activism
Grassroots campaigns have proven instrumental in bringing about political, social or environmental change; you've got to start somewhere-might as well start here.
Life expectancy: How can we address uneven declines?
Not long ago, during pre-pandemic 2019, the reported life expectancy at birth for non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic White, and Hispanic populations was approximately 75, 79, and 82 years, respectively. The higher life expectancy of Hispanic people compared to others in the United States may come as a surprise to some.
By Tausif Akhtar5 years ago in The Swamp
Ignorance and Frustration
It is great to be in a time when children are being listened to, to have grown and accepted we are not alike. It is funny when to hear people say when we were raised with spankings, and we did not turn out bad, well yes, we did, we grew up resentful, unable to express ourselves and in turn we treat others even our own kids with that same callous roughness. We do not disavow what we questioned when we were growing up, because our parents told us that is how it is, or it is because we say so. That was not an answer and had we pointed this out, well, we all know what would have happened.
By Pedro A. Idarraga5 years ago in The Swamp
Palestine is a Litmus Test of Our Capacity to Change the World
The world’s attention has been transfixed by Israel’s most recent attack on Gaza. Palestinian voices and narratives have begun to filter through the mainstream American media channels that have suppressed their voices for decades. When the Israeli military bombed al-Jalaa Tower, which housed the Associated Press and Al Jazeera offices in Gaza on 15 May 2021, it seemed to mark a turning point in wider public opinion. On the day of that bombing, which followed the destruction of two other large residential buildings in Gaza, US Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Cori Bush tweeted a simple yet powerful message: “apartheid states aren’t democracies.”
By Rebecca Ruth Gould5 years ago in The Swamp
Welcome to the occupation
WELCOME TO THE OCCUPATION I returned to Jerusalem’s Old City today by entering through the Damascus Gate and figured to just look around and at least find how to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque grounds whenever non-Muslims are allowed in.
By Lawrence Maushard5 years ago in The Swamp
Real Need
Come on... we've all seen it at some point. Disaster strikes and prices for some commodity rises dramatically. We all think the same thing... profiteer. Asshole. Greedy SOB. Governors enact laws because of the outcry, and everyone complains and shames.
By L. Lane Bailey5 years ago in The Swamp
The Benefits of Socialism
The idea of socialism has been around for a long time. In the transformative years of the 19th Century, socialism started to make a gradual appearance in the areas of social benefits, worker's unions, shifts with hourly restrictions and social security. It was a revolution for the common human being. But since during the soviet union, the rise of communism and its downfall from international stardom in the early 1990s, many people have linked socialism to evil and destruction. To clear this up, I would like to discuss the benefits of socialism and how it has helped hundreds of millions of people around the world.
By Kevin Tennert5 years ago in The Swamp
UNIFY
Why do we forget so quickly? We witnessed these acts of violence, blatant racism, and disregard for human decency, and yet we get distracted by another similar act, or settle for a police officer being fired or resigning. And while the victim endures pain for the violence to which they were subjected, the culprit gets to go about his or her business without a care in the world. Is this really justice, is this fair? And -let’s not rely on the cliché life is not fair, to excuse this type of transgressions-.
By Pedro A. Idarraga5 years ago in The Swamp
Accountability
I am writing this as a half-white woman who knows I have privilege. As a Mexican, I see my brown people facing similar issues. As a white woman, I am sorry. I am so so sorry for the society that we live in. To Black and Brown people, I am sorry that you have been tossed aside and been treated as "other" for your entire life. You important, valuable, and worthy of love. I am sorry. Derek Chauvin may look like justice or accountability, but it is only because the world was watching. A majority of police are not held accountable for the people they have killed.
By Miss Ghoul5 years ago in The Swamp
A Seventh Man: The Art of Activism
‘Why does the Western world look to migrant laborers to perform the most menial tasks? What compels people to leave their homes and accept this humiliating situation? In A Seventh Man, John Berger and Jean Mohr come to grips with what it is to be a migrant worker – the material circumstances and the inner experience – and, in doing so, reveal how the migrant is not so much on the margins of modern life, but absolutely central to it. First published in 1975, this finely wrought exploration remains as urgent as ever, presenting a mode of living that pervades the countries of the West and yet is excluded from much of its culture.’ (Berger and Mohr, Verso: 2010)
By Outrageous Optimism 5 years ago in The Swamp
