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February 22, 2017

Comments

Thank you for this, and for keeping the "line" going.

Lorianne, your shared post from the academic writer was what got me thinking about what to write here. Thank you for that, too.

I'm raging along on a novel... And sticking to local volunteer activities.

I'm absolutely in line with you politically, Beth, - a radical leftie, however, I am starting to feel uncomfortable with the PERSONAL abuse directed towards Trump by the powers that be. I was watching a BBC respected news show and the presenter asked a question prefaced by something like: Given that the president has the attention span of a gnat, what do we think.... He's laughed at and derided the whole time. He's this; he's that; he's a moron; he's an idiot; his face! his hair!. I'm concerned that this is fuelling the rise of bullying.

Am I being ridiculous / over-empathetic?

It was your reference to high school cliques that made me think of this.

Anna, Nicholas Kristof wrote a column about this recently. You might find it interesting if you haven't read it yet. My feeling is that extreme polarization is such a big part of the problem, that it certainly won't help things to demonize everyone who voted for him when they already feel talked-down-to. On the other hand, the right derided Obama and Democrats for eight years, so what can they expect? I don't know what the solution is; I only know what behavior feels right for myself. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/23/opinion/even-if-trump-is-the-enemy-his-voters-arent.html?src=me

Thanks Beth, read it. CPAC17 - The nationalism is terrifying. BBC - banned from press conferences? Frightening. Yes, we each have to work out our own behaviour / reactions / responses.

Good words of wisdom. And I love your drawings!

Unless a person is happy with the current US regime, we all just got a second job. I agree that we need to continue doing our work, not only to represent the cultural presence, but also for our equilibrium.

And we also need to protest, as best we can. to challenge violation of laws and to protest unethical behaviour.

Managing that dual role is harder than many of us anticipated- personal sacrifice, bumpy relationships, speaking out more than we have grown accustomed to. Some days I can do it and other days I burrow in.

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Who was Cassandra?


  • In the Iliad, she is described as the loveliest of the daughters of Priam (King of Troy), and gifted with prophecy. The god Apollo loved her, but she spurned him. As a punishment, he decreed that no one would ever believe her. So when she told her fellow Trojans that the Greeks were hiding inside the wooden horse...well, you know what happened.

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