(indistinct chatter)

Blog

  • Today was a bad day

    First, let’s acknowledge that this was a terrible day for two West Virginia National Guardsmen, who as of this writing are still fighting for their lives after being shot at close range in Washington D.C. And a gut-wrenching day for their families, who were likely preparing for their Thanksgiving holiday, hoping to at least talk on the phone with their loved ones tomorrow.

    Based on the words tonight from our administration, this will be the start of some very bad days for Afghan refugees living in America, most of whom celebrate this country with as much Thanksgiving as those of us lucky enough to be born here.

    Looking into the near future, I’m watching to see if this will also turn out to be a bad day for freedom.

    A screenshot of a facebook post from @conservmillen that responds to Jesus' "Love thy neighbor" charge with MAGA talking points. It ends with the statement, "Love your neighbor enough to work for a more peaceful, orderly, free, safe, & stable nation."

    I keep seeing Christian Americans using Christ to try and justify their policy preferences. Tonight I noticed this piece of propaganda as I doom-scrolled. The dissonance in the last line jumped out at me. “Love your neighbor enough to work for a more peaceful, orderly, free, safe, & stable nation” (emphasis mine).

    The more order we have, the more safety, the more stability, the less freedom we have. I think we should at least recognize the trade-offs. When the right speaks of safety and stability, they usually mean law and order, being “tough on crime”, and, if Sean Duffy speaks for conservative values, no pajamas on planes.

    There are trade-offs on the left as well. When I talk about safety and stability, I’m usually referring to an FDR-style freedom from want, from hunger, from illness. Of course there is a trade-off: wealthy people have slightly less freedom with their money (though they benefit from the same freedom from want that everyone else does).

    I worry that “safety and stability” in the context of an attack on the Guard will mean more military in our streets, more surveillance of our daily lives, more internment and deportations of immigrants, and more policing of our thoughts and words.

  • Insidious

    One of the last stops on our two-week Baltic cruise that we had no business taking in our career stages or income brackets was Gdynia, Poland. We had returned from touring the better-known city of Gdansk, famous for its cathedral and restored old city, and were desperate for snacks. We stopped at a shopping mall that had a grocery store on the second level, and we got on the escalator to go get our Euro-sweets and sodas.

    The escalator was one of those where the up and the down lines cris-cross past each other in the middle. As we rode up, a group of 5 or 6 teenagers was riding down. As we passed in mid-transit, I noticed how normal and fun the group appeared. My brain actually said out loud, “Huh. they don’t look stupid.”

    It took me the rest of the ride up to realize what had just happened. To understand, you have to know that I grew up in a part of New York State that was half-Italian, half-German, and half-Polish. At least that’s how young kid me would’ve explained it. I was certain Catholicism was the predominant religion in America. Ethnic jokes abounded. I have a vague recollection of Italian jokes, but the ones that really stuck were the Polish jokes. Or as we routinely said back in the day “polack” jokes.

    For the uninitiated, these jokes all centered around Poles as less intelligent than the rest of us, in ways that underscored their innate subordination. I’d heard plenty of them in school, in my family, and probably retold a fair amount myself. But I didn’t realize until thirty years later what an insidious, damaging effect they had had on my perception of actual people.

    Nowadays, when I have the urge to cross the street to avoid coming face to face with [insert marginalized group here], I remember that escalator ride in Poland, and I reevaluate my response in the context of my upbringing. I don’t know why I thought to write this down today, probably because of all *gestures broadly* this.

  • Schminciples

    Daily writing prompt
    What principles define how you live?
    View all responses

    “Fight fire with fire” has never been my mantra. But in this age where lying and cheating gets you power, and honesty and integrity gets you nowhere, I occasionally wonder if I should rethink that.

    To be fair, it’s been easier to stick to my principles in my recent political context. It’s highly unlikely the Indiana State Legislature will enact my preferred economic and social policies in my lifetime. So I could shout my sincere opposition to state officials from the rooftops (or the Statehouse lawn), and share my vision of the benefits of a multiracial, multicultural democratic society, and keep it 100 (percent hypothetical).

