You know that I do live on Edgewood

Once again I feel compelled to respond to your blog. Your first or rather initial part of your blog depicts a scenario of sorts from a certain point of view, mostly from a young perspective about a complicated matter regarding a tragic but not oncomman scenario. I would remind you that there are always 2 sides to every coin or story….dependent on perception and reaction. In this case there was reaction from you about a story that is dispraportinate to happenings due to the sEnsitve nature of the situation, namely that of proposed racism. What is not noted is the real impact of reverse racism not depicted by the media of what happens to those indirectly effected. For instance, in this incident and shortly thereafter, there was a governmental conference of which many scholars including myself were in attendance in San Jose roughly post happenings. The unfortunateness of this is that many white clean cut males like myself were at risk of imenent danger just being present in northern California so much so that my friend, collegue, and fello brother could not go anywhere such as sight seeing unarmed. This is a tradgidy and problematic and continues to be so even today.
What I would also point out is that the “turf dancers” are actually street dancers of the old school who although are talented are far from OG’s of the hip hop era of New York, Detriot, and LA. I know for of I speak as many of my friends from the 80’s can attest to this regarding street dance, mixing, and rapping during that up and rising era. From the writings of Double Trouble to the philosophy of Grandmaster Flash and the Renages of Funk I can assure u that I speak from experience pop.
David

FWIW, I was attracted to the visual art of the film maker and the dancers which struck me as related to ballet training I have recently been witnessing in ballet class, not the content of the protest (just my impression). So many people die everyday in the US that it’s hard to keep track of much less have insight into each particular situation. I am much more interested in art than politics.

Ray… I also saw an Edgewood up by Whitehall when Eileen and I recently were driving around up there for the Hatch Xmas….

Yes thousands of people die every day and I would bet the majority of them are not charged racially, politically, etc. The fact that you chose a visually artisitic video that was spawned from a death that was charged should not have surprised me. I am tempted to believe some of your reply, but not all of it. If you really wanted to view some street dancing regardless of “content of the protest” you could have searched in Utube which has thousands of these types of videos without an underlying theme or charges. You chose to post and spread this video for its artistic rendition of dance, but I would also argue for its underlying reasons as well. Racism and your hatred of institutionalism have been festering in your brain for as far back as I can remember most likely before I was even born. It is and continues to be in your thoughts as evidenced by your blogging about your thoughts, recently including a rant about racism and problems with instutions. So let’s be clear. I would agree that you are more interested in Art than in politics. But I would not agree that the sole reason for your posting the video on facebook and your blog was simply for its artistic nature. For what it’s worth….
David

David

At panera, the girls are eating a giant ciniman roll and hot chocolate while we what for the boy at theater… Rough life.
David j

I am intrigued by the wisdom book. Checked the Keene library and they don’t have it. Their online interlibrary loan system ileaves much to be desired, although I did try to order it. We’ll see if it comes through. Checking on Amazon, it appears that the book you borrowed is a compilation of multiple volumes. Know anything about that?

Tell grandma Eileen Savannah is good at bowling…so I guess a tournament will be in order next time you all come out…you know they sell actual bowling type balls for the bowling…crazy….

Nope. I thought it was one volume. Wisdom: The Greatest Gift One Generation Can Give To Another [Hardcover] with Clint Eastwood on the cover. I am going to buy it….. link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0810983591/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Okay, Eileen and I just looked on Amazon. I see what you mean. I think the book I have a copy of is at least three of the others together. It includes a DVD and seems to cover people that are in the three other volumes. The music book with Ozzie on the cover has people who are not in the one I have. The Clint Eastwood book/DVD is “fifty of the world’s most prominent writers, artists, designers, actors, politicians, musicians, and religious and business leaders — all over over sixty-five years old” (from the flyleaf originally fifty dollars). Inspired by Tutu’s words that one of the greatest gifts one generation can give another is the wisdom it has gained from experience.

