White Privilege and Me

Safe Anyplace

In discussion in counseling,  I was complaining about work and folks who tend to have an attitude towards me.
I get it but I am just burnt out being exposed to it for 25 years. I too want respect and I tend to want folks to LIKE me. I tend to react to situations that I can not "win" with a passive-aggressive remark. I am good at it since I too tend to be hyper-vigilant about being embarrassed and humiliated.

North Philly

to be touchy and at times show an appalling lack of respect to me. I being sensitive and touchy myself tend to react and I get myself stressed out looking like the problem. Yes, I know that if I used my tools from AA I would step back and think BEFORE reacting to them. During the session, the topic of "white privilege" came up. I acknowledged that I am aware of the social phenomenon of white privilege. I gave him an example. The Tea Party can have a large gathering of gun-toting white folk in Washington caring guns. They can call themselves "patriots"  and the media and public on the most part do not find them a yeh, the Million Man March!) and they had guns?? NOW that would be a threat and the media and public would think they are criminals. Can you see why blacks carry around this resentment and hyper-vigilance about NOT being "disrespected".

Eeek!! A bunch a white freaks. Oh Just Penn Students!

threat. Now, what if a large group of black men and women came to Washington (Oh yeh, the Milion Man March!) and they were carrying guns, NOW that would be threatening!! This goup would not be called red-blooded Americans and patriots! Come on, you KNOW this is true. I think this commentary by Tim Wise concerning the Tea Party and white privilege sums it up:

"And this, my friends, is what white privilege is all about. The ability to threaten others, to engage in violent and incendiary rhetoric without consequence, to be viewed as patriotic and normal no matter what you do, and never to be feared and despised as people of color would be, if they tried to get away with half the shit we do, on a daily basis."

 How about when as a kid you were busted with beer in the car, would you lose your chance for college getting caught as a white guy in Lower Merion?? How bout Overbrook??
Face it whites and African-Americans live in 2 America's as was articulated Report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders or Kerner Report  as released on February 29th 1968. It came up with the basic finding that

"Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal."

This report with amazing prescience saw what was happening and what caused the present state of race relations in the United States. We continue to live with many of the socio-economic problems in 2013.
Of course, there is the blow back from those who dismiss that past and present racism and discrimination is the cause of the economic condition of African-Americans. The basis of most of their objections is to focus on the "black family". In 1965 The Negro Family: The Case For National Action (the 1965 Moynihan Report)
This report gave those (mostly Conservative Republicans) the intellectual  heft to argue their Daniel Patrick Moynihan. This is the basis of "Welfare Reform" that was passed in 1996 and signed by DEMOCRATIC President Bill Clinton. This law made folks think that the "welfare problem" was solved. Well, after 25 years, it just ain't so. (That is another blog report for another Friday morning.) Here is a citation from Wikipedia

contention that it is the fault of the black family or lack thereof for the bad behavior and economic misery that many African-Americans live today. This is because this report was written by an intellectual Democrat

Moynihan argued that the rise in single-mother families was not due to a lack of jobs but rather to a destructive vein in ghetto culture that could be traced back to slavery and Jim Crow discrimination. Though black sociologist E. Franklin Frazier had already introduced the idea in the 1930s, Moynihan’s argument defied conventional social-science wisdom. As he wrote later, “The work began in the most orthodox setting, the U.S. Department of Labor, to establish at some level of statistical conciseness what ‘everyone knew’: that economic conditions determine social conditions. Whereupon, it turned out that what everyone knew was evidently not so.”

This was controversial back in 1965 and still resonates today June 28th 2013. Here is a random blog page I dug up this morning. Here is another web page I found that sums up some white attitudes about "ghetto culture". This gives white racism and white privilege room to play and excuse us for dismissing African-Americans as somehow innately inferior. Y'all know what I am sayin YO!
I have wanted to write out my thoughts and I thank you for your indulgence!!

My Office Where I do  My Thinking.....???

I sometimes feel like I am just tied up in a large mental know or pretzel but who said life was easy even for this spaztic white male?? Oh right folks have....

Yes, the LATEST Meme. Yup! White Prividlege??

Gee, time to go to work at the Welfare Office!!!

Stormy Day

Yesterday day was a interesting day we had  on again off again thunderstorms as has been the case this entire week!

This week was also the week the Supreme Court decided against the

defense of Marrage Act and Proprotition  8 which was the proper position. On the negitive side, the Court decided that section 4 of the Voting Rights Act was unconstitutional!! Now states like Texas can immediately implement restrictive photo ID laws  without the feds stopping them.

     LOVE THIS JUICE!!!

Meanwhile, Back in my world work is work and I've been really tired this week.

I'm really low on the money and has to go to TD Bank to try to remove a fee. RAW TOOK ALMOST 2 WEEKS TO CASH A $30 CHECK!!

I will go there after the meeting this morning.

This Early Week

That's right near the Sayre Middle School which is at 58th and Walnut streets heading to work.

