So sad that we have lost the clarity and honesty of Christopher Hitchens but ….there’s comfort in having another Chris to carry on the ongoing struggle against bullshit…….and,..chickenshit .
One of the reasons I like listening to you is because you make so much sense on controversial subjects. This particular subject matter drives me nuts. Bill Maher has brought this subject up from time to time and I've been on his page every time I hear him speak about it. So much so that I've invented a term that I believe is relevant. You've heard people say that they are a "Ronald Regan Republican", well I'm a "Bill Maher Democrat" (even though not really, but way, way more than not a Republican either). And I'd say there's a shit ton of us out here. And it simply means being towards the middle of the political spectrum but prioritizing that "People are more important than money", and having absolutely no tolerance for the extreme right craziness/insanity or extreme left bullshit that manifests as an attempt to show the world how woke (faux awakened) you are. Like the idiot that looses their shit because they saw a white woman owning and operating a taco truck, or observing a white man with dreadlocks. Both addressing the injustices of cultural appropriations as if it has a serious bearing on the injustices of real physically, mentally and emotionally damaging racism. Along the similar lines of pretend racism, one of the most egregious examples I've ever witnessed was when a sports writer pointed out that a black quarterback has a slight advantage over a white quarterback because his skin color more matched the color of the football making it harder to see who he passed the ball off to on a running play. The "Woke" rabble rushed to the scene of the crime like piranhas to a hunk of meat, furious about the audacity of highlighting differing skin color as the main focus of an observation, and proceeded to rip the author a new one for a blatantly racist article that has no place in a woke and civilized society. I was left in a heaping rage of "What the fuck is wrong with you people". OK, take a breath. I admit I took advantage of the subject matter of this forum to get that last one off my chest.
We've got real problems in our society and all around the world. Some people choose to stand on the mountain top of pretend problems and wave their flag because they refuse to recognize and/or deal with the real ones. Sometimes it takes courageous awareness to recognize the real problems and plant your action flag on that mountain top. I say courageous because you know that dangerously programmed people are more than likely going to be coming after you with metaphorical and/or real pitchforks and worse because you have posed a serious threat to their world view. Those are the people I pay most attention to. Cheers to you Chris.
I remember that incident, Gary. Struck me the same way. I think the same thing about uniform color. Isn't it harder to see who has the ball when the team's jerseys are the same color as the ball? Seems obvious.
When I lived in New Orleans, I would get my hair cut at a barbershop owned by a black man. The barbershop culture there was unique, at least in my experience, and it was almost always a lively, fun place where local guys would gather to get a trim and engage in unfiltered conversation. These discussions could be fairly mundane, regarding sports or entertainment, but sometimes they could touch on deeper issues such as culture, current events, and race. Some of this talk was not for the faint of heart or easily offended.
I remember one day (sometime within the last ten years, I don't recall exactly when) during a discussion about a race-related topic that was occupying the news when one of the black customers said something to the effect that he didn't need a bunch of white people telling him what to be upset about. I'm white, and I understood what he meant. It bothered him that the news and social media frenzy was full of people arguing over what ought to offend him. He didn't dig it and thought it was condescending. I don't know how relevant this is to what you wrote, but it's something that I've never forgotten.
Thanks for this. I didn't include this in the piece, but I've been in two long-term relationships with black women, my sister is married to a black dude, my best friend is married to a black woman (and some of my best friends are Jews!). Perhaps part of the issue is that I don't see them as all being members of some community with common identity -- because they don't.
Thank you Chris. Spot on. In 1967 when I was 18 I thought we were on the way to universal peace, brotherhood, sisterhood, enlightenment. It took a few years to realize that all the visions you have when you are stoned are not set in stone. Not sure what the way through this morass is , but somehow we need to find our way to the knowing of our profound relationship with each other and all beings. All these names are like the weather and we need to be dealing with the climate
I’m Native American. Well, officially and specifically, I’m an enrolled member of the Spokane Tribe of Indians. Yes, we call one another Indian. It’s on the letterheads and home pages. It’s only certain types of elite non-Indians (and a few elite Indians) who abhor the word.
