Monday, July 21, 2008
Our Economic Woes and Opportunities
Greetings Comrades,
A happy Monday to you and all your relations. After a wonderful weekend of nourishing "struggle", I felt obligated, indeed duty bound to share with you the fruits of our labor. A major aspect of our efforts was the examination of the prevailing economic crisis, our economic survival and what opportunities obtain therein. What resulted was a reaffirmation and clarification about our personal and collective human experience, of which economics is but one aspect.
Actually there was only three of us that gathered together and teleconferenced one sister into the conversation. It very quickly became clear, that what we are struggling with is beyond an orthodox construct of economics. Interestingly my wise brother had pointed observed that our economic solutions had to be linked to our spirit, the energetic dimension of our being. The poignancy of this point blew with refreshing brilliance into our deliberations.
We began, by affirming that the material conditions we face individually and collective, were untenable and out of this consciousness a new vision must emerged to move us to where we need to be. Initially we discussed the validity of the goal of economic sustainability with our collective and our community. The objectives towards that goal seemed quite obvious, do like our ancestors did, struggle collectively, develop co-ops, share our resources, "su-sus", box hand, think about, creating community housing, share our living space. Well this is not rocket science, the models exist...Maroon communities, the efforts of Marcus Garvey, the nation of Islam, Hebrew Israelite Nation, cooperative and intentional communities thrive in several areas of the US and beyond. The material resources, the knowledge, even the need exist. So what is the problem.
The question of trust emerged in our discussion, because even as we identified simple, affordable collective proposals the need for a functional level of trust, the need for sincerity, for comradeship marched into our consciousness with unrelenting pace. Why should we trust each and invest our hard earned and already short financial resources with each other, even if we all claim the same cultural identity, one love etc.
Now we could have proceeded on faith and said that, we will just have to trust each other. However, bearing in mind the admonition of that great sage that " we should tell no lies and claim no easy victories", we humbled ourselves. We agreed that in order to secure the trust needed to pursue an effective economic solution, we needed to build relations withs ethics and integrity and that this would be our essential investment. We believe that we need to invest time, intention and effort in getting to know each other to , know our comrades and as we "ground with each other" ( a la Walter Rodney's Groundings with My Brothers), clarity and trust will result and allow us to invest precious resources with each other.
Over the next few weeks this collective will do just that, build our relationships, so that we can create a healthy, nourishing way of being, that will allow not only to cope with the prevailing economic crisis but to facilitate the development of a sovereign, liberated community, made so because it will and can only come from our souls and from us nurturing each other as we move forward as comrades.
Peace
Sizwe
PS as we struggle to deal with our very real challenges over hear consider the plight of our relations on the continent and elsewhere.
The link above is the article dealing with the plight of that sister in Burkina Faso. As a people we can really tolerate a lot of trials and tribulations , but things are really dread.
A happy Monday to you and all your relations. After a wonderful weekend of nourishing "struggle", I felt obligated, indeed duty bound to share with you the fruits of our labor. A major aspect of our efforts was the examination of the prevailing economic crisis, our economic survival and what opportunities obtain therein. What resulted was a reaffirmation and clarification about our personal and collective human experience, of which economics is but one aspect.
Actually there was only three of us that gathered together and teleconferenced one sister into the conversation. It very quickly became clear, that what we are struggling with is beyond an orthodox construct of economics. Interestingly my wise brother had pointed observed that our economic solutions had to be linked to our spirit, the energetic dimension of our being. The poignancy of this point blew with refreshing brilliance into our deliberations.
We began, by affirming that the material conditions we face individually and collective, were untenable and out of this consciousness a new vision must emerged to move us to where we need to be. Initially we discussed the validity of the goal of economic sustainability with our collective and our community. The objectives towards that goal seemed quite obvious, do like our ancestors did, struggle collectively, develop co-ops, share our resources, "su-sus", box hand, think about, creating community housing, share our living space. Well this is not rocket science, the models exist...Maroon communities, the efforts of Marcus Garvey, the nation of Islam, Hebrew Israelite Nation, cooperative and intentional communities thrive in several areas of the US and beyond. The material resources, the knowledge, even the need exist. So what is the problem.
The question of trust emerged in our discussion, because even as we identified simple, affordable collective proposals the need for a functional level of trust, the need for sincerity, for comradeship marched into our consciousness with unrelenting pace. Why should we trust each and invest our hard earned and already short financial resources with each other, even if we all claim the same cultural identity, one love etc.
