Showing posts with label justice. Show all posts

Like many nerds, I was quite impressed by the movie X-Men: First Class. It is easily the best movie in the X-Men franchise. What has impressed me almost as much as the movie itself are the number of reflections that I've seen regarding the justice issues in the movie and parallels with contemporary issues.

It's no secret that the struggle for mutant rights in the X-Men franchise has parallels with the civil rights, women's rights, and the gay rights movements. As a straight white male geek, this franchise gives me another way to talk to my people about the struggle for equal rights that goes around a lot of the stubbornness that comes with privilege. There are many entry points, like looking at Professor X and Magento as parallels for Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X, or the idea of being "outed" as a mutant as an example of being in the closet as a homosexual.

If exploring this film from the perspective of equality and justice interests you, I have come across some stimulating reviews. The first is from Ars Marginal, and reflects on the movie from the perspective of a person of color and a homosexual. The second is from Comics Worth Reading, and has a section that talks about women's rights in the film. The third is a review of the movie by a psychologist blogging on Psychology Today, exploring some of the psychological theories that come up in the movie. While the movie does revolve around issues of equality, it is not a film that achieved equality in it's production.


SPOILER ALERT: Don't read further if you haven't seen the movie.
It is a pretty white washed cast, with the one black character predictably dying soon after he is introduced, and the one latina character quickly siding with the "bad guys". The treatment of woman in the film is not that impressive. It is a period piece in the 60's, so some sexism is to be expected for accuracy's sake if not condoned, but for all the concern about mutant rights, even the mutant leaders are pretty backwards when it comes to gender issues. There is little overt reference to homosexuality in the film, though the interaction between Professor X and Magneto has long had homo-erotic overtones. Read this review for a further exploration of this idea.
END SPOILER ALERT

In short, this film is quite enjoyable and can provide great fodder to talk about justice issues with individuals who might not otherwise think about such things. But, it's easy to ask, "who was right, the Professor or Magneto?" without raising too many hackles, at least initially.

Things I Don’t Have to Think About Today

Today I don’t have to think about those who hear “terrorist” when I speak my faith.
Today I don’t have to think about men who don’t believe no means no.
Today I don’t have to think about how the world is made for people who move differently than I do.
Today I don’t have to think about whether I’m married, depending on what state I’m in.
Today I don’t have to think about how I’m going to hail a cab past midnight.

Today I don’t have to think about whether store security is tailing me.
Today I don’t have to think about the look on the face of the person about to sit next to me on a plane.
Today I don’t have to think about eyes going to my chest first.
Today I don’t have to think about what people might think if they knew the medicines I took.
Today I don’t have to think about getting kicked out of a mall when I kiss my beloved hello.

Today I don’t have to think about if it’s safe to hold my beloved’s hand.
Today I don’t have to think about whether I’m being pulled over for anything other than speeding.
Today I don’t have to think about being classified as one of “those people.”
Today I don’t have to think about making less than someone else for the same job at the same place.
Today I don’t have to think about the people who stare, or the people who pretend I don’t exist.

Today I don’t have to think about managing pain that never goes away.
Today I don’t have to think about whether a stranger’s opinion of me would change if I showed them a picture of who I love.
Today I don’t have to think about the chance a store salesmen will ignore me to help someone else.
Today I don’t have to think about the people who’d consider torching my house of prayer a patriotic act.
Today I don’t have to think about a pharmacist telling me his conscience keeps him from filling my prescription.

Today I don’t have to think about being asked if I’m bleeding when I’m just having a bad day.
Today I don’t have to think about whether the one drug that lets me live my life will be taken off the market.
Today I don’t have to think about the odds of getting jumped at the bar I like to go to.
Today I don’t have to think about “vote fraud” theater showing up at my poll station.
Today I don’t have to think about turning on the news to see people planning to burn my holy book.

Today I don’t have to think about others demanding I apologize for hateful people who have nothing to do with me.
Today I don’t have to think about my child being seen as a detriment to my career.
Today I don’t have to think about the irony of people thinking I’m lucky because I can park close to the door.
Today I don’t have to think about memories of being bullied in high school.
Today I don’t have to think about being told to relax, it was just a joke.

