June 7, 2020

June 7, 2020 

The weekend is once again over, and once again I have little to show for it - a haircut, which in these times is actually significant and borders on political. Is Covid over, is it safe to do such things? In my weekend out, I saw plenty of folks unmasked, crowded on streets, which are now being filled with patio diners. The restaurants and shops seem to be mostly struggling to comply. 

Actually, I think most of us are trying to find ways to make things sustainable over the long term. We had a visit from friends for a Birthday celebration, we saw each other masked at 20 feet for about 20 minutes. Was that okay? Certainly safer than meeting at a restaurant for dinner. Is there a way to safely expand one’s pod? 

And while contemplating this, word of someone I know having died, with Covid aa a likely contributor. My last conversation with her touched on my cancelled appointment in Santa Monica, where she once lived and that she hadn’t seen me in person since her father’s funeral. From what I gather from mutual friends, her relationships were carried out mostly online, messenger, Facebook, words with friends is how she interacted with the world and what I feel worse about is that none of us had seen her recently in person, not even masked, at 20 feet for 20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, I feel I should say something about the protests, that I support them, that we need to look beyond labeling individuals as racist or not, but start to find ways to dismantle the institutional racism that gets perpetuated in our infrastructure. My manicured feed though, will likely have 99% agreement on that. I’m glad though that the current messaging has included notice that in our attempt to confront our own, often ignorant racism, that we will make mistakes, and that we need to find ways to acknowledge our failings so we can move beyond them. 

A few years ago I recognized that my education had some severe gaps by not including women and people of color in its curriculum. My major was in philosophy which prides itself in challenging assumptions, but I found that one the real downsides of privilege is that it blinds you from seeing it - leaving so many assumptions unchallenged. I feel I’ve been playing catch up, only reading James Baldwin or Belle Hooks in the last two years. That’s my personal project, but more will have to change, and I will have to challenge myself to help make it happen. It’s hard to see the flaws in a system you have benefited itself from.