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Monday, September 26, 2005
People or Politics?
"But when the personal became political,
persons ceased to exist.
When persons cease to exist,
war is imminent."
I just came across this quote from Julius Lester in an article from the Summer 2000 issue of Whole Earth. It sums up my essay with an eloquence I can only hope to acheive as a writer.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Speaking Out Without Fear
In 1928, Virginia Woolf said that to answer certain questions, “truth is only to be had by laying together many varieties of error.” This is a way of learning that is still valid the 21st century.
Over the past few years our country has become more polarized than ever before in my lifetime. One-sided arguments fill the airways, the newsstands, and the bookstore shelves. Some people claim the liberal media is slanting the news. Other people claim the conservatives, through corporate ownership, are hijacking the news. Unscrupulous program directors on various TV channels and radio stations are making sure that you can choose the viewpoint you like, tune into a friendly station, and rarely hear or see a story that contradicts it. Religious extremists want to silence the voices of those who disagree with their theology.
I overheard my husband watching TV a couple of weeks ago. A group of teenagers were discussing their education. “Don’t go for a master’s degree,” one student advised another, “Getting a bachelor’s is okay; but if you get too much of an education, you will lose your faith.” What a sad state of affairs. Are our beliefs and ideas so fragile that learning about different points of view will destroy them? Are we so sure of ourselves and our opinions that we do not feel the need to learn anything else?
We speak of tolerance, but tolerance is not enough. When we tolerate some-one, we “put up with them.” Instead we should embrace diversity. We must be willing to hear other viewpoints and to let our understanding of the world become fuller and more substantial through this knowledge.
In 1991, during the first Gulf War, I worked as a civilian contractor for TOPGUN, Navy Fighter Weapons School at NAS Miramar in San Diego. Our department created the training materials for the fighter pilots teaching at the school. A favorite training slide at the time depicted cartoon Iraqi “ragheads” wearing turbans and plotting all kinds of evils. I’m sure this stereotype helped the pilots live with themselves as they dropped bombs over Iraq. When I think of Iraq, I don’t think of nameless, faceless “ragheads,” but of my high school friends, Fiama and Jennifer, who moved to Baghdad in the 1980s to live with their father. I often wonder if they are still there, if they are safe and healthy, if, perhaps, their sons are now Iraqi soldiers.
Virginia Woolf despaired of the stereotyping in her time as she said, “all this pitting of sex against sex, quality against quality”—today we might also say faith against faith, party against party—“all this claiming of superiority and imputing of inferiority, belong to the private school age of human existence where there are ‘sides,’ and it is necessary for one side to beat another side, and of the utmost importance to walk up to a platform and receive from the hands of a Headmaster himself a highly ornamental pot. As people mature they cease to believe in sides or in Headmasters or in highly ornamental pots.”
It is time to move beyond partisan politics. To throw away the narrow viewpoints that politicians would use to capture our votes. To rise above the pettiness and hostility preached by television evangelists. It’s time to talk to our neighbors and to each other, without fear and with all candor. Only by having open and honest conversations with real people can we ever hope to find the common ground that exists among us. And it is there. Don’t we all want food, shelter and safety? Don’t we all want to protect the beauty and dignity of our nation? Don’t we all dream of a better future for our children?
Mathematicians are fond of saying, “If an infinite number of monkeys are given typewriters for an infinite amount of time, they will eventually produce the complete works of Shakespeare.” This may be a mathematical fact; but if we close our eyes, ears, and mouths in a “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” posture, we will not produce anything worthwhile in our lives. Wearing blinders, limiting our conversation, and reading only that with which we already agree will cripple us intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually.
In response to pervasive polarization, many of us seem to be willing to censor our conversations in the hopes that we will “not offend anyone.” This is an impossible goal. We have a responsibility to speak out against closed-mindedness and bigotry while promoting reason and compassion instead. We must tell the stories, not only of the victors, the powerful, and the vociferous, but also of the downtrodden, the oppressed, and the silent.
Let us join with Virginia Woolf and continue in
“the habit of freedom and the courage to write
[and say] exactly what we think.”
***
All quotes from Virginia Woolf are from A Room of One’s Own . A different version of this essay first appeared in the Spring 2005 issue of Women Writing the West Member Newsletter.
