Hobson's Choice

a choice of taking what is available or nothing at all.
"the regional council must decide whether a private toll bridge is better than no bridge at all—it's a Hobson's choice"

Many people are, right now, faced with a Hobson's Choice.

Do they join the protests against racism and oppression?  Or do they stay away?

The fact that the demonstrations are happening in the midst of a deadly pandemic make this choice incredibly difficult for some.

In many ways people of colour have been faced with a raft of Hobson's Choice all of their lives.

Take the lower paying job, or go jobless.

Take the lesser education, or nothing at all.

Take a lower paying contract, or nothing.

Take grudging respect as an entertainer or athlete, or nothing.

Take a life of privation and disrespect or...get killed because of the colour of their skin.

So, do people go out in a pandemic, stand for hours in the sun (or rain), get tear gassed or beaten?  Live with the fact that lives will continue to be lost - stolen from them - or potentially catch the virus?

Some white people are criticizing people about endangering society by potentially spreading the virus.  But for some people there is only one choice.  Or rather, there is no choice other than Hobson's.

Demonstrate or nothing changes when the pandemic is over.  Because pandemics come and go, but racism seems to live on forever.

When I was a teenager watching the 'race riots' (as they were labeled by the media of the day) I fully expected people of colour to be in a better place by now.

I see that I was wrong.  My whiteness assumed that justice would prevail.  

As I aged, I began to recognize my privilege as a white person in a society where the benefits were heavily weighed in my favour.  

A couple of years ago I began re-tweeting posts by POC.  No comment - just handed their words to my platform (as tiny as it is).

If you are white and do not understand why people are marching, look at the statistics.  Look at the video on line of police overstepping their authority.  Beating people.  Attacking journalists, even those credentialed by their own police departments.  Hurling verbal and physical abuse at medics, injuring people on their way to work at essential jobs.  The same people hailed as'heroes' just one week ago are being 'arrested' and in some cases severely injured.

Then ask yourself - is this right?  Is this just?  Or is this Hobson's Choice?  Speak out?  Or continue to be oppressed?

Ties that Bind

I don't remember when Jacqui gave me the little pincushion.  Needless to say, I use it.  I use it a lot.  It is small enough that it fits into my small travel box where there is just enough room for a spool of thread and my small sewing scissors as well as the pin cushion.  So in addition to using it at home, it has traveled many miles with me as I have taken textiles to be hemmed as hand work in the evenings.

It finally wore out from all the times pins have been stabbed into it - the fabric disintegrated in one corner.  Since Jacqui died last year, I have kept it beside me in my box of threads and such for hemming in the evening while I watch tv.  And when I use it, I remember my friend, feeling close to her.

But.  It has worn out.  It was time to replace it.  But.  This one was made by a friend, now sadly gone.  A visual reminder and remembrance.

During this time of pandemic, a time that isn't going to pass any time soon, where masks are going to be needed and the recommendation has become common to wear a non-medical mask, Mary offered to make masks for Doug and me.

While she was at it, she also included a pin cushion.  We had talked about my Jacqui pincushion when Mary was visiting in January and she agreed that it was time to retire Jacqui's.  That it was worn out.

And so I now have another pin cushion, made by another friend.

It is another point of connection between people.  Jacqui making my first pin cushion, Mary, seeing the need for a new one, knowing that I would value and appreciate it.  Making a very special pin cushion that I could use to retire the old one that I valued.

Knowing that I had reached the stage of mourning that I could give up Jacqui's.

The ties that bind are sometimes small but powerful.  It doesn't matter the skin tone.  What matters is the love that is expressed, sometimes ephemerally, sometimes physically.

We are all human beings, descended from common ancestors.  All lives matter, including the brown ones and the black ones.  All of the oppressed ones.

This morning I read a powerful essay by Hannah Blank.  Out of this time of turmoil and unrest, I have found some eloquent voices that I would not have seen previously.  Strong voices.  Compelling voices.  Voices that call for equality and equity for all, not just some.

Someone commented yesterday that it is possible to be 'racist' and be against 'racism' in large part because racism is so bound into our culture and systems that we don't even realize that we ARE racist.  I have, time and time again, stumbled against the wall of my white perception and only slowly begun to tear that wall down.

