In April, I wrote a post called “11 things on my mind about the anti-police-violence and anti-racism protests“. For reasons unknown to me, it’s one of the most widely-read posts I’ve written in a long time. So here’s an updated list. 1. When governments respond to protests with violence and
Continue readingTag: bigotry
wmtc: rotd: "systemic racism" is redundant
Revolutionary thought of the day: “Institutional racism” and “structural racism” and “systemic racism” are redundant. Racism itself is institutional, structural, and systemic. Ibram X. Kendi, How to be Antiracist
Continue readingwmtc: john lewis and c.t. vivian, rest in power
What a sad and moving coincidence, that two great freedom fighters died on the same day. I chose these photos as a reminder that doing the right thing may involve breaking the law. Canadians, who over-value a superficially peaceful society, frequently need reminding. As a remembrance of these two men,
Continue readingwmtc: essential reading on anti-racism: "we can’t tinker around the edges. we need to dismantle systems."
During the current focus on systemic racism, this is likely the best essay I’ve read. It’s written in a US context, but it applies to Canada, both for Indigenous people and black Canadians. I hope you’ll read it and share it. * * * * * What the Courage to
Continue readingwmtc: 11 things on my mind about the anti-police-violence and anti-racism protests
1. Most violence is not being committed by protesters. What percentage of protesters are violent? Filter for police provocateurs, filter for white nationalists, filter for random thieves hiding under cover of mayhem. All of those exist at mass protests and have been proven to exist countless times. What percentage of
Continue readingwmtc: kareem abdul-jabbar: you start to wonder if it should be all black people who wear body cams, not the cops
One of the best things I’ve read about the protests rocking in the US and elsewhere is an op-ed by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, in the Los Angeles Times. In case you don’t know him, Abdul-Jabbar is a basketball legend. His NBA stats are off the charts (Wikipedia). He’s also a writer and
Continue readingwmtc: police resisters: not the solution to systemic racism, but an extremely positive development
I was shocked when Detective Dmaine Freeland, an active duty officer on the NYPD force, publicly condemned the Minneapolis officer who killed George Floyd and the other cops who witnessed the murder and did nothing to stop it. To say this is unusual is a massive understatement. It’s absolutely unheard
Continue readingwmtc: george floyd, christian cooper, and when will this end?
The murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers may be the most shocking disturbing of any I’ve been aware of for a very long time, possibly since the murder of Amadou Diallo, way back in 1999. Police murders of unarmed, and often completely subdued, African Americans have lost all power
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: political graphic nonfiction: emma goldman, muhammad ali, eugene v. debs
I have been collecting graphic nonfiction with leftist political themes. I just love these books and am indulging myself in buying them. I was planning to review them, but I’ve decided to simply post images of the covers, the names of the books and the creators, and a quote from
Continue readingMontreal Simon: The Coronavirus and Canada’s Bigot Epidemic
The images are apocalyptic, and the torrent of hysterical news stories are enough to make anyone reach for a face mask, or a hazmat suit.But so far at least the coronavirus cannot even be compared to the far deadlier influenza virus.And in Canada, with only a few mild cases, this is the biggest threat.Read
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Gary Younge writes about the need to respond to a bleak reality with the dedication to imagine and create something better. And Vickie Cammack and Donna Thomson highlight how the response to a climate breakdown includes mobilizing our capacity to care for
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – The Canadian Press reports on the Libs’ desire to approve massive tar sands expansions no matter how the resulting production – to say nothing of the consumption left uncounted – would affect Canada’s role in exacerbating a climate breakdown. And Janyce McGregor
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: ali: a life by jonathan eig
Ali: A Life is an extraordinary book about an extraordinary person. It’s an epic page-turner at more than 500 pages. This is simply a fascinating book about an utterly fascinating person. If Muhammad Ali hadn’t existed, you couldn’t make him up. No fiction character on this scale would be believable.
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: ali: a life by jonathan eig
Ali: A Life is an extraordinary book about an extraordinary person. It’s an epic page-turner at more than 500 pages. This is simply a fascinating book about an utterly fascinating person. If Muhammad Ali hadn’t existed, you couldn’t make him up. No fiction character on this scale would be believable. It
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Sarah Schulman discusses the importance of sleep as a determinant of health, arguing that a safe bed is the first step toward addressing all kinds of social ills. – Laura Lynch interviews Adria Vasil about the massive amount of avoidable waste generated
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Supporting Sex Based Rights is Not Bigotry
What are the arguments against supporting female sex-based rights that do not involve insults, shaming, and hyperbolic claims? How are any of these points unreasonable? I think that most would agree with all of the below, yet expressing this opinion (one rooted in biological fact and material reality) in public
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Chris Hedges writes about the damage oligarchs are doing to humanity and the planet. And Dominic Rushe points out how whiny the people who have rigged the economy toward their own concentration of obscene wealth become when they face the slightest hint
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Paul Krugman writes that complaints by the U.S.’ wealthiest few about Elizabeth Warren reflect their insistence that extreme wealth be coupled with absolute and unquestioned power: The point is that many of the superrich aren’t satisfied with living like kings, which they will
Continue readingwmtc: orange shirt day: because reconciliation matters
Get the story at OrangeShirtDay.org.
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