Now we could have proceeded on faith and said that, we will just have to trust each other. However, bearing in mind the admonition of that great sage that " we should tell no lies and claim no easy victories", we humbled ourselves. We agreed that in order to secure the trust needed to pursue an effective economic solution, we needed to build relations withs ethics and integrity and that this would be our essential investment. We believe that we need to invest time, intention and effort in getting to know each other to , know our comrades and as we "ground with each other" ( a la Walter Rodney's Groundings with My Brothers), clarity and trust will result and allow us to invest precious resources with each other.
Over the next few weeks this collective will do just that, build our relationships, so that we can create a healthy, nourishing way of being, that will allow not only to cope with the prevailing economic crisis but to facilitate the development of a sovereign, liberated community, made so because it will and can only come from our souls and from us nurturing each other as we move forward as comrades.
Peace
Sizwe
PS as we struggle to deal with our very real challenges over hear consider the plight of our relations on the continent and elsewhere.
The link above is the article dealing with the plight of that sister in Burkina Faso. As a people we can really tolerate a lot of trials and tribulations , but things are really dread.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Indepedence Day 2008
Greetings Fellow Travelers,
Here in the US, July 4th marks the highpoint of patriotism, so called, of the citizenry. There is little doubt about the fervent sincerity of those thankful souls who have found hope and deliverance on these shores and seek to pay tribute to the historical process that made it possible. But the Fourth of July has deeper and more complex implications than the messages evident in the parades, fly overs, firework displays, parties and barbecues. For many other people, many other nations, the Fourth of July marks a time of tragedy, for others the end of independence. In acknowledgment of Fredrick Douglas') haunting question, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?, I offer in this additional thought, What to Humanity is the Fourth of July? To that question as to Douglas' the meaning of this holiday to the slave, has little to do with celebration, indeed it seemed then like a cruel prank and dehumanizing insult. As to the indigenous peoples of these lands Fourth of July, must have seemed like an obscene, vulgar, exercise of further humiliation by conquering forces of Europe. For both of these societies, the birth of the nation the cost of independence was paid for with their blood, with the destruction of their civilizations,the loss of their freedom and the slamming shut of the door of providence, by the material and cultural bondage of their relentless conqueror. In this enterprise therefore was the meaning of the Fourth of July to the slave, to humanity a crime against humanity itself.
From FD himself, two paragraphs of his historic critique:
"But such is not the state of the case. I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity, and independence bequeathed by your fathers is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony. Do you mean, citizens, to mock me by asking me to speak today? If so, there is a parallel to your conduct. And let me warn that it is dangerous to copy the example of nation whose crimes, towering up to heaven, were thrown down by the breath of the Almighty, burying that nation in irrevocable ruin! I can today take up the plaintive lament of a peeled and woe-smitten people".
"What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass-fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are, to Him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy-a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States at this very hour".
Turning to the historic plight, the genocide of indigenous people of this hemisphere, the thoughts are overwhelming and painful. Almost equal in intensity to the crime of this devastating holocaust, is the shocking dismissal, the mockery of the meaning of this experience to the first people. It is no less obscene than the pronouncements of those who reportedly deny the slaughter of the Jews by the Nazis. We must never forget that this declaration of independence was made on the bent but not broken, yet unconquered body and soul of the civilizations, that predated the arrival of the invaders of this hemisphere.
From Assata Shakur's blog:
RWalker's Avatar
RWalker RWalker is offline
PanAfrican Perspective
Thinking of the Indigenous People this 4th of July
"...diseases was even used as a weapons by whites who purposely passed out smallpox-infested blankets to the Indians...disease might be called another battleground for the Indians...As to land consessions, disease through depopulation played a large part in the ultimate displacement of tribes...
The words of Four Bears, a Mandan chief who at the time was dying from smallpox, help make the subject more human, rather than one of abstract demography and statistics:
"Four Bears never saw a white man hungry, but what he gave him to eat...and how they have repaid it! I do not fear death...but to die with my face rotten, that even the wolves will shrink...at seeing me, and say tp themselves, that is Four Bears, the friend of the whites."
Atlas of the North American Indian
by Carl Waldman
p167
Update: Well how are the descendants of those historic actors faring today, the conquers still rule and the suffers still suffer. Obviously this is much too simplistic an observation of the current situation. Here are some observations that speak to the meaning of independence today, not only to the First Peoples and the descendants of enslaved Africans, but to humanity in general.
Well there is Barak Obama, 1st NON WHITE contender for Commander in Chief of the nation. Intriguing historic and psychological implications in light of our discussion.
