I thing that there is an additional problem to what Jay mentioned, and
it has to do with the fact that the decisions taken by the American
government, now with the endorsement of a majority of its citizens,
affect all of us globally, including the mismanagement of its deficit,
which is going to cause economic crisis in some forgotten countries who
live from primary exports before impacting the USA seriously; its lack
of support to international treaties, particularly environmental ones,
so now we are paying in the South of Chile with skin cancer the lack of
willingness of the USA government to reduce its emissions; and even the
decision to invade other countries (Afganistan first, Irak after and
soon Iran, I guess...)
I must confess that, when I was living up there I got a bit impressed by
the sensitivity, at least as it appeared in their discurse, the students
had to social issues within the USA and their total lack of information
about global issues, such as the role played by the USA in supporting
dictatorships everywhere, including my own country. Indeed, I assume
they did not have any idea who Pinochet was and how the CIA funded and
supported his state terror organizations until it hit in the heart of
Washington with the killing of Orlando Letelier.
There are many out of the USA, whom are also tired, Jay, not ashamed but
tired. And we empathize with you and with most of those of you that felt
that Kerry's calls to a new relation with the world was important
(although may be in a different way than the one endorsed by the
democratic party!). But most of all, we need to have people like all of
you, as some sort of a real global awareness within the American
political system, so our human rights and the rights of everybody to
live in safety and in a clean environment everywhere are respected.
David
David Preiss
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile: www.puc.cl
PACE Center at Yale University: www.yale.edu/pace
Homepage: http://pantheon.yale.edu/~ddp6/
Phone: 56-2-3547174
Fax: 56-2-354-4844
E-mail: david.preiss@yale.edu, davidpreiss@puc.cl
-----Mensaje original-----
De: Phil Chappell [mailto:philchappell@mac.com]
Enviado el: Thursday, January 27, 2005 8:06 AM
Para: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
Asunto: Re: In Remembrance of Liberty and Justice for All
Wasn't there a mainstream actress who had a comedy show that aired
internationally who, after "coming out", had her show cut? Ellen
someone from memory (I'm not a TV watcher myself).
Jay, there are others who are embarrassed about their nationality - my
whole identity changed when we had fascist Paulinne Hanson running for
government in Australia (with significnat support) who had an
explicitly anti-Asian outlook. Being an Australian living in an Asian
country was very humiliating then. The questions my Thai students
asked...
In solidarity,
Phil
On 27/01/2005, at 11:39 AM, Jay Lemke wrote:
>
> The postings on Remembrance of the oppression and murder of
> indigenous people in Australia, and of the holocaust, triggered a
> response in me to more current events.
>
> I read a report today that one of the first official and public acts
> of the new US Secretary of Education was to condemn a public
> television cartoon show for children that happened to include as a
> very minor element the existence of a lesbian couple in Vermont, where
> the show about making maple sugar was set.
>
> From the report:
>
> Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said the "Sugartime!" episode
> does not fulfill the intent Congress had in mind for programming. By
> law, she said, any funded shows must give top attention to
> "research-based educational objectives, content and materials."
>
> "Many parents would not want their young children exposed to the
> lifestyles portrayed in the episode," Spellings wrote in a letter sent
> Tuesday to Pat Mitchell, president and chief executive officer of PBS.
>
> "Congress' and the Department's purpose in funding this programming
> certainly was not to introduce this kind of subject matter to
> children, particularly through the powerful and intimate medium of
> television."
>
> In closing, she warned: "You can be assured that in the future the
> department will be more clear as to its expectations for any future
> programming that it funds."
>
> On the episode in question, "The fact that there is a family
> structure that is objectionable to the Department of Education is not
> at all the focus of the show, nor is it addressed in the show," said
> Sloan of PBS.
>
> -----------------------------
>
> Vermont, of course, is a state that validates same-sex civil unions.
> The current government of the United States however does not seem
> ready to include in its educational objectives either the truth about
> the diversity of human relationships or tolerance for all social
> minorities in American society. I wonder how people would feel if this
> head of the Education department made the same objection to including
> a passing view of an inter-racial couple?
>
> I am tired of feeling ashamed to be an American. I am very, very
> angry that this kind of outright, public, and official bigotry can be
> at all tolerated by anyone in this country, regardless of political
> party or personal religious belief.
>
> This is how fascism begins. And this is how a nation loses its right
> to the loyalty of its people.
>
> JAY.
>
>
>
>
> Jay Lemke
> Professor
> University of Michigan
> School of Education
> 610 East University
> Ann Arbor, MI 48109
>
> Tel. 734-763-9276
> Email. JayLemke@UMich.edu
> Website. www.umich.edu/~jaylemke
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