Comments on: Time to Do the Work http://latinolanow.org/latinola-speaks/2008/05/time-to-do-the-work/ Latin American voices observe and comment from New Orleans Fri, 18 May 2012 13:48:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: chuck http://latinolanow.org/latinola-speaks/2008/05/time-to-do-the-work/comment-page-1/#comment-10 chuck Wed, 21 May 2008 23:26:41 +0000 http://latinolanow.org/data/?p=64#comment-10 First off, I'm neither of Hispanic origin, nor do I reside currently in the New Orleans region, or even the U.S. for that matter. But I have deep ties to that city, and a deep bond with people of many different ethnicities who still call New Orleans home. I, too, have engaged in many a protest, albeit in the name of animal rights', and I have found that this course of action is only successful when the numbers are large enough to politically influence a region, or the social climate is at just the right stage of acceptance. The latter comes quite rarely upon any folk, in any land. We are tribal creatures, and waxing numbers and power of one group are seen, and rightly so, as a threat upon another group's existence. I recently returned to the States for a visit, and was shocked to see that almost everywhere, from New York to Louisiana, just about everything was bi-lingual. I don't consider myself a racist, but I felt disoriented and disconnected. I place little value upon ethnicity, or nationality, or religious belief. I value intelligence, reason, empathy, and mutual respect. As long as we continue with this Us-vs-Them mentality, there will be strife, and racism, and bigotry, and blind hatred. I respect that Latinos, as a people, seek to have their voices heard and have their rights respected. But be prepared to understand that the taller you stand, the shorter others will feel. And no one on this planet enjoys feeling small. The way to acceptance is through integration and communication. Speaking a common language, sharing similar values and ideals, breaking bread with one another, that brings people together, however difficult and slowly that process may be. As a young man, I had dreams of being a violent radical in the name of my cause. As a somewhat older man. I realize that even reasonable people will react quite irrationally when placed on the defensive. Question your motives, question their fears, and hopefully the world will see a day when all people judge one another solely on character. First off, I’m neither of Hispanic origin, nor do I reside currently in the New Orleans region, or even the U.S. for that matter. But I have deep ties to that city, and a deep bond with people of many different ethnicities who still call New Orleans home. I, too, have engaged in many a protest, albeit in the name of animal rights’, and I have found that this course of action is only successful when the numbers are large enough to politically influence a region, or the social climate is at just the right stage of acceptance. The latter comes quite rarely upon any folk, in any land. We are tribal creatures, and waxing numbers and power of one group are seen, and rightly so, as a threat upon another group’s existence. I recently returned to the States for a visit, and was shocked to see that almost everywhere, from New York to Louisiana, just about everything was bi-lingual. I don’t consider myself a racist, but I felt disoriented and disconnected. I place little value upon ethnicity, or nationality, or religious belief. I value intelligence, reason, empathy, and mutual respect. As long as we continue with this Us-vs-Them mentality, there will be strife, and racism, and bigotry, and blind hatred. I respect that Latinos, as a people, seek to have their voices heard and have their rights respected. But be prepared to understand that the taller you stand, the shorter others will feel. And no one on this planet enjoys feeling small. The way to acceptance is through integration and communication. Speaking a common language, sharing similar values and ideals, breaking bread with one another, that brings people together, however difficult and slowly that process may be. As a young man, I had dreams of being a violent radical in the name of my cause. As a somewhat older man. I realize that even reasonable people will react quite irrationally when placed on the defensive. Question your motives, question their fears, and hopefully the world will see a day when all people judge one another solely on character.

]]> By: el monopoli http://latinolanow.org/latinola-speaks/2008/05/time-to-do-the-work/comment-page-1/#comment-9 el monopoli Sun, 18 May 2008 19:40:25 +0000 http://latinolanow.org/data/?p=64#comment-9 I wouldn't say that I completely disagree with any of the comments you posed. But I do think protests (or loud noise) have a place. As with everything, the only thing constant is change, and, sometimes, change is merely the evolution of something that was already in place. I have been a part of several protests, and while the effectiveness can be questioned, we wouldn't be mentioning protests if there was no worth to them. Many of the changes that took place in the civil rights movement can be attributed to protests. Mass amounts of people making loud noise and becoming a visual association of a belief or concept. I would go as far as to say that our African American brothers and sisters wouldn't be in the positions they are now, if it were not for protests. Now, along with those protests came individuals who created open dialogue to make changes, but the protests were powerful nevertheless. Its been decades since many of the most memorable marches took place and with those decades came newfound technology, intelligence, and momentum. Here is where I begin to agree with you. With all the new resources we have at our disposal, especially in terms of communication, the word "protest" can have a different meaning nowadays than what it meant back in the day. Upon seeing Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "Sicko", the first thing I thought to myself was, "this is the new form of protesting". So, long story short, protests can be very different now. They don't have to be outdoor marches with thousands of people carrying signs and whatnot. They can be movies, websites, advertising campaigns, etc. BUT, those marches that we envision as the epitomy of protests, made incredible changes in the world we live in. Just the other day, there were marches throughout NYC after the 3 NYPD officers were aquitted in the Sean Bell trial. One of those protests shut down the bridge (Queensbridge, if I remember correctly). So, even today when our technologies allow us to do so much more, a healthy protest is just what the doctor ordered because it makes others recognize a group's motives. And for many, being part of a big group with similar intentions is the only way for them to protest. I wouldn’t say that I completely disagree with any of the comments you posed. But I do think protests (or loud noise) have a place. As with everything, the only thing constant is change, and, sometimes, change is merely the evolution of something that was already in place. I have been a part of several protests, and while the effectiveness can be questioned, we wouldn’t be mentioning protests if there was no worth to them.

Many of the changes that took place in the civil rights movement can be attributed to protests. Mass amounts of people making loud noise and becoming a visual association of a belief or concept. I would go as far as to say that our African American brothers and sisters wouldn’t be in the positions they are now, if it were not for protests. Now, along with those protests came individuals who created open dialogue to make changes, but the protests were powerful nevertheless.

Its been decades since many of the most memorable marches took place and with those decades came newfound technology, intelligence, and momentum. Here is where I begin to agree with you. With all the new resources we have at our disposal, especially in terms of communication, the word “protest” can have a different meaning nowadays than what it meant back in the day. Upon seeing Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11″ and “Sicko”, the first thing I thought to myself was, “this is the new form of protesting”.

So, long story short, protests can be very different now. They don’t have to be outdoor marches with thousands of people carrying signs and whatnot. They can be movies, websites, advertising campaigns, etc. BUT, those marches that we envision as the epitomy of protests, made incredible changes in the world we live in. Just the other day, there were marches throughout NYC after the 3 NYPD officers were aquitted in the Sean Bell trial. One of those protests shut down the bridge (Queensbridge, if I remember correctly). So, even today when our technologies allow us to do so much more, a healthy protest is just what the doctor ordered because it makes others recognize a group’s motives. And for many, being part of a big group with similar intentions is the only way for them to protest.

]]>