    But now my principles are being tested, because sincerely opposing the state means the possibility of facing state recrimination. I’ve been thinking a lot about where my values are grounded, and how that will influence my actions over the coming months and years. Will I face this moment as the blessed peacemakers in the beatitudes? Or will I give in to reactive and vindictive impulses? Or worse yet, will I shrink from the fight altogether?

  • Letter to my Senators: DOGE

    I hope you’ll agree with me that protecting Hoosiers’ personal data is of paramount importance. Assuming that is true, can you please tell me what you’re doing to hold the Department of Government Efficiency to account? I have serious concerns about un-vetted 20-year-olds gaining access to our government’s payment systems and taxpayer information. Their activities at Treasury also make them prime targets for recruitment by our adversaries.

    What are you and Congress doing to ensure 1) the security of our sensitive data, and 2) that DOGE employees are loyal to the United States and not to their own bank accounts? The fact that you have flip-flopped on Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination makes me doubly concerned about your commitment to national security. I don’t understand why you and other members of Congress have chosen to stop exercising your oversight powers.

    Finally, your office used to respond to these emails with, at the very least, form-letter language addressing the “Message Topic”. I have written several times this term requesting a response, and have yet to hear from you. You are my voice in the Senate: I need to know that you acknowledge my concerns, and consider them as you make decisions affecting me and my family.

  • Diversity, Equity, and Insults

    Sometimes the fantasy arguments I have in my head spill out into social media. I’m still following a ton of MAGA accounts and right-wing politicians as a result of my work to counter disinformation in the 2020 election. So I have ample opportunity to disrupt the opposition’s talking points and stir the pot.

    Such was the case when my new Governor, Mike Braun, posted on Facebook about his plans for, among other things, dismantling Indiana’s DEI efforts. A few days earlier, I had read about Braun’s policy to remove hiring restrictions that required a college degree for positions where a degree wasn’t legally mandated. Not a bad idea, really, when it comes to finding talented employees that have the skills for a job, but for whatever reason, don’t have the necessary credentials. Ironically, that’s fundamental DEI: removing barriers to productive employment and advancement. I filed that away for later use, and darn if “Tim” didn’t give me my shot.

    Tim immediately cites facts showing that DEI “bring[s] out the worst.” Which is to say, he just claims that it’s “proven.”

    I helpfully point out that, well actually, Braun’s stated employment principles include DEI.

    Tim expresses confusion…

    I proceed to use the words “Diversity,” “Equity,” and “Inclusion in my explanation so that the policy’s connection to DEI is clear.

    I also frame an example in terms I think he will understand.

    Tim is unmoved.

    And for the first time, questions my intelligence.

    Unlike Tim, I save my receipts.

    For some context, Governor Braun signed a number of Executive Orders that day, including one banning DEI in favor of “MEI”: Merit, Excellence, and Innovation. ::eye roll::

    In a statement of stunning cluelessness, Braun told the press his inclusion of non-college-educated candidates for state jobs would “attract a broader pool of talent” and “engage more Hoosiers in the process.”

    I continued with a hypothetical that I thought would illustrate the point.

    Now, what you don’t see after this response is a reply that Tim deleted before I took my screenshots. It was short and not very sweet: “That’s not DEI,” and “Are you really this stupid?”

    Admittedly somewhat triggered, I answered.

    (I tried to avoid ad hominem attack. I think I was successful enough.)

    Tim remained unconvinced.

    But at least he signaled a desire for knowledge.

    Which, being me, I indulged.

    Finally, this is where I tapped my inner Child of MAGA Adults, allowing didacticism (and not a little righteous indignation) to flow.

    Tim didn’t respond after this. I’m not sure if he grew bored, or decided that I was nuts, but I like to imagine he realized there was more to DEI than he had previously thought.

    I don’t necessarily advocate sparring on social media, but if you’re tired of suppositions hanging out there unchecked, and you don’t mind a few aspersions cast on your intellect, it can be a good way to sharpen your values and arguments.