I have much work to do to continue this work of opening my eyes to see the wrongness of the systems that benefit me, simply because of my whiteness.  I am a work in progress.

But I also recognize that we are all tied together, by our humanity, and somehow, some way, we need to recognize this and work on it, to the best of our ability.

Nice

Most people think they are 'nice' so when someone tells them something they have said isn't nice, they don't take it well.  Because if they are nice, they don't say 'not nice' things.

Jane Elliott has been an activist for human rights for a long time.  If you don't know about her, I strongly suggest taking some time to watch this

The first time I saw it, I was chilled to the bone - that discrimination can so easily be taught, to the point of demonizing someone else.  There are other examples of how people become dehumanized - I won't include them here.  Rest assured, they exist.

If you are white and object when the term white privilege is used, think about what that term means.  And why someone might suggest that you, personally, benefit from white privilege in North American society.

Someone once said:  No one is saying that a white person doesn't have a difficult life.  What they don't have is the colour of their skin making their life even more difficult.

During this time of Covid-19, people are pointing out that we may all be in the same storm, but we are riding it out in different boats.  Mine is pretty secure, but others?  May be leaking, might be rudderless, might not be much better than a raft.

We are at a crucial stage right now where many of the inequities of society can be examined and maybe even changed to improve things for everyone.  But it seems that some folk are determined to grab all the 'pie' they can and deny any for those 'others'.  Why?  You can only consume so much 'pie' and then what?  It goes bad?  You throw it away?  Why not share it in the first place?  How much 'pie' does one person actually need?  (I'm looking at you, every billionaire in the world.)

Corporations are grabbing all the financial resources they can.  I forget which big business just recently went bankrupt - after paying their upper management millions of dollars in 'bonus' money.  They get a 'bonus' for navigating their business into bankruptcy?  Wow.  In the meantime their employees get...nothing.  Airlines scooped up millions in pandemic funding - and then refuse to refund money on tickets people like me have paid for and are unable to use.  And then they announce employee layoffs, once the money is into the pockets of their share holders and upper management.

If you are white and want to break out of your bubble, there are lists of resources available on line.  You might read some political science, like James Laxer.  He has written extensively about Canada/US relations but also the history of North America.  Which is not pretty by any stretch of the imagination.  Also Ziya Tong's The Reality Bubble, especially the section on social 'bubbles'.  But there are so many more.

I am constantly surprised at how many white people have no clue about the history of their country.  I am constantly surprised by their 'surprise' at how the US and Canada (and many other countries around the world) were shaped by the very notion of white privilege, the 'white man's burden' (if you don't know what that is, google it) and how discrimination and oppression has shaped the culture we currently live in.

While I may not be personally responsible for this history, I can change things going forward. 

Over the weekend, the protests about the death of George Floyd raged all across the US.  White people can help change things in many ways.  One example was in acting as a 'white shield' to protect black people from the actions of militarized police.

The police appeared to also be targeting journalists, two of whom were shot in the face and were blinded.

In Canada we have similar dynamics at work so we must not be 'smug' about how 'nice' we are. 

As it was said in 'my' day - if you aren't part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

What can you do to help everyone in this storm?  (Hint - if nothing else, you can vote for politicians who are not demonizing or in some cases actively trying to kill their electorate.)

Speaking Out

First they came for the Communists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me

And there was no one left

To speak out for me

  -  Martin Niemoller

Pandemic Fatigue

You've all seen it.  The graphic representation of the Covid-19 virus.

It kind of looks like a really messy ball of yarn.

As the pandemic continues its constant roll through society, the numbers of people who catch the virus, the numbers who survive - and who do not - mount.

As human beings we like our routines, and do not like it when those routines are disrupted, our plans cancelled.  For some of us, staying home, staying out of the cross hairs of this virus is easier than for others.

The uncertainty wears on our nerves and we miss our friends and the events that we had so looked forward to attending.  Not knowing when life will get back to 'normal' is stressful.  Even more so if you are facing economic hardship due to losing jobs/business.