Today I don’t have to think about whether someone thinks I’m in this country illegally.
Today I don’t have to think about those who believe that freedom of religion ends with mine.
Today I don’t have to think about how a half-starved 23-year-old being a cultural ideal affects my life.
Today I don’t have to think about how much my life is circumscribed by my body.
Today I don’t have to think about people wanting me cured of loving who I love.

Today I don’t have to think about those who view me an unfit parent because of who I love.
Today I don’t have to think about being told my kind don’t assimilate.
Today I don’t have to think about people blind to the intolerance of their belief lecturing me about my own.
Today I don’t have to think about my body as a political football.
Today I don’t have to think about how much my own needs wear on those I love.

Today I don’t have to think about explaining to others “what happened to me.”
Today I don’t have to think about politicians saying bigoted things about me to win votes.
Today I don’t have to think about those worried that one day people like me will be the majority.
Today I don’t have to think about someone using the name of my religion as a slur.
Today I don’t have to think about so many of the words for me controlling my own life being negatives.

Today I don’t have to think about still not being equal.
Today I don’t have to think about what it takes to keep going.
Today I don’t have to think about how much I still have to hide.
Today I don’t have to think about how much prejudice keeps hold.
Today I don’t have to think about how I’m meant to be grateful that people tolerate my kind.

Today I don’t have to think about all the things I don’t have to think about.
But today I will.

(an interesting reflection on the suffering of others that simultaneously recognizes and subverts the author's privilege)

From the wonders of Facebook, an article in the current issue of the Utne Reader has given me new hope of finding more common ground between the liberal and conservative camps. I have long been frustrated by conversations that I have with my dad. Even though we come from similar background and principals, we find ourselves far afield in the political spectrum.

The article states there are multiple moral impulses, some of which are more likely to be found in conservative beliefs, other are more common in liberal beliefs. Essentially, all of these are necessary to a fully functioning society, but each group of people value one set over another and is the source for the disagreements that play out in politics.

It's a short read and well worth it. I find it helpful to remind me that those I oppose are not necessarily ignorant or unfeeling, but that they are acting morally. An interesting subtext in the article is how some of the differences are based in class distinctions, which seems to be a blind spot in liberal academic theories. There also seems to be an assumption that liberals are inclined to be atheists, but that's a topic for a later post.

So, take a read.
http://www.utne.com/Politics/Liberals-Arent-Un-American-Conservatives-Arent-Ignorant.aspx

This was posted on fark.com by someone calling themselves Ozone, and I intend to use it the next time some tries to scare me with government interventionist propaganda.

"This morning I was awoken by my alarm clock powered by electricity generated by the public power monopoly regulated by the U.S. Department of Energy.

I then took a shower in the clean water provided by a municipal water utility.

After that, I turned on the TV to one of the FCC-regulated channels to see what the National Weather Service of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration determined the weather was going to be like, using satellites designed, built, and launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

I watched this while eating my breakfast of U.S. Department of Agriculture-inspected food and taking the drugs which have been determined as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

At the appropriate time, as regulated by the U.S. Congress and kept accurate by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the U.S. Naval Observatory, I get into my National Highway Traffic Safety Administration-approved automobile and set out to work on the roads build by the local, state, and federal Departments of Transportation, possibly stopping to purchase additional fuel of a quality level determined by the Environmental Protection Agency, using legal tender issued by the Federal Reserve Bank.

On the way out the door I deposit any mail I have to be sent out via the U.S. Postal Service and drop the kids off at the public school.

After spending another day not being maimed or killed at work thanks to the workplace regulations imposed by the Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health administration, enjoying another two meals which again do not kill me because of the USDA, I drive my NHTSA car back home on the DOT roads, to my house which has not burned down in my absence because of the state and local building codes and Fire Marshal's inspection, and which has not been plundered of all its valuables thanks to the local police department.

