So Barack Obama is going to be nominated (officially) as the Democratic candidate for the US Presidency this week. A historic moment, one might say. But not everyone is happy. Some folks think that his candidacy (and possible win) will actually make it harder to advance anti-racist (i.e. anti-black) policies and programmes.
And of course, if he hadn’t won the nomination or if he doesn’t win the election, it’ll be because too many Americans are racist and therefore more affirmative action-type steps need to be taken to give black Americans a chance.
Racism, discrimination, and the US’ history with it is pretty damned complex and I am far from an expert (wouldn’t it be nice to be an expert in something for once), and since I’m in an ethnic minority for the moment, please allow me to vent: it sounds as though PC affirmative action-types are determined to be victims, no matter what good news there is.
If I was a US citizen I would probably support Barack Obama, since electing someone with a family history of political achievement (Bush) doesn’t seem to have worked out too well in the ‘good governance’ stakes. Obama’s message of hope and change is indeed very inspiring. Equality and anti-discrimination activists should be concentrating on making things fair for every person who is disadvantaged, not making things more fair for people who are perceived to be disadvantaged because they are black.
I think a huge disservice has been done to the cause of equality by affirmative action — making a particular group of people even more different by demanding they be treated differently, better, because they are different? The whole point is to level the playing field, irrespective of race, creed, gender, or (where reasonable) physical ability. Black, Hispanic, or Asian Americans might sometimes rightly think they have been passed over for university entry, a job, a promotion, because they were black, but wouldn’t their peers also be rightly aggrieved if they were prevented from advancing in their professional lives because there was a candidate “of colour” with equal skills and experience and the organisation had a strong affirmative action policy?
No equality doctrine is going to be perfect, but I think after all this time with a strong civil rights movement, there needs to be a shift in thinking. Policies need to be aimed at children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, say those whose parent(s) can’t afford to nurture them because they have to work so they can eat, or whose parent(s) are deliberately neglectful (for whatever reason), or they have a physical disability, and so on. Give them as good a chance as possible to be educated well, and once they finish their education (secondary, tertiary, or vocational), it becomes up to them to make the choices to succeed or fail.
If they are raised and educated in a truly fair environment (let’s leave bad parents out of the equation for the moment), discrimination based on uncontrollable factors would definitely be minimised within a few generations, and those who have the drive and ambition to do well will have had every chance, and society will be less distorted.
(But face it, there will always be shitey people around, so bigotry will never be totally eradicated.)
I’m a firestarter, twisted not-middle-aged-but-certainly-no-spring-chicken firestarter who doesn’t mind spending £27.50 to see a definitely middle-aged dance music outfit!
w00t! Maybe this time I won’t get hit on the head with a bottle of water and have to leave the pit. I probably won’t be in the pit anyway, I’m too creaky to compete with teenage ravers.
We live on fairly high ground so we haven’t had any flooding, although the rain has been un-freaking-believable!
Chad Allen is GAY?!
This is what happens when you stop reading celebrity gossip for years — you discover that your childhood crush for a blond all-American will forever, forever and ever be unrequited.
*sniff*
I watched the last (I think) episode of The Genius of Charles Darwin last night. I thought it was really good, even though I have my reservations about Richard Dawkins — I find his atheism a wee bit too strident. However (or ‘but’), what was most terrifying about that documentary was the absolute refusal by creationists to accept that the science of evolution is rigorously tested as a scientific theory, and the Bible is a book of stories and parables* (that British chemistry teacher who is convinced that our planet is 6,000 years old was the best example). Apples and oranges, in other words.
Why evolution is considered bleak and depressing is also beyond me; I think the adaptations living creatures make to survive and thrive are absolutely astonishing, mind-bogglingly cool, amazing. Whether or not there is an equilibrium of sorts in nature that causes creatures to evolve, and therefore ending at the same point, this is still evolution. We obviously don’t understand everything about the world around us, and it’s very exciting, don’t you think, to explore all these possibilities**?
* Practically everyone who reads this must know by now that I went to a strict convent school for 11 years and did the Sunday school and catechism thing for a really long time, too. Religion and science always occupied discrete areas in my thinking and understanding of the world (although at one time I did hypothesise that the Bible was a very broad interpretation of human history). I couldn’t articulate it then, but I think I always knew that religion was allegory and science was education. I don’t think I’m an atheist, because I’m more concerned with the here and now (i.e. our society and our place in the physical world), I’m not that bothered if there is a god or not.
** At a historical and scientific level, not unsubstantiated claims in a book.
It is now less than a fortnight till the wedding (holy fuck).
People keep telling us it’s our day, but they keep expecting our day to be like everyone else’s ‘day’. *sigh* Listen up! There will be no:
- wedding party
- fancy car hire
- something old or new or borrowed (but there will be something blue because it’s still my favourite colour and Neil’s already seen it, before you ask)
- hair and makeup person or people
- ‘bridal dress’, as my mother calls it
- tiaras
- flowers of any description, not on my arm, not on a table (so there won’t be any bouquet-throwing either)
- walking down any aisle
- page boys or flower girls or bridesmaids
- paid photographers
- tea ceremony
- shark’s fin soup
- karaoke during dinner (just in case you thought I was Taiwanese or Vietnamese)
- wedding cake (just good desserts)
- wedding favours
- band or mobile disco
- first dances
- evening receptions or buffets
Sadly — for me — there also will be no:
- Elvis impersonators
- Mr. Porky
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Send your congratulations to our table-tennis team! — the team that is made up entirely of China-born and -raised women, who have since been naturalised in Singapore for their ping pong prowess? So basically it was a China one-two. Why the fuck should there be any patriotic pride over this?