Pattern: Knit Your Mind Felted Bag
Because it's Banned Books Week, I've designed this felted bag to use to carry my book with me, and to promote free speech and the First Amendment.
For those who are not familiar with the United States Constitution, the First Amendment reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
This bag allows you to speak your mind visually, by incorporating an intarsia motif representing something you are passionate about. I've included several charts that illustrate my own passions, but you can easily substitute another design.
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This is the chart I used on my bag. It means "straight but not narrow" and I'm proud to carry it in support of my gay and lesbian friends who are facing so much discrimination and hate these days. |
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This peace sign chart speaks for itself. I believe war should always be the last resort, only considered after every other option is exhausted. I also believe that starting a war is always immoral. |
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This chart is my adaption of the logo from Eve Ensler's V-Day web site, promoting a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. If you've never read or listened to Eve's Vagina Monologues, you really should. It's educational, enlightening, and entertaining. If you're a woman and you haven't been able to enjoy your sexuality, Eve's message will set you free. |
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The classic feminist symbol, promoting equal rights for all women. "Feminism is the Radical Notion that Women are People." |
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In 1978, Gilbert Baker of San Francisco designed and made a flag with six stripes representing the six colors of the rainbow as a symbol of gay and lesbian community pride. Slowly the flag took hold, offering a colorful and optimistic alternative to the more common pink triangle symbol. Today it is recognized by the International Congress of Flag Makers, and is flown in lesbian and gay pride marches worldwide. Read more. |
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Julius Lester, a Newberry award winning children's author, keeps a human skull on his desk to remind him that we are all alike underneath our superficial differences. In his memoir, On Writing for Children and Other People, he says that in our "skullness," we "exist beyond and separate from defintions of gender, race, and all the socio-political definitions which hang from our limbs and rattle like the chains of Jacob Marley's ghost." What a great writer! |
Size
Approx 11 inches wide x 12 inches tall before felting
Approx 8 1/2 inches wide x 10 inches tall after felting
Needles
Size 11 U.S. straight and 2 double-pointed needles
Yarn
Color A: Approx 200 yards of worsted or bulky weight yarn in a solid color
Color B: Approx 100 yards of worsted or bulky weight in a contrasting color, or the colors used in your selected chart
Tip: For a larger bag, use a double strand of worsted-weight yarn, and size 13 needles. The peace bag was made with a single strand of yarn on size 11 needles; the skull bag was made with a double strand of yarn on size 13 needles.
I used Plymouth Galway Worsted (100% Wool - Worsted Weight, 5 sts = 1"/US8 needle / 210 yds/100g ball).
Gauge
Approx 3 sts = 1 inch over stockinette stitch (knit 1 row, purl 1 row) before felting
Instructions
This bag is knit back-and-forth from the bottom up, using Intarsia color work. The bag is felted after the knitting is complete. See this month's lessons if you are unfamiliar with either of these techniques.
With color A, cast on 67 stitches.
Work 6 rows in stockinette stitch (knit 1 row, purl 1 row).
Change to color B. Work 4 rows in stockinette stitch.
Change to color A. Work 4 rows in stockinette stitch.
Next row (RS), set up chart patterns. Knit 22 sts, place marker, work 23 sts of chart, place marker, knit 22 sts.
Continue following chart and working in stockinette stitch until all rows of chart have been worked. Slip the markers whenever you come to them.
Change to color A. Work 4 rows in stockinette stitch.
Change to color B. Work 4 rows in stockinette stitch.
Change to color A. Work 6 rows in stockinette stitch. Bind off.
Finishing
Fold bag in half and sew center back seam.
Fold bag so seam is in center back, and sew bottom seam.
Straps (make 2)
With color A and double-pointed needles, cast on 3 sts. Work in I-cord as follows, until strap measures approx 16 inches.
*K3, do not turn. Slide sts to other end of double-pointed needle. Repeat from *.
When strap is desired length, bind off.
Sew straps to bag, weave in ends, and felt in washing machine.
Lesson: Felting
Felt is a thick, matted fabric created by applying moisture, heat, and agitation to yarn from certain natural animal fibers such as 100% wool or a blend of wool and mohair. Machine washable wool (“superwash”), cotton, silk, and man-made fibers will not felt, but can be used along with a strand of wool to create interesting textures.
