The P word

Tonight, I made a status on Facebook, which is now deleted because it seriously was that irritating to me. I made a status about Hopkins girls basketball going to the state championship, which they may (or may not) play against Edina. I made a playful bash on Edina by saying "Hopkins doesn't eat cake" since just about ANYONE who goes to school in the Lake Conference knows them as the Cake-eaters. However, this was taken personally by a few people. Chelsea, if you're reading this you know I love you. Now, in saying that comment, I was not saying that I think Edina is all bad, or that the students are bad or that I disliked them in any way. However, my best friend, Chelsea, brought up a good point, Edina is a great school, with great kids, and is outstanding academically.

But it is exactly those statements that prove my point. Edina is a predominantly white, wealthy community. Does that make them bad people? No. Does that make them all snobby? No. But the fact is, it IS a wealthy, white community. And it is because of those demographics, that they do have such a great school. Do I dislike them for being white, wealthy, and having a great school? No. But is it common that we see a predominately white, wealthy, suburban school not do well? Typically not. Race and money mean EVERYTHING in this society. White privilege exists, whether we like it or not. Money means power, whether we like it or not.

So this brings up something that has gone through my mind, especially throughout college, a lot. Why do we get offended when people call something for what it is? This Facebook situation isn't the first time I've seen this. I see it happen politically all of the time. When as liberals we call for the rich to pay their fair share of taxes, they say we're starting class warfare. They accuse us of punishing them for being rich or for their success. No, absolutely not. We're telling it like it is. You make a lot of money, we do not dislike you for that, we just want you to pay your fair share. It's easier to play the victim than to accept what's right.

 Do people get mad when they hear someone say an inner city school is "rough" or is not performing well academically or that they wouldn't want to send their kid there? No. Do people get all shook up when we say a homeless person looked dirty? We don't automatically assume that statements like those are taking jabs at the kids that go to those schools or jabs at those communities. Because reality is, we see those communities and those kids and those people as "less than". So who cares, right?

Perhaps being called the "cake eaters" gets old over and over. And I whole-heartedly agree that even though it is a joke, that it does not apply to every single individual in Edina. And yes, it could get old hearing it over and over. But don't you think it gets old for people on the other end of spectrum, too? Schools like I went to, Hopkins, get a bad wrap for their open enrollment, specifically, black students coming from Minneapolis. Since I've graduated all I've heard is how rough the school is getting and how it's not up to par academically. And everyone just nods their head in agreement, like it's such a shame, what a horrible place. Eden Prairie chants "FOOD STAMPS" at Hopkins during a basketball game and you hear one story about it. But you make a comment about Edina's privilege and NOPE you can't do that because telling the truth might offend someone.

Privilege will always be protected. You can be in denial about it, but it will remain a fact. The truth hurts.

Social MEdia.

So. I kind of loathe philosophy  (in the academic sense), but I find myself doing a lot of "philosophizing" (if we can call it that) when I am not worrying about this or that. Today, I discovered my love-hate relationship with social media or social MEdia, rather, since it brings out the narcissist in all of us. I will admit that I am probably guilty of some of the things I am going to mention in my following remarks, but I do also feel that I have a balanced approach to using social media. Sure, I may complain or express excitement every now and then, but I also post a LOT of political content, because I believe that social media serves more of a purpose than just for us to socialize. It's a tool for advocating, for raising awareness, etc.

So why do I hate social media (Facebook more so than Twitter)? Because it's exploitative. We exploit ourselves on it. How many times do we start conversations with "I saw on Facebook" nowadays? Nobody has to tell us anything about their lives anymore, we just check their profile or our news feeds. Why call your friends when they have nothing new to share with you because you've seen it all already? Let's use the common examples of jobs, relationships and children...

Why must I constantly know what your child ate for lunch, what activities you did with them for the day, what word they tried to utter, etc? Don't get me wrong. I love babies and kids. But why are you tracking your child's life on Facebook? What happened to a baby book? If you want to share with your family or close friends, then call them, tell them, have a REAL interaction. Hear the joy in their voice rather than reading their joy in a Facebook comment.

Jobs are a whole other issue, especially among my fellow recent college grads. Jobs are scarce, so it's exciting and a blessing when we get one. But is it necessary to incessantly post how great your job is and how successful you are or are going to be? Call me empathetic, but there are plenty of your unemployed friends who are going to read those and be happy for you, but in turn, feel even crappier about living with their parents, struggling to pay their student loans, or whatever it may be. Hence, why I never made one status when I got my job.

Relationships are probably the worst of all. I don't need to know how much you love your significant other a thousands times. If you have to profess your love to Facebook that frequently, then you come across insecure in your relationship. If you love them that much, then tell THEM, NOT ALL OF US. I don't need to know about every date you go on or see an album full of pictures of you kissing. People are more excited to put their engagements/relationships on Facebook so everybody can like it. Then we learn when they purchase their dress, when they purchase their bridesmaids dresses, where they booked everything, what's for dinner, who the DJ is, who will be taking pictures, etc.

I'm sure some people will disagree with me and think that Facebook is a great way to share things with people they normally may not be able to share with and that it's convenient. But I think that it's just too much. I don't need to know all of those details. And on top of all of that, it makes us narcissistic. We post all of those things because we actually enjoy talking about ourselves & believe that everyone will want to hear about it. Well, I'm here to say I don't care about all of it, just like people probably don't care about half of what I post. And some people not even may care that I posted this. But that's okay. We're too busy living our lives on Facebook rather than actually living them off of it. Our parents survived babies, marriages, jobs without Facebook, so why can't we? Can any of our lives be private anymore?

If I Could Live at the Capitol, I Would

Today was the first day of the legislative session...WOO HOO! Yeah, it's a really exciting day for people like me. Essentially, I get to spend the next 3 months of my life at the capitol. My biggest task is to make sure the social media world knows what we (Twin Cities Habitat) are working on at the capitol, while also making them understand that supporting affordable housing is really important. The thing is, everyone who lobbies at the capitol believes their cause is the most important, so the key is making your cause really stand out. I'm finding out more and more that having a unified voice with others supporting the same cause is really important. Every Tuesday morning we have a meeting with all of the other housing and homelessness advocates so that we stay on the same page. 

The best part is that I get to hang out at the capitol all day, watch the House and Senate in session, cover committee hearings, meet with legislators in one on one meetings, and get other advocates to do the same. Today was a whirlwind day since it was the first day and there weren't too many things to discuss. It's kind of like the "going over the syllabus" days of class in college. I met a couple representatives, Speaker Zellers said hello to me (because that's his job haha) and seeing Amy Koch post-scandal drama was pretty fun too. Some supporters of the occupy  movement came and protested as well with a lot of chanting of "Tax the rich", which I loved and wanted to join in on, but realized I was there for a different purpose haha. But as the Vikings Stadium plays out and some of the constitution amendments are discussed, things are going to get pretty heated. It'll be interesting to see that go down.

Life at the capitol is pretty go go go, so when I got home today and sat down I had a bit of time to reflect on the day. Honestly, I can't imagine my life without politics in it in some way, especially in the form of advocacy. Specifically, advocating for the disadvantaged in our society. I'm reaffirmed all of the time that that is my calling and what God put me here to do. Even though this opportunity is temporary, I am so blessed to be doing something I love and to feel fulfilled and like I am making a difference every day.