Category: Current events

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Vaccine Hesitancy & Western Ontology

ianjolie

There’s a lot of discourse circling around. Stuff like, “Get the vaccine. It will save your life. Here are the statistics. Here are the stories.” This discourse is important. This discourse is necessary. Appealing to someone’s self-interest is the quickest, fastest way to get someone to do the thing that’s best for them to do. But need I remind that values are important too? I fear that too few people are talking about the fundamental reason why so many of these self-interest conversations are necessary in the first place. Look, it’s true — on a deep, deep spiritual level — … Continue reading Vaccine Hesitancy & Western Ontology

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Some Conflicted Feelings about the AAPI Hate Discourse

ianjolie

So first off: the massacre in Atlanta is a travesty — a travesty inextricably intertwined with racism and misogyny. The massacre follows a long and violent tradition of Asian women being viewed under the white supremacist male gaze not as human beings but as hypersexualized objects for use by the white male subject. The mainstream discourse surrounding the massacre provides further proof that the massacre is inextricably intertwined with racism and misogyny. In a press conference about the massacre, Police Captain Jay Barker described the killer as merely “having a bad day,” revealing that in his ideological worldview he views … Continue reading Some Conflicted Feelings about the AAPI Hate Discourse

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7 Thoughts on the 2020 Election: Delineating Ideology

ianjolie

(1) That we defeated President Trump is good. That 72.9 million people voted for President Trump is really not good. That President-elect Biden won with just 5.7 million more popular votes than Trump is reflective of something really, really bad. And we should all put our heads together to figure how Trump’s defeat wasn’t even more resounding. (2) When I was first getting started in my career back in 2013, I situated the Left and the Right in two separate categories in my mind — the Left within a sort of moralism, and the Right within a sort of ideology. … Continue reading 7 Thoughts on the 2020 Election: Delineating Ideology

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Proposition 22 & Its Discontents, Part 2: The Postmodern Joke

ianjolie

This morning I am overwhelmed by sadness — the type of emotional overwhelmed-ness that sort of makes it, like, really hard to put into words exactly what I think and feel. Frankly, I suspect that even if I were not emotionally overwhelmed, I doubt I’d be able to sort through all the “hot takes” this morning for whatever “truth” exists within the barrels and barrels and barrels and barrels of hay. This morning — on the day after the election — there is just too much content: information, mis-information, well-informed opinions, not well-informed opinions. This much I know, though: this … Continue reading Proposition 22 & Its Discontents, Part 2: The Postmodern Joke

Current events, LaborLeave a comment

Proposition 22 & Its Discontents

ianjolie

Somehow in the years and years I’ve been writing Facebook rants about, like, my feelings or whatever, I’ve somehow managed to never write a Facebook rant about an actual ballot proposition. But we find ourselves in the most important election of our lifetimes, and time is of the essence… A spectre is haunting the working class — the spectre of Proposition 22. All the powers of the center-Left and Left have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre: the Service Employees International Union, the Democratic Socialists of America, and even much of the Democratic Party (including Joe Biden), … Continue reading Proposition 22 & Its Discontents

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2020 & Trauma

ianjolie

Regarding 2020 — When I was 19, I entered into my first romantic relationship. It was extremely unhealthy, codependent, and abusive — from both sides. And while during the relationship I knew it was unhealthy, I didn’t have a complete, large enough frame/model to understand just HOW unhealthy it was. It would take me many years afterwards, and therapy, to be able to fully understand what happened during that relationship — it was just so beyond my comprehension at the time. And it was also only in understanding what happened — updating my understandings of myself, people, emotions, and the … Continue reading 2020 & Trauma

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COVID-19

ianjolie

May 4th, 2020 I feel overwhelmed. Can you relate? It’s just so extreme. We have a narcissist president who lies constantly — about science, about the record of his speech, about the benefits of ingesting bleach. On the low end something like tens of thousands of people will die because of his lies and his incompetence. Yet tens of millions Americans still support him. Following the ideology he represents like worship, thousands of his supporters have been rallying to re-open the government — some of them carrying confederate flags and white nationalist symbols. Against the advice of experts, republican governors … Continue reading COVID-19

