What I say to people who say "If you don't want trouble, don't break the law!"

I’ve tried to write about this but there are certain things I cannot speak to. I cannot speak to another person’s experience. I can only point out how mine is different, how mine reflects a whole different background and range of experience.

If I think back to any part of my life and say “that was the worst day of my life,” I’m sure it pales next to someone else, someone different than me of another race or a different gender or gender identity.

But I’m offering up my thoughts. My narrow, parochial thoughts about police based on my own experience.

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Shockingly, I have never been arrested, never done anything blatantly illegal.

I’ve lived a dull life.

But from time to time I’ve still dealt with cops.

My privilege is that I have always gotten off with a warning. I have never had handcuffs put on me. I was never looked at askance and asked invasive questions. I’ve never had my car searched.

My privilege is that I’ve always been able to walk away. I’ve never had a police officer’s gun turned on me.

Oh, I know what someone might say: you didn’t run, you were cordial, you did what you were supposed to do and that’s why the cops didn’t get rough with you.

Well, maybe. I’m not saying that it’s always a matter of race (again, I’m just speaking narrowly to my experience). But I have always gotten the benefit of the doubt.

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Benefit of the doubt is when someone looks at you and does not automatically assume that you are up to something bad. There is no need to find fault with you. You can go about your business…

These are the encounters that people like me have with the police. That is my privilege. I did not work to get this privilege, it’s just automatic. And that is part of the problem. Because while it works for me, it does not work for everyone.

It is a benefit that white people get all the time and don’t realize it. Instead, we bitch about being pulled over in the first place. We tell the story later and our white friends sympathize. It works out great…If you’re white. Other people…not so much.

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The point is: you do not have to be a bad person to attract the attention of the police. When people say “well, if you don’t want trouble, don’t break the law!” they really need to look at themselves and be honest about it.

I’ve probably been pulled over about fifteen times in my life. A great many of those times were in one of my old and crappy cars, which usually had some sort of noticeable mechanical issue. I’ve been stopped and frisked while putting up a flyer for one of my shows. I’ve been pulled over after leading a cop on a chase when I didn’t even realize I was being chased by a cop and I didn’t even realize I had been riding somewhere I wasn’t supposed to.

None of these things were really “bad” things, they were just things that happened.

I might not have been breaking the law, or known that I was breaking the law. But I got pulled over nonetheless.

It’s what happened after that that is the difference between my experience and the experience of Black People in America today.

Parochial Political Stew, Monday August 17th

Parochial Political Stew….

Just some shit I was thinking about. Take it however you want.

In the coming election, I prefer Joe Biden.

When I say I prefer Joe Biden, it’s not that I think he’s perfect. I actually like him because he’s not perfect, nor does he present himself to be. He fucks up a lot. He apologizes a lot. He steps in shit and goes, “oh, malarkey.”

I prefer all his goofball shit to the blowhard who can’t take criticism while trying to destroy the Post Office.

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Remember when we didn’t spend hours and days thinking about Coronavirus or if it was safe to vote in person or wondering if that medication we were getting through the mail was going to show up?

Good times.

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People rip on Biden for choosing Harris because (among other irrelevant arguments) she tore him up during the Democratic debates and how could a man let that happen and that would never happen to Trump because Trump is a man and he doesn’t let anyone disrespect him…blah blah MAGA KAG NAFTA SNFU….

In the issue about school busing in the 70’s which Biden had apparently opposed but in truth didn’t really affect him, Kamala Harris actually was affected by it and had her best moment of the whole campaign taking him down (but not out). And yet later on, he chose her. He liked what he saw. He liked what she could do for the country as his VP. Hell, he served in the shadow of Obama for 8 years. It’s called keeping your ego in check.

He overcame the humiliation. Because he is an adult. And that’s what adults do.

After almost 4 years I’m starting to realize the value of career politicians. It’s not a huge value, but it’s important. And in many ways, Biden’s value as a calming force as a competent if unremarkable politician is what many of us need right now.

