Tag Archives: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents

Another Banned Book

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What the weather is doing in the Tries: Wowser Dowswer!!! A week of warm-hot weather—81 to106, with most days in the 90s. I think that will be warm enough for Auntie Lenora. What do you think?

Another Banned Book:

Being back on Facebook, I’m privy to all sorts of news and blues and memes and things. A friend posted something the other day about To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee being banned by some school district because it allegedly made some students/parents uncomfortable. Well, no adult male bovine excrement, Sherlock!  Isn’t that the purpose of the book? On first read of her post, I was plain old flabbergasted. And then my wee brain went into great and wonderful joy!

What books of your parents did you sneak and read as a child? I’m willing to bet a biscotti or three that you read the very ones you were told NOT to read. I know those were the ones I read. And I’m pretty sure I was told not to read them, precisely for the reason that they wanted me to read them. Oddly there were two books I was asked not to read. My uncle who spent WWII in the US Navy asked that I not read Onionhead: A Novel of the Coast Guard by Weldon Hill because he and mother’s whole family were trying to turn me into a “young lady” and the book had the F-bomb liberally throughout. Like I’d never heard it or read it. Sigh. And Daddy asked me not to read Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov until I was older.  Because I was asked, not ordered, and because there were so many other books to read (with and without certain “adult” words), I lost any interest in them I might have had. 

Yes, To Kill a Mockingbird should make you uncomfortable. And it should be discussed in the classroom and the dining room. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexi should make you uncomfortable, too. And it, too, should be discussed in the classroom and the dining room. 

Now, when I was in high school, I had to read a book six freaking times. I hated it. It didn’t make me uncomfortable, it made me angry. I never did read it all the way through, but I got an A on each of the six book reports I wrote, and the book was never discussed in the classroom that I remember. Portions were read, but the meanings, the metaphors, were not discussed. Turned out, it was my mother’s favorite book, but I didn’t know that until the last day of high school when I came home and threw the book in the fireplace. (Being June, there was no fire.) Mother was in the living room and was not just shocked, but horrified that I, her book-loving daughter would commit such a sacrilege. She asked the title, and when I told her it was The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne she all but did a Hollywood dive into the fireplace to rescue the book. She thought it wonderful and was shocked I didn’t like it.

In looking back, I realize she had drunk the male dominant caste’s Kool-Aid. Men being the superior/dominant caste, she being female accepted her place as the inferior/subordinate caste. And in thinking back, I realized that’s what made me so angry, though at the time, I didn’t have the words or knowledge to verbalize it. I must have been a huge disappointment to the women in my mother’s family. I never completely bought into that role; I only sipped the Kool-Aid. I joined the church. I tried to submit to God and Male superior. But it wasn’t worth the psychic and physical agony. 

So, yeah, ban the good books. The books that make kids think, because after all, school shouldn’t teach them to think and form opinions of their own, should it? School shouldn’t teach them how to weigh facts against fairy tales, should it? School should only give them pablum, make them feel good, train them not to question, only to obey, shouldn’t it?

In the meantime, to fill the void created by banning To Kill a Mockingbird, I strongly recommend the class read and discuss at length, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. Does the book make you too uncomfortable to read? You’ll find my deepest sympathies in the dictionary between shit and syphilis. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents should be mandatory for any student who wants to graduate from high school. 

In the meantime, would Boston, or some town/state/school district, ban Jibutu: Daughter of the Desert. Please. It’s about a strong-minded woman who shakes up her world and makes it a better place. It’s about a culture where males and females are (shudder) equal. Surely that’s against enough rules to be worthy of a banning. Yes?? It will surely upset male supremacists. Ban it, please! I need the sales. Oh, yeah, and became a slave and ruined that culture, too.

Photo of the Week:

Sunrise over the Columbia River, 0511 the other morning.

Entertainment: 

Still watching the brain candy, though not as much. But, I have to admit, happy endings are more fun than today’s news.

Books: Remember, when I finish a book, I review it at Rainy Day Reads.

I finished I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong. It may be a day or so before I can get the review up, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Talk about an education! Loved it. Easy to read

Still reading frank: sonnets by Diane Seuss. Love it. She is a real inspiration to write my own sonnets. Not, mind, that I’m competition. But…

Education: I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong. Yeah, a real education! I hope to get some more online courses this next week, too. On using my iPhone camera and on photo editing software.

Writing: Have written 5 or 6 sonnets this last week.

Quote of the Week: Three quotes for the price of one. I couldn’t decide. 😉

“Yes, books are dangerous. They should be dangerous – they contain ideas.” ― Pete Hautman 

“Banning books is just another form of bullying. It’s all about fear and an assumption of power. The key is to address the fear and deny the power.” ― James Howe 

“What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.” ― Salman Rushdie 

The Brave Dog and Auntie Lenora hope you have a great week, remember to laugh out loud often, dance like your four years old, and enjoy life!

