Somebody out there needs to invite me to a Halloween party. To be specific, a Halloween party where I have a better than even chance of chatting up a costumed woman in fishnet stockings. I’m not picky; it could be a devil in fishnets, Little Red Riding Hood in fishnets, a fairy princess in fishnets. You get the idea. Now, make it so. If someone comes through on this, I’ll totally shave my head to lend an air of authenticity to my Professor X costume. That is all.
This is going to be short because I’m expecting company soon. Keith Olbermann is quickly becoming one of my favorite critics of the Bush administration. His style can be a tad theatrical, but he still comes across as more passionate and outraged than many Democratic leaders. His commentary on Bush’s suspension of habeas corpus for noncitizens is especially good and worth viewing.
The Washington Post has a great write-up on deaf culture and identity politics in the context of the ongoing protests at Gallaudet. Many students are arguing that the woman in line to become the college’s next president isn’t “deaf enough”. They want to ensure that Gallaudet remains a place where deaf culture continues to flourish, free from the influences of the hearing world.
I don’t pretend to have a full appreciation of the nuances of the debate, but I admire the passion and conviction of those students. They are willing to risk arrest in their efforts to define themselves and their collective. The disability community could sometimes use a dose of that pride and self-assuredness. We spend a lot of time explaining what we are not–sick, helpless, unemployable, heroic–but disproving negatives can be a wearying business. But the vast range of disability experiences make finding a common identity nearly impossible. Then again, the situation at Gallaudet seems to suggest that the deaf have the same problem.
Over at Slate, they’re wondering how the deaf students at Gallaudet carry on with their protests. Answer: pretty much like anyone else. There are speeches, chants, drums, and, of course, T-shirts. Now, I’m not citing this article to make fun of it; not exactly. People with disabilities who do community outreach like to tell able-bodied audiences that there are no stupid questions. The only way we can get people to quit being so fumblingly awkward around us is to be open and encouraging with even the most basic inquiries. Still, I’m amused by the stranger-in-a-strange-land tone of articles like this. If Slate editors thinks deaf people are exotic, they should check out places like Berkeley or UW-Whitewater; gimps of all flavors are thick as flies on these campuses. Guaranteed to blow their minds.
Here I am, minding my own business, casually surfing the web in search of blogging inspiration, when I click on the feed for Warren Ellis’ blog. Now, Warren posts some weird esoterica, but this is…well…gah! I’m not sure what creeps me out more, the dude’s missing skin or his rampant backne. I just know I’m going have some kind of nightmare where that thing on his back sprouts teeth and chases me through empty city streets as it screams at me to come back and finish my piano lesson.
I like to think about the impermanence of things; both on a personal and more macro level. Friends come and go, as do fashion trends, languages, nation-states, and even geological epochs. Nothing last forever, probably not even the human race. The New Scientist examines what would happen to the planet if humans suddenly disappeared. After 100,000 years or so, very few traces of our existence would remain. I find this notion strangely comforting. We are a narcissistic species and it wouldn’t kill us to take a moment now and then to contemplate the universe’s unmistakable apathy regarding our continued presence.
The Disability Studies blog has just posted its first Disability Blog Carnival, a comprehensive recap of must-read entries from disability-themed blogs around the world (disclaimer: it does include a link to my humble blog). If you want to know what’s on the minds of the gimperati (and I’m expecting royalties from everyone who uses that word in the future), this is the place to go. Kudos to those who put in the time and effort to assemble a truly impressive array of links.
October is turning into a disastrous month for Republicans. The charnel house that is Iraq, ongoing corruption and sex scandals, and now the latest salvo: a new book called Tempting Faith, penned by former Bush administration official David Kuo, charges that Bush and his advisors have exploited evangelical Christians for political gain without demonstrating any real commitment to the issues that are important to many evangelicals (e.g. banning abortion and gay marriage). Kuo writes:
National Christian leaders received hugs and smiles in person and then
were dismissed behind their backs and described as ‘ridiculous,’ ‘out
of control,’ and just plain ‘goofy’.
Kuo also writes that Karl Rove referred to evangelical leaders as “the nuts.”
The notion that Republican elites cynically pander to religious conservatives–while giving them little in the way of substantive policy or political victories–is not new. Thomas Frank posited a similar thesis in his book What’s the Matter with Kansas? And at least some evangelicals are beginning to reconsider their allegiance to the GOP. In some ways, the Republicans’ much vaunted Southern Strategy–which has relied heavily on appeals to traditional moral values (not to mention xenophobia)–may now be fomenting an ideological civil war within the party. The big-business, monied classes of the Republican Party have never had much patience for the fire-and-brimstone fervor of their evangelical brethren. If November 7th goes badly for them (a distinct possibility), those tensions will bubble to the surface and the knives will come out.
Of course, Democrats have their own internecine conflicts, but we are more suited to tolerating ideological dissent within our ranks. Remember Will Roger’s eminently quotable line: “I am not a member of any organized party — I am a Democrat.” The Republicans’ insistence on identifying itself as the party of conservative Christianity may lead to its downfall as much as it contributed to its ascendancy.
I finally realized that I’m at a point in life where I can afford season tickets to something, so I bought a package to the new Guthrie Theater. I figured it would be a shame not to take advantage of such a great venue that’s so close to home. When I toured the new theater during last summer’s open house, the accessibility seemed generally good and I’m looking forward to seeing actual productions there. My first play is Lost in Yonkers, which seemed like an oddly traditional choice for the opening season of the new theater, but then again, I suppose one could say the same for The Merchant of Venice.
There’s a tangerine sky outside my window at the moment. it seems to have chased away the gray sheets of clouds that were lurking about earlier. Somehow, it’s a fitting denouement to my hectic week.
Good news. The Ouch! podcast will be returning for future episodes. I guess the eighty or ninety fake signatures I entered on that on-line petition carried some weight.
The knives at the back of my eyes are telling me it’s time to get off the computer. I promise I’ll be more charming and engaging tomorrow.