LINES OF THE DAY

". . . But the past does not exist independently from the present. Indeed, the past is only past because there is a present, just as I can point to something over there only because I am here. But nothing is inherently over there or here. In that sense, the past has no content. The past -- or more accurately, pastness -- is a position. Thus, in no way can we identify the past as past." p. 15

". . . But we may want to keep in mind that deeds and words are not as distinguishable as often we presume. History does not belong only to its narrators, professional or amateur. While some of us debate what history is or was, others take it into their own hands." p. 153

Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History (1995) by Michel-Rolph Trouillot

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Personal Life Is All Good

I have been posting and will continue to post about the Occupy Wall Street movement here in NYC, and the ugly, stupid, counter-offensive launched by the primary media, not least public radio's NPR, and right here at home WNYC -- by first ignoring it is happening, and then when they kept it up, sneering at the people protesting that the Banksters are eating their present and future, and third lining up to tell us that they asked for illegal treatment by the cops.

But at home things are good. This doesn't mean that our friends aren't out there doing what they can to support the protesters -- this didn't happen in a void or out of nowhere.  In a way that the primary media is ignoring it's well-organized, planned, and had a lot of fore-thought for a long time going into it.

But still, I'm one of the privileged ones for whom things are going relatively well, at least for us.  I am feeling productive on at least three fronts at the same time -- and I cannot express how much what these protestors are doing for my own frame of mind.  Can you be more privileged, can you make any of this more about ME than that?

But it's still NYC in the fall and all kinds of events and actions are going on, and in one way and another we're part of that. There is nowhere like NYC in the fall to be energized with hope and action and productivity!

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