As mentioned, human beings have gone through pandemics before.  We can manage to navigate our way through the restrictions, plus we have the knowledge now of how a virus works and what it takes to avoid it.

But pandemic fatigue is real.

I know my focus is shot.  I am coping - more or less - by focusing on my goal of weaving down my stash.  I make myself get into the studio for at least two hours every day.  The weather hasn't been great this week so I haven't gone walking, but I hope to get back to doing that when the current weather moves on.  There are predictions for super storm cells to the south of us that may impact us with more rain.  Certainly the skies are overcast today and it looks very dreary.

If you are finding yourself unable to cope right now, rest assured it is normal.  Set up a Skype call with a friend, go for a walk, maybe have a physically safe visit with a friend like I did last weekend.  We sat in the carport, either end of a long table Doug has set up for dealing with parcels/shopping.

If you can't focus enough to read or do your hobbies, give yourself some time to accept that life is full of ups and downs and if you are currently 'down', contact a friend, have a long chat, reach out to someone and let them know you need a virtual hug.

A Liberal Education

As I turn a major 0 type birthday this year, I look back and remain amazed at how my life has played out.

I was born and raised in a geographically isolated town of mostly blue collar workers (my dad being one of them).  I grew up 'poor' insofar as my parents scraped and did without so that their children (my brother and I) could have the essentials.  Luxuries were few and far apart, but even so, I confused the kids at school - I only had one pair of 'good' shoes but I had multiple hand knit sweaters, made from expensive yarn.  I had nice clothing that mom made.  I had music then ballet lessons.  Because mom saw the value in such things and she made the money for them happen.  Even if it meant stew several nights a week that was mostly vegetables from our back yard garden.

Mom signed the approval papers for me to get a library card when I was in grade one or two, I can't remember which teacher took us on the field trip to the library - possibly grade two, then when the librarian phoned her to ask if mom knew the kinds of books I was taking out?  Told the library I could take out anything I wanted.  (the book in question was a grade 12 history book, apparently - I don't remember, but overheard  mom telling a friend the story when I was an adult).

So from a very early age I read.  Voraciously.  Everything I could get my hands on.  I read fiction, but I also read non-fiction.  I drank up everything, absorbed cultures that were not my own, learned as much as I could about everything.

I was also blessed with really fabulous teachers (for the most part).  When I complained to mom that I didn't much like my grade five teacher she asked why.  I explained that he 'favoured' the girls and was mean to the boys.  She agreed that wasn't right, but there wasn't anything I could do about it and that I needed to continue to do my work.  I don't recall her saying that I ought to defend the boys, but I wanted to.

Grade 6 was a transitional year in large part because of my teacher, Mr. Rae.  I will never forget him and the way he taught us to think for ourselves, to use logic, to question the status quo.  He taught us history without the sugar coating of white supremacy.

In high school I benefited from mostly really excellent teachers, and those who were not good, in fact, down right 'bad'.  From the 'bad' ones I learned how not to teach.   I learned even more about teaching when mom went back to school as a mature student to take an Early Childhood Education degree.  I typed up her papers, editing them, getting them into 'proper' English (she had English as a second language and never could wrap her head entirely around English grammar, especially written.)

In grade 7 I was assigned a pen friend living in Sweden and eventually went to visit there, living on campus for three months at the university in Orebro.  Nothing like living in a foreign country, not being able to speak the language to develop an appreciation for your own culture - and to begin to see inequities in it.  Distance is great for developing perspective.

My parents mostly identified with conservative values (of the day).  In grade 10 our liberal social studies teachers gave us a 'test' to help place us on a political spectrum.  I placed in the liberal leaning part of the quadrant.  And over the years, as I have taken such 'tests' subsequently, I have remained there. 

Sunday school taught us that Jesus loved the children, all the children of the world - didn't matter their colour.  Turn the other cheek.  Love your neighbour.  Be kind.  Those were the values I took from church.

And yet.  And yet.

Here we are.

I was born in 1950 so I lived through many of the things listed in this piece of music.  I remember McCarthy, the race riots, the march to Selma.  I remember actual lynchings happening.  John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy all assassinated - by white men. 

