This is a follow on from yesterday's All Lives Smatter post so if you haven't read that yet, start over there... Some key thoughts from part I: # It would have taken an absolute miracle for someone to grow up in apartheid South Africa and be completely not affected or indoctrinated by racism in some shape or form, hence my resonance with other white people who refer to themselves as Recovering Racist - not because [...]
This has been on my mind for a while and feels like a very delicate subject to broach, although a necessary one. For the last two to five years i have been on a personal journey of understanding the causes and effects of apartheid a lot more, as well as the negative consequences that continue to effect a lot of people. Let me put this up front: i have a long way to go... but [...]
What impresses you? Beyond old Shania Twain songs that it? Well armed with dual co-hosts we decided to find out just that, in the hopes that Shania Twain might feel vibed up and join in [she didn't! Clearly we didn't impress her much!] But we did have these two super people who have been playing AFH for a while and featuring on the F.L.O.P.s and they both dived in: Jess @JessBerrie Ross @RossMoorhouse [...]
Let's talk about race, baby. Let's talk about you and me... Wait, what, more? Yes, but offline. i was reminded by tbV that i had mentioned this idea a while ago when life was still in crazy transition before we found this place to rent. Years ago i hosted a set of gatherings at Seattle coffee shop at Canal Walk that were called "Not a Meeting" cos of my hatred of meetings [well meetings for [...]
So let me begin by saying this, "I really LOVE meat!" For the last, wow, must be almost two years?, my wife tbV and i have been doing our best to do a week of normal eating [as in what we're used to, which is not a crazy amount of meat actually] followed by a meat-free week. But we were chatting last night and realised [or confessed] that we don't find it all that easy. [...]
All lives matter? True. i thought we had gotten to a point where we didn't need to have this conversation again. But after explaining it on two or three different conversations threads this week i figured i would give it another go - some people are still catching on to this one. And i get it - it is quite subtle and nuanced and until you get it, you don't get it... so we need [...]
Last week i invited a number of people who love children and know a decent amount them [despite not being parents themselves] to share some thoughts/advice/suggestions and encouragement to parents of young children. You can catch both parts of that over here. A number of parentals wrote some thoughts on the "I'm going to ask you for thoughts" post and so i grabbed those. You don't have to agree with all of them but just [...]
So i almost didn't get around to compiling this F.L.O.P. list because of the bi... HEY LOOK, A SQUIRREL!!! [The Story So Far: Every Wednesday at 12 noon South African time [6am EDT] an inspired and growing number of brilliant, creative and absolutely fun people from all around the world take part in what is called a Hashtag game. @AFrikkinHashtag [say it out loud] is South Africa’s #1 Hashtag game and is always a lot of fun. [...]
i am busy reading Eusebius McKaiser's "Run Racist Run!" It has some great and helpful insights, but this piece on white people expecting people of colour to help us not be racist i found really helpful in terms of putting words to something i've started to understand for a while. Also as a helpful response to those people who have tried to understand things and get involved in the race conversation only to receive push back [...]
i am busy reading Douglas Adams 'So Long and Thanks for all the Fish' book which is the third part of the increasingly badly named Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy [which was five books long] and i came upon this gem of a passage which i think is so deeply profound. i also think that if you think it's deeply profound then it's probably no for you and if you don't then it probably is. [...]
