Inappropriate Conversations

I'm posting this on the Friday before a national holiday in the United States, thinking about "casual Friday" vibes. Perhaps a day like this might start with a team-building meeting, where one leader in the organization takes a turn sharing his story with everyone -- or everyone not taking vacation -- with the intent to drive commitment to our values and maybe answer questions from the room. 

It's not easy being green.

Different Drummer: Colleen Camp

"Each juror who is seated in the jury box will be asked to answer the following 42 questions." Well, what would you do if called to answer these questions? That can be answered. What I don't know is whether my answers would have kept me in the jury pool or not. 

Different Drummer: S. Epatha Merkerson

#IC 113: Raised On Robbery

In 1986, I wrote an essay in a letter exchange with a friend. I haven't shared it here. Reasons why aren't important. I called it "Love and Contemporary Inter-Sexual Friendship" and many of the concepts noted in this podcast -- and, to be fair, other past podcasts -- reflect the same ideas as that essay written almost four decades ago. These thoughts are both conscious and subconscious, which will be obvious from this dream scenario. 

I do not view friendship as a give-to-get concept. I don't keep score, or I try not to. My beliefs are focused on creating better relationships, a better sense of community, and perhaps a better world. 
I saw a quote by the poster of an online video about the different drummer this week that sums this up quite well: "She heals things she didn't break" (Aranez). We need more of that, in the midst of far too many people who are cynical about it. 

Different Drummer: Taylor Swift

The politics of abortion has long been a game of state legislatures passing laws they know are unconstitutional. It's a bit like asking a question over and over again when you already know the answer. The situation has now devolved into something worse, an abuse of concepts like "standing" and "damages" in civil litigation. And the current U.S. Supreme Court seems to be aiding and abetting Texas in what could be called, at best, a foolish mistake.

Different Drummer: George Carlin

Your questions about Texas' new abortion law, answered

One reason to share this early episode of Inappropriate Conversations is the way the Different Drummer segment relates part of a story I've revisited in multiple ways -- my testimony, so to speak. I intend to "TalkBack" to other episodes in upcoming months that tell the story more directly. Another reason is the topic itself: types and forms of knowledge. Along those lines, new introductory material looks at opposition to vaccination from a perspective that, frankly, presumes hypocrisy. Many of the same people who were enthusiastic about following the ex-president quickly through Operation Warp Speed are the ones who seem more interested in undermining the new administrative branch than saving their own lives. It's almost as if this is more about who is president than about the positive impact of vaccination during a pandemic. 

http://www.inappropriateconversations.org/e/48-four-things-i-know/

A significant number of Americans, most from the political and religious right, still owe Barack Obama an apology. 
When you understand the persecution a group thinks they will suffer, whether based on rational conclusions or not, it provides great insight into what they would do if given ultimate and absolute power. We are wise to be wary. The people who predicted Obama would "round up" both Christians and guns might just pose a similar dire threat to their perceived political enemies. We haven't done a sufficient job of denouncing false prophecies in recent years, and now we must deal with the consequences.

http://www.inappropriateconversations.org/e/191-false-political-prophecies/

More than five years ago, Inappropriate Conversations #157 was released as an unedited nearly two-hour rant about that state of law enforcement and race relations in America at the end of 2014. Clearly, things have not improved. We ought to be ashamed of ourselves for not taking these issues more seriously. It is, after all, clearly a matter a life and death.

Different Drummer: Dave Chappelle