There’s been something of a buzz lately in the bluugosphere about the recent creation of an anti-racist/anti-oppression (ARAO) organization disastrously named “UU White Allies.”  Scott Wells has an excellent reflection on the subject, and I encourage everyone to go have a read. My comment there was so long and involved, I decided it needed to be fleshed out into its own, incredibly long and involved post. (Apologies especially to ATLBloggers.net for the length.)

Scott’s summary of White Allies’ goals and claims, and his bullet-point analysis, is so good I’ll just refer you there (and the White Allies site) for catching up purposes. Or here’s the quick version:

On the other hand, I think there is a feeling by earnest people who don’t feel like they can express their concerns without being bullied, branded a racist, and disregarded. Let me be plain: a White Allies organization could easily stifle dissent, and if it happens I’ll call it out here.

In comments there, one poster said this:

And the white people who are “unconvinced” by anti-racism are those white folx that have been brainwashed by their parents and society to think colorblindness exists and is ok. […]

I used the term “brainwashed” because I have had used against me in regards to my AR beliefs.

The commenter underlines something that disturbs me about “ARAOism.” It truly is about “beliefs.” There seems to be something of a ARAO born again experience required. It requires something of a leap of faith, in such ontological goblins as “whiteness” and “white privilege.” And the evangelical-like certainty that the ARAO way of talking about race is the only legitimate one.

I’m certain that in my own life I’ve benefited from something you could call “white privilege,” and that saddens and angers me. But that doesn’t make “white privilege” an ontological reality, nor something that must be believed in for my social salvation. Click to continue reading “White alliance?”

And presto-chango: a revitalized MARTA and real public transportation in Atlanta! From what I’ve read of some of the narrow rail passes the Beltline will have to navigate, this just might be solution anyway. (Cheesy wmv video here.)

They told Wifefriend that she was joining the Pizza Club. I was excited. I’ve never been in a Pizza Club before! But then I googled it and found out it’s just some stupid VIP Program. Fuck that. I want a Pizza Club.

Philocrites definitively proves—with the help of several sociological studies and the New York times—that UUs do a have a class bias, despite their protestations that they didn’t “choose” to.

[photopress:1572244259.03.TZZZZZZZ.jpg,thumb,alignright]A few minutes after my daily dose of Lamictal I noticed this Salon interview with ACT therapist Stephen C. Hayes (on the occasion of his new book). Not familar with ACT therapy? First I’d heard of it too.

ACT (Acceptance and Commitment) therapy is the third wave in the movement from behavioral therapy to cognitive therapy (to ACT therapy). Instead of just teaching folks to be able to detach enough from their emotions to make rational choices about them, ACT contrasts two ways of life (with convenient acronyms):

1. ACT: Accept your reactions and be present. Choose a valued direction. Take action.
2. FEAR: Fusion with your thoughts. Evaluation of experience. Avoidance of your experience. Reason-giving for your behavior.

ACT (and its sibling therapy schools) draws a lot from lay-friendly version of Buddhist mindfulness. What’s more, it teaches something of an American “Middle Way” between self-indulgence and self-mortification. Consumerism and feel-goodism (and overeating?) stand in as the American forms of self-indulgence. On the side of self-mortification, you could put American innovations like extreme sports and exercise obsession. Click to continue reading “Happiness? Get over it”

The best title for a blog entry I’ve seen in a while: The Tao of Blasphemy.