  • An ode to policy

    An ode to policy

    Congratulations, America. You’ve gotten the policy-driven presidency you said you wanted. Let’s see what you’ve won:

    We’re about to find out if Walmart can pay a 200% tax on everything it imports and still keep those low, low prices. We’re gonna see what happens to the cost of food when we deport our cheap agricultural labor force. Watch what happens to affordable housing after we deport 1/3 of this country’s construction workers.

    I’m personally excited to see whether I get turned away from a public ladies’ room because the sex police decide I’m not feminine enough.

    When private health insurance companies are no longer constrained by the government (of the people) to meet the needs of all Americans, let’s see what happens to the cost of premiums. To the types of cancer treatments that are available under low-cost plans. We’ll watch as people change employers, and therefore health plans, and find out that their diabetes is now considered a pre-existing condition and that they’ll have to pay for related treatment on their own.

    How much will your kids’ dentist visits cost when non-fluoridated water isn’t keeping their teeth from rotting?

    Let’s see how many pregnant people die in emergency rooms because the right of their state’s legislature is more valuable than their right to life.

    Let’s count down the days until Ukraine is no longer a sovereign nation.

    How many new jobs will we suddenly lose when we abandon the microchip factories currently under construction?

    I’m going to be tracking these policy benchmarks. Will you be paying attention to how they affect the real world?

  • The argument against the argument against Harris – A white woman’s primer

    The argument against the argument against Harris – A white woman’s primer

    Most of the negative reactions to Kamala Harris’ presidential candidacy (with at least one notable exception) have landed in two camps:

    Camp 1 (Republicans): Kamala’s a terrible black woman who didn’t earn the nomination!

    Camp 2: (Democrats): They’re going to say Kamala’s a terrible black woman and that she didn’t earn the nom! (What do we dooooo?!)

    Let’s review how both arguments are deployed in bad faith, and how to start pushing back.against them.

    “She didn’t earn the nomination,” aka “Democrats scrapped the will of the voters”

    Stephen Miller whining on behalf of Democratic primary voters who “filled in circles!”

    For the people bemoaning the lack of a democratic process here, how democratically have your last presidential candidates been chosen? Was Biden your first choice when the last presidential primary began? Was he your second? Or even third?! Set aside the fact that it takes an ungodly amount of money and connections to even enter a primary…the candidate is usually chosen by the time the 3rd or 4th state primary rolls around.

    My state’s primary is in May. In 2020, I wanted Warren, but there was no chance I was ever going to cast a meaningful vote for her. So until we have a national one-day primary, miss me with your “disrespecting the primary voters” BS. This was 14 million voters out of the coalition of 81 million that elected Biden to office. Voting for him unopposed. I was one of them. But that’s less than 20% of his electorate, and less than 10% of the electorate overall. Once he declared his candidacy for a second term, there was no real choice for voters. I didn’t hear many people complaining about the legitimacy then.

    “She’s a terrible black woman,” aka misogynoir

    We have to fight it everywhere we see it. Periodt.

    Debunk stupidity about childfree women. Why someone does or doesn’t have children is none of your damned business. (Side note, I personally find living a childfree life very not miserable.) Living in America gives you a direct stake in America. If Vance’s statement were remotely true, they’d praise Joe Biden for being a family man acting on behalf of America’s future. Instead, they bludgeon him with his strong paternal values to bloody him as corrupt. This is not a serious, good-faith criticism. We have to call it out.

    Push back on racist tropes. We white people have diminished people of color since before the founding as stupid and lazy. Primitives not worthy of citizenship or of meaningful participation in society. Every time we credit a Black person (often with a whiff of surprise) for being “so articulate,” we reveal this racist inheritance. Kellyanne’s “She does not speak well” is just flipping the “compliment” back to the historical status quo. Then she doubles down with the laziness trope, “She does not work hard.” Kellyanne’s arguments appeal to her audience’s racism. And we have to call it out.

    Dispense with garbage that black people and immigrants are ungrateful. JD Vance plays to his audience’s self-superiority by positing that he’s grateful to his country, and that you have a responsibility to give back. In 2019, Kamala Harris literally started her campaign talking about how much she loves this country, and how she feels a responsibility to give back. JD Vance just isn’t listening. Instead, he’s stirring up anti-immigrant, anti-black sentiment towards “ungrateful” freeloaders who do nothing for their paychecks. Our work as white people in this campaign it to call it out.