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Some Nuanced Thoughts about Cancel Culture

ianjolie

The backstory here is that a conservative Christian motivational speaker Natalie Fikes from Georgia posted this rape culture-y meme, it went viral, and now there is online backlash against her. 1) So, clearly this is repugnant. Women are never obligated to have sex with anyone they don’t want to; people are never obligated to have sex with anyone they don’t want to. This sort of thinking is what people refer to as “rape culture.” I wish this first point didn’t need to be said still, but society is a process, humans are a process (more on this later), and the … Continue reading Some Nuanced Thoughts about Cancel Culture

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More Than Anything Take Action

ianjolie

Seeing lots of posts about the end of the government shutdown, about the structural power workers have in standing together, and I’m seeing calls for more threats of strikes and general strikes. If that’s your analysis — an analysis I agree with — then how you get there is getting good at talking with low-wage workers, learning how to inspire large groups of them into taking massive action; that’s a skill that takes a lot of time to develop. If you’re inspired by the end of the government shutdown, spend more time (for example) knocking on doors and practicing your organizing … Continue reading More Than Anything Take Action

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RE: Cody Wilson’s Sexual Assault & Toxic Masculinity

ianjolie

I wanted to take a moment to expand on the recent New York Time’s article 3-D Printed Gun Promoter, Cody Wilson, Is Charged With Sexual Assault of Child. It should be clear from our cultural zeitgeist that we have a problem with sexual violence and that there’s something deep happening. But — taking this story, for example — it’s not the guns. Guns aren’t the problem. It’s the place the guns are coming from: the need to dominate. A desperation, that feeling of emptiness that: as a man you have to rise to the top to feel worthy and full and … Continue reading RE: Cody Wilson’s Sexual Assault & Toxic Masculinity

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The Janus Decision Means Do the Work

ianjolie

First of all, let’s get this clear: the result of Janus, as decided today by the Supreme Court, is devastating to millions of working families. Janus is a power grab — plain and simple — by the wealthy elite, taking collective power away from workers. Beyond that, I see a lot of people saying that this will forever hinder the labor movement. I also see a lot of people saying that, long term, this will force a vibrant, mass, militant labor movement. And I just don’t know if either is true. I think sometimes we can get lost in theory, and … Continue reading The Janus Decision Means Do the Work

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Against Pure “Authentic” Organizing

ianjolie

David Letterman has this new show on Netflix called “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.” The first episode has now been released, which features an hour-long interview with former President Barack Obama. Sad and drunk on a Sunday night, I’ve been crying for many more minutes than I’d care to admit — weeping hard at about the 29 minute mark of the interview. Obama is now a historical figure who’s greatest life’s work are definitely behind him. He has nothing to prove, nor any outcome or effective agenda at this point in his life or for the rest of his … Continue reading Against Pure “Authentic” Organizing

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Thoughts on Rent Control & Inside/Outside Strategy

ianjolie

Been reflecting a lot today on the defeat of Measure C, a rent control measure in the City of Santa Rosa that would have helped soften rent gouging by corporate landlords to 3% per year. I was lent to the “Yes on C” field team part-time, and this morning we learned that we lost in a tragic 52.5%-47.5% vote. I use the word “tragic” accurately: it was a common sense measure that the majority of Santa Rosans should have been able to easily rally behind. But due to the corrupt influence of the “No on C” side spreading massive lies … Continue reading Thoughts on Rent Control & Inside/Outside Strategy

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Milo Yiannopoulos on Real Time with Bill Maher

ianjolie

Watched all the clips of Milo Yiannopoulos on Real Time with Bill Maher. (Sick curiosity.) I already knew he was going to say a bunch of racist, misogynistic, transphobic, etc., stuff. That bullshit wasn’t interesting. What struck me the most was just how awkward Milo appeared. Like, really, really cringe-inducingly awkward: he wasn’t picking up on very basic social cues, his conversational tone didn’t fit, and even his humor (forgetting the actual content) felt *structurally* off and his *timing* off-beat. That Milo’s fans include white supremacists, misogynists, truly hateful, etc., people is probably the main thrust of Milo’s growing popularity. … Continue reading Milo Yiannopoulos on Real Time with Bill Maher

