Fine, I voted. In South Dakota via absentee ballot. For Obama. But it was South Dakota!
*edit*
No, that's not all I have to say. I'm in the middle of a research project that I don't particularly want to have to do for my last semester in school, but I'm doing it anyway. And it strikes me how many of my conclusions based on this research have mirrored exactly what the fucking problem with the elections of 2008 are.
For a brief and incomplete summary of my thesis, I'm basically tracing the marketability of race in early American film - obviously D.W. Griffith plays a major role due to his treatment of African Americans and Native Americans in his films.
Race has been the most marketable factor in this election as well. I understand that Obama would probably have prefered, at a deeply personal level, not to have to discuss his racial identification, but we cannot deny that it has spurred a remarkable number of young people and so-called liberals to aid him in his campaign for the presidency (we'll see if they actually vote, but that's another thing altogether). Yes, young black people are excited about his electibility, and yes, white liberals love the fact that they can prove how un-racist they are by voting for a colored dude, but isn't this really all beside the point? Obama is so centrist-right since he began his campaign that ALL of these people are voting against their own self-interest.
Obviously, McCain's camp has been using race, and the tragedy of Obama's name, to market their own campaign as well. But I feel as though McCain is doing it more honestly - we know they're all a bunch of racist pigs, there's no secret there. It's a D.W. Griffith style deny deny deny racism but only if you get caught being racist! At least they're straight up about their marketing style, unlike Obama's camp, which is abusing the fact that he's a black man in order to seduce in fairly progressive people to an otherwise pretty conservative pro-capitalist candidate's party.
If none of that makes sense, blame Slavoj Zizek. He's fucking with my head.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
on voting
"What is happening more and more today is that democracy is being confused with elections. At one time democracy -- at least to us -- meant participation in the distribution of wealth; collective decision making on issues that affect us all; and pressure and mobilization in order to influence state policies. Now the only acceptable meaning of "democracy" seems to be competition in the electoral market.
This kind of politics is the official politics of the bosses, the politicians, and the foreign institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. These groups want their politics to be the only legitimate kind. They do their utmost to discredit mobilizations, to dismiss our proposals, and to ignore our needs. All that they recognize as politically "legitimate" is participation in the electoral marketplace -- which is a place where we are not represented and where they will always win."
-- Oscar Olivera
This kind of politics is the official politics of the bosses, the politicians, and the foreign institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. These groups want their politics to be the only legitimate kind. They do their utmost to discredit mobilizations, to dismiss our proposals, and to ignore our needs. All that they recognize as politically "legitimate" is participation in the electoral marketplace -- which is a place where we are not represented and where they will always win."
-- Oscar Olivera
Saturday, August 30, 2008
DNC Protest w/IVAW, Anarchist Contingents, and FOX NEWS!
I am so pissed I couldn't be there. It would be so worth the bail money.
The complete illegality of the holding center in Denver intended for protestors. The title of this video is apt, "The U.S. Constitution Repealed & Martial Law Declared for Democratic National Convention":
Iraq Veterans Against the War at the Democratic National Convention protest:
Dead Prez, duh:
In this one it's easy to see that a lot of people are getting arrested alone, which is the subject of another blog post altogether. In addition to the importance of contingency groups, going limp is a bad idea people! That's called "resisting arrest," and you risk real charges in that scenario.
Code Pink member violently arrested, which is really bizarre because... it's Code Pink, for Christ's sake:
And for the sake of humor, Fox News being fair and balanced at the DNC protests... what exactly is out of control here? And I loved the sly commentary on Ward Churchill.
The complete illegality of the holding center in Denver intended for protestors. The title of this video is apt, "The U.S. Constitution Repealed & Martial Law Declared for Democratic National Convention":
Iraq Veterans Against the War at the Democratic National Convention protest:
Dead Prez, duh:
In this one it's easy to see that a lot of people are getting arrested alone, which is the subject of another blog post altogether. In addition to the importance of contingency groups, going limp is a bad idea people! That's called "resisting arrest," and you risk real charges in that scenario.
Code Pink member violently arrested, which is really bizarre because... it's Code Pink, for Christ's sake:
And for the sake of humor, Fox News being fair and balanced at the DNC protests... what exactly is out of control here? And I loved the sly commentary on Ward Churchill.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Oh How do I loath thee, Barack Obama? Let me count the ways...
What on God's good earth is Obama doing?
After RIT instructor Mr. Golphin's discussion of Emmett Till last night at Michigan Street Baptist Church, Colin and I headed over to Founding Fathers in order to watch Obama's speech (as both of us are TV-less and not at all sorry about it).
Upon our arrival we found ourselves in the midst of a relatively typical crowd for Allentown - white, 20 and 30-something students. AKA Middle class progressives who lap up Belgian beer in public and down cheap gin at the end of their trying, middle-class days. These White Liberal Elmwoodians applauded when Obama took the stage (on the TV), applauded at the end of every sentence (from the TV), and applauded, often, while Obama paused significantly (more open to interpretation, as it was through the TV).
Colin and I decided to heckle our audience as well as TV-Obama for the sake of balance. Our waitress was supportive, albeit conspicuously absent from the dining floor after her very loudly confessed support for Palestine. Colin and I were subsequently shunned by every patron of the pub, and it was really all the better for it. All those seated within our immediate vicinity left in a fury... but that may have been more related to my commentary on them than on Obama.
But why, why were we so incensed at Obama's every word, at these WLEs devotion to a man they would quicken their pace for if he were behind them on the street? I won't even attempt to turn this into prose, a list will have to do.