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Kamala (COMMA-Lah.)

To review…

So far we’ve heard”

She’s not Black! (Which I guess is news to her.)

She’s not qualified because she’s not an American! (Because Oakland is apparently not in the United States. I don’t remember needing a passport when I went there but maybe that’s changed since 2013.)

She’s too liberal! (also, probably news to her.)

She’s too ambitious/opportunistic/pick your word. (Because voters are asking that of every candidate, right?).

Her support of an aggressive police force that targets Black and other minorities is troubling. (Yes, it is. I have no argument there. But I don’t think the people who support Trump would consider this disqualifying, so they focus on the other more racist and misogynistic shit).

But the VP is never really the deal breaker.

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I don’t expect to change minds. I just want to put things out there. I’m keeping my eye on the news without completely immersing myself in it. I don’t watch TV news at all. Not CNN, not FoxNews, not NBC. I sometimes wind up catching 5 minutes of the local news after Svengoolie on Saturdays but that might be it. I used to watch Meet The Press on NBC but my interest (and the quality) dropped off considerably since Tim Russert died in 2008.

I read the paper. The Baltimore Sun gets delivered to my house every day. I make a point of getting through it and then…I put it in the recycle bin. Just a once over of the news. That’s it. (Ok, maybe I go online and look at some stuff, or I read an article served up on Google news, but it’s not an all-day adventure.)

I appreciate the quiet. If I get pissed off, I have fodder for the blog. But it’s not all-consuming. That’s why I do it.

I highly recommend it, if for no other reason than to eliminate some noise in your life. And to do other things…

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Assuming bad intent with everybody may work for some people but it’s just so damn exhausting. Maybe if you’re in prison or something.

The Parochial Case Against Donald Trump's Parochialism.

I did the Parochial case for Joe Biden, so in the interest of fairness, let me also do the Parochial case against Donald Trump's Parochialism.

There are many things that factor into this: the many baffling soundbites; the demonization of the “other.” His unfortunate fixation with the operation of dishwashers and water pressure on the shower.

“Dishwashers, you didn’t have any water so the people that do the dishes, you press it and it goes again and you do it again and again…so you might as well give them the water because you will end up using less water.”—July 16, 2020

Ok…you give water so you have less water. But now they have more water? Oh, and BTW, Trump doesn’t make dishwashers and WTF are you talking about?

Then there is the lack of tact, courtesy and knowledge, and his pride in that lack of knowledge. Like when Trump claims teachers are teaching kids to hate America. That we used to teach 1492 and now it’s 1619 and “I don’t know what the hell that is.” (slavery. 1^st slaves brought to North America [literally 60 seconds of Googling]).”.

--this part synthesized from comments he made on or about July 19 ^th, 2020. Commentary is mine.

It’s that pride in the lack of knowledge where I pick this up…this is the one honest to God thing that I cannot stand about Trump because it strikes at the heart of me as thinking person who enjoys reading and the accumulation of knowledge. Because he is willfully ignorant. Meaning he chooses to be this way.

When you don’t know something and can’t be bothered to look it up. When you can’t be bothered and you’re proud not to know.

Oh, that really fucking burns me.

We live in the greatest age in human history in the way that we are literally at arm’s length from the answer to virtually any question at any time. Through a smart phone, you an access any piece of information, research any fact, clarify any misconception, settle any argument stemming from lack of personal knowledge (who played the lead role in some tv show from the 70’s, for example.) You can access virtually anything at any time. In my opinion, Google is the 2^nd most amazing thing ever invented, behind Bluetooth (which is crazy! I can play music from my phone with no wires???).

But Trump, who is a notorious Twitter user (hey, aren’t we all?) doesn’t care to use the same set of skills he uses to get online and spout off his bullshit to look things up. He prefers to listen to people who praise him, and to simply assume that he knows everything he needs to know.