Regarding the brutal state of the economy, what is the meaning of independence when the resources needed to exercise it are being snatched from the mouths of our children, by the astronomical increase in the price of food. A knock on effect and consequence of the global war on terror, that has lead to that factor so toxic to economic sustenance....destabilization, the character of war . Of course the war mongers make out like bandits.
Examine any area of endeavor, of the pursuit of life liberty and happiness and let's ask what to the native people, what to the descendants of slaves, what to humanity and indeed what to the rulers, does the Fourth of July mean in 2008?
Sizwe
Here in the US, July 4th marks the highpoint of patriotism, so called, of the citizenry. There is little doubt about the fervent sincerity of those thankful souls who have found hope and deliverance on these shores and seek to pay tribute to the historical process that made it possible. But the Fourth of July has deeper and more complex implications than the messages evident in the parades, fly overs, firework displays, parties and barbecues. For many other people, many other nations, the Fourth of July marks a time of tragedy, for others the end of independence. In acknowledgment of Fredrick Douglas') haunting question, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?, I offer in this additional thought, What to Humanity is the Fourth of July? To that question as to Douglas' the meaning of this holiday to the slave, has little to do with celebration, indeed it seemed then like a cruel prank and dehumanizing insult. As to the indigenous peoples of these lands Fourth of July, must have seemed like an obscene, vulgar, exercise of further humiliation by conquering forces of Europe. For both of these societies, the birth of the nation the cost of independence was paid for with their blood, with the destruction of their civilizations,the loss of their freedom and the slamming shut of the door of providence, by the material and cultural bondage of their relentless conqueror. In this enterprise therefore was the meaning of the Fourth of July to the slave, to humanity a crime against humanity itself.
From FD himself, two paragraphs of his historic critique:
"But such is not the state of the case. I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity, and independence bequeathed by your fathers is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony. Do you mean, citizens, to mock me by asking me to speak today? If so, there is a parallel to your conduct. And let me warn that it is dangerous to copy the example of nation whose crimes, towering up to heaven, were thrown down by the breath of the Almighty, burying that nation in irrevocable ruin! I can today take up the plaintive lament of a peeled and woe-smitten people".
"What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass-fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are, to Him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy-a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States at this very hour".
Turning to the historic plight, the genocide of indigenous people of this hemisphere, the thoughts are overwhelming and painful. Almost equal in intensity to the crime of this devastating holocaust, is the shocking dismissal, the mockery of the meaning of this experience to the first people. It is no less obscene than the pronouncements of those who reportedly deny the slaughter of the Jews by the Nazis. We must never forget that this declaration of independence was made on the bent but not broken, yet unconquered body and soul of the civilizations, that predated the arrival of the invaders of this hemisphere.
From Assata Shakur's blog:
RWalker's Avatar
RWalker RWalker is offline
PanAfrican Perspective
Thinking of the Indigenous People this 4th of July
"...diseases was even used as a weapons by whites who purposely passed out smallpox-infested blankets to the Indians...disease might be called another battleground for the Indians...As to land consessions, disease through depopulation played a large part in the ultimate displacement of tribes...
The words of Four Bears, a Mandan chief who at the time was dying from smallpox, help make the subject more human, rather than one of abstract demography and statistics:
"Four Bears never saw a white man hungry, but what he gave him to eat...and how they have repaid it! I do not fear death...but to die with my face rotten, that even the wolves will shrink...at seeing me, and say tp themselves, that is Four Bears, the friend of the whites."
Atlas of the North American Indian
by Carl Waldman
p167
Update: Well how are the descendants of those historic actors faring today, the conquers still rule and the suffers still suffer. Obviously this is much too simplistic an observation of the current situation. Here are some observations that speak to the meaning of independence today, not only to the First Peoples and the descendants of enslaved Africans, but to humanity in general.
Well there is Barak Obama, 1st NON WHITE contender for Commander in Chief of the nation. Intriguing historic and psychological implications in light of our discussion.
Regarding the brutal state of the economy, what is the meaning of independence when the resources needed to exercise it are being snatched from the mouths of our children, by the astronomical increase in the price of food. A knock on effect and consequence of the global war on terror, that has lead to that factor so toxic to economic sustenance....destabilization, the character of war . Of course the war mongers make out like bandits.
Examine any area of endeavor, of the pursuit of life liberty and happiness and let's ask what to the native people, what to the descendants of slaves, what to humanity and indeed what to the rulers, does the Fourth of July mean in 2008?
