WAYCROSS!!!

Lots going on in our little town.  Change is slow, maybe slower here than elsewhere—yeah, really slower here than elsewhere. But still…..

This week was powerful.  Thursday night a group of people, some familiar, some new to each other, met to talk about making things happen.    Friday night we attended an exhibit by a young, talented and local black artist, Xavius Toombs, whose work blew us away! 

Saturday, some of the Thursday group surprised even themselves by standing with signs facing a major traffic area protesting the current government of our country.  One same-sex married couple proudly raised the rainbow flag in support of LGBQT rights.  I’m pretty sure this is a first for Waycross.  A first for many of our group. For others, our last protest was many many years ago.  People drove by and some shouted, some honked, some gave us hand signals (fingers and fist bumps both).  The law enforcement personnel present (in much larger numbers than warranted) were both helpful and courteous.  Our numbers were small but the number present at the rally was not much bigger.  And I know for a fact that not all of them were there to support our current President.        

I am proud of us.  -

Later that day the Okefenokee Heritage Center hosted an “Open Mic” night in conjunction with Black History month events and sponsored by several groups as well:  the “Plug and Play Guild” and “The Early Risers Foundation”.  This was a night for poetry, rap, electronic music, jazz, rock, bluegrass and gospel.  All under one group.  Absolutely top quality professional performances by Bishop James and the Glory Bank, Millwood Drive and Clockwork.  A member of Millwood Drive, the white bluegrass/country/gospel group expressed surprise that they were so well-received by the predominantly African-American audience.  I’m not surprised; good music has no racial barriers—if you take the time to listen.

All of the above comes after another groundbreaking production, “God’s Trombones”, at First Antioch African Baptist Church” earlier in the month, a production that combined the best of the Waycross Ministry, inspiration along with entertainment.

More is coming; my group, Purlie Productions is doing “The Diary of Anne Frank” in April, hosting a Summer Theater Camp and hopefully bringing back “Purlie Victorious” in the fall.    No small measure of thanks belongs to Elizabeth Welch, Executive Director of Okefenokee Heritage Center, and her gift in bringing together these wonderful examples of a diverse community in action.

Welcome to the World Waycross, Georgia!

 

 

Lost in a Maze

The experimenter (E) orders the teacher (T), the subject of the experiment, to give what the latter believes are painful electric shocks to a learner (L), who is actually an actor and confederate. The subject is led to believe that for each wrong answer, the learner was receiving actual electric shocks, though in reality there were no such punishments. Being separated from the subject, the confederate set up a tape recorder integrated with the electro-shock generator, which played pre-recorded sounds for each shock level.

“The experiments began in July 1961, in the basement of Linsly-Chittenden Hall at Yale University,^[3] three months after the start of the trial of German Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem. Milgram devised his psychological study to answer the popular question at that particular time: "Could it be that Eichmann and his million accomplices in the Holocaust were just following orders? Could we call them all accomplices?"^[4] The experiments have been repeated many times in the following years with consistent results within differing societies, although not with the same percentages around the globe…………………………..^[5] In Milgram's first set of experiments, 65 percent (26 of 40) of experiment participants administered the experiment's final massive 450-volt shock,^[1] though many were very uncomfortable doing so; at some point, every participant paused and questioned the experiment; some said they would refund the money they were paid for participating in the experiment. Throughout the experiment, subjects displayed varying degrees of tension and stress. Subjects were sweating, trembling, stuttering, biting their lips, groaning, digging their fingernails into their skin, and some were even having nervous laughing fits or seizures…………………………The participants who refused to administer the final shocks neither insisted that the experiment itself be terminated, nor left the room to check the health of the victim without requesting permission to leave, as per Milgram's notes and recollections, when fellow psychologist Philip Zimbardo asked him about that point.