Current events, The LeftLeave a comment

Is it OK to punch Fascists?

ianjolie

My answer is yes — at least from an ethical standpoint — followed by a: I hate this discussion. Let’s be totally real. This conversation of whether or not it is OK to punch a fascist is so popular right now because it is a sexy, interesting question. The overwhelming vast majority of people who have vocally stated that it is OK to punch a fascist will not actually commit violence against fascists anytime soon. I am reminded of the violence vs. nonviolence debates that happened at Occupy UC Davis. These debates were fiery and went on for hours, days, … Continue reading Is it OK to punch Fascists?

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Women’s March 2017

ianjolie

To me, the most interesting thing about the Women’s March protests isn’t how problematically liberal the protests were, which is to be expected given the size of the protests (and I’m genuinely excited how many people who’d never taken action before are now taking action), and what’s most interesting isn’t all the Leftist critiques of the protests either, which are just as expected (and valid). To me, the most interesting thing about the protests was the making of it all: exceptionally small field campaign, almost all media. Repeat: the biggest protest in American history happened almost entirely through a highly … Continue reading Women’s March 2017

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Donald Trump’s Election

ianjolie

Last night as I scrolled through the 100s of posts about The Terror, I couldn’t bring myself to add to the conversation. I felt like everything I think and feel is already being said — and better than I could have said it myself. This morning I have a perspective that may be slightly more unique/interesting: the Left has no pathway… yet. I personally know a few of the union organizers and community/political organizers who got sent into these swing states. They are the best and the brightest our generation has to offer, with decades of experience winning real-world campaigns … Continue reading Donald Trump’s Election

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4 Thoughts about the Congressional Sit-in

ianjolie

(1) To echo what other Leftists have been saying, yeah, the proposed bill that congressional Democrats are disrupting congress for would be ineffective and racist. For more: The Democrats Are Boldly Fighting For a Bad, Stupid Bill. (2) Obviously I have no insight into what actually goes on in the head of a congressional Democrat, but I can imagine this narrative (the narrative that I think most people are projecting whether they articulate it or not): working hard to get elected, feeling like you gotta make a difference, feeling like you gotta make the world a better place, feeling like congressional … Continue reading 4 Thoughts about the Congressional Sit-in

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Black Lives Matter Shutdown of the 405

ianjolie

When I think about the Black Lives Matter shutdown of the 405, my thoughts are scattered, and they’re all wrapped up in my personal anxieties. Here are some of those scatterings: * I spent about 6 hours last night re-watching the NetRoots interruptions of O’Malley and Sanders and all the commentary surrounding it. (Holiday break boredom yay!) Almost 6 months have passed since then, and other than continuing a dialogue on the Left, and other than for the three weeks Bernie was talking a little more about structural racism… I don’t know if it did much else. Leftists were saying … Continue reading Black Lives Matter Shutdown of the 405

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Psychological Explanation for “Sanders as Trigger”

ianjolie

There are those on the Left who don’t like Bernie Sanders because they see him as too moderate and/or not a strategic way to engage with the working class. Those are also those on the Left who do like Bernie Sanders because they do see him as a strategic way to engage with the working class. I’m not talking about any of those people here: I’m talking about, there’s a minority on the Left who support Bernie Sanders out of respect, who’ve read some of the truly radical stuff he wrote in his 20s and 30s and so respect that … Continue reading Psychological Explanation for “Sanders as Trigger”

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Confrontation of Bernie Sanders at Netroots

ianjolie

I know I’m late to the party, and I feel like I’m going to regret this, but: some reflections about the NetRoots confrontation of Bernie Sanders. 1. The overwhelming majority of people who know about this story are: Leftists, hardcore Democrats/liberals, and… no one else. I’ve talked with some of my lefty union coworkers; some of them don’t even know. The people who know about this story are people who are already down with the cause, and if we’re not reaching new people, then we’re not organizing, not making change. We’re not ‘changing the dialogue,’ and I don’t really know … Continue reading Confrontation of Bernie Sanders at Netroots