(You never hear Trump recall a childhood or teenage memory where he says something like “man, I was so stupid back then” or “man, what a jerk I was.” Why is that?)

Nope. He knows what he knows, and even that’s questionable.

In a perfect world where you’re not struggling for survival and you have room to self-actualize, being human is a wonderful journey where a whole big world and an infinite universe is out there. It is impossible to know everything there is to know. Science gives us a guide, and provides a way to find answers, but we will always be learning. Like with outer space, for example. We have been sending probes to explore the solar system, Mars, Jupiter, the former planet Pluto…we will never chart it all. The ability to learn and grow and gain wisdom is one of the pleasures of getting older. Reading books, researching, going to museums, watching documentaries, passing along information, learning from others…it’s all part of the joy of life.

But Trump…cannot…be…bothered.

I would feel sad for him if he wasn’t such a miserable person.

Parochial thoughts on the 10 Day Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

… in which 250 thousand people are expected to converge on a small South Dakota town…whose residents, by the way, were against this taking place this year https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/10/us/sturgis-motorcycle-rally-residents-decision/index.html

While I’d love to reside in a self-constructed bubble of Nihilism and meaningless existence, I still have to come out into the world and deal with the reality of its opposite.

Shit matters. Leadership matters.

To a great extent, I get it. I get that the boredom, the cabin fever, and the isolation is real and very crippling (ask anyone in solitary confinement). But this is an opportunity to get out in the fresh air and enjoy the company of other people.

But…

This is where leadership should kick in. Having someone above you setting an example, setting guidelines and enforcing the rules is very important. It matters.

Now…The Governor of South Dakota is a rabid Trump supporter who not only doesn’t advocate wearing masks but actually opposes them. So, 250 thousand people are free to come from out of state and infect people back in their home states.

• What if someone in leadership had said “sorry folks, come back next year”? (I get the feeling people would have shown up anyway.)
• What about enforcing a mask policy? (Enforcement only seems to go so far when the people outnumber the violators.)
• What about (at the very least) coming out to the rally in a mask and setting an example? (I know, I know. What am I, crazy?)

The genie is out the bottle. It’s happening. I think I know some people who are there.

I don’t blame the people for doing what people do. Failure of leadership on all levels has left people angry and defiant and if I’ve learned anything it’s that nobody learns anything until it happens to them. And even then, it’s not foolproof.

It’s why I’m not going anywhere but work or outdoor facilities within driving distance until at least 2021.

I will continue to be Parochial.

It is what it is...(a short but spirited defense )

It is What it is.

While dumb heartless pricks like “president” Donald J Trump use the phrase “it is what it is” to absolve himself of any responsibility for allowing the unfettered spread of Coronavirus to make people sick and cause 155 thousand American deaths, allow me to address a less angry and contentious side of all this.

Let me offer my spirited defense of… “It is what it is.”

I started a new job about ten years ago and honest to God, I had never heard this expression before then. And then suddenly, there it was: everywhere.

“It is what it is.”

Everyone said it. Everyone employed this expression when a day turned dark and horrible through no one’s fault.

I work outside with heavy equipment where there are probably about 200 people working at any given time. Rain or shine, snow or blazing sun, in all manner of things. Nothing stops us, with the exception of lightning or the occasional hurricane or bad storm. I work with real people who come from all kinds of backgrounds and prejudices and assumptions and wit and humor and idiosyncrasies that you may or may not get used to over the years. The people come and go, and sometimes people drop off and you forget about them.

But there are 2 constants:

1. The weather is the weather.

2. The job is the job.

You are working outside, doing the job, which will never change, in weather, which you can’t control. There is no point complaining about it because….

It Is What It Is!

It’s actually a beautiful expression when used correctly, and in context. It is working class unconscious Zen Buddhism, Stoicism, and Serenity Prayer, all wrapped up in one. The bottom line is that it advocates accepting your lot in life if that is what you have to do to survive. It is saying, “bitching won’t help me out of this.” Because sometimes that is the case. It is a lesson we all have to learn, just as surely as learning it’s opposite. Knowing what to do when is part of the game.