And then I log on to the internet -- which was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration -- and post on Freerepublic.com and Fox News forums about how SOCIALISM in medicine is BAD because the government can't do anything right."

original source here.

Thank you ozone.

With the recent attack on the Holocaust museum and the assassination of Dr. George Tiller, I've been thinking and worrying about a possible upswing of domestic terrorism, possibly prompted by the poor economy, having an African American president, a change in how we pursue the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and more. I've been less connected to my political and national news feeds since I started my new job, but today I found a number of articles that are reflecting similar thoughts.

Apparently, the Department of Homeland Security released a Bush-administration-commissioned report in April detailing Right Wing Extremism which was thoroughly thrashed by conservative pundits. However, that report is looking to be more and more prescient.

One article I read from the Huffington Post touched on a question I have often wondered about, has the shift in news reporting and the increased exposure of on-air pundits contributed to this climate?

Seeds of Hatred---Reaping the Harvest by Larry Gellman

I think it's well worth the read. One excerpt reads:

" I'm certain that O'Reilly will insist, as Beck did, that it would be both wrong and unfair to link the inflammatory rhetoric and the vicious language of his repeated attacks against Dr. Tiller to the fact that a passionate true believer may have taken him seriously and decided to rid the world of this murderous Nazi abortionist.

But the venom spewers can't have it both ways. In their zeal to make headlines and establish themselves as true leaders of a movement and a party that has become consumed by anger and hate, these "celebrities" have chosen to abandon their civility, reason, and sense of responsibility. They either mean what they say -- in which case those who rid the world of murderers, Nazis, and other liberal villains should be hailed as heroes -- or they don't in which case they are simply cowardly liars committing libel in the name of the First Amendment as they discredit their once-proud movement and/or party."

For more background about the conservative response to the DHS report, read this Daily Kos article.

What bothers me the most is how this low level of discourse is becoming more accepted. As a Christian, I am amazed that so many others who also claim to be a Christian can overlook Jesus' commandment to "love one another as you love yourself." In my reading of the Bible, that seems to be central to the Jesus movement.

My hope is that this type of discourse will consume itself without injuring or killing any bystanders or objects of their rage in the process. My fear is that these death throes may be quite violent, or worse, they might not be death throes at all.

I try to remember to be not afraid.

The following is a transcript of the remarks a dear friend of mine gave on the steps of the Michigan Capital building at a pro gay marriage protest on May 26th of this year. This protest was a response to the California Supreme Court's upholding of Proposition 8. She says it better than I ever could.




My name is Nicolette Lee Calcagno-Siragusa, and yesterday I celebrated the first anniversary of my wedding to the most wonderful woman in the world.

I should clarify – you see we have a domestic partnership in Cook County, Illinois, where we lived before moving here. We entered into that on October 1st 2005 in the Cook County Clerk’s office – very romantic. No rights, no responsibilities – just a certificate & a public record.

Then, on December 28th, 2007 we entered into a Civil Union in New Jersey, where we met and grew up, in the living room of her parents’ home presided over by the mayor. A simple event – an exchange of rings and vows in front of the fireplace.

And then came one year ago yesterday. In the sanctuary of the church where I had served as an intern, presided over by my friend and mentor. We had flowers, and music, and in the presence of our family, our friends, our church, and our God had a “proper” wedding, complete with the breaking of bread during the sacrament of Holy Communion, and the breaking of bread during a fun and festive reception.

For those of you keeping track:
Domestic Partners in Cook County, Illinois,
Civilly United in New Jersey
Married in the eyes of our friends, our family, and our church
And yet considered single by the state of Michigan!

As a member of clergy, I am told that the state respects my ecclesial authority to join two people in marriage – as long as they get to pick the two. I am a firm believer in the separation of Church and State, and it is simply wrong to use the beliefs of a church as justification for refusing same-sex couples the rights and responsibilities of civil marriage on one hand, while on the other hand deny churches and clergy who see unequal treatment as injustice the ability to marry those couples.

