… and I get where the artist was going, more or less, with the tagline ‘White people solve racism.’  Ha ha, white people figure it out and save everyone and everyone changes.  Yay.

But I don’t totally buy it.  As a white person myself, I’ve run into a fair share of racism because of my skin color… from Oakland to Alaska to the islands of Hawai’i.  Even down here in Colombia I am treated differently because I am white; granted, in Colombia it is openly considered a ‘cool’ thing that I am a white guy from the USA (it’s an odd experience)… yet it also makes me more of a target on city streets to aspiring thieves.  I am glad that I’ve been able to directly experience both sides of the spectrum in my time, the positive and negative prejudices people have towards my skin color.

And then, of course, there is the gay thing, and I’ve dealt with plenty of prejudice on that end, from strangers to family.

I think we all deal with prejudice on a regular basis; all of us in one way or another, giving and receiving.  One way or another, it’s in our face, it gets lodged in the back of our minds thanks to cultural norms, group thinking, media and it takes some work bringing these misinformed ideas to light in order to really manifest change.  As a white guy, I’ve found it difficult to talk freely about racism/prejudice to other brothers and sisters of color(s).  Some have reacted with such a fuming indignation that a white guy would have anything to say that I have built up a tendency to avoid the subject (but not that much, as I’m still talking).  There are times I wonder how we, as a world, are going to get over that shit.  I have hope though – deep strong hope that we can. Maybe we need some better messages along the way.  This is one of mine:

I know it isn’t easy.  There’s millennia of hurt on all sides of the equation.  I think that forgiveness is the best way to begin to break the cycles.  I know it isn’t easy to forgive (trust me, I know); some pains have incredibly deep roots.  Doesn’t mean it’s impossible, though… and waiting for the right apology can be a very, very long wait indeed; forgiveness forestalls the need to wait around for the other to mature.  I realize, too, that forgiving injustices doesn’t mean letting the same dynamics repeat themselves.  It’s a cool dance to learn if you’re game.  We might as well, the old moves aren’t working.

That’s my two bits.

Anyways… for now… below… (inspired by the) fall/winter 2010 Louis Vuitton… up in flames:

fashion gives me such a charge…

the shoes are my design… more to come.

Lis and I were on our way to Hilo, or Pahoa – I forget which; mostly it was just a beautiful drive along the Red Road on a beautiful day.  Living on the Big Island of Hawai’i for two and a half years was one of the best things I ever did for myself.  I met my husband there, I began to heal some long-standing wounds, I got to apprentice with an amazing artist, and I learned a lot about love (…and lovin’).  Granted, I gave up a lot to do so… but I think what I gave up… I don’t think much of it was built to last anyway.  So there you go.

And although I don’t live in Hawai’i anymore… my Pele, I want to go back.  Hec and I talk about living there again, and everytime we do I just sigh.

So there you go.  Aloha.

Reblogged from Blog da Marge:

Valencia, Spain.

There is no strong odor, just yellow.  One of the funny things about Colombia is that the yards always need raking because some sort of plant is leaving is withered mark.  There seems to be a hint of autumn in the air throughout the year.

Then there’s my dog, Dahiana.  She’s 10 months old and I can’t think of life without her.  I had a dog as a kid, Honey, and she was epic in her doggy greatness.  I got a cat sixteen years ago (she’s still going strong) and she has been the perfect companion through my years of questing and moving and searching.  Nowadays Carnival sleeps a lot more, but she’s still clear and present and true to the strong personality I’ve known all these years.  The puppy has definitely helped to keep her on her toes; they don’t fight but if Dahiana gets too close to Carnival then it’s a swift de-clawed paw to the noggin.  Since there are no claws Dahiana just kind of jumps, barks and before too long comes back for more.

My dog cracks me up… she’s a bit of a freak as I suppose most dogs are once you get to know them.  I read and applied a lot of the techniques from ‘The Dog Whisperer’ Cesar Milan, and man they work.  She’s pretty stable and well-trained, and that foundation allows for the kind of funny, personal, endearing relationship you can only have with a dog.

The Guayacan blooms and the animals get older.  With January Colombia starts up again: everyone comes back from vacation to renew work contracts and start a new year of school.  You can feel the momentum gather and come to life.  After a month of festivities that regularly last all night, inclusive of young and old and every scrap of family anyone can think of, the population gets back to work with a readiness – people are ready to build and earn and save and move forward again.  The synergy of the cycles (calendar new year, new school year, new work year) is kind of comforting.  It feels like the whole country is on the same page a lot of the time.

It’s gonna be another interesting year.