  • Confederates in Blue Jacket country

    Confederates in Blue Jacket country

    One of my Black colleagues shared the photo below during a recent trip to Ohio. I know I experience a visceral reaction when I see that flag flying. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be black and pass it on a holiday road trip. Like driving into enemy territory, I suppose.

    The lower Midwest feels awfully “southern” at times. Between the local dialect and conservative attitudes, it would be easy to think you were in Tennessee, or Georgia. I often have to remind myself these states fought on the side of the Union. The Union, winners of the Civil War. Maybe that’s the question we should be asking presidential candidates: “Who won the Civil War?” Because the resurgence of the Confederate flag every generation or so begs the question, are we forgetting our history? As someone born and educated in the north, I learned that THE NORTH won the Civil War over the SOUTH. I’m sure the story is more nuanced as taught in the southern states, but setting that aside, I always thought kids from former Union states would have learned this too.

    That’s why scenes like Confederate battle flags raised over Ohio homes break my brain. Ohio’s capital is home to a pro sports franchise whose very name is drawn from the state’s history supplying Union soldiers. Yet the Confederate flag persists in this state, as well as in its Union neighbor Indiana. I’ve been told, even here, that it represents “heritage”, which is certainly ahistorical, if not downright laughable. Whose heritage? Not those Hoosiers whose forefathers died for the Union. Not the Black and Native descendants of slaves and displaced First Nations. “Heritage” is just a romantic euphemism for antebellum white pride.

    I once saw this head-scratcher of a decal on the back window of of pickup truck. So much for “These colors don’t run.” Apparently, they do run. Into treachery.

  • My Political Crossroads

    Daily writing prompt
    How have your political views changed over time?
    View all responses

    My political crossroads came early – at age 13. Up till then, I had pretty much done like most kids: taken the lead on politics from my parents. My folks were WASPy, middle-class Republicans in the 70s and 80s. Politics as such was rarely discussed, though my earliest political memories include telling Jimmy Carter jokes among the other kids in our family-friend group.

    Two running currents in my life intersected in 1984: one was the Reagan/Mondale presidential race. The other was my own developing moral code, which was influenced heavily by viewing the 1982 film Gandhi, and by studying the Gospel in my church confirmation class.

    I considered myself pro-Reagan, or as pro-Reagan as a sheltered 13-year-old white kid with no context could consciously consider herself. In our social studies class’s pre-election debate, I was enthusiastically on Team Reagan. Even at that age, I sensed and enjoyed the feeling of power on the incumbent side. I also remember the importance of rhetoric; even though we lost the mock debate on points, our teacher gave us credit for the persuasive delivery of our (admittedly) stupid arguments.

    At the same time, my study of Satyagraha and of the Gospel of Matthew, in particular, the Sermon on the Mount, were substantially influencing my worldview. My politics, previously an unconscious performance of power, crystalized around compassion, love of the neighbor, and non-violence. By the next general election, I was a bleeding-heart, flaming lib. While I continue to interrogate liberal and progressive politics through the lens of my values, I have never found the need to turn back.

  • Purple for Parents (Whiteness for Kids)

    Purple for Parents (Whiteness for Kids)

    “What is SEL?”

    Ok, I know better than to engage the crazy moms of Facebook in a discussion of pedagogical best practices and the health of queer kids. I do. But listening to my sister detail the roadblocks and joys in her teaching life has emboldened me just enough to push back on the bull about the “woke agenda,” CRT, and “grooming.”

    So when I held my breath and slipped my head into the murky comments section of a Purple for Parents Indiana post, it was really just a matter of time before my response reflex popped off. In answer to an otherwise innocent question, “What is SEL?,” a number of Fox News-trained commenters explained how it’s a waste of time at best, grooming at worst. I had to push back with a real-life scenario to drive my point (pictured). In reply, I attracted a few folks who acted exactly as predicted.

    How do you respond to willful, purposeful ignorance? How do you converse with, let alone persuade, people for whom certain terms are programed to elicit a pat response?