Sizwe
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Walter Rodney & Working People
Greetings,
Last Friday, June 13th, marked the 28th year since Walter Rodney was assassinated in Guyana by agents of the state. In tribute to the work and dedication of this scholar activist, a groundings of sisters and brothers was held in Little Five Points, in the Radio Free Georgia building, in Atlanta GA. Appropriately, the gathering was made up of working people, that strata of society that was essential to Walter's analysis, his thesis and his activism. This grounding humbly tried to remain true to the vital massage of integrity evident in Walter's work for the liberation of working people everywhere.This includes his appreciation of their critical role not only in the production of goods and services, but in the creation and maintenance of culture.
The focus of the discussion was on the conditions facing working people today and looking at Walter's scholarship and activism for direction. Essentially the cost of living, the cost of working is becoming increasingly prohibitive. This is realised in the price of energy in the US, the price of food globally and the impact on the lives of those who toil to produce the wealth for the mega corporations, but do not benefit from the profits. These were the issues, the economic oppression, injustice that informed Walter Rodney's understanding of the importance of grounding with his brothers and yes, sisters. Hopefully the message can make it into the consciousness of the others in academia, who seek to honor or be guided by the service of this intellectual worker.
Walter's appreciation and service to Pan Africanism was noted, particularly to the point that this was evident in his application of theory, of history, to the challenges in the objective conditions facing Africans and oppressed people around the world. Walter Rodney did put Marxist theory to significant use in his assessment, exploration and application of possible solutions to the plight of the oppressed. In this he was quite clear about the role of imperialism and its neo colonial and neo liberal structures in the oppression of the working class. Correspondingly Walter was not willing to give a "pass" to the contradictions within those oppressed communities themselves. Indeed it was on this critique, this level of integrity, that he challenged the corruption within Guyanese society in the 1970s and for which he was ultimately assassinated.
The major theme that emerged was the discussion was the inadequacy of the current dominant global culture in addressing the needs of the working class, indeed of humanity. To be sure, we noted that the current unipolar world, the dominant economic world order was not designed to serve the masses anyway. Walter Rodney's work, points to the need not only for an intellectual critique of the ills of imperialism, but for us to do the disciplined work of assisting in the liberation, the self emancipation of people's creativity, of people's power, to create a better world, a more humane society.
It was agreed by the gathering, that we should convene ongoing groundings in the communities of the working people of Atlanta, in this way we propose to honor the legacy of Walter Rodney by actively engaging the lives of the working class.
"People's Power, No Dictator"
Last Friday, June 13th, marked the 28th year since Walter Rodney was assassinated in Guyana by agents of the state. In tribute to the work and dedication of this scholar activist, a groundings of sisters and brothers was held in Little Five Points, in the Radio Free Georgia building, in Atlanta GA. Appropriately, the gathering was made up of working people, that strata of society that was essential to Walter's analysis, his thesis and his activism. This grounding humbly tried to remain true to the vital massage of integrity evident in Walter's work for the liberation of working people everywhere.This includes his appreciation of their critical role not only in the production of goods and services, but in the creation and maintenance of culture.
The focus of the discussion was on the conditions facing working people today and looking at Walter's scholarship and activism for direction. Essentially the cost of living, the cost of working is becoming increasingly prohibitive. This is realised in the price of energy in the US, the price of food globally and the impact on the lives of those who toil to produce the wealth for the mega corporations, but do not benefit from the profits. These were the issues, the economic oppression, injustice that informed Walter Rodney's understanding of the importance of grounding with his brothers and yes, sisters. Hopefully the message can make it into the consciousness of the others in academia, who seek to honor or be guided by the service of this intellectual worker.
Walter's appreciation and service to Pan Africanism was noted, particularly to the point that this was evident in his application of theory, of history, to the challenges in the objective conditions facing Africans and oppressed people around the world. Walter Rodney did put Marxist theory to significant use in his assessment, exploration and application of possible solutions to the plight of the oppressed. In this he was quite clear about the role of imperialism and its neo colonial and neo liberal structures in the oppression of the working class. Correspondingly Walter was not willing to give a "pass" to the contradictions within those oppressed communities themselves. Indeed it was on this critique, this level of integrity, that he challenged the corruption within Guyanese society in the 1970s and for which he was ultimately assassinated.