It's now Wednesday morning quarter of nine I am walking from 60th St. back to 58th Street to work. i have zero money in the bank account but I got food at home and friends anyhow hopefully I willnot get  lectured to today and go to a meeting at 5:30. It's One day closer to Friday when I get paid!!😍

The information given can not be taken. Well, the past 2 days
Work has been busy for sure

THIS is Cute

have seen some pretty Summer-like weather. We get heat and 2 thunderstorms that sweep in and out harder and faster  !Monday at work a

whole bunch of people coming in. it was a hot ghetto mess!!

The worse part of the morning was getting lectured by coworker about getting a list, That was not fun being talked down to!

Mother Nature gave me peace. We had a beautiful sky that night and i took some nice photos. went to a couple meetings. 

I need to get to bed earlier since I am very tired. 

This is Pat practicing the recording that we are making. He Is plating " Mad World, which has renewed popularity, 

Waiting for 21

SMASHING!

IThis phone charger was dropped way too much. I wanted to smash it for fun and as a metaphor of my frustration I get to feel everyday. Letting go and working though it is one of the benefits I now enjoy. 

I hope you enjoy the catharsis of being me. I do!!!

I have a video which I REALLY get my FRUSTRATION and fun going. I hope you will go THERE!  You know I do at times!

BOUNDARIES!  BOUNDARIES!

Waiting,,,,,,,,,waiting.........

A Trip to New York: B-52's and the Go Go's at the Roseland Ballroom

Well, June 19th came and  we were ready to have some fun!!!

Rush Hour Midtown

Pat saw that the Go Go's were playing in New York back about 3 months ago and we decided that we would go and just have some fun in NYC. It was a splendid time. We decided right away to take 2 days off work so that we could be flexible with our plans. We decided instead of blowing gobs of cash on a place to sleep, we would just stay up and play in Manhattan instead. I made reservations for Megabus about a

Never a Dull Moment Here!!

week ago and got the cheapest rate EVER!! The TOTAL round trip price for BOTH of us was $24.00!! That is 12 bucks round trip for each of us.
We Began yesterday by having a large pasta dish with with spinach, sun dried tomato pesto, feta cheese olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes and a spot of pasta sauce. The pasta was Rotinni and it was delectable and filling. Just before we left, I got a samosa and papaya juice from the Indian Store called Dana Mandi so as to finish our eating. We walked from 42nd Street to 30th and JFK Blvd to catch the Megabus.

Waiting in Line

before we go to the Roseland theater Pat and I walked

Chillin at Matt's Grill after the Concert!

through Manhattan toward 52nd St. It was the height of the rush hour when we arrived at 5:15 pm and it is quite intense with a lot of commuters. We saw the teeming masses that make up Midtown and of course saw some "interesting" sights that I could only see in New York.

had time for a bite to eat since the Roseland Ballroom opens at 7 pm. We took our time looking for a spot that was not expensive and was casual. We found it at a place called Matt's Grill. It was a down to earth place and they did not care that we just split

B-52's

some fries. The bartender noticed that we both had accents and was a cool fellow I had some Coke and Pat had 2 beers. We decided that we would return after the concert to chill and kill time until we catch the 5:30 am bus.

My favorite photo of the Go Go's

Rockin New York!

5:30 PM walking towards the Roseland theater and then again maybe a little snack or maybe something drink and chill beautiful day in New York
ITS A COOL NIGHT!!

Fun at the Roseland Ballroom!

Well, we waited in the line that stretched around the block but the line went pretty quickly. It's a general admission venue and well we went down to the very left of the stage and got pretty

The Go Go's

close. It made it possible to create videos. The Go Go's started the evening. They looked good and really had a nice heavy beat. They played the hits and a few solo songs. Word on the street says that Kathy Valentine, the bassist was "fired" and she plans to sue the band. Well, it did not seem to matter, since the band was feeling good and sounded good as well. I could not tape everything since my battery kept needing a recharge and videos take a MASSIVE amount of space on my iPhone. I spent all of intermission recharging my phone and downloading songs to YouTube so I could delete them to make space.

The B-52's did ROCK. They played "Planet Clare", "Rock Lobster", "Love Shack" and "LAVA"!! Both of us were loving it! They rocked on till about 11pm. Man oh man that was a good time they both played their guts out!!!

4:30 Breakfast!

Afterwards we went back to Matt's Grill that was nearby and

Bartyender at Matt's Grill :)

we met some really fun cool people really smart too. The bartender was pretty groove we hung out there till about 3:30am
We then had English muffins and a coffee at the Skylight Diner. The service was quick. Next we walked to W. 34th St. across street from the Jacob Javits Center waiting for the 5:30 AM Megabus back to Philly.

It's almost 6 AM we are on New Jersey turnpike heading back to Philadelphia. Made it home and proceeded to eat

Waiting for the 5:30 am bus today

ous Cous and then crash for several hours. It was good not to go to work today. It was a good day to chill as they say. Glad I went and met some nice folks and saw 2 bands I never seen before. Its now 8pm Thursday June 20th. I am pretty tired but mellow. I return to work and its Friday. Got to live on the cheap for the next week till I get paid. This week was cut up pretty good I must say. I hope I can live out my wishes and dreams (well more my wishes....)

