a lit cigarette - by Tomasz Sienicki - Creative Commons "Apparently you knock first, with various “knock on the roof” bombs dropped around the hospital before dropping the big kaboom on top of the hospital itself. You also send a text telling the people in the hospital to leave the hospital because you plan to bomb the hospital, which of course the people can't do because they are "in the hospital".
And scotch for me. Though I am no longer much of a fan of Amy Goodman, she went too all in on the Russiagate thing during the Trump years for me. Aside from that, great essay. Though I haven’t been proud to be an American since the Vietnam War. Unbelievable what we did to that country, all the innocents killed, the ground mined and poisoned with Agent Orange.
And we keep on doing it, all over the world. I will say it again, great essay.
It is not done in my name, as I'm not really an American. I stopped being an American when I realized that the notion that America is a "democracy" is just not historically or factually accurate. America (the USA) has always been -- and was created as -- a plutocratic oligarchy which at the beginning excluded women, native Americans, Africans, poor white males, and all but white male "property owners from participation in the formation of running of its pseudo-democratic oligarchical monstrosity. Grudgingly, it slowly gave "the franchise" of a vote to those who were originally excluded, but in doing so it failed to increase its status up to a genuine democracy.
If you want democracy, you're probably going to have to arrange that face-to-face with your nearest neighbors, I suspect. I suspect neighborhoods, villages and small towns can be democratic. Go larger than that and the Megamachine will take control, as it has since Industrialism and capitalism had its faintest mere beginnings -- and likely well before that.
Well, ok, Mr. Martin. I love being mansplained to. I should be used to it by now. And of course you are correct, except all those poor people being bombed probably would, and could not see the difference. I understand what you are saying, and actually agree, but to the rest of the world it probably doesn’t matter.
I don't do "mansplaining". I never have. Are you trying to fem-splain to me? Sheesh. Can't we just be people? Must you turn me into a category? Can't you even see me as a person? Just a person? Sheesh.
Generally I love Rebecca Solnit, but she f**king blew it when she famously and infamously popularized the notion of "mansplaining". That piece from her was just terribly, terribly weak and silly. She failed to honor the fact that whenever a man opens his mouth he isn't "man splaining". Rebecca, if you're listening, It's time to correct that error of judgement. Or maybe it wasn't all your fault? Maybe the fault is with those women who twisted and tweaked your word to be used to riducle anything a man ever says?
Since I clicked on the "publish this" button, I decided to edit this piece so as to add an epigraph. The epigraph is comprised of the opening lines of an article on the bombing of hospitals in Palestine, by Rob Lewis. If you are a subscriber, and read the original version, you may want to read that epigraph here.
But then if you are reading here' you've probably seen the revised version!
If you want to be safe, just don't go to the hospital. Sigh.
While I have a penis, I have almost nothing (otherwise) in common with a stereotypical version of the broad category "men". I'm an androgyne -- not in biological but in psychological terms. I happen to be an assertive androgyne. I recommend you try it sometime. I also recommend that you stop insulting people with penises. We're not all jerks! I'm so weary of all of this Them-ing! Sheesh! It's just dumb.
I suppose I could apologize, but I have been spoken down to my entire life by men, even ignorant ones who had no clue what they were talking about. And, TBH, I like your writing very much and normally would agree with you. At that particular moment I felt talked down to, again. I’m not stupid, I also know the horrible, very ignoble history of our country and the founding of our country and who got the vote, etc. I’m coming up on my 70th birthday, maybe that’s why I’m feeling so down, nothing has changed at all, in fact it’s gotten so much worse.
Thank you James.. I crave a joint and gin and tonic after that. I'll have a strong tea and feel all you wrote.,,
And scotch for me. Though I am no longer much of a fan of Amy Goodman, she went too all in on the Russiagate thing during the Trump years for me. Aside from that, great essay. Though I haven’t been proud to be an American since the Vietnam War. Unbelievable what we did to that country, all the innocents killed, the ground mined and poisoned with Agent Orange.
And we keep on doing it, all over the world. I will say it again, great essay.
Thanks Heather. But I'm not part of that "we," as I said. I was merely born here. I didn't do it.
You are, of course, 100% correct. But unfortunately, it is done in our name. Makes me so angry I want to burst, or get some scotch.
It is not done in my name, as I'm not really an American. I stopped being an American when I realized that the notion that America is a "democracy" is just not historically or factually accurate. America (the USA) has always been -- and was created as -- a plutocratic oligarchy which at the beginning excluded women, native Americans, Africans, poor white males, and all but white male "property owners from participation in the formation of running of its pseudo-democratic oligarchical monstrosity. Grudgingly, it slowly gave "the franchise" of a vote to those who were originally excluded, but in doing so it failed to increase its status up to a genuine democracy.
If you want democracy, you're probably going to have to arrange that face-to-face with your nearest neighbors, I suspect. I suspect neighborhoods, villages and small towns can be democratic. Go larger than that and the Megamachine will take control, as it has since Industrialism and capitalism had its faintest mere beginnings -- and likely well before that.
Well, ok, Mr. Martin. I love being mansplained to. I should be used to it by now. And of course you are correct, except all those poor people being bombed probably would, and could not see the difference. I understand what you are saying, and actually agree, but to the rest of the world it probably doesn’t matter.
Heather -
I don't do "mansplaining". I never have. Are you trying to fem-splain to me? Sheesh. Can't we just be people? Must you turn me into a category? Can't you even see me as a person? Just a person? Sheesh.
Generally I love Rebecca Solnit, but she f**king blew it when she famously and infamously popularized the notion of "mansplaining". That piece from her was just terribly, terribly weak and silly. She failed to honor the fact that whenever a man opens his mouth he isn't "man splaining". Rebecca, if you're listening, It's time to correct that error of judgement. Or maybe it wasn't all your fault? Maybe the fault is with those women who twisted and tweaked your word to be used to riducle anything a man ever says?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_Explain_Things_to_Me
Since I clicked on the "publish this" button, I decided to edit this piece so as to add an epigraph. The epigraph is comprised of the opening lines of an article on the bombing of hospitals in Palestine, by Rob Lewis. If you are a subscriber, and read the original version, you may want to read that epigraph here.
But then if you are reading here' you've probably seen the revised version!
If you want to be safe, just don't go to the hospital. Sigh.
Yes, James!
Whatever, it sure felt like that. And easy for you to say.
Heather -
While I have a penis, I have almost nothing (otherwise) in common with a stereotypical version of the broad category "men". I'm an androgyne -- not in biological but in psychological terms. I happen to be an assertive androgyne. I recommend you try it sometime. I also recommend that you stop insulting people with penises. We're not all jerks! I'm so weary of all of this Them-ing! Sheesh! It's just dumb.
I suppose I could apologize, but I have been spoken down to my entire life by men, even ignorant ones who had no clue what they were talking about. And, TBH, I like your writing very much and normally would agree with you. At that particular moment I felt talked down to, again. I’m not stupid, I also know the horrible, very ignoble history of our country and the founding of our country and who got the vote, etc. I’m coming up on my 70th birthday, maybe that’s why I’m feeling so down, nothing has changed at all, in fact it’s gotten so much worse.
I know how you feel. Wine for me.