The major theme that emerged was the discussion was the inadequacy of the current dominant global culture in addressing the needs of the working class, indeed of humanity. To be sure, we noted that the current unipolar world, the dominant economic world order was not designed to serve the masses anyway. Walter Rodney's work, points to the need not only for an intellectual critique of the ills of imperialism, but for us to do the disciplined work of assisting in the liberation, the self emancipation of people's creativity, of people's power, to create a better world, a more humane society.
It was agreed by the gathering, that we should convene ongoing groundings in the communities of the working people of Atlanta, in this way we propose to honor the legacy of Walter Rodney by actively engaging the lives of the working class.
"People's Power, No Dictator"
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
The Worth of the Work We Do
Greetings,
I was reflecting on the ever present question of the worth and meaning of our work. It stands to reason that if we are spending the most productive part of our day, putting forth our best physical and mental efforts, a lot more than a nice paycheck should be forthcoming. I would be simplistic and suggest that whatever our vocation it should be nourishing to us and our communities. Is this your situation? This has been the quest of my work life so far and indeed in the relationships I have built, I have found that nourishment. So take a look around in your work station and appreciate the nourishment coming your way. If it is not....................question for you to answer.
In this stream of consciousness I reflected on the work of one dear sister and comrade and tried to wrap a few words of appreciation for the love, labor and wisdom that she is offering to the youth in summer camp.
If you have created a space for young minds to journey
Then you are fulfilled
If you have helped guide the youth to a place of safety and enlightenment
Then the honor is yours
If you have inspired the creativity in latent souls
Then you are the lightening rod
If you have helped soothe a bruised heart
Then you are the healer
If you have helped the young grow beyond their own selves
You are our sacred guide
If you have brought strangers together as friends and comrades
Then you are indeed mother goddess
Birthing
A better world for us all
Medase
I was reflecting on the ever present question of the worth and meaning of our work. It stands to reason that if we are spending the most productive part of our day, putting forth our best physical and mental efforts, a lot more than a nice paycheck should be forthcoming. I would be simplistic and suggest that whatever our vocation it should be nourishing to us and our communities. Is this your situation? This has been the quest of my work life so far and indeed in the relationships I have built, I have found that nourishment. So take a look around in your work station and appreciate the nourishment coming your way. If it is not....................question for you to answer.
In this stream of consciousness I reflected on the work of one dear sister and comrade and tried to wrap a few words of appreciation for the love, labor and wisdom that she is offering to the youth in summer camp.
If you have created a space for young minds to journey
Then you are fulfilled
If you have helped guide the youth to a place of safety and enlightenment
Then the honor is yours
If you have inspired the creativity in latent souls
Then you are the lightening rod
If you have helped soothe a bruised heart
Then you are the healer
If you have helped the young grow beyond their own selves
You are our sacred guide
If you have brought strangers together as friends and comrades
Then you are indeed mother goddess
Birthing
A better world for us all
Medase
Monday, June 16, 2008
On Current Economic Challenges
Greetings Friends/Comrades,
It has been a long time. Since I last posted the dire economic straits, have gotten even more dread and not just for the captains of industry and the mega corporations, who we see crying the blues in the corporate media everyday and then some. Indeed one could be excused for concluding that the major victims of this economic meltdown are the rich and powerful and that the common citizen caused the crisis by greed and risk taking, manifested in the fashionable reason for all current capitalist problems...the sub-prime market.
Well to me there are several factors that figure in this equation. Firstly the proposal that it is the inevitable outcome of a system driven by the principle of ever increasing profit and demand, that is coming apart on its own inherent contradictions.
Secondly the world has been experiencing this global war on terror that is extracting from humanity, particularly the Iraqi people, a terrible price for the imperial pursuits of the militarily dominant, global power. The economic costs of this war is a factor not normally included when the popular media, seeks to address the problems of the global market we suffer in.
In third place is the mega profits being reaped by oil barons from the astronomic rise of oil/gas prices, driven by the knock on effects of the war and the inability of the hallowed marketplace to balance that conundrum or maybe even desire to put a brake on rising prices. After all economic suffering for some adds up to huge profit for others.
My main thought this morning is that the rising cost of energy, transportation, housing, food and other staples of life, is having a devastating effect on working peoples lives and raising the question about the cost of working. Some are already finding that it is costing an obscene amount of money to actually get to work, even as the traditional benefits of pension, health, vacation and the like continue to shrink.