If you'd ever be up to do a podcast with me, please let me know. I'll be up in Seattle this September (hoping to record with Dan Savage and Amanda Knox as well). No worries if not, but I'd be remiss not to ask. thatchrisryan@gmail.com
I would love if you could get Sherman on your podcast. He and Jess Walter used to have one called A Tiny Sense of Accomplishment and it was wonderful. I still miss it.
My late mother was Spokane Indian and I grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. My late father was Coeur d’Alene and grew up in CDA and on the CDA Reservation.
Agree with the argument here- and I would be considered “(B)lack” whatever the hell that means. I’ll take the brave soul who’s willing to disagree respectfully and consistently offer another perspective to friends and family any day vis a vis someone who is intentional with their capitalisations - but nothing else.
Interesting thoughts. Thanks. It does seem that a lot of the loudest debate over these issues only distracts from the fundamental structural problems that mostly remain unaddressed.
Hey Chris. You were right that I'd enjoy parts of Chappelle's talk (the parts where he insists that artists must retain the right to talk about taboo topics). On the other hand, the part where he refers to himself as a "once in a lifetime talent" and asserts that it will be decades before anyone produces a standup special as great as "The Closer" made me sad for him. Genius doesn't need to proclaim itself like that. Dave has reached a point in his life where he's driven away any of his old friends who could (and would) tell him when he's full of shit and needs to shut the fuck up. If I were a standup comic, I'd remind Dave that as good as he's been, there were guys like Pryor, Carlin, and Shandling who felt no need to tell the world how great they were, and all three of them make his contributions to his chosen art look relatively trivial.
Those parts on artistic expression are what I had in mind when I recommended it, glad you enjoyed that. I felt similarly when he referred to himself that way, my ears perked up. It is disappointing that he wouldn’t recognize, as you said, despite his contributions, that comedy is in part a reaction to the absurdity of the world around the artist. Part of what makes “The Closer” great is the moment in which Chappelle was reacting too. I doubt it will take years let alone decades for another talent to shine in the face of the bullshit we’ll be living through. That strikes me as a more helpful message to that crowd than “check out my raging Genius!”.
Well, after a first reading, I'd say they have a problem with lack of nuance,
-- "All wealth enjoyed by colonizers is from colonialism."
All? I don't think that would be possible to prove. England, for example, had wealth before it became a colonial power. There is local wealth that has nothing to do with anywhere else.
--"White people, no matter how poor, still benefit from colonialism because it’s what upholds their culture and their way of life."
How does colonialism uphold the culture and way of life of a homeless heroin addict in West Virginia? What about non-white empires? China has been an empire for thousands of years. Should Chinese immigrants to the US, brought here as slaves, pay reparations to The Black Hammer as well? What do they have to say about African empires on the coasts that sold other Africans into the slave markets? Should their descendants on Zanzibar pay reparations?
-- "White people, even those who are liberal and well-meaning, have always given tacit approval to colonialism through their apathy, ignorance, and continued investment in the status quo."
Always? What about white people who were murdered while working for civil rights?
I live in Albuquerque. They don’t mind being called Indian. Indians call each other Indian. Can we focus on real problems for once.
So sad that we have lost the clarity and honesty of Christopher Hitchens but ….there’s comfort in having another Chris to carry on the ongoing struggle against bullshit…….and,..chickenshit .
Thanks, John, but I could never take the baton from CH. That dude could easily outthink, outwrite, and outdrink me!