The above is excerpted from the Wikipedia article on the above, but I first heard about this experiment in my Introductory Psychology class at Brooklyn College.  It is no less shocking today than it was then.  This experiment proved to us something anyone living through the time of the Holocaust already knew.  It was the subject of “Judgement at Nuremburg” and what allowed Hitler to conduct his reign of horror.  We have just seen another example of how this works at our own U.S. airports when perfectly ordinary people manhandled and abused women and children for no reason other than where they came from—and their religion.  Yes, their religion.  Read everything you can about the Holocaust and the Nazis and then reframe it to replace Jewish people with Muslim people.  It’s not about religion you say?  It’s about terrorism? 

I will not rehash what others are pointing out—that the countries targeted are not related to acts of terror or the fact that Saudi Arabia is NOT on the list even though at least one or more of the 9/11 terrorists were from that country.   Our new administration has not banned people from countries he and his comrades have economic ties to. 

There is an argument going round that goes “You wouldn’t want them in your home, would you?  Would you let armed invaders walk in your front door?  Would you put your own family at risk?” and “After all, we lock our doors, don’t we?”   I don’t know about you, but if my neighbors and their children were under attack and came to my front door for refuge yes, I would let them in and try to help in any way I could to keep them safe.  That is the proper analogy.  Our neighbors are escaping terrorism, not packing it in a suitcase and bringing it to us.  America First?  How does that make any sense in a world that is no more than a tweet away?  We are globally connected to each other; not just by the internet, but by culture, economics, education and language.  There is a call to make English our “national language” but that is not necessary.  English is spoken in most countries and certainly quite widely used in ours.  We have made our impact on the world and we have to take that responsibility seriously.  Not just by buying foreign oil, importing McDonalds and KFC everywhere, but by staying connected and opening our doors to both visitors and refugees.

If you hear it often enough, you will believe black is white and upside down is downside up.  So far, we are still laughing at Conway’s “Bowling Green Massacre” but the fact remains that she is in a position to have the attention of the ears and eyes of the world.  If TSA and Homeland Security are following orders, what is to keep law enforcement and military personnel from doing the same thing?

For God’s sake people, pay attention!  It has truly, emphatically and finally gotten real!

MANIFESTO

Some of the most heated discussions I have had recently on Facebook have been with people who pretty much agree with me on most important subjects—like whether the current POTUS (or as frequently shortened to “POS” by some people) is a racist, tyrannical, narcissistic, greedy, crude, sexist SOB. The topic is how to talk to people who think he is great, will MAGA, and has selected the best and smartest people in the world to help him in his destruction of the United States of America.

The people I disagree with say things like we have to listen politely, assume they are just regular, albeit misguided, good-intentioned human beings.  Like Michelle said, when they go low, we go high (which I do agree with—in fact, I love all things Michelle).  Some people go as far as to say that maybe the “Trumpers (or Trumpettes)” have valid points which we should try to understand and appreciate.  And of course, maybe it’s not that bad after all.

My basic policy with people I know are of opposing viewpoints is not to speak unless spoken to.  As for listening—sorry, have to draw the line there.  There is absolutely nothing I need to listen to that supports this current administration.  Nothing.  I read about the decisions coming down every day with increasing horror.  I’m grateful for our Justice system but also aware that could be trashed any day now.  I listen to the VALID media—e.g., the New York Times and NPR.  At least before they are trashed also and all communication is shut down.  I don’t think the worldwide web can be shut down—but then there seems to be a lot of things I didn’t think could happen.

The only thing that will change the mind of people is feeling the impact of what’s going on.  Possibly when the economy tanks (and I’m sure it will) and people die because of lack of health care and environmental protections some will see the light.  Maybe. 

The other possibility is revolution.  If he keeps messing with the Joint Chiefs of Staff even a military coup sounds plausible.  Politeness is rarely a needed element of a revolution or resistance.  Should we have listened more to Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin?  Should we tweet with Putin, ask him how’s his mom and ‘em? 

With every great dictatorship there has been a traceable point of complicity that allowed it to happen.  We have just experienced a combination of those who actively supported this “takeover” and those who just let it happen.  It is not too late to take sides and join those who are politically planning, fighting the legal battles and actively resisting.  Do you know which side you’re on?