I am a member of the United Church of Christ who at their General Synod in 2005 resolved to affirm equal marriage rights for couples regardless of gender, stating that the government should not interfere with couples regardless of gender who choose to marry and share fully and equally in the rights, responsibilities, and commitment of legally recognized marriage.

I believe in the life and example of Jesus of Nazareth who demonstrated radical inclusivity and abundant welcome. I believe in a biblical tradition that affirms and celebrates human expressions of love and partnership. I believe in a God who is still speaking, and that there is always more light and truth to be revealed.

There are those who would tell us that we are not worthy of marriage. That our families are not as beautiful, that our love is not as strong, that our commitment is not as deep.

But they have not seen how we care for our ailing parents, have not heard us sing lullabies to our children, have not seen us support one another through trials and adversities, have not witnessed the struggles we go through simply to keep our families together.

But the time is coming. A new generation is at hand who has seen, who has witnessed, and who understands.

So I tell you – do not lose hope, do not lose faith. May you always remember that you are God’s beloved children. May the Holy One encourage you in times of struggle and disappointment. And may God strengthen you as you walk on the path of love and justice, for though it is long and winding, I know we do not walk alone.

The cover story for the December 15 issue of Newsweek is a well written article about the biblical assumptions that underlie the Gay Marriage debate. The article goes more in depth than most news stories without going so deep that it would bore the non-theologian. Check it out here. It would be a good starting point for a Bible Study or general discussion. I know I plan on touching on some of these themes in the future, perhaps in pre-marital counseling. Gay or not, everyone should have a better idea of what the Bible does say about marriage before they enter into it themselves.

And, if reading a four page article is too daunting, check out this slightly more irreverent take on the same subject.

Thanks to Mark Winters for the Newsweek article. Check out his blog Liberal Believer here, or in my blog list to the right.

To add to the political videos on here as of late, here is an awesome clip of Rage Against the Machine in St. Paul Minnesota. After the police shut down their public address system, they went out with a bullhorn, and performed acapella, to show that no one can silence free speech.

I read this morning that George Carlin died yesterday. I was very sad to hear this. I didn't view him as just a comedian, but also as a prophetic voice.

Many people have heard about the controversy surrounding his "Seven Dirty Words" sketch. It's not any comedian that can be part of a Supreme Court ruling. I also particularly enjoyed his routine on "Stuff," as well as many other witty observations about American society and politics. Though he was a professed atheist, I found religious inspiration in his words and a necessary critique of religious structures. To be honest, I sometimes used George Carlin as a litmus test for my own writings. In seminary, we were encouraged to think of our "communities of accountability" when we wrote, and I used Carlin as a sort of 'bull-shit' detector, a voice to keep me from departing too far from what is true and into the specious. If I felt that something I was writing could be satirized by Carlin, I found some other way to express that position

In reading his various obituaries, I found out that I became exposed to him just as his comedy was becoming more socially conscious. From the Chicago Tribune, "Last year, he said a highlight of his career was a 1992 HBO special titled Jamming in New York. 'That was the point where I probably became more of a writer who performed his own material. The material became more like essays, they became more socially conscious, and it was just a major jump from being what I think of as only an entertainer to being an artist-entertainer,' he said in a 2007 Times interview." Just as I was finishing high school, he gained a larger social conscience, something that I feel he helped instill in me.

So, raise a glass for George Carlin. Check out his life on wikipedia, and watch some of his bits on youtube. He's a comedian and an artist-entertainer that's well worth getting to know better.

On more than one occasion, I've been accused by some of my more right-wing family and acquaintances of being a conspiracy theorist. I've been known to say such wacky things as the United States government trained Osama bin Ladin and Saddam Hussein and overthrew democratic governments and supported dictators. I've been told that I've watched too many movies.

Well, cracked.com has collected a list of "Seven Insane Conspiracies That Actually Happened." It's an interesting read, especially the one that relates to the Bush family. What disturbs me is how many of these took place within the last century. I consider that to be within living memory. It makes me wonder about what is being missed or obscured today. The reason we went to war in Iraq? Hmmm......