But you know…it is what it is….

A Parochial Case for Joe Biden, our next President.

A Parochial Case for Joe Biden, our next President.

The Parochialist is not in the business of telling you what to think, how to act, or what to do (other than wearing a mask to help stop the spread of Coronavirus). The Parochialist is all about telling you my opinions, how I think, how I act, and what I do. All I ever hope is that by the choices I make, I can influence others to do the same. That’s it. That is the sole purpose of this blog. I have the right to say what I say in my narrow perspective of the blog that was at one time my tool to bring down the Baltimore City Paper, which in retrospect, was an ill-conceived and nihilistic marketing ploy…

But it is within the scope of my mission as the Parochialist to offer up what I call The Parochial Case for Joe Biden…

First and foremost : D***** TR*** is a fucking disaster. If you do not accept this, then it is likely you will not be a fan of what I have to say. (I can offer up many examples on my JOMPT blog. https://jompt.blogspot.com/ )

But even if you argue with this point of view, I can still find some common ground with you. But read on…

Second and second-most: Joe Biden was not my first choice, nor my second, nor my third, not even my fourth. I Liked Yang, I liked Warren, I liked Harris, I was all in for Bernie (until he started winning those early states and I got buyer’s remorse). And then there was South Carolina, where old Stumblin’ Joe got his second wind…

Third: Third parties.

Guys: I was once like you. I really wanted to vote, but I didn’t want the responsibility of my choice mattering. I proudly cast my 2000 vote for Ralph Nader, because I hated both Bush and Gore and I lived in deep blue Maryland and I wanted to make a point. But…holy crap. All it took was some Nader votes in Florida and the relative unpopularity of Al Gore to make Bush the president who started the war in Iraq. (and to think, years later, we wax nostalgic over this guy because even he was better than the guy we got now.) Listen: if we eliminate the Electoral College, maybe we can talk. Until that happens, no. Just no.

Fourth: You are never, ever, ever, ever, ever going to find a candidate who completely gets you and gives you everything you could ever want. Just like you will never, ever, ever, ever, ever get anything under the current administration, who will work like hell in the next 4 years to dismantle everything you hold dear, like healthcare and personal freedom and Tik Tok and whatever...

Fifth: Judges, Federal and Supreme Court. Think Elections don’t matter? Think who the president is doesn’t matter? Ok. Do you freak out anytime RBG goes to the hospital? Do you ever notice that Clarence Thomas is almost always on the shitty side of every argument? These people are appointed by presidents. It fucking matters.

Sixth.

Ok…getting back to Biden…

There is nothing wrong with Biden’s mind. That’s just some bullshit certain disreputable media has been trying to use against him.

But it does bring me to an observation.

My background is in Communications, written and spoken.

T**** is what would be called a “hot” candidate. His messages are simple (not his speeches, which are incoherent): Build the Wall. Suburban Lifestyle Dream. Protesters are Anarchists who hate America. And other bullshit.

Biden is “cool.” You fill in a lot about him and you see what you want when you look at him. What he says and does don’t matter half as much as who he is.

In fact, both candidates have this in common. There is no getting through to a hardcore T**** fan, but there is also no getting through to a Biden supporter, either. While T**** could at one point correctly assume that shooting someone on 5^th Avenue won’t cost him any votes, he was basically giving an exaggerated version of his view. Conversely, Biden could drive a bus full of schoolchildren off a cliff and he’d just be crazy Uncle Joe. People will vote for him because they are tired of T****. Actions don’t matter. And that will work to Biden’s advantage.

What people say about Biden doesn’t matter. No one who is on his side will believe anything, but the narrative spun by the campaign.

And for once, I’m ok with that.

And once in office, Biden will continue to be roundly criticized by Fox news and your Trump loving relatives. But the rest of us will go back to tuning out and just being happy we survived……

And I will still be The Parochialist….