Short Notes: By Any Means Human

By Jose Vilson | August 3, 2008

Short Notes: By Any Means Human

By Jose Vilson | August 3, 2008
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Frida Kahlo\'s \"Le Due Frida\"

Get your New York Yankees wallpaper here and here courtesy of yours truly. You’re welcome.

I’m not losing any fat, but I’m definitely gaining muscle. Thus, my weight is still the same, but I feel different.

It’s worth noting that the one group my blog is popular with is … teachers. And teachers of all colors. With people who I’m typically associated with at first sight, not so much. And that goes for the web and in real life.

With that said, if you’d like to nominate me for the Black Weblog Awards, feel free. Yes, it’s open to anyone.

I think it’s about time someone actually wrote something about forcing the change of the guard as far as community leadership is concerned. For example, Jesse, Bill, and Al have been the stalwarts of the old guard for decades now for decades. We need a change, and people don’t feel like they’re doing us right. And sometimes, I think the same thing about the blogosphere too.

The #1 quality I bring to the classroom is passion. Whether I’m animated or settled, it’s my drive and passion that keep me getting up every day and into that classroom to teach math. True indeed. Thanks for asking, Tracy. I’ll write more about this soon, but that’s my immediate answer.

I miss her. I really do. Hope she’s doing well.

Met up with 2 friends this week. Definitely exciting stuff to come from them.

One of my big non-negotiables is insulting women for being women. Basically, we can’t talk about educating or re-educating anyone if you speak of women in sexist terms. For example, in the Black in America special by CNN, the big trend that came up was the trend of successful Black men dating White women. I personally have no issue with interracial relationships; date who you please or who pleases you. Yet, some Black women who simply state that they want a Black man often get admonished (!) for it, as if 1) they’re undeserving of a successful Black man and 2) they complain so much that it’s no wonder why those men would never go out with them. “Well maybe you should stop complaining, and maybe you should be more like ____ or ____.” It’s bull, people. It’s implicitly bitter and misogynist, and anyone making those arguments ought to take a hard look at themselves in the mirror. (That was just an example, because it’s happening a lot in other arenas, too.)

Women have a right to preference just like men do. It’s not the difference between beggars and choosers. It’s about love. There’s a difference between limiting one’s options and having a preference for someone. Love. Love. Love.

jose, who believes in holding up a mirror to yourself, and not just for admiration …

p.s. – If you’re referring to a group of people that identify themselves as Latino, the plural form is Latinos not Latino’s. Once you use the latter, you instantly lose 1/2 of your credibility. The other 1/2 is just in case you make an honest effort to correct that. I know some of these people only care about Latinos as a voting bloc and not as a people, but please …


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