In my daily web browsing, I came across a very interesting website: Kiva.org. It is a website that lets individuals give small loans to enterpeneurs in third world countries (or the two-thirds world). I've heard of microlending before, but I always thought of it as still being something that banks or financial organizations participated in, not individuals like myself. That's where kiva comes in. You can make a loan of as small as $25 dollars, with expected payback ususally from 6-18 months.

This appeals to me for a lot of different reasons. One, it's a practically painless way to get into the habit of supporting individuals. I'm not rich, nor do I ever really plan on becoming rich, yet I can give up $25 or so to support someone in need, especially when I will probably get that money back. Two, unlike a lot of mission or governmental work, this is giving money to people in need who are determining for themselves what they need. There is no governmental mandate for abstinence only sex education to receive AIDS funding, or church required evangelism to receive a new school. Third, it's giving me a new way to approach economics, a subject I previously thought of with as much affection as a root canal or driving during rush hour. I like the idea that the money I contribute will eventually come back to me, for me to re-invest or recoup as I see fit. And, if I lose the money, well, I can look at it as a charitable contribution that at least helped someone in need.

So, I'm starting to educate myself about micro financing and will be making an investment soon. I hope some of you do, too.

It makes me happier than Bert.

In other news, I'm excited to say that my seminary is participating in Earth Hour this Saturday. For one hour, between 8 and 9 pm, people across the globe will be turning out their lights to demonstrate their dedication to ending global warming. I'll have to put in a couple of extra hours, but it'll be worth it.

Besides, getting to run through a Hogwarts like building in the dark? Awesome.

Damn, I found a good church. In the last few months, I've joined Church of the Three Crosses, a joint United Church of Christ and United Methodist Church in the Old Town neighborhood. It's a bit of a trek to get to from my apartment, but it is well worth it.

Why do I like it? I'm glad you asked. First and foremost, I like how the church balances being a socially active church and how it maintains a good feeling of community and spiritual focus. One image I won't soon forget is at the beginning of worship one week there were a couple of children sitting on the floor in front of the first row coloring, and it just felt natural. There wasn't a concern from the congregation that those children should behave differently, or a sense that these children aren't a central part of the church. It is also a plus that the church isn't large, as I like knowing or at least recognizing most of the people I see each week.

I have also really enjoyed the messages I hear, especially this Lenten season. There was a clear tying of the Lenten readings with the struggles of the world. Partially this was due to the wonderfully motivated Lenten book group. There was a clear parallel between Jesus' ministry and the modern struggles with corporate and political interests. The phrase, "Jesus died for the sins of the world," which has always given me the willies, was re-evaluated into an understanding that that guy Jesus died because of the sins of the world and was put to death by the powers that be.

It was interesting, and more than a bit coincidental, that the issue with Barack Obama's pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright came to light just as we reached Palm Sunday. Much has been said about this issue, more than I could keep up with at times. The service focused on the two processions that entered Jerusalem, a peasant procession and an imperial procession. We can choose to walk with the people, or with the powers that be. The pastor, Rev. John Hobbs, was clear to point out the dangers and penalties of choosing to not walk the imperial path, the dangers that seemed to be befalling Obama and Rev. Wright. The media, which had been fawning over Obama almost as if he was a savior, now came down upon his pastor with great wrath and vengeance for daring to speak the word that disagreed with the official response to the disasters of 9-11, one that did not let us forget that we were not blameless in the woes of world, and that now we are sharing in those woes. I don't want to spend talking too much about the Wright controversy (another blog, perhaps), but that the worship in the church was able to bring the word to the world we live in today, as well as the spiritual concerns, was wonderful. It's wasn't just a fiery political laden sermon, or a sermon that only focused on what happened 2000 years ago, but sought to bring them together.

Knowing myself, I have tried to hold myself back from getting over-committed, but I have joined the mission and building committees. There's always a lot going on, and there are many hands to do it. The church reminds me of the small town church I went to when I was a child in rural Michigan, a real extended family.

Bring on the Epiphany.

Thanks to Rev. Johnny for bringing this to my attention: