BROAD CAST 13 MARCH 2008: NO SHAMING, L/G MARRIAGE, LESBIAN GASTRONOMY, AND FANNIE LOU HAMER

(Stumps, woodcut from Tugboat Printshop)

Bennett Gordon writing for Utne Reader in an article entitled Confronting People, Creating Change writes:

'Scarlet letters and stockades went out of style in American culture as a way of creating social change, but public shaming is still very much en vogue. The phrase “shame on you” still gets thrown around in American politics, both overtly and in more subtle ways.

'The Jewish tradition Mussar teaches people that there are better ways of creating change. In the March-April issue of Tikkun (article not available online), Leonard Felder breaks down three steps that people should take when trying to right social wrongs. They are:

---Try a dignified one-on-one first
---Make sure you aren’t trying to blast someone for what you yourself need to be working on
---Put human dignity and peace ahead of any other rules or laws

'The guidelines not only help people act morally in conflict, they’re also often more effective than public shaming.'

(Photo of Elana Dykewomon)

For those of you following the current California Supreme Court case considering the rights of lesbians and gays to marry (which some folks I know are because they got married there and if the ruling is overturned, suddenly all those weddings will become legal contracts), here's a quartet of good articles on the subject.

Around the U.S., High Courts Follow California’s Lead, from the New York Times, about how and why "The California Supreme Court is the most influential state court in the nation."

Gay Marriage Attracting Skilled Workers To Massachusetts, an article at 365 Gay which explains why "Massachusetts is reaping huge financial gains as a result of same-sex marriage."

Same-sex marriage yields 'protest burnout', an article from the San Jose Mercury News discusses why "Scene outside state Supreme Court building surprisingly tranquil as hallmark case being heard".

Also from the Mercury News, Sacramento columnist Daniel Weintraub discusses the reality that Same-sex marriage inching toward general acceptance.

Lastly, an op-ed from the Los Angeles Times titled Civil unions aren't marriage explains "The M-word does matter, and courts should make that clear."

(Postcard by Liza Cowan at her post Design Process)

For those of us who do believe being a lesbian is "about what you eat", AfterEllen has interviews by Dara Nai with the three lesbian chefs on the latest installment of Top Chef in Meet the Lesbians of "Top Chef " Season 4.

Meanwhile, compost maven and aficionado of dyke culture Holly Rae Taylor's new blog, Waste Free Living, makes me (and Myra) happy by posting an actual recipe in Lesbian Kale Sauce and the 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera. The Lesbian Kale Sauce looks extremely delicious, except apparently you should greatly reduce the amount of wasabi in it unless your mucous membranes are toughened up.

(Photograph by Dorothea Lange of an African-American man living on a cotton patch near Vicksburg, Mississippi, July 1936)

UPDATE: In one of my annotation posts, where I elucidate the cultural references included in my novel Ginny Bates, I had a meaty section about Fannie Lou Hamer. I've just discovered an extraordinary ten-minute video on YouTube, Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired, about Hamer's life and impact, created by two seventh-grade girls. It's inserted below. Do watch.

(Hat tip to Mogolori, a commenter at Daily Kos who posted the link to this video in her comment on MeteorBlades diary about Mississippi civil rights history, Mississippi Turning.)