Fathers Day 2012

Botney 500 Building at Broad and Lehigh. Cool!!!

Sunday, June 16 was  Father's Day. I woke up in Overbrook where I

Fun!!

was babysitting and walking a dog and feeding the cat. Their names are Tuffy the cat and Emily the puppy  I planned to go to meeting in Fishtown to meet a friend. I left Overbrook

Highwire: Now in Fishtown

and took the Paoli train to North Broad. From Broad and Lehigh, I caught the 54.

I went to my friend's house BUT she was not there so I went to the meeting myself right now. I caught the 25 to Frankford Ave at 9:40am

Nope was running late to a meeting on Frankford Avenue I

Riding the Rails!!

was to meet my friend but she was in the hospital with her ankle. I left my card at her door and she sent an angry email since she DID tell me she is NOT allowed visitors. There goes

Broad and Leigh

This meeting ended and I'm in Fishtown. it is NOT closer but its a faster ride than going to 3rd and South  I got to do is hop on the EL Berks Street and I'm freaking home which is about a 10 minute walk tops.

Good Company to Play With

Its interesting but I do not plan to move to Fishtown but then again if you asked me in 1992 or 2002 if I was going to move to South Jersey I would say "No Way!" So life's lesson is to "NEVER SAY NEVER!!" 
Well, good day

Overbrook Farms Day

Anna and Samantha

Mike

Saturday and it was a nice pretty Spring Day. I went to my men's meeting and afterwards took cool pics of Curtis Hall and  

Drexel's Curtis Hass

cool building, I took a bunch of photos of the details of the building. I was in awe of the artistic bearing this building had. it was time to take the G bus towards a get together in Overbrook  Farms I'm met up with my brother and my friend who lives there for a get together. Later on, I walked block and a half down Sherwood St to walk his neighbors dog and joined in the chow fest that was our snacks and the dinner of Chicken Curry was fabulous. I even got to take some leftovers.

 

  Wes was stuck in  traffic just getting to Pa border, so the traffic kept Mike and Wes delayed. another half hour so at least I'm not to be a latest even with SEPTA.

I am right now at that our Lady of Lourdes Church which is located at   Lancaster Ave. and 63rd and I go there in one piece

The whole day was very fun did a lot of talking with Mike and Wes and the girls were a blast as well

Overbrook.

Wes.  We all played with my Niece Anna and Wes's Daughter Samantha. is a good time staying up till like three talking to Wes and Michael and walk to dog early in the morning play with the cat.

I just paid for the trip to New York Pat and I are going on Wednesday to see  B- 52's and the Go Go's!

After Work Friday

This was an Acme Supermarket once

Overbrook. Near the Train Station

It was not a bad day at all.I got some stuff done and I missed the rain.I am glad the rain stopped as you can see the big gray clouds are still there. I'm ready to catch the EL to 15 go to 17th and Locust and then eventually walk a dog in Overbrook Farms.

Mailing a Check

I am, babysitting a. Dog this weekend, I will be staying overnight at this woman's house. 

Going to go to a picnic to Perkomen State Park Saturday.

Weds I go to NYC to see the B-52's and the GO GO's. Pat and I plan to

Cute!

stay overnight. Should be fun!

Stormy Thursday in June

56th Street

11am June 13 at 58th and Market

I decided to document this impending huge thunderstorm coming June 13 2013. There ended up being 2 downpours and I managed to miss them BOTH. Its Friday now and I will need to pay a lot of folks and babysit a dog starting tonight thru Monday. Well, enjoy this light and fun reading. You will need it after reading THIS!!!

 Severe Thunderstorm watch from 7:30 am today  to June 13 at 11: 00AM 

The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for Philadelphia County.

Tune to your local weather station for additional information, or visit 
http://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid=DIX&product=N0R&overlay=11101111&loop=yes
http://alert.selfip.net

As of 9 am The storm has already reached Baltimore Maryland and the clouds are gathering I'm now is 56 street EL stop.

Well it's lunch time and it's time to talk for some!!

Market Street Near 19th

Now it's  time for me to leave and get my Arizona Tea w the last buck I got till tomorrow.

Its 1;51 pm Thursday, June 13 and the rain has stopped but the humidity has settled in and the sun is out 

The rain stopped in about 2 PM when this video was taken it was just hot and sticky and sunny but we expect thunderstorms later tonight they will be documented as well

It's around 5:15pm June 13th. I am heading downtown near 52nd Station.It  looks like

2nd Downpour 15th and Walnut

we're going have a  thunderstorm very soon!!

I am meeting a friend at Starbucks at 5:40 this evening and I have an appointment then maybe ANOTHER appointment at 9:30 w the Dr.

 I am waiting for the 32 bus after my med check. Luckily,  it's just a tiny misty rain. I'm really lucky so far it's 10 o'clock bus I'm waiting for. There's a really nice cool breeze out side right now I'm going to go home and eat. Then I will chill at Pats or just blog I suppose.
It was an ok day in the neighborhood!