So what I wonder is who decided that the presence or lack of an epicanthal fold determines one's superiority.
One thing that disturbs me more than anything else in life is when people pull at their eyes in imitation of Asian peoples. My father did that and my brother's friends do that. My father's parents used to refer to us as "the round-eyed people" and sneered that the "Chinamen" needed to learn English, that the way they spoke was absurd (to which I say, jiba, qing lianxi ni de zhongwen!). Recently I have been researching Epicanthoplasty - the spacing out of the epicanthal fold, or "Westernization" of the Asian eyelid.
That same day I learnt from http://www.healthline.com/blogs/diet_nutrition/2008/03/skinny-on-being-thin.html that being ridiculed for being thin happens too. Not just being fat.
And then I found this disgusting rant on http://www.momlogic.com/2008/08/size_12_youre_fat.php, which reminded me, once again, that I am the wrong shape and size.
Weight. Color. The shape of the face, nose, and eyes. What Makes You You. Are these things to be celebrated?
Yes.
At least, that's what we hear from encouraging voices ... because they are THERE in the media, even if they are not always heard as clearly as the others. But I grew up reading American Girl Library and lots of books on how your shape and size and What Makes You You were meant to be celebrated and enjoyed, so I have heard that everyone is special and unique.
But it's not always so easy.
Are these really things to be celebrated? Sure. But we don't want to celebrate them. We want them to be different.
It is not easy to celebrate who we are.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Life. Ouch. Dead. Life. I Think. Bedtime.
Well, I'm just about dead. It's not often I'm mightily pleased the weekend is over, but here we are.
Saturday and Sunday both brought Community Chorus concerts. We kicked it off with "Seventy Six Trombones" which of course is a great song. You can't help but burst with wild energy when singing it ... or at least I cannot. And then we did a wonderful new ballad called "Tuimbe", which is in African-style tune about music in life's little joys ... and some of the not-so-little ones, too. One of the best was "The Tortoise and the Hare" ... you can listen to "Tuimbe" at http://listeninglab.stantons.com/item.php?stno=429408 but I'm sorry to admit I have no clue where you can find "Tortoise". It's a new song, and just for some reason seems to be nowhere on the Web. So the first half of the concert was really rip-roarin' good theatrical and silly stuff - except for "Anyway", which is dedicated to Mother Theresa (you know a song is cheesy when you're embarrassed for the saint to whom it's dedicated).
(I should note that the poem - http://www.prayerfoundation.org/mother_teresa_do_it_anyway.htm - has been attributed to Mother Theresa but is thought to have originated with Dr. Kent M. Keith. The poem is quite nice. As a song it was cornball times ten multiplied by the radius of pi squared.)
The second half was all Christmas. I've got to tell you, you know, I always hated "Santa Baby" until we actually sang it. It's so much fun to sing ... and "North Pole Rock and Roll" was a medley of a bunch of familiar songs: "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town", some old Elvis tune ... really, if I weren't 90 percent dead, I could tell you more. Maybe later. I'm dead. So very dead.
Oddly enough, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" was most difficult of all to sing: I take it everyone had his or her own idea of the traditional song ... it was very trying, that particular piece. And yes, we messed it up during both performances.
(This is in fact a lie. Well, a half-truth. I mean, WE messed it up in the second performance. Yours truly messed it up in the first.)
And today was a meeting with YUGA (http://www.planusa.org/content172382) finalizing plans for the AIDS awareness Dance-a-Thon in Providence. Come to Local 121 on Saturday and watch me and a bunch of others dance our wee leetle hearts out. http://www.local121.com/home And join YUGA if you are a Youth who wants to be United with other youths for Global Action and Awareness.
Emily
Saturday and Sunday both brought Community Chorus concerts. We kicked it off with "Seventy Six Trombones" which of course is a great song. You can't help but burst with wild energy when singing it ... or at least I cannot. And then we did a wonderful new ballad called "Tuimbe", which is in African-style tune about music in life's little joys ... and some of the not-so-little ones, too. One of the best was "The Tortoise and the Hare" ... you can listen to "Tuimbe" at http://listeninglab.stantons.com/item.php?stno=429408 but I'm sorry to admit I have no clue where you can find "Tortoise". It's a new song, and just for some reason seems to be nowhere on the Web. So the first half of the concert was really rip-roarin' good theatrical and silly stuff - except for "Anyway", which is dedicated to Mother Theresa (you know a song is cheesy when you're embarrassed for the saint to whom it's dedicated).
(I should note that the poem - http://www.prayerfoundation.org/mother_teresa_do_it_anyway.htm - has been attributed to Mother Theresa but is thought to have originated with Dr. Kent M. Keith. The poem is quite nice. As a song it was cornball times ten multiplied by the radius of pi squared.)
The second half was all Christmas. I've got to tell you, you know, I always hated "Santa Baby" until we actually sang it. It's so much fun to sing ... and "North Pole Rock and Roll" was a medley of a bunch of familiar songs: "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town", some old Elvis tune ... really, if I weren't 90 percent dead, I could tell you more. Maybe later. I'm dead. So very dead.
Oddly enough, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" was most difficult of all to sing: I take it everyone had his or her own idea of the traditional song ... it was very trying, that particular piece. And yes, we messed it up during both performances.
(This is in fact a lie. Well, a half-truth. I mean, WE messed it up in the second performance. Yours truly messed it up in the first.)
And today was a meeting with YUGA (http://www.planusa.org/content172382) finalizing plans for the AIDS awareness Dance-a-Thon in Providence. Come to Local 121 on Saturday and watch me and a bunch of others dance our wee leetle hearts out. http://www.local121.com/home And join YUGA if you are a Youth who wants to be United with other youths for Global Action and Awareness.
Emily
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