Well I don't think it all has to be doom and gloom. At the end of the day several sectors of society were already struggling, even when the economy was doing better. Now we may find it more appealing to look to our comrades and friends as we seek to address the economic challenges that face us. Indeed just on the level of transportation and purchasing or even growing food, it might be of significant benefit to revisit the option of a collective process as we work to improve the conditions of life and living in these times. Maybe it time to think, act, work and live in cooperative, collective communities, where we produce what we need and consume what we produce.
Peace
Sizwe
It has been a long time. Since I last posted the dire economic straits, have gotten even more dread and not just for the captains of industry and the mega corporations, who we see crying the blues in the corporate media everyday and then some. Indeed one could be excused for concluding that the major victims of this economic meltdown are the rich and powerful and that the common citizen caused the crisis by greed and risk taking, manifested in the fashionable reason for all current capitalist problems...the sub-prime market.
Well to me there are several factors that figure in this equation. Firstly the proposal that it is the inevitable outcome of a system driven by the principle of ever increasing profit and demand, that is coming apart on its own inherent contradictions.
Secondly the world has been experiencing this global war on terror that is extracting from humanity, particularly the Iraqi people, a terrible price for the imperial pursuits of the militarily dominant, global power. The economic costs of this war is a factor not normally included when the popular media, seeks to address the problems of the global market we suffer in.
In third place is the mega profits being reaped by oil barons from the astronomic rise of oil/gas prices, driven by the knock on effects of the war and the inability of the hallowed marketplace to balance that conundrum or maybe even desire to put a brake on rising prices. After all economic suffering for some adds up to huge profit for others.
My main thought this morning is that the rising cost of energy, transportation, housing, food and other staples of life, is having a devastating effect on working peoples lives and raising the question about the cost of working. Some are already finding that it is costing an obscene amount of money to actually get to work, even as the traditional benefits of pension, health, vacation and the like continue to shrink.
Well I don't think it all has to be doom and gloom. At the end of the day several sectors of society were already struggling, even when the economy was doing better. Now we may find it more appealing to look to our comrades and friends as we seek to address the economic challenges that face us. Indeed just on the level of transportation and purchasing or even growing food, it might be of significant benefit to revisit the option of a collective process as we work to improve the conditions of life and living in these times. Maybe it time to think, act, work and live in cooperative, collective communities, where we produce what we need and consume what we produce.
Peace
Sizwe
Friday, May 9, 2008
Work and Culture
Greetings,
It is a good thing when young people take the responsibility to seek out employment for the summertime, generate their own source of income,gain some vital work experience and it is wonderful that corporations, such as Six Flags offer them to opportunity do so. For the youth it is an act of responsibility, for Six flags, it is an act of civil responsibility by being offering corporate leadership to society, thereby enriching us all. So it came as a distinct surprise when I was told that my daughter would not be hired because of her locks and because she refused to exercise the option of seeking religious accommodation. Several issues emerge here, the main kind of defense is that Six Flags claims, it does not discriminate because you can get the job if you have a religious exemption. Nice but my position, grounded in constitutional and International Human rights, that Six Flags is a Signatory to, is that this policy is a violation of the basic human rights to choice, that is nit a health and safety violation. That the real reason for the discrimination is strictly economic, a marketing posture that is driven by the perception that people with locks are not good for business. Six Flags has every right to do that, but it violates this right by talk about religious accommodation a mere fig leaf to deter people that they deem unattractive form equal opportunity. Here are a few exapmles of corporations that hire people with locs. It would also be nice if the millions of patrons, many with locks themselves were aware of this apartheid policy
It is a good thing when young people take the responsibility to seek out employment for the summertime, generate their own source of income,gain some vital work experience and it is wonderful that corporations, such as Six Flags offer them to opportunity do so. For the youth it is an act of responsibility, for Six flags, it is an act of civil responsibility by being offering corporate leadership to society, thereby enriching us all. So it came as a distinct surprise when I was told that my daughter would not be hired because of her locks and because she refused to exercise the option of seeking religious accommodation. Several issues emerge here, the main kind of defense is that Six Flags claims, it does not discriminate because you can get the job if you have a religious exemption. Nice but my position, grounded in constitutional and International Human rights, that Six Flags is a Signatory to, is that this policy is a violation of the basic human rights to choice, that is nit a health and safety violation. That the real reason for the discrimination is strictly economic, a marketing posture that is driven by the perception that people with locks are not good for business. Six Flags has every right to do that, but it violates this right by talk about religious accommodation a mere fig leaf to deter people that they deem unattractive form equal opportunity. Here are a few exapmles of corporations that hire people with locs. It would also be nice if the millions of patrons, many with locks themselves were aware of this apartheid policy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)