I don’t know about the music, I watched it with Stevie Wonder playing.
African men speak?
Hmmm. . . it does sound a little scripted. But I love the “shirtless Matthew McConaughey” line. Please don’t read the comments unless you would like to be enraged.
Filed under colonialism, cultural appropriation, human rights, media, race, representation, resistance
Carol Adams and the New York Times justifications for meat eating
The New York Times invited only prominent white men to discuss the ethics of eating meat. Blisstree remedy this by inviting Carol J. Adams, the preeminent feminist vegetarian ethical thinker writing today to respond. She begins by noting the invisibility of identity in the New York Times choices:
Let’s remember the insight about who is “marked” and who is not marked in our culture. Until Black Liberation and Women’s Liberation began to change consciousness in the late 60s and early 70s, white men were unmarked, that is, their whiteness and maleness were untheorized and unremarkable. We all have to resist a kind of “colonization of consciousness” in which we participate in maintaining what is normative because that is what we are used to seeing. The irony here is that the Times helps to create what is normative and who the experts are. Whoever is quoted in interviews and is invited to be a guest writer in the Magazine section, becomes more well known.
via Author Carol J. Adams Weighs In On The Ethicist’s All-Male Meat Panel.
And of course, the delicious core of the argument: that gendered representation is tied to how comfortable Americans are with meat eating. Adam’s continues:
Does it speak to the gendered politics of meat-eating? How much time do we have?
First, it begins with the presumption that meat eating as a normative practice can be defended, especially here in the United States. I don’t believe in general that it can be, not here in the United States.
Our culture is heavily invested in the identification of meat eating with manliness: The idea that meat protein is better for you; the notion that men need to eat meat to be strong (the countless vegan athletes who disprove this notwithstanding); the identification of veganism with women or with gay men (i.e., it is okay for those “kinds” of people to give up eating meat)! The fixation on hunting as being an important part of our evolutionary heritage is part of the sexual politics of meat, (and interestingly one of the panelists, Michael Pollan describes his very masculine experience of hunting wild animals).
Then there is the philosophical tradition from which much animal theory is written that emphasizes the rational and distrusts the emotional. I am part of a group of feminist writers arguing that a feminist care ethic helps us to see the important of choosing to be vegan. But if caring is disdained, then those kinds of arguments get drowned out in favor of the “rational.”
There is also the status of the other animals in a patriarchal world, one in which they are feminized and sexualized. (I argue in The sexual politics of meat that all animals are made female in image or language through meat eating.)
via Author Carol J. Adams Weighs In On The Ethicist’s All-Male Meat Panel Page 2 |.
Filed under Animals, capitalism, feminism, food, health, representation, vegetarian
Soul Night 6: Missing Link saved my soul
Matt, Adam and DJ Mantease cavorting, sporting and speaking at Soul Night 5.
Arcata California on April twenty, Humboldt Brews. Sold out a few days before, the gig was ridiculous. So many good dancers and hot tracks. Despite being 420, I was pretty inspired to keep the party focused on the dancing. I think the music and the people who come to party are the central part of this gig, and I worry about theme parties overshadowing or distracting from that core. So I loaded my set with a few favorites and a few new acquisitions.
Mantease played global smashers with a few soul songs blended in. I think I heard Sugarpie DeSanto blended with some afrobeat. It was captivating and kept me on the dance floor. Jaymorg was just foolish. Sporting Run-DMC glasses and a bevy of killer 45s he just knocked ’em out. The Syl Johnson track does it for me. I’m going try to convince him to play that every soul night.
I dropped a little set of disco, go-go, and funky soul. The highlight was pretty much the Trouble Funk tune – almost ten minutes long — it gave the dancers enough time to make it happen. Congas and cowbell are non-negotiable ass-movers even in 2012.
1. Barry White – standing in the shadow of love
2. Lonnette McKee – Save it
3. B.W. Souls – Marvin’s Groove
4. J. R. Bailey – We need love
5. Gladys Knight & the Pips – Good man
6. Dyke and the Blazers – Runaway people
7. Stormy – devastator
8. David Robinson – Carpenter
9. Eddie Bo – Can I be your main squeeze
10. Dorothy, Oma & Zepha – Gonna put it on your mind
11. Ted Taylor – how do you walk away from fear
12. Curtis Mayfield – beautiful brother of mine
13. Chuck Brown – game seven part 1
14. Trouble Funk – Get small (live)
15. Ron and Candy – Plastic situation
Then Matt and Adam supercharged the crowd with some jump blues, jam down soul and serious tracks. Danced my butt off!
