that say about us? Well, I think it means we're well trained. I don’t think this capitalist mentality is part and parcel of “human nature”…I think its learned, from constant rote repetition…so much so that we don’t even think about it...