(sarcastYour killin me dad…
David

(sarcasim induced) Your killin me dad…
David

I have recorded professionally for many others and the recordings are bad. I thought that I might be able to remix once I got them back to my home, however, this is not a task undertaken without the correct equipment. I feel responsible for this error of recording. My only thought was to record these in a more controlled way. Mainly, control the entire sound. Live recordings are not difficult, but they do require a person who is able to hear the music and make immediate adjustments to compensate. The sad part is that the music suffers when it shouldn’t. Additionally, I would want to use different equipment for recording.
I do think, however, that the recordings do give a flavor of the music even though they are quite intolerable. In my opinion, the music is the composers voice. The recording process should not interfere with the music’s statement.
Ray Hinkle

I disagree with your support of the Health Care program. I am concerned about the poor as is anyone, but the poor is not a permanent class. It is a justification, though, for onerous government programs which do little or nothing to solve these kind of problems. I view this merely as a way for power to be taken away from people. Or as I see it, the intellectual elite proposes that “most people are not smart enough to manage their own lives”. Freedom is costly,because you must be responsible to keep free. I believe that most people given the chance are better able to manage their own conditions, far better than some bureaucrat, who doesn’t give a twit about those people. Are we able to understand the difference of socialization, (more government) and a more dependent society, with the idea that freedom is dependent upon a well informed individual.
I realize that this is at odds with you, but I didn’t come to this point of view without considerable experience and evaluation. I believed as you do many years ago. This changed.
Ray

Hey Ray,

Sorry you feel responsible for this. I think it was circumstances beyond your control. I was in more of a position to control these circumstances but the rehearsal and performance was where I chose to put my energy, not recording. This was my hesitation about the recording, realizing the obstacles which I didn’t communicate clearly to you. However, I am glad you were part of this. I wanted to include you as we are still renewing an old friendship.

I’m not sure you understand how I believe. As you distrust government, I also distrust those who dismantle it without proposing a solution for how we could coherently attempt to have a society that functions (infrastructure without taxes?), or how we address those who need help (beyond “you must be responsible to be free”). I especially distrust a public discussion that reduces our present real human problems to ideology. I do however have a trust in you and your basic sense of fairness and the legitimacy of your understandings which I’m not sure you are reciprocating when you say in effect when you were young and immature you believed the way I do.

I believe that it is the collective “we” that is the problem and the solution. In my understanding, democratic government ideally is not the “other.” It is us for better or ill. Granted our government barely functions and is corrupt. But the position you seem to be describing and the position that many politicians are taking right now in opposition to the governing system seems to be incapable of recognizing its own inherent hubris. (Hubris is what you accuse me and the “intellectual elites” of when you say that we propose that most people are not smart enough to manage their own lives… unfortunately, hubris is a human condition that all of us have to face, not one limited to one side of this particular argument). To harangue government for its power over its citizen’s lives seems suspiciously like attempting to wrest that power away from it for one’s own ends. To, in effect, unconsciously become what we despise. I think this is the trap for both sides of our current political partisan malaise.

Really like the Bonoman cartoon…

I know u will comment on your presidents state of the union address and am looking forward to ur comments. FYI wordpress seems to suck….
David j

Still haven’t gotten around to listening to the State of the Union, but do plan to. What did you think? Also, how does WordPress suck?

In response to an earlier post..
“Still haven’t gotten around to listening to the State of the Union, but do plan to. What did you think? Also, how does WordPress suck?”

I thought the presidents speech was very centrist in nature which most likely pissed off liberals and somewhat appeased conservatives. His emphasis on business language was very evident throughout the speech which i am sure many in the d-party did not like at all. terms like “competitive” and “invest” seemed to not fit with his parties idealogical foundations, but rather sounded more so like a GOP business address. I also thought the tea parties response from Bachmann was ridiculous and shallow. I still do not know what to make of this party.

WordPress seems to suck in that almost every time i try to post something i get error messages regardless of what computer i am using. i enjoy reading your blog, but wordpress seems clunky. Although this is coming from a gen x’r who shares traits such as impatience for technology that is slow and constantly upgrading itself.

I also complain about other web stuff so dont take it too personally. I am not a fan of facebook as this monster seems to have the capacity to wreck computers as well. i dont let anyone touch my laptop since i got it fixed and will not even venture anywhere near facebook with it.

Enough.
David