Thanks to all the supporters, participants, Humbrews, Brad the bartender (CHEERS!), and all the dancing people. We’ll see you next month.
Filed under funk & soul, Humboldt, music
The Anthem for Trayvon
Let’s acknowledge Willie D as an organic intellectual of the highest order.
Filed under communication, hip hop, human rights, memorial, police
Insights from Lil’ B
Thanks to the Fader for the photo of Lil' B.
The Based God, Lil B gave a lecture at NYU a couple of days ago. Here are a few of my favorite gems:
I tell you, bruh, I was looking at insects. I do my observations when I go out. If I become a neurosurgeon or I’m about to come into some bugs, I’m rocking. With the bugs, man, you just be looking at them. Because I was having these big ant problems in my house. It was crazy. And these are people in their own way, too. As I was studying these ant colonies infesting my house daily, I’m not kidding you, I left food out and 20 minutes later r-r-r-r-r and I’m like, man, they already know! They get it down pat! And real talk, like, seeing these ants and studying them and respecting them, it’s like, man, they’re in their own community too. They’re trying to survive. They love. They fight. They telling themselves something. We can’t understand, but one day we will. I’m trying hard to figure it out. I’m there with them. We’re very smart animals, you know, or whatever we are. Organisms? What are we? What do y’all think we are? Is there like a fact? Does anybody have any proof what we are? Live that life, experience it, travel, and come up with your theories man. Read the books, too, but experience your own. It’s crazy.
via Based Scripture: The Full Transcript of Lil B’s Lecture at NYU « The FADER.
Real talk: Don’t ever deny the voices in your head either. When you’re sitting at home alone, right, we all go through depression, anxiety. You’re by yourself and you hear those voices going wild in your head, in your unconscious, those angels by your side, your mental, your gut feeling, your heart. Listen to them. Let your mind tell you how you feel. Let your body tell you. Be in tune with your rare—this is a very rare thing. I’m like a robot. Hey look, tell your hand to do this. [Raises hand]. It’s like, man, that’s amazing! That’s amazing to me.
via Based Scripture: The Full Transcript of Lil B’s Lecture at NYU « The FADER.
I was a product of the media and my environment. I seen the people I like with gold teeth, and I was like, man, I want gold teeth. He looked like me and I wanted gold teeth. Everybody can get a grill in here. Everybody should embrace that. Get gold teeth! Don’t be thinking so hard, like, “Oh, man, I can’t get gold teeth.” Who is going to say what to you? We got love in our heart. We good people. Can’t nobody tell you nothing if you doing it from the love and you’re embracing people. Try to have fun and try to be as less ignorant as possible and meet people. I’m trying to set a tone for the younger generations.
via Based Scripture: The Full Transcript of Lil B’s Lecture at NYU « The FADER.
My grammar and spelling and how I say things might not be technically what we hear or textbook, but as long as you understand me? You have to work as a human with empathy and love in your heart, staying positive and staying based and staying normal. You have to make an effort to learn about people. You have to make an effort at your job. You have to make an effort to care.
via Based Scripture: The Full Transcript of Lil B’s Lecture at NYU « The FADER.
[Audience member: “Do you like to paint?”] I definitely do, man. My mom was a painter. Ay, bruh, feel me. But you know what I do rock with? My favorite is watercolors. I’m a watercolors type of dude, so definitely collect some of my rare paintings.
via Based Scripture: The Full Transcript of Lil B’s Lecture at NYU « The FADER.
Filed under academics, Animals, art, capitalism, communication, hip hop, learning, music, nature
Astounding graphic on TSA waste
Thanks to online criminal justice degree who created this graphic.
Filed under communication, juxtaposition, police, representation
Caine’s Arcade
Phenomenal short film about a 9-year old boy and his cardboard arcade.
Filed under art, juxtaposition, learning, resistance
Life of refinement 