Insight on Anger

It's not because for a brief time I was married to her father that I always pause to read Laura Kipnis. She is worth it for her provocative style leading to deeper than the usual insights.  She writes a lot about sex and power.

Today's topic in The Atlantic magazine is about the current explosion of womens' rage.  Never moving from how appropriate that anger is in the face of outrageous male behavior on the casting couch or in the executive suite, she quickly points out that this anger needs a more fundamental focus.

When Kipnis reminds us about "shelling out an exorbitant percentage of your already unequal salary for day care" she is urging us to take hold of this #me too moment and expand its focus.

The moment of rage deserves nothing less than a reordering of priorities directed at womens' lives.

Stepping Up

It was a dark and stormy night and I almost called my friend Jim to tell him I couldn't make it to the book signing.  Boy, am I glad I decided to go.  It was really because of Dave Zirin, the sports writer for The Nation magazine and one of the friendliest "public" people ever.  He was out with his latest book about John Carlos, the track star and one of the Olypians who had suffered for raising their fists from the podium in 1968. 

When Jim and I spotted Dave at a coffee shop, it was just like him to make room for us at his table.  That's how I got to meet and be with John Carlos.

When athletes talk about "standing on the shoulders of those whose courage came before", they are talking about John Carlos and Tommie Smith and the late Peter Norman, the Australian who stood in solidarity with his two colleagues.

We are celebrating the anniversary today.

Interesting Rides

I love riding the elevator of my condo in the sky.  There are so many opportunities to observe and engage with the parade of people randomly available for a moment of my day.  And, since my building is home to every age and demographic, there's often someone who sparks my interest.

Yesterday, when the door opened, a young man dressed in a suit and tie but wearing athletic shoes and carrying a back pack, was leaning against the wall next to a skateboard.  I joked: "Is that your transportation?"  "Yes! I use it to get to work,"  he offered enthusiastically.  I'm thinking a few blocks, but then he says: "And I work downtown."

Maybe in January I'll see him with snowshoes or skis.  I'll be waiting with interest.