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Monday, May 29, 2006
BEARS AND MAPLE SYRUP posted on 5/29/2006 08:18:00 AM by agentCB
MAY DAY PARADE posted on 5/04/2006 12:41:00 AM by agentCB
i blog to you live and direct from vancouver, bc. up here for vacation on this my first rainy memorial day weekend ever. vancouver is a very diverse city. it's very integrated as well. i see newer immigrants walking around and enjoying all stores and scenery and blending in with everyone else.
it's not like america where newer immigrants are confined to their own ethnic enclaves and rarely venture outside their comfort zone. but up here, just from the way people move around and act, there seems to be more peace and acceptance of diversity than in the US. it's a subtle difference but to me it seems like people feel more free to be themselves up here. i don't see the wanna-be model chicks or the hairspray mohawk havin dudes prancing around the streets up here. true, may people are more fashionable, but it's at their own personal taste instead of a "corporate inspired" trend.
somewhat refreshing.
of course this is just one day in the land of maple syrup. maybe living up here turns out to be the same as everywhere else. but just from judging from how the people carry themselves, i doubt it. i guess the real test is to see how police deal with people, but i've only seen one cop car so far up here.
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so about the bears, there appears to be some sort of city-wide collection of bear statues painted in various fashion. some are very cool, others cheesy. i have video of some of the bears. others on film. day two is today. going to be in the mountains viewing grizzly bears and coyotes from high above on a suspension bridge and treetop observation points...
hopefully.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
ok so it wasn't a parade, it was a march. i marched for immigrant rights. on the 1st along with 30,000 other people. i was disappointed to see not many of the other brown folk present, besides the chicano/latinos. but there were pockets of APIs and African Americans representing. even a few fascists complete with nazi armbands.
wow.
the immigration issue is brought to the forefront today because of 1) 9/11 and "homeland security" and 2) the "economy." immigrants are accused of taking jobs from americans, taking resources away (health etc) and also current border controls (read lapses in control) are frightening the masses.
to quote the pre-bridgette nielsen flavor flav... don't believe the hype
to me, the real issue is power. immigrants are getting scapegoated to make mainstream america feel better that the government is doing something to keep america "safe." in reality, american immigration policy is jacked up and inconsistent. this creates an issue with perceived security. that's a no-no in post 9-11 america. immigrants are expendable and thus are the first to go. basically, in my cynical opinion polititians are doing it for votes. ok so they're expressing the concerns of their constituents, which makes me shudder that people think that solving the immigrant issue will provide the cure-all for our current woes.
now here's something interesting, the GOP is split on the immigration debate... nevermind the democrats.
big business conservatives likes cheap labor. law and order conservatives want to feel safe. kinda funny huh.
globalization and the existence of capitalism (read: organized greed) have created impoverished situations for other countries that are being exploited of their natural resources and now their people (for cheap labor).
immigrants are willing to work jobs that pay pennies. so another question to ask is why do these jobs pay crap? because the people on top know they can get away by using cheap labor and/or outsourcing jobs that used to be in america which are now in india etc, where there is cheaper labor.
it is so economically deprived in these countries that pennies is better than the lint bunnies they get paid at home. (on a side note, these people are probably happier and more content with their lives than most americans).
in reality, how much will it change our world if immigrants didn't do the jobs they're getting blamed for taking away? not much right? businesses will go elsewhere. so why is it immigration is this big of an issue? it's not, it's just getting spun to cover the bigger issues, corporate control of the US economy and the rest of the world thru globalization. attacking immigration is like trying to cure a severed arm with a band-aid. maybe it'll work for a minute, but the shit is still gonna be their in the morning.
what pisses me off is that so-called citizens who don't even participate in their own government and vote are complaining about people coming to this country for better opportunities. they don't even realize -nor probably care for that matter- the US' part in creating this situation via globalization and corporate plundering. it's like a kid beating up another kid and taking all his toys, then complaining that the other kid is trying to get some of his toys back. what's illegal is relative.
i sound like a radical right now.
philosphically i stand with all those brown. that's why i marched, for solidarity. also because i know my ass is next on the scapegoating list. however it shouldn't be just a brown issue. it should really be a "let's take back america from the grasp of big business!" kind of march.
including all shades of brown.*
*yes white people, you are the lightest shade of brown in my world.
