tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15545356.post112937331957411657..comments2024-02-14T16:57:45.608+00:00Comments on The Vol Abroad: Stop the Left from Policing your mindVol Abroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07083054947673242940noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15545356.post-1129451583033347052005-10-16T09:33:00.000+01:002005-10-16T09:33:00.000+01:00I guess it's ok to point out that Parkes was an ac...I guess it's ok to point out that Parkes was an activist, but I & the Vol don't see why that should be a negative criticism. I think possibly it's the way Tammy Bruce writes, she doesn't make it's clear that she's attacking the myth rather than the action itself.<BR/>The problem I have with the book is, it's not thoughtful. She is as happy to criticise a pro-choice animal lover for not donating money to an animal charity run by a pro-life activist, as she is to criticise Jesse Jackson for mafia-style extortion from businesses and self-enrichment. I see the former as completely a matter of personal choice who you give your money to, and the latter as highly immoral. Tammy seems to see it all as much of a muchness.Vol-in-Lawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10547275023499511000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15545356.post-1129413881833683062005-10-15T23:04:00.000+01:002005-10-15T23:04:00.000+01:00Well, we can disagree over the depths of what "cho...Well, we can disagree over the depths of what "choreographed" means but the fact remains that Parks was an activist and that through her organization she had prepared for that moment rather than being a reluctant in the spotlight.<BR/><BR/>I have no problem with it. I understand how it works. I just want acknowledgment of it. And that is what's left out of the conversation on the Legend of Rosa Parks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15545356.post-1129405132686710842005-10-15T20:38:00.000+01:002005-10-15T20:38:00.000+01:00See, that's my point, Rosa Parks was an activist a...See, that's my point, Rosa Parks was an activist and I knew that before I read Ms. Bruce's book, but she was also probably tired and going home. Equating Ms Parks's actions with wrong-headed victimist give-me-extra-special-rights with a parsley garnish shenanigans (which Ms Bruce has plenty of examples of) is silly. <BR/><BR/>Rosa Parks's arrest