prejudice

Santa Barbara 1969 Chilpancingo 2010

I went to UCSB from 1973 to 1979. Then I knew that something big had happened, the beaches were oily and the Environmental Studies Department was progressive. To me, coming from Mexico, it didn't seem like a big deal. In 1968 the government had massacred 500 + innocent people to proceed with the Olympic Games, that was a big deal. I never got fired up by the ecologists. I went to Garrett Harding lectures, and some other more "progressive" professor debated him. I forgot the name of this opponent. To my mind Harding was a conservative (in my view bad) thinker, more concerned with the welfare of rich elites, than with the suffering of the masses.

More than 40 years later things look different.

If I had only understood "The Tragedy of the Commons," Science, 162 (1243-1248), 1968, then ; now I would be better able to understand the catastrophe coming our way.

Labels, like progressive or reactionary, don't mean squat under the present condition. What we need is clear thinking men and women like Harding and the Ehlrichs, honest towards the truth. I also think that James Lovelock and James Hansen have done their share warning us.

Now it is up to us.

I live in Chilpancingo, in the State of Guerrero in Mexico now. The ecological disaster around here is like a BP catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, but caused by everybody, all the time.

Now I understand what those thinkers were telling me when I was in my twenties. I did not paid enough attention.

Now I see, I do not know if we can do something.

Those tar stains in my feet I got walking barefoot in the beaches at the UCSB campus, were the canary in the mine, I did not get it.

Progression

“The natural progression
Is the coming of your age
But they cover it with shame
And turn it into rage”

To the generation that came of age in the 1950’s, the term ‘progressive’ meant ‘socialism’. That’s because the socialist party in the 40’s and 50’s called itself the ‘progressive party’. I did not know that, which probably says something about my knowledge of history. To the generation that came of age in the 1970’s and 80’s (my generation) ..the term ‘progressive’ meant just what the dictionary says: a keen interest in new developments and fresh ideas ..with all the positive connotations I thought that implied. Since advances in science and technology were progressing at lightening speed, I thought being progressive was a healthy mental outlook. In college, I chose a field of study that allowed me to take courses in psychology, neuroscience and information science. I thought that showed signs of being forward-thinking and progressive. It wasn’t until later, when I joined a political discussion group, that I learned it was also what made me a ‘liberal’, and sometimes even a ‘socialist’, to the people of my father’s generation. I have no such political convictions. I like to consider myself an independent thinker who doesn’t lend himself to labels of a bygone era.

Numbers

Today is 09/09/09


it's just another day


not an "evil" day

EYE COLOUR - A FAMILY STORY

Isn't that a creepy picture? Gives me the willies every time I look at it.

I was reading through my personal blog, sometimes - 2, reading random old posts, when I came across this one. It made me laugh, so I thought to share it with you who haven't read it before.

Just a very short explanation about the people mentioned. Mani was my first husband and Sandeep was our son. Both were killed in the antiSikh Pogrom in Delhi in November, 1984. Simon is my second husband.

Here is the post:

Eyes come in all sorts of colours from the lightest blue to the blackest black. Most eyes are some shade of blue or some shade of brown. Not all, though. Elizabeth Taylor is famous for her violet eyes.

My eyes are strange. I have no idea what colour to call them because they are a combination of blue, green, grey, gold, amber and brown. If they were just green and brown, they would be hazel, but they have far too much blue for that. Near the iris is a mosaic of brown, gold and amber flecks. Farther out, green melts into blue which then becomes grey at the whites of the eyes. Actually, they look rather like relief maps. For practicality, when I need to list eye colour on a form, I always wear green, since that makes them look green and makes things easier for me.

But this post is not about my eyes; it's about Mani's. We all know Indians - either variety actually, but I'm talking about the ones from India - have brown eyes in varieties from light brown to very dark brown.. Except, of course, Aishwarya Rai, who is famous for her green eyes.

Mani had clear steel grey eyes, as did his mother, as did our son Mandeep. His mother was from Kashmir, and this is not all that rare in Kashmiris, although it is not the norm.

Our story takes place when Mani was to get his first driver's license. He had passed the written test - 100%, I'm sure, after all, he was Mani - and he had passed the driving test - no one scores 100% on that, but I wouldn't bet against him. He had filled out all his papers and was waiting while the DMV bureaucratic lady checked them over. Of course, he was very happy and excited.

All was well until she said, 'Mr. Singh, your eyes are brown.'

He answered, politely, 'No, ma'am, my eyes are grey.'

She repeated, 'Mr. Singh, your eyes are brown.'

He repeated, 'No, ma'am, my eyes are grey. I really do have grey eyes.'

'Don't lie to me, young man, if you want to get your driver's license. Singhs have brown eyes.'

'This Singh has grey eyes. I'm right here. Why don't you just look?'

'Young man, I can tell when someone is toying with me. Please, just change the colour here on the form.'

'Ma'am, please just look at my eyes.' By this time he was annoyed, but he really wanted to get his license.

'I don't need to look at your eyes! Now quit arguing and I'll change the form for you.'

'NO!!!!!! I DO HAVE GREY EYES!!!!'

And every eye in the place was on him.

The startled clerk looked up and saw those big, GREY eyes, opened wide and staring at her.

In a very small, but startled voice, 'My God! You DO have grey eyes!'

Of course, he got the licence , clearly stating he was Singh and he had grey eyes.

I suppose in these days of self-conscious diversity and political correctness, this could not happen. Too bad. We'd be missing a great family story, which was always fun to dramatise! Of course, Mani always played the clerk and it was best when a giggling Sandeep played Mani, although my Dad did a good job, too.

This last picture I put in for three reasons.

It shows that what 'everybody knows' can be dead wrong

I like the picture and it DOES concern eyes

The young lady is a Kikuyu, the same as Simon's father.

--
WHY TRY TO FIT IN WHEN YOU WERE BORN TO STAND OUT?