Category Archives: race

blog, diversity, journalism, news, politics, race, sports

Defending the Worm? Why we shouldn’t beat up Dennis Rodman too much

An old pair of Dennis Rodman Converse high-tops, the ones emblazoned with that weird sun shape, are somewhere in my Smithsonian called a garage.

I didn’t have Jordans. I had a pair of Rodmans.  So you know, I have a passing appreciation for the style and basketball ability of the old Rodman.

That was the Rodman of the NBA. Not the UN.

Known as “The Worm,” Rodman was valued as a tough guy defender and rebounder. That’s all.  He didn’t score points. Wasn’t his job.

That’s the way we should see him in his role as Diplomat Dennis.

The guy’s  no Madeleine Albright.

And after his history making trip to North Korea, he’s certainly not scoring points for himself, or Kim Jong Un for that matter.

But he’s grabbed the media’s attention, and in doing so, he’s created the chance for us all to see what truth, if any, we can glean.

So much isn’t known about North Korea in the U.S., we can hardly stand it when even an aging pop/sports star gets a glimpse behind the curtain. No one gets that kind of access to the country or its leadership. With or without a jockstrap.

That’s why blasting Rodman for not knowing the contents of your standard CIA dossier or for his inability to recite the human rights violations of the North Korean government, just seems—to mix sports metaphors—like piling on.

It would be better to just ask him without judgment all that he saw. Dennis’ world is part fantasy, after all. I mean, the guy did date Madonna.

Instead of berating him for his ignorance of the evil of North Korea, because of his unique trip, we should be happy getting his different look of a country that’s generally under cover.

And then, most certainly, juxtapose it with what we know of the ongoing misery of a starving nation, and the refugee situation along the China border. Rodman doesn’t refute that. Rodman was never known for his articulation.  Just by going there, he accents the contradictions in North Korea.

Remember Rodman was never the scorer. Just the rebounder. Kim Jong Un may be using Rodman. But this odd pairing, only puts the issues of the North Korean people back on the mainstream radar, where North Korea seems to come into focus only when it lets out a little steam with a nuclear test.

Now, thanks to Rodman, it’s time for the human rights activists and the North Korea specialists to make their points and score.

The Worm has done his job.

Remember, he’s no Madeleine Albright.

 

blog, diversity, news, politics, race

Modern Politics: Democracy’s S&M game of sequester and Scalia’s vision of voting as racial entitlement

It’s hard to like either Congress or the Obama Administration for this sequestration nonsense. The manufactured budget cuts were intended to be so onerous, both sides would be forced to come to their senses and “do the right” thing.

Instead, the small government advocates in Congress love the the poltiical version of “50 shades…” It’s both sadistic and masochistic to do nothing, though more sadistic because the poor are getting hurt more than the wealthy. The only action Congress’ can muster is to finger-point at President Obama.

Meanwhile, the blame game also seems to suit the president just fine for now, though he should be pointing out that there’s a better way toward an improved economy than the forced austerity of sequester (look how that worked in Europe).  Obama should be making the case that more government spending actually propels the middle class and the country toward prosperity. And that government as an employer can be more effective than the private sector in getting us back on track.

But that’s way too logical for the GOP, which holds on to discredited trickle down ideas that justify tax breaks for the rich while making all the rest of us pay.

So far, I don’t’ sense much indignation anywhere. More of a resignation that this is how it works.

That’s too bad. Because that is bad government. Government that is worth hating. But it’s a slow burn. The pain is coming over time as the federal money flow stops. Will we appreciate so-called “big government” then? Or will the “small government” folks win out and force all of us to accept a diminished democracy?

VOTING RIGHTS A “RACIAL ENTITLEMENT?”

So now that we’re so disgusted with Congress, should we trust it to preserve our basic right in America—the right to vote?

Some members of the Supreme Court apparently don’t think so, and based on the SCOTUS hearing last week in Shelby vs. Holder, it looks like the court may strike down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act.

Justice Antonin Scalia made the case that Congress, which has upheld the Voting Rights Act since 1965, has only done so because politicians are too afraid to vote against it. Afraid to be racist?  Not Scalia, who referred to the Voting Rights Act as a “racial entitlement.”

Entitlement? Since when does voting become like Medicaid and Social Security?

See my piece at www.aaldef.org/blog

 

blog, diversity, movies, news, race

“Silver Linings Playbook” is my Oscar pick

I may be late to the bandwagon, but I shouldn’t be. 

Certainly, I shouldn’t be surprised that I know about Paxil, Prozac, Wellbutrin, Tofranil, Abilify, et.al without ever having taken a single pill.  It just seems that people all around me are taking them, and instead of being judgemental, I should be glad that they are.

In that sense, “Silver Linings Playbook” is the perfect mirror of dysfunction in America. And, on that level, a movie breakthrough.

In America these days, the road to happiness includes a trip to the medicine cabinet.

But the movie is also a breakthrough in the depiction of Asian Americans in Hollywood.

If they gave Oscars for that, “Silver Linings Playbook” would deserve one.

Read my post at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund blog

I just saw “Argo” last night, and don’t think it is as good as its Golden Globes win. ( It’s definitely a period piece. All the actors look like Dickie Smothers.)  But if SLP doesn’t win, maybe “Lincoln” will overtake them all.  Look at all the man accomplished—without psychotropic meds!

 

 

 

 

 

 

blog, diversity, news, politics, race

No SCOTUS Affirmative Action decision today after all: Maybe this week?

Scuttlebut had it (you know ole Scutty, don’t you), that the Supreme Court’s decision on that affirmative action case heard last October would be made public as the Court opened up for business this week.

That was the word from the Supreme Court blog over the weekend.

Of course, no one knows for sure. The SCOTUS blog is no oracle.

As of 10 a.m, EST, the Fisher case did not come up. But more opinions are expected on Wednesday.

So for those going to the AALDEF dinner tonight, you have at least one more night for speculative conversation.

But if an opinion appears this week, I’m sticking to my guns.

I wrote about the Fisher case on the AALDEF blog back in October, and based on that hearing, I think the UT affirmative action program will survive.

Read what I had to say here:

http://aaldef.org/blog/is-fisher-really-the-case-to-end-affirmative-action.html

Or at least, I hope UT’s plan will survive.

Without it, Fisher gets her revenge, but society loses a valuable tool to foster equal opportunity.