1) Black fathers Obama? Really? All those white people that CNN panned to when you said that were clapping exuberantly, with absolutely no fucking idea why a push for active black fatherhood is so important/so debated/and so amazingly offensive.
2) Well, if we forget the fact that Obama is running with war-happy Biden, then we can pretend that Obama really meant what he said about ending the war in Iraq. Even if Obama was sincere in that respect, that little itty bitty sidenote of FINISHING THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN is just a tiiiiiiny bit contradictory. Did Obama's speech writers really not read Wednesdays NYTimes? Civilian atrocities tend to make war a bit less honorable.
3) Still on the war track, Obama refuses to acknowledge that continuing the war in Afghanistan (and let's face it, Iraq) means more African American and Latino men will continue dying in combat than any other demographic in the U.S. military. Furthermore, it means a continuation of aggressive military recruitment, which tends to prey, again, on the working class and minorities in our country. There were more than 4,000 cases of recruiting abuse last year alone, according to the ACLU.
4) And let's not forget about Iran! Of course, you can't win a presidential election with AIPACs go-ahead, so Obama decided to slap every victim of apartheid in the face by stressing his dedication to protecting Israel. Not such a surprising move, but still, for shame!
5) Lastly, if Obama claims to have the working classes best interests in mind one more bloody time I'm going to leave the country. He couldn't organize effectively in Chicago and he gave up - "this isn't the right way to do things". Really, Obama? Unionizing workers and attaining a living wage isn't the right way to do things? Free health care goes a super long way when you're getting paid $4/hour overtime in an auto factory that will eventually be relocated to Asia.
Everyone loves to go on and on about how a black president is a historic event indeed! I don't disagree. But I do find WLEs fetishization of Obama deeply disturbing, given how he constantly gears more and more to the conservative side of the political spectrum. Have you ever had an experience where a white friend will point out to you that something racially offensive just occured? They will suggest that you be offended, because they understand, and they have your best interests in mind. That's what WLEs remind me of - people voting, more or less, against their own self-interest because they need to know how progressive they are, and how anti-racist they are. The terrible and ironic result of this is that Obama is conceding values he was once admirable for in order to ensure he gets those WLE votes.
God bless America, land of the delusional.
After RIT instructor Mr. Golphin's discussion of Emmett Till last night at Michigan Street Baptist Church, Colin and I headed over to Founding Fathers in order to watch Obama's speech (as both of us are TV-less and not at all sorry about it).
Upon our arrival we found ourselves in the midst of a relatively typical crowd for Allentown - white, 20 and 30-something students. AKA Middle class progressives who lap up Belgian beer in public and down cheap gin at the end of their trying, middle-class days. These White Liberal Elmwoodians applauded when Obama took the stage (on the TV), applauded at the end of every sentence (from the TV), and applauded, often, while Obama paused significantly (more open to interpretation, as it was through the TV).
Colin and I decided to heckle our audience as well as TV-Obama for the sake of balance. Our waitress was supportive, albeit conspicuously absent from the dining floor after her very loudly confessed support for Palestine. Colin and I were subsequently shunned by every patron of the pub, and it was really all the better for it. All those seated within our immediate vicinity left in a fury... but that may have been more related to my commentary on them than on Obama.
But why, why were we so incensed at Obama's every word, at these WLEs devotion to a man they would quicken their pace for if he were behind them on the street? I won't even attempt to turn this into prose, a list will have to do.
1) Black fathers Obama? Really? All those white people that CNN panned to when you said that were clapping exuberantly, with absolutely no fucking idea why a push for active black fatherhood is so important/so debated/and so amazingly offensive.
2) Well, if we forget the fact that Obama is running with war-happy Biden, then we can pretend that Obama really meant what he said about ending the war in Iraq. Even if Obama was sincere in that respect, that little itty bitty sidenote of FINISHING THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN is just a tiiiiiiny bit contradictory. Did Obama's speech writers really not read Wednesdays NYTimes? Civilian atrocities tend to make war a bit less honorable.
3) Still on the war track, Obama refuses to acknowledge that continuing the war in Afghanistan (and let's face it, Iraq) means more African American and Latino men will continue dying in combat than any other demographic in the U.S. military. Furthermore, it means a continuation of aggressive military recruitment, which tends to prey, again, on the working class and minorities in our country. There were more than 4,000 cases of recruiting abuse last year alone, according to the ACLU.
4) And let's not forget about Iran! Of course, you can't win a presidential election with AIPACs go-ahead, so Obama decided to slap every victim of apartheid in the face by stressing his dedication to protecting Israel. Not such a surprising move, but still, for shame!
5) Lastly, if Obama claims to have the working classes best interests in mind one more bloody time I'm going to leave the country. He couldn't organize effectively in Chicago and he gave up - "this isn't the right way to do things". Really, Obama? Unionizing workers and attaining a living wage isn't the right way to do things? Free health care goes a super long way when you're getting paid $4/hour overtime in an auto factory that will eventually be relocated to Asia.
Everyone loves to go on and on about how a black president is a historic event indeed! I don't disagree. But I do find WLEs fetishization of Obama deeply disturbing, given how he constantly gears more and more to the conservative side of the political spectrum. Have you ever had an experience where a white friend will point out to you that something racially offensive just occured? They will suggest that you be offended, because they understand, and they have your best interests in mind. That's what WLEs remind me of - people voting, more or less, against their own self-interest because they need to know how progressive they are, and how anti-racist they are. The terrible and ironic result of this is that Obama is conceding values he was once admirable for in order to ensure he gets those WLE votes.
God bless America, land of the delusional.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
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