I remember Nixon, Johnson, Reagan, Vietnam.  Many American draft dodgers came to our neck of the woods.

I wept at so many things that have happened in this world as human beings murdered each other in the name of...something something gazpacho, as Jim Wright says. 

We are at the cusp of something momentous right now, in this time, in this place.  The pandemic is forcing us to take a long hard look at society, shining a spotlight on the privileges white people have claimed for themselves and withheld from others.

White people are not superior to others. 

White people live in a bubble of privilege that they have claimed for themselves.  Some of whom are willing to retain through violence.

White people need to open their eyes.  See how what they are doing is simply wrong -  IF they call themselves Christians.  IF they actually care about what Jesus said.  IF they even understand that Jesus was a brown man from the middle east. 

These are difficult times due to many factors, the pandemic is just shining a spotlight on them.  Time to work on what is causing the problem and stop killing each other.

Uncertainty

We watched a program on moths/butterflies last night.  It was fascinating to see the various combinations of colours and shapes they come in.  How some advertise their toxicity, while others mimic the signs even though they are not actually toxic.

The transformations the creatures go through until they at last emerge from their chrysalis to become their final incredible self are quite simply amazing.

Human beings don't change their form much.  We just go up, and sometimes 'out', we develop grey hair and jowls, but our physical shape remains pretty much the same throughout our lives.

On the other hand, we are adaptable to a degree that many other animals are not.  So we assess our situation and judge what needs to change - and then we change.  If we don't, we risk not surviving.

And so it is with this pandemic.  We are facing a virus with no known cure or vaccine at this time.  We do, however, understand how viruses work.  We know that transmission is from person to person and that right now avoiding contact with the virus is pretty much our only strategy for avoiding catching it.

In the beginning very little was known about the virus but as medical folk and researchers found out more, recommendations changed.  At first health officers were reluctant to recommend a mask, fearing that people would assume that a mask would provide 100% protection.  There were also too few medical masks and there was concern that front line health care workers would not have the personal protection they required to safely help those people who were already seriously ill.

So recommendations at first were to stay home and businesses were ordered shuttered.  Then as it became obvious that this virus was not going to go away any time soon, researchers found that cloth masks would help prevent asymptomatic carriers from spreading the virus and now the recommendation is to wear either paper or cloth masks.

But always, always - wash your hands with soap and water.  If you can't do that, hand sanitizer will help, but wash your hands when you can.

Politicians and businesses are scrambling, trying to figure out how to loosen restrictions, run businesses, maintain physical distancing of 6 feet, protecting staff and customers.

But overall, there is enormous uncertainty about so many things.  When will interacting without all these protective measures be safe?

The bad news is...it may take a very long time.  As in years, not months.  This may well be our new 'normal' for the foreseeable future.

For the minority of people who scream that the virus is a hoax - it isn't.  It is within the power of every person to take appropriate measures to protect themselves, their loved ones, and the staff of the businesses they frequent.  If you  love your manicurist or hair dresser?  Wear the mask.  If you love your library, teacher, students?  Wear the mask.  If you love your guild mates?  Wear the mask.

Maintaining physical distance and wearing a mask are our best strategies for avoiding becoming ill.

The cloth masks a friend made for us are now in Canada and on their way.  In the meantime, we are wearing either paper masks.  Doug also has some N95 masks purchased for the wildfire season last year.

I have a hair cut booked for tomorrow.  I will wear a mask because I know she has a compromised person in her home.  While I believe I have not encountered the virus, it is my duty as a concerned citizen of this country to follow guidelines and care for the people around me.

In the meantime, I seldom go into the public preferring to stay isolated as much as possible.  Because I can, I will.

Being pretty much an introvert I'm not having a terrible time missing social interactions in person.  So far I have done a couple of Skype calls with friends, stay in touch with distant friends via Facebook Messenger, emails and even (can you imagine!) phone.

This is a time of enormous uncertainty for human beings.  It was my hope that we could come together to help each other through these difficult times.  Some do.  Some...don't.

My hope is that we go through this time of isolation, much like the caterpillar in it's chrysalis and emerge into a society that is more equitable for all, no matter our colouring, no matter our shape, so that each and every person can shine.