theme song: i see america

[mellowtigger]

The dreaded day has arrived. If ever there was a birthday worth drinking heavily, my birthday today would be the one.

Instead, though, I have a thought that will persist regardless of this vote's outcome. There are great issues that remain, regardless of the team banner gracing the Oval Office. One of these issues is presented nicely in today's theme song from a talented queer folk musician, Joy Oladokun.

Watch on YouTube

This review explains the song much better than I can.

On Friday, Oladokun released a new single called “I See America” that deftly examines the long-lasting harm that systemic racism does to Black communities, as well as the subtle and sinister cultural norms that hold it up. In the opening verse, she describes a young Black man she sees on the street, acknowledging his fundamental worth as a human being in ways that others don’t seem to have done. In the closing verse, she examines ways that racist attitudes are able to spread quietly when they go unchecked in the name of keeping peace in the family.

The song acknowledges two huge social and cultural issues that cause extraordinary and long-lasting suffering in our country. It's also a quietly powerful call for change, as Oladokun sings: "Violence and rumors in a Southern town / Will start with a whisper / But so does the difference."
- https://www.nashvillescene.com/music/nashville-cream/article/21144121/joy-oladokun-issues-a-firm-gentle-call-to-action-in-i-see-america

Such a remarkably peaceful sound for such a difficult time.

Comments

[13cbenzene]

Hi Terry! Short mail to wish you a happy birthday. Think of you! Christophe

[mellowtigger]

I'm sorry the mood in your country is about the same as here, which is not very celebratory. But I appreciate the sentiment. :)

[13cbenzene]

We have indeed started a second lockdown, but "milder" than the previous one (I can work for instance). This is supposed to enable hospitals to absorb the number of Covid patients flooding the emergency services... We keep an eye on the curves!! This birthday reminded me the (only) one I celebrated with you, Clinton being elected... I hope you're doing well and that the pandemic will spare you. I send you all my love from the other side of the Atlantic. ('cuz I still love you...). All the best! Yours, always. - Christophe

[mellowtigger]

I received the notice yesterday that someone in my building at work has covid-19. Not someone on my floor, but it still makes me wonder if I touched a handrail on the stairs or shared the same air space after they passed through. I'm more concerned about that exposure in the building than attending the political protest recently with 1,000 strangers. Early data showed that liberals were protesting safely (with masks and social distance everywhere I joined), so they were not contributing to the spread, unlike conservative rallies. I'm still a week from knowing if I will develop any symptoms from these 2 potential exposures.

That word is a long discussion in itself, and certainly a discussion worth having. I've never spoken the word because I can't even explain all of the things it means within my mind or is supposed to mean to everyone in general. I have thought of you many times over the years, though. I even looked up a paper or two of yours to (try to) read them. You work very far beyond my level of chemistry knowledge, though. That's very cool. I'm glad to know that you're "out there" doing that kind of research.

The signature that I used online for many years (back in the late 1980s or early 1990s) included three rules of life:
1) Loving always feels good.
2) Being loved always feels weird.
3) Wanting to be loved always hurts.

That's about as much sense as I've ever been able to make of it in my lifetime. Stay safe. Keep researching. Keep writing. Spreading knowledge is something that the world needs a lot more people to do these days.