Writings On The Wall

Writings On The Wall

Adult nonfiction
"But here we are three years later, and gun violence in black
communities is unrelenting. African Americans are eight times as
likely to be murdered as whites. For whites, the murder rate is 1 per
40,000; for blacks, the murder rate is 1 per 5,000. To put that in an
international perspective, the murder rate for blacks in America is
about 12 times as high as among all people in other developed
countries. Worse, gun violence is the leading cause of death for
black children and teens.
It's a heavy burden to raise children who know that the color
of their skin makes them walking targets."
Othering, no matter what form it takes, victimizes those
considered other and legitimizes their victimization. Its
pervasiveness and social acceptance can create a taboo around exposing
it. In writings On The Wall, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld
expose othering for what it is and does across a number of dimensions:
*the racism that puts the target on the backs of children and exploits
black culture;
*the religious intolerance that is exploited by politicians to
demonize Jews and Muslims;
*the sexism that limits women's opportunities and subjects us to rape
and other violence;
And other despicable other forms of othering. I really appreciate his
inclusion of classism. A lot of people, sadly including many in
gubmint, try to deny that it exists. People are poor because they're
lazy and unmotivated; they must be weaned from overly generous
government entitlements. (In what universe is this happening?)
Each chapter is a cogent discussion of one form of evil. It
concludes with useful suggestions on ways people can fight back.
Writings On The Wall is a very good read for people who see
through dominant group deceptions and yearn for an America that truly
has liberty and justice for all.
On a personal note, all week I've been hearing what a great job I did
in the drag show. I have to admit that's music to my ears. The
clothes swap went really well. There was a lot of excitement around
everyone's finds. The collection of squares for the blanket is
growing. There was a crafting night at women's resource center. At
Wilson Center we had a fine supper and a discussion on spirituality.
Today I'm staying home with Joey (who is draped across my shoulder
purring into my ear as I wrote this) to make boiled dinner for
Eugene. That takes five hours. My friend Kat plans to come over for
lunch. Joey adores her.
A great big shout out goes out to my drag, WRC, and Wilson Center
Families.
jules hathaway



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