Low Energy Day

Funk - strange word. Why it would have two diametrically opposed meanings I don't know. It's an infectious, groove based musical style, or a low energy, don't-want-to-do-much mental state.

We all have low energy days occasionally. You pick up the phone and chat with a friend or surf the net,(read a blog?!) or answer personal emails when you should be working. I should work on a few projects (no. 1 or 2 probably) but I'm leaning more towards taking a long walk. I need to get outside and get a bit of exercise - oh yeah - that's project 4. See - it's a great scheme to manage your unpracticed life. You aren't loafing, you're accomplishing a goal. Go for a walk. Working on project 4.

That's a bit typical for this unscripted life of mine too. I feel like I'm slacking off and doing nothing because I've been idle for about 45 minutes. It seems like I've wasted a whole day already. Well, it is a threatening looking day outside. Checking the weather report, it says " 40 percent chance of showers this morning and early this afternoon with the risk of a thunderstorm." But following that up with a look at the weather radar shows squat - not a spec of moisture in the air for 200km. So what gives? I assume that means I'm safe for a foray into the outdoors.

Depressed with Humans
Listening to a bit of radio this morning (after turning CBC radio back on an hour or so post-annoying guy), I heard an interview with David Horowitz. He's a slightly crazed - okay, generally rabid - guy who is billed as a former 60's activist who's now extremely right wing. He had some good observations, many of which he seems to interpret wrongly. Also annoying was that, since he was talking to Canadian Radio, he would tack Canada into every sentence, assuming it must apply. Like, "A big problem is that America, and Canada is the same, is doing X,Y,Z..." and almost every time he did that, he was wrong. He constantly assumes - oh, Canada's just the same as us. The same things are going on there as here. But it's oh so different to be out of the forest and see the trees.

A case in point. He was answering why he posted some white-supremist guy's stuff on his website. And he rebutted that very well. He said he's done that twice. Once was to answer an attack this guy made against him, the other was because this guy had collected some stats on crimes committed in Louisiana during the Katrina aftermath. In the latter case, he introduced the article as written by a racist and a bigot, and was making a point that in "American culture, and Canada is the same" some things can't be reported because of the radical left agenda. I don't see that here at all. I'd worry more, if I were him, that the bulk of the US mainstream media didn't question anything their government was doing for years. Sure, we've got Global TV - but they are just Fox lite. We still have some strong journalism in our main networks, and some of our papers.

Anyway, he had a good point, that there is also an inability of US media to report on some negative things among a predominantly black population. But I think the reason for this is that the bulk of the US population appears so obsessed by race that they themselves recognize that they would be unable to report it without weaving all sorts of bigotry into the coverage, so they stay away from it. They would be unable to refer to the purpetrators as poor people, the race would have to be highlighted.

In our house we often comment how, on American television, the instant there is a black person in a scene on a TV show - the topic of him/her being black comes up. Even if it's an all black people scene/show, it seems they will (the writers) have some topic related to being black. Rarely do you see characters that just happen to be black, and talk about other stuff. Same as black stand-up comics, and not to mention Saturday Night Live.

I've noticed this in business trips to the US as well. If you are having a drink or lunch with a group of people, and one of them is black - the topic of being black comes up. Whether in a self deprecating joke, or "you don't have to worry about the sun today he, he" or something like that. I have never seen that in Canada. I've worked with black co-workers, and it's like working with a brown haired co-worker. We don't constantly have conversations about Tom's brown hair. It's irrelevant to the bulk of what we're talking about. Occasionally it's relevant in the news or something, and even then it's not - "Hey, what is your black perspective on this Bob?" Rather people talk about the issue in a normal dialog.

I do remember a particular lunch in Dallas, Texas where we were a number of Canadians and a local black technician. He found some reason to bring up being black, and must have noted the confused looks around him that seemed to say "where the hell did that come from." I've forgotten the topic, but remember that he concluded with a comment that "I like that Canadians seem to be more colour blind than people here." That was one a proud Canadian moment.

There is of course racism here as there. But it is so ingrained in the US culture, that Horowitz's comment is true - but I don't think he understands why, as he is too close to the problem.

That was just one issue. And Horowitz had several interesting comments that had a lot of truth to them. He was quite scary as he got into a more froth-at-the-mouth phase, where he describes the 'war' going on in the US (and he tacks on Canadian) culture. And how the left are godless and so think they have to fix the world, while the truth is that the world is naturally evil and screwed up, and god fearing folk would understand this and they have the afterlife to look forward to anyway (I'm paraphrasing of course). I couldn't help but think how this, among other things I hear these days, seems to suggest this crazy breakdown and polarization of US society. He's able to write off huge swaths of the US population as leftists. His willingness to create a "the other" sense about them that you see in the rise of genocidal dictatorships. Mix in with that a smattering of right-wing religious perspective and you've got a "Let's destroy the world and prepare for the next" perspective that is pretty scary.

It's a shame as he's got some good perspectives. Like that one-dimensional view of the Viet-Nam war that isn't recognized (and is probably soon to be true for Iraq). There's the huge mistakes about precipitating the conflicts in the first place, and all the deaths caused through accident, omission and deliberate acts. But, in VN there's also the many deaths caused after pulling out and leaving a vacuum behind them.

But as usual, Horowitz throws in the over-simplification, neocon code phrase "cut and run" which that group loves so much. He's guilty of the same tactics he criticizes.

If only there was a better embracing of the peace-keeping concepts, and open dialog between disputing sides, some of that might have been avoided. If even a few deaths could have been avoided it would have been worth it. Reading Paris 1919 gives a great perspective on how diplomacy fails and precipitates huge elements of the last centuries wars and conflict, largely due to racist superiority perspectives on behalf of western leaders.

I remember that our Prime Minister gave Bush II a copy of Paris 1919 on their first meeting. I thought it was a gutsy move. No doubt he didn't read it - perhaps he would have learned something. I wonder if our own pseudo-prime minister (Bush II.5 wannabe) has read it.

Anyway, to wrap up this rant - this constant categorizing and pigeon holing, and stereotyping of people is the root of so much evil. I've noticed one truism over my years on the planet. Whenever you find yourself listening to an argument that seems to be and "A' vs. "B" argument, it's always true that the truth is in between.

Oh, that reminds me of another thing I've noted - in any public discourse, the side that starts receiving death threats is always the one that is closest to the right answer.

Hey, perhaps I need another list.

Oh here's another one - you can always identify the marginalized culture in any country by staying in a nice hotel, and seeing who cleans the rooms. In the US it's hispanic people, in Eastern Canada it's French-Canadians, in Western Canada it's Aboriginal people. In Europe I've noticed that in the past decade or so it's changed to East-Europeans - Poles, Balkan state folk.

Hmmm, how to wrap this up. Here's a suggestion. Next time you're in a hotel, say hi to the cleaning staff. Smile and actually mean it.

Wrap Up
Well this has wasted some time. I guess I can't say I've been idle at least. And it's sunny out. On to another project.

Your immediate assignment for today is to grab a sheet of paper and make a full-page sized smiley face and post it on a wall or office divider with no explanation. Make it a really happy one! Let me know how it goes, or send me a scan of it tomorrow if it survives.