- went to Club Noir in Edinburgh
This was fun. Carene was all dressed up as a cross between Roxie Hart and Liza Minnelli, and I made an effort (silver and black cheongsam-style dress, patent leather boots), which is a huge deal (i.e. I wasn’t wearing jeans). Most unfortunately, a lot of the females there were dressed almost identically, either as bunnies or Parisian can-can girls, i.e. any excuse to wear as little as legally possible. I very much appreciated those who dressed up because they really were into alternative styles, not just because they wanted to look hot.
Then of course there were a couple of blokes who tried to chat us up, something that hasn’t happened in years (middle-aged deluded horndogs in Xiamen aren’t counted). It all started with a random comment about the time the first shows were starting (11.30pm), and then a throwaway comment about whether any of us could help him tie his bowtie. Probably much to his surprise, I volunteered — my cousin just taught Neil how to tie a bowtie (for the wedding) and I was there. So I managed to tie it for him and it actually looked acceptable. Which meant I didn’t even notice that he was trying to chat me up since I was being all self-congratulatory about getting it right. And then Carene pointed it out and hey man, this proves I’ve still got it. Once every five years or so, someone might try to pick me up. Heh.
But what of the show itself? We only managed to watch the first show and half of the second, and given that I’m only 5′ 4″ and wasn’t right in the front row, I only got to see what the video cameras captured. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting or hoping for — I was thinking more variety and humour and wit and cross-dressing, and definitely less striptease. There was an interpretive dance-type striptease, though, which was appropriately odd. All in all, Club Noir is a good night out.
Libel tourism could earn loads and loads for Singapore! I can imagine all British politicians flying in to take in the sights, do a spot of shopping, and meet the ladies at Orchard Towers defend their integrity and reputation by suing the hosts and panellists of Have I Got News For You and Mock The Week (I’m looking at you, Frankie Boyle) for defamation.
This would probably be more meaningful if I had any strong feelings about football. But what the hell. Sign an online petition, from Avaaz.org to South African leaders, to reject Mugabe‘s attempts to cling onto power.
Alas, although I have spent a good amount of money on my wee Dopod S300, the # and 9 keys are now responding poorly. So I plan on getting a new phone the next time I’m in Singapore. At the moment, I’m thinking of splashing out on either a Palm Treo 500v, Nokia E51, or MOTOROKR E8. Or I might be realistic (what do I really use my phone for) and go more budget with a Nokia 3120.
Since I’ve been lusting after the Palm Treo for several years, I would obviously like that itch scratched (but if it’s really going to cost S$700 a re-think might be needed). I’ve always liked Nokias, though. Can anyone suggest a nice phone that looks okay and does what I want it to do?
- Preferably tri-band
- Standard phone book, texting
- Web browser to read HTML docs
- Expandable memory (microSD card preferred, because I’ve got one)
I would love a sub-notebook that I could very easily sync-up with my laptop, because of my CIW course, or else a decent laptop bag that won’t hurt my shoulder (the CIW people gave me a messenger bag but it’s missing the adjustable strap — hmmm, I need to dig up my old squeaky messenger bag and perform some ritualistic nylon / PP cannibalism). But the gadget fiend in me wants the ‘more hassle’ option of a sub-notebook.
All in all, I want to be able to read the news on the bus, listen to music / podcasts, and use the phone if I need to. Ideally I would also like to be able to work on the bus, using a public W-Fi connection and whatever security I need to do so safely. I don’t need a converged device, I’m quite happy with a number of devices but they can’t be too bulky.
And I don’t want an iPhone. I don’t care how many GB it has or how pretty it is, I will kill it in 5 minutes by dropping it on a concrete floor and then stepping on it while I try to pick it up. I’m surprised the Apple Store lets me in to look around as it is.
Suggestions, anyone?
I’m crossing the bridge to get to the bus stop when I pass this bloke who suddenly calls out after we’ve passed each other.
“Excuse me — do you know where I can buy video cassettes?”
“Wow, video cassettes? That’ll be pretty hard.”
“Oh no I mean… movies, DVDs. From Chinese people.”
“(The penny drops) I have no idea–”
(I am about to suggest looking in the service station below us to find legal DVDs.)
“My friend in the shop over there said Chinese people sell DVDs, I work in the office just here, if you hear of any, can you let me know? Do you live here?”
“I live a little further along from here. I’ve seen people go door-to-door to sell DVDs?”
“Are you from China?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Well let me know if you hear anything, I work just downstairs.”
So because I’m ethnic Chinese, I am either a purveyor or intimately familiar with the purveyors of pirated DVDs?
I actually agree with the Liberal Democrats about not criminalising kids who cause trouble (the ASBO-type offences I mean, not violent crime). Community service, meeting the victims, and getting the offender’s parents / family involved must be the answer for most cases.
If you’ll pardon the pun, I don’t think there’s a ‘one size fits all’ solution to the rights of obese passengers and the normal-sized passengers who sit next to them. I am convinced, however, that obese or extra-wide people choose to sit next to me on the bus because they think they can occupy >1 seat without having to inconvenience me (although I need to scrabble under their arses when I want to disengage my seatbelt).