Draft Women? Say What??

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Weather in the Tri-Cities for the next few days:  Monday, sunny but cool at 67, Tuesday warmer, Wednesday and Thursday around 77, clouds will start moving in Thursday, but temps will remain in the mid- to low-70s. Need warm? Need sun? Y’all come, heah?

It’s Still April, It’s Still National Poetry Month…and your local Poets still need support! Go into your favorite bookseller’s, ask them which poets are local (there’s probably a ‘local author’ section, if you know where to find it.) Of course, I want you to buy my books, I need support, but there are local poets to where you live and they need support, too 😉

Draft Women? Say What???

Read an interesting article in The Washington Post by Robert Barnes, headline: Biden administration asks Supreme Court not to hear challenge to all-male military draft. It seems someone is suing because they think the all-male draft is unconstitutional. Holy Moley, guacamole! why is this even a question? OF COURSE it’s unconstitutional! And if SCOTUS says it isn’t, then it’s time to change the constitution and bring it up-to-date.

To be honest, I didn’t realize the guys still had to register, since we have an all-volunteer military. But I agree, whole-heartedly, that if men have to register for the draft, then women should have to do likewise. 

If women and men are to be treated equally, it’s a given. All register, or no one registers.

Combat military occupational specialties are now open to women, so there is no longer any valid reason to impose the draft on men and not women. Women have not only served in combat with valor, but they have led the troops with honor, intelligence, and valor. 

Please, contact your congressperson/senator and ask them to address this issue and change this outdated, antiquated law. 

Now, I know there are Conscientious Objectors. I served with some when I was in the WAC, they were medics, and all had been to Vietnam once, one had been twice, and wanted to go back for a third tour, but he’d have to re-enlist, and that would remove his CO status. 

I firmly think there should be an alternative to the Military for those who want it—the US Public Health Service would be a great place to start. (It’s already one of the seven Uniformed Services). If women or men don’t want to enlist in the military, fine, they can enlist into the USPHS for the same amount of time and the same pay grades. They will go where needed—inner cities or rural. They will train as medics, wear a uniform, and serve their country. They won’t have to carry a weapon, and if war comes, they can be transferred to the military, as medics, and still not carry a weapon.

So, yes, women should be required to sign up for the draft. Women should be called forth when needed. And if you’re curious, I was told by some old time GIs when I was in, as a whole, women make better shots than the men. The main reason is they shut up and listen to directions instead of trying to figure out how the weapon works on their own 😉 I was invited to join the rifle team, and was all set to do so, until I discovered I’d have to buy my own practice ammo. You priced that stuff? And for practice, where I’d go through hundreds of rounds in a week? Uh, no, I don’t think so. Broke my heart, though. M16s are a lot of fun to fire. 

So please, call your elected officials in the other Washington, and ask them to support women signing up for the draft.

Dawn on the Columbia River, 16 April 2021, 0604

Entertainment:

Netflix: I guess I’m still watching 100 Days My Prince. But except for the news now and then, not much TV.

Books: For full reviews, please go to: http://lenoragood.blogspot.com

Finished Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents —by Isabel Wilkerson. I think it should be a class taught in high school, and if students want to graduate, they need to take it. The class reads the book and discusses it, in depth and at length. One of the best books I’ve ever read. Maybe the best nonfiction book I’ve ever read.

Education: Haven’t been able to finish the iPhone Photo classes, but am on last module, and have been taking pix. I actually had some printed and bought frames and hung them in my bathroom.

I am taking workshops in poetry, signed up for a 6-week class that starts on Wednesday. Tuesday is a 2-hour workshop. I’m so excited about both of them! See, I do need your support. Workshops cost money 😉

Quote for the Week: Ahmet Altan is a Turkish journalist and author who found himself speaking truth as he saw it to power and spent four years in a Turkish prison. While there he wrote:

“You can imprison me but you cannot keep me here. Because like all writers, I have magic.” —Ahmet Altan.

Have a great week. Sammy Brave Dog and his human ;-)Draft Women?

Didja Know I’m Dyslexic?

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Weather for the next few days in the Tries: 

Sunshine with Winds tomorrow! Sunshine! All week!!!

April is National Poetry Month. Support your local poets. Buy their books. (I have some (hint. hint.) available from your favorite bookseller or me.)

Also, I am the featured poet on Quill & Parchment this month with at least 4 poems posted, and they have a good review of  REFLECTIONS: Life, the River, and Beyond. Available through Amazon only (though your favorite bookseller can order it for you). Marking the Hours is available wherever fine books are sold 😉 If you like shorter books, and longer history, check out Blood on the Ground. (See My Books above for descriptions).

Didja Know I’m Dyslexic?

I’m sure you’ve noticed that a. I don’t ‘do’ numbers and b., I often write a correctly spelled word, but it’s not the right word. And I claim to be a word person. Yeah. Write!