Here are some tips for planning a felting project:
- Yarn – choose a yarn that is lighter in weight than what the pattern calls for (because it will thicken up when you felt it), and make sure it is “feltable.”
- Gauge – work the design at a very loose gauge so the stitches are light and airy. You should be able to see space between the stitches. If your stitches are too tight, the piece may not felt well.
- Swatch first – it’s always better to experiment with felting on a small piece than to spend weeks or months working on a project only to be disappointed with the way it comes out of the washer.
To felt a knitted item, put it in a zippered pillow case (to catch the lint) and toss it in the washing machine. Set the machine for the smallest load size with hot wash, cold rinse, and heavy-duty agitation. Add a couple of tablespoons of laundry detergent or no-rinse wool soap, and turn on the machine.
Check the felting every five minutes. Some yarns will felt within the first few minutes, while others may take two or three cycles. When the fibers are matted and you don’t want the item to shrink any more, take it out and gently rinse it in tepid water in the sink. Roll the rug in a towel and squeeze out the excess water.
You can also let the rug continue to shrink and go through the rinse and spin cycles in the machine. Some people report that this results in permanent creases in the felt, but I have never seen this happen.
Lesson: Intarsia
The knitting technique used to create large blocks of color is called intarsia.
Each color is worked with a separate ball of yarn, and the yarns are crossed at the color change to lock the sections together.
Tip: when working small motifs, wind off a small amount of yarn for each color area and let them hang loose at the back of your work. If the yarns get tangled, you can easily separate them if they are not attached to balls.
To make change colors in the middle of a row:
1. With the first color, knit up to the color change, then drop the first color.
2. Pick up the second color, crossing the yarn underneath the first color, and work the first stitch tightly.
3. Give the end of the old color a slight tug to lock the colors together, then continue knitting with the second color.
Responses
Here are two wonderful responses I received this month. Thanks to Naomi and Sarah for sending this info!
Threads of Compassion
by Sarah Sullivan
Threads of Compassion is a loosely connected group of survivors of sexual violence who desire to offer comfort and support to recent victims. The idea is simple. Any survivor of sexual assault or abuse is welcome to knit or crochet a scarf which in turn will be given to an assault or abuse victim when they enter the hospital for emergency treatment.
Having been through similar experiences ourselves, our hope is to offer support at a time when a person is feeling most forsaken, fearful, and vulnerable and in a simple way let them know they are not alone. The scarves are tangible objects that can be held, wrapped around the neck or shoulders, with the deeper meaning known only by the wearer.
The scarves represent a couple of things. One, that the victim is not alone. The second is hope. The knowledge that other people have been able to move forward after facing similar situations, can in turn give the victims hope that they also will find the strength to move on.
The added beauty of the scarves is that the gift is actually two-fold. Through making the scarves, survivors are provided an opportunity of helping other victims (in a very non-threatening way). Those who knit the scarves never come in contact with the specific person who receives their scarf. That is all handled through the local rape crisis center. Most hospitals now contact victim advocates when sexual violence victims come into the ER, and it is through this staff that the scarves will be presented to the victims. Each scarf will have a small card attached to it that explains the idea behind Threads of Compassion and information on how to contact their local crisis center if they need further help or support.
The site information on where to send scarves, links to knitting lessons and free patterns for many beautiful scarves, and to The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) -- the nation's largest anti-sexual assault organization.
Knitted Condom Amulets
by Naomi Dagan Bloom
Naomi designed these fun condom amulets to promote AIDS awareness among senior citizens. In New York City, where Naomi lives, approximately 27 percent of residents over 50 years old are infected with HIV. Many don't even know they have the virus.
In 1995, Jane Fowler, a 69 year-old grandmother founded HIV Wisdom for Older Women after learning that she had been infected with HIV. Fowler was a widow, and had never had sex with anyone except for her husband until after his death when, she told Dennis Duggan of New York Newsday, "I began dating a man I had known most of my life. I wasn't sexually promiscuous. I thought I knew him really well and I felt safe with him."
Unforunately, Fowler wasn't as safe as she'd thought. Duggan wrote, "Older people who feel they are inoculated against a sexually transmitted disease simply because of their age are walking through a minefield. Worse, even doctors who are capable of telling their patients the most dreadful things shrink from talking to older people about sex."
To contact Naomi and learn more about her Condom Amulets for awareness, visit her web site: City Worm.