One of the reasons I like listening to you is because you make so much sense on controversial subjects. This particular subject matter drives me nuts. Bill Maher has brought this subject up from time to time and I've been on his page every time I hear him speak about it. So much so that I've invented a term that I believe is relevant. You've heard people say that they are a "Ronald Regan Republican", well I'm a "Bill Maher Democrat" (even though not really, but way, way more than not a Republican either). And I'd say there's a shit ton of us out here. And it simply means being towards the middle of the political spectrum but prioritizing that "People are more important than money", and having absolutely no tolerance for the extreme right craziness/insanity or extreme left bullshit that manifests as an attempt to show the world how woke (faux awakened) you are. Like the idiot that looses their shit because they saw a white woman owning and operating a taco truck, or observing a white man with dreadlocks. Both addressing the injustices of cultural appropriations as if it has a serious bearing on the injustices of real physically, mentally and emotionally damaging racism. Along the similar lines of pretend racism, one of the most egregious examples I've ever witnessed was when a sports writer pointed out that a black quarterback has a slight advantage over a white quarterback because his skin color more matched the color of the football making it harder to see who he passed the ball off to on a running play. The "Woke" rabble rushed to the scene of the crime like piranhas to a hunk of meat, furious about the audacity of highlighting differing skin color as the main focus of an observation, and proceeded to rip the author a new one for a blatantly racist article that has no place in a woke and civilized society. I was left in a heaping rage of "What the fuck is wrong with you people". OK, take a breath. I admit I took advantage of the subject matter of this forum to get that last one off my chest.
We've got real problems in our society and all around the world. Some people choose to stand on the mountain top of pretend problems and wave their flag because they refuse to recognize and/or deal with the real ones. Sometimes it takes courageous awareness to recognize the real problems and plant your action flag on that mountain top. I say courageous because you know that dangerously programmed people are more than likely going to be coming after you with metaphorical and/or real pitchforks and worse because you have posed a serious threat to their world view. Those are the people I pay most attention to. Cheers to you Chris.
I remember that incident, Gary. Struck me the same way. I think the same thing about uniform color. Isn't it harder to see who has the ball when the team's jerseys are the same color as the ball? Seems obvious.
Be my guest. Use it frequently, use it far. It's so descriptive of so many people fed up with politically correct bullshit.
I SUGGEST ALLOWING PEOPLE TO USE WHATEVER WORDS THEY PREFER. THOSE THAT ARE THE MOST USEFUL AND LESS OFFENSIVE WILL TAKE HOME THE PRIZE.
When I lived in New Orleans, I would get my hair cut at a barbershop owned by a black man. The barbershop culture there was unique, at least in my experience, and it was almost always a lively, fun place where local guys would gather to get a trim and engage in unfiltered conversation. These discussions could be fairly mundane, regarding sports or entertainment, but sometimes they could touch on deeper issues such as culture, current events, and race. Some of this talk was not for the faint of heart or easily offended.
I remember one day (sometime within the last ten years, I don't recall exactly when) during a discussion about a race-related topic that was occupying the news when one of the black customers said something to the effect that he didn't need a bunch of white people telling him what to be upset about. I'm white, and I understood what he meant. It bothered him that the news and social media frenzy was full of people arguing over what ought to offend him. He didn't dig it and thought it was condescending. I don't know how relevant this is to what you wrote, but it's something that I've never forgotten.
Thanks for this. I didn't include this in the piece, but I've been in two long-term relationships with black women, my sister is married to a black dude, my best friend is married to a black woman (and some of my best friends are Jews!). Perhaps part of the issue is that I don't see them as all being members of some community with common identity -- because they don't.
Thank you Chris. Spot on. In 1967 when I was 18 I thought we were on the way to universal peace, brotherhood, sisterhood, enlightenment. It took a few years to realize that all the visions you have when you are stoned are not set in stone. Not sure what the way through this morass is , but somehow we need to find our way to the knowing of our profound relationship with each other and all beings. All these names are like the weather and we need to be dealing with the climate
Spot on. Your analogy hits hard.
Anytime I find myself in need of finding non-dogmatic, nuanced writings, I turn to you. Love this new piece (as usual)
Thanks, bud. Miss you.
I’m Native American. Well, officially and specifically, I’m an enrolled member of the Spokane Tribe of Indians. Yes, we call one another Indian. It’s on the letterheads and home pages. It’s only certain types of elite non-Indians (and a few elite Indians) who abhor the word.
A great fan of your writing. I used to teach poetry in juvenile detention centers and always used your poetry with the guys. Thank you
Oh, wow, thank you, Lance. That’s great to hear. I’m happy you taught my poems.
