It's Time to Boycott Arizona

[Kobi]

Corkey,

I hope you know how much I respect you even tho we don't always agree on issues.

This is really bugging me because we all seem to be operating on the idea that the problem is because of everyone else. It is not US, it is THEM.... however you see us and them.

The us and the them is a nasty way of looking at unpleasant issues. Because sometimes, WE are THEM or US and it "aint" pretty.

Example......have you seen the movie "Flag Wars"? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0359281/ It is a fascinating wake up call when groups that are oppressed actually become the oppressors.

In this documentary, a Black neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio was invaded by white, gay and lesbian people. The butch real estate agent did her best to force the city to enforce building codes. In doing so, she singlehandedly, threw people out of their family homes because they lacked the resources to bring the properties up to code and, because they were poor and Black, they couldn't get loans to cover the costs. Hence, here is a neighborhood of cheap homes ripe for the picking by white persons of queerness who acted like vultures in snatching up as many underpriced properties as they could.

It sickened me to watch my brothers and sisters act like unfeeling robots focused only on the attainment of property without any regard as to how they came by it or what deviousness was used for them to have this opportunity.

But, were the queers out there saying hey, this isnt right? This isnt ethical? Did our queer buds give a crap about the people they displaced? Did we queerfolk care that we were taking advantage of people who had no means to defend themselves or their homes? Were we out there marching and protesting and calling for boycotts? Nope.

This is US doing to THEM, just as WE have been done against. This was, quite simply, the most disgusting display of white priviledge, white audacity, queer audacity, and simple inhumanity.

My point is before we start pointing fingers, assigning blame, and acting all righteous and stuff....we need to take an inventory of ourselves. It is really easy to be liberal and loving and concerned for equality in a vacuum like this. It is quite another to live it out there in the real world where we are faced with difficult, complex, sometimes disgusting choices.

Life is just not that simple. Answers are just not that simple.

[Corkey]

Originally Posted by Kobi

Corkey,

I hope you know how much I respect you even tho we don't always agree on issues.

This is really bugging me because we all seem to be operating on the idea that the problem is because of everyone else. It is not US, it is THEM.... however you see us and them.

The us and the them is a nasty way of looking at unpleasant issues. Because sometimes, WE are THEM or US and it "aint" pretty.

Example......have you seen the movie "Flag Wars"? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0359281/ It is a fascinating wake up call when groups that are oppressed actually become the oppressors.

In this documentary, a Black neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio was invaded by white, gay and lesbian people. The butch real estate agent did her best to force the city to enforce building codes. In doing so, she singlehandedly, threw people out of their family homes because they lacked the resources to bring the properties up to code and, because they were poor and Black, they couldn't get loans to cover the costs. Hence, here is a neighborhood of cheap homes ripe for the picking by white persons of queerness who acted like vultures in snatching up as many underpriced properties as they could.

It sickened me to watch my brothers and sisters act like unfeeling robots focused only on the attainment of property without any regard as to how they came by it or what deviousness was used for them to have this opportunity.

But, were the queers out there saying hey, this isnt right? This isnt ethical? Did our queer buds give a crap about the people they displaced? Did we queerfolk care that we were taking advantage of people who had no means to defend themselves or their homes? Were we out there marching and protesting and calling for boycotts? Nope.

This is US doing to THEM, just as WE have been done against. This was, quite simply, the most disgusting display of white priviledge, white audacity, queer audacity, and simple inhumanity.

My point is before we start pointing fingers, assigning blame, and acting all righteous and stuff....we need to take an inventory of ourselves. It is really easy to be liberal and loving and concerned for equality in a vacuum like this. It is quite another to live it out there in the real world where we are faced with difficult, complex, sometimes disgusting choices.

Life is just not that simple. Answers are just not that simple.

I'm sorry Kobi that you feel the need to assume my post is about us v them. It is us v us. We all have a responsibility to live an authentic life, to do the right thing by ourselves and others. White people don't get to tell other races that they don't belong here. White people don't get to use others and then throw them away because they aren't documented, they don't get to harass or otherwise discriminate against other people because of their skin color. They sure as hell don't get to lock other races up for profit.
These are the facts of the matter. If you choose to ignore it, by all means do so, but I'll thank you not to assume that I will do the same. It is simple discrimination in any form is vile. I shall not participate in it. I therefore boycott Arizona, and any company doing business in Arizona.