As an adult in a fun job with a stressful, very stressful, management, I discovered I’m dyslexic. I was also dyslexic as a kid, but hid it, didn’t know it, and nobody else caught it. Obviously, I’m not seriously dyslexic, but I am dyslexic.

Remember the old game we used to play as kids, where the class would form a circle and the teacher would whisper a word to the student on her left, that student would turn and whisper the word to the next, and on we’d go until back to the teacher. IT WAS NEVER the same word all around the room. Why? One answer may be a form of dyslexia. You say “policeman” I hear it, and then say, “cop” to the next person someone else may hear my word and say “copper” and so it goes. A form of dyslexia.

If I’m in a hurry, I’ll use the word that sounds right, but isn’t. I want six cups of flower in my cake mix. Of course I do. I here you sniggering. When I was a kid and pulled some of those stunts, the teachers told me I was in too much of a hurry. They were right, but also not.

If I’m really stressed, I also stutter. Another manifestation of dyslexia. Many people who stutter are dyslexic, and if they can get the dyslexia under control, the stuttering goes away or is greatly diminished. I imagine it’s because they learn to slow down. There are singers who stutter, but sing beautifully. They slow down, they breathe deeply, they are comfortable singing.

And, I’m numbers dyslexic. When I was in the stressful job years ago, I had to maintain a log of work as it came in. A simple, sequential log. So, I one day I wrote in the logbook, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 58, 57, 56, 55 and went on about my business. No one caught it for several weeks. I got fired for that. Fired from the job, not the company. It was that job that brought my dyslexia to the fore. The other day I had an appointment with the Tax Man for 1.00pm. I wrote it in my calendar. I wrote it on the folder with all my tax stuff and showed up promptly at 10.00am for my appointment. I don’t do numbers. Now you know why.

Do you remember the old Stephen J Cannell tv shows? He created or co-created something like 40 shows, and many (most? all?) of the intros showed him at the IBM Selectric typewriter typing madly and the pages flying out. In an interview I caught one time, he was asked what he was typing. He laughed and said just letters, he was too dyslexic to be turned lose on a typewriter for real. Wikipedia says this, “Cannell was dyslexic, and was a spokesman on the subject. According to an episode of Paul Harvey‘s The Rest of the Story, Cannell frequently had to dictate ideas or even complete scripts with the help of his personal secretary Grace Curcio, an employee of 20 years. Following Grace’s retirement in 2003, Kathy Ezso became his editor and executive assistant. He discussed his experiences as a dyslexic in the 2009 documentary Dislecksia: The Movie.

Cannell wrote on a typewriter, an IBM Selectric, when not dictating to an assistant, and only used a computer for research purposes.[10]”   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_J._Cannell

I have learned many writers, and other creative and intelligent people are dyslexic. I think Marlon Brando was. That’s why, I think, he never read a script and was such a fine method actor. Perhaps some of that creativity comes from the creative ways we’ve learned to deal with it through our lifetimes. I am fortunate, mine is mild, but the more stressed I become, the more noticeable it is.

So, the next time I write something that makes you smile because I obviously know better, but must have been in a hurry, well, now you know why. And I’m in good company, too.

Here are two shots of a feather from a Canada goose. I used the 25x macro lens on my phone.

Entertainment:

Netflix: Still watching 100 Days My Prince

Books: For full reviews, please go to: http://lenoragood.blogspot.com

I am a tad over half way through Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents —by Isabel Wilkerson. Two things are “wrong” with this book: 1. It’s an Oprah’s Book Club book, and I’ve never read one of those I liked and 2. It’s a hardback book and when I fall asleep it falls and hurts. As to 1., Oprah said in an interview I saw once that she would NEVER recommend a happy book (maybe she meant novels?). While this one isn’t happy, it’s fascinating, and well worth the read and isn’t a novel. As to 2., I read in bed. I’ve done that since I was a kidlet. My favorite place to read, but sometimes when I fall asleep reading, the book falls and conks me in the face. And hurts. Life’s rough, sometimes.

Education:

I’m on the fifth and last module of the iPhone Photography Academy classes. If you have an iPhone, any model, I strongly recommend you look into the class. If you have an Android, I urge you to check out your brand and see if they have something equivalent. I bet they do. 

I also bought Luminar4, the photo editing software mentioned last week. That will take a bit of education to use, too. But I’m looking forward to learning it. I wanted PaintShop Pro, but it won’t work with Mac.

New Year’s Resolution:

Remember, I started writing a poem each day Anu Garg & Company published a new word? I kept it up for 3 months, and then something happened, and I went about two weeks without writing anything creative. Still, I went 3 months. That’s 2 months 28 days longer than I’ve ever gone before;-)

Remember, you’re not getting your shot/s to keep YOU safe from Covid-19, you’re getting it to keep your family, friends, and neighbors safe! 

Have a fantastically wonderful week. See you next Monday 😉

Auntie Lenora and Sammy Brave Dog!