Hold up. Sherman Fucking Alexie has my back on this one? Life is crazy. Welcome. I had no idea you were "here."
Hahahahahahaha. Yes, I’m here!
If you'd ever be up to do a podcast with me, please let me know. I'll be up in Seattle this September (hoping to record with Dan Savage and Amanda Knox as well). No worries if not, but I'd be remiss not to ask. thatchrisryan@gmail.com
I would love if you could get Sherman on your podcast. He and Jess Walter used to have one called A Tiny Sense of Accomplishment and it was wonderful. I still miss it.
Love your work
Thank you!
My late mother was Spokane Indian and I grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. My late father was Coeur d’Alene and grew up in CDA and on the CDA Reservation.
Agree with the argument here- and I would be considered “(B)lack” whatever the hell that means. I’ll take the brave soul who’s willing to disagree respectfully and consistently offer another perspective to friends and family any day vis a vis someone who is intentional with their capitalisations - but nothing else.
Thanks, Paris.
Hey Chris, found this Guardian article which I think hits this particular nail on the head:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jun/29/antiracism-diversity-training-liberal-antiracists-vocabulary-direct-action
👍
Interesting thoughts. Thanks. It does seem that a lot of the loudest debate over these issues only distracts from the fundamental structural problems that mostly remain unaddressed.
Couldn’t agree more!
Great stuff as always. Chris, if you haven’t seen it yet I think you’d enjoy Dave Chapelle’s talk “What’s in a Name”.
Hey Chris. You were right that I'd enjoy parts of Chappelle's talk (the parts where he insists that artists must retain the right to talk about taboo topics). On the other hand, the part where he refers to himself as a "once in a lifetime talent" and asserts that it will be decades before anyone produces a standup special as great as "The Closer" made me sad for him. Genius doesn't need to proclaim itself like that. Dave has reached a point in his life where he's driven away any of his old friends who could (and would) tell him when he's full of shit and needs to shut the fuck up. If I were a standup comic, I'd remind Dave that as good as he's been, there were guys like Pryor, Carlin, and Shandling who felt no need to tell the world how great they were, and all three of them make his contributions to his chosen art look relatively trivial.
Those parts on artistic expression are what I had in mind when I recommended it, glad you enjoyed that. I felt similarly when he referred to himself that way, my ears perked up. It is disappointing that he wouldn’t recognize, as you said, despite his contributions, that comedy is in part a reaction to the absurdity of the world around the artist. Part of what makes “The Closer” great is the moment in which Chappelle was reacting too. I doubt it will take years let alone decades for another talent to shine in the face of the bullshit we’ll be living through. That strikes me as a more helpful message to that crowd than “check out my raging Genius!”.
I'll watch it tonight. Thanks.
Thanks, Dan.
Black Hammer is a hate group. This happened 3 days ago:
https://www.11alive.com/article/news/crime/fayetteville-home-black-hammer-party-swat-response-death-arrest-warrants/85-6d9c6456-474f-4e57-8589-5f165911e754
Well, after a first reading, I'd say they have a problem with lack of nuance,
-- "All wealth enjoyed by colonizers is from colonialism."
All? I don't think that would be possible to prove. England, for example, had wealth before it became a colonial power. There is local wealth that has nothing to do with anywhere else.
--"White people, no matter how poor, still benefit from colonialism because it’s what upholds their culture and their way of life."
How does colonialism uphold the culture and way of life of a homeless heroin addict in West Virginia? What about non-white empires? China has been an empire for thousands of years. Should Chinese immigrants to the US, brought here as slaves, pay reparations to The Black Hammer as well? What do they have to say about African empires on the coasts that sold other Africans into the slave markets? Should their descendants on Zanzibar pay reparations?
-- "White people, even those who are liberal and well-meaning, have always given tacit approval to colonialism through their apathy, ignorance, and continued investment in the status quo."
Always? What about white people who were murdered while working for civil rights?
https://www.splcenter.org/what-we-do/civil-rights-memorial/civil-rights-martyrs