Philosophy
TheWife and I try to be supportive of the short people's dreams and aspirations. We feed them the (probably false) old chestnut that if you try hard enough, you could be whatever you want.
Additionally, we try to expose them to the injustices of our society and history by telling the stories of heroes who have opened doors for oppressed groups in our culture. We do not hide the inequalities, but try to present them in terms of the sacrifices and triumphs of those who worked for justice.
So, the shorter of the short people decided that he wanted to use his athletic interests to break down barriers like Jackie Robinson or Jackie Mitchell and announced his intention to become the first white Harlem Globetrotter. At this point I'm letting him have his fantasy, but it makes me wonder how much of a political statement the Globetrotters are.
Part of the point of the schtick is to have the African-American clown princes of basketball (they do now have their first Latino Globetrotter) who are named after the New York neighborhood to accentuate the racial angle (they were all midwesterners at the start) show up the stuffy and white Washington Generals -- clearly named to reflect their role as representatives for the powerful. We root for the Globetrotters in part because they represent the little guy against The Man. Have the Globetrotters become such an institution in themselves that this edge is gone? Would a white Globetrotter be like a married bachelor?
- Causes And The Gifford Assassination Attempt
The contemporary debate over whether right-wing invective caused the assassination attempt on Congresswoman Gifford brings to mind Bertrand Russell's quip that causation is like the British royal family, it is kept around only because it is wrongly...
- How Ugly, How Soon?
A couple posts about race today and tomorrow. This one is about a book. Dan Gutman has written a nice series of books that the shorter of the short people enjoys. The protagonist is a boy living with his mother after a divorce who loves to play little...
- Not So Black And White
When Branch Rickey gave Jackie Robinson the chance to play on the Brooklyn Dodgers, it was historic. It was an important point in the narrative of race that is an essential thread for anyone who wants to understand our national story. But, be clear, it...
- Brother Bones
While we're going on about the Harlem Globetrotters... If you've ever wondered who was whistling that fantastic version of Sweet Georgia Brown, it was Freeman Davis who recorded under the name Brother Bones....
- The Falcon And The Strawman
So critical thinking has made the big time. There it was on Yahoo News, an AP story about our very own President using strawman arguments. For those who aren't familiar with the term: a strawman is (1) an intentionally weak argument that someone constructs...
Philosophy
Ummmmm...
TheWife and I try to be supportive of the short people's dreams and aspirations. We feed them the (probably false) old chestnut that if you try hard enough, you could be whatever you want.
Additionally, we try to expose them to the injustices of our society and history by telling the stories of heroes who have opened doors for oppressed groups in our culture. We do not hide the inequalities, but try to present them in terms of the sacrifices and triumphs of those who worked for justice.
So, the shorter of the short people decided that he wanted to use his athletic interests to break down barriers like Jackie Robinson or Jackie Mitchell and announced his intention to become the first white Harlem Globetrotter. At this point I'm letting him have his fantasy, but it makes me wonder how much of a political statement the Globetrotters are.
Part of the point of the schtick is to have the African-American clown princes of basketball (they do now have their first Latino Globetrotter) who are named after the New York neighborhood to accentuate the racial angle (they were all midwesterners at the start) show up the stuffy and white Washington Generals -- clearly named to reflect their role as representatives for the powerful. We root for the Globetrotters in part because they represent the little guy against The Man. Have the Globetrotters become such an institution in themselves that this edge is gone? Would a white Globetrotter be like a married bachelor?
- Causes And The Gifford Assassination Attempt
The contemporary debate over whether right-wing invective caused the assassination attempt on Congresswoman Gifford brings to mind Bertrand Russell's quip that causation is like the British royal family, it is kept around only because it is wrongly...
- How Ugly, How Soon?
A couple posts about race today and tomorrow. This one is about a book. Dan Gutman has written a nice series of books that the shorter of the short people enjoys. The protagonist is a boy living with his mother after a divorce who loves to play little...
- Not So Black And White
When Branch Rickey gave Jackie Robinson the chance to play on the Brooklyn Dodgers, it was historic. It was an important point in the narrative of race that is an essential thread for anyone who wants to understand our national story. But, be clear, it...
- Brother Bones
While we're going on about the Harlem Globetrotters... If you've ever wondered who was whistling that fantastic version of Sweet Georgia Brown, it was Freeman Davis who recorded under the name Brother Bones....
- The Falcon And The Strawman
So critical thinking has made the big time. There it was on Yahoo News, an AP story about our very own President using strawman arguments. For those who aren't familiar with the term: a strawman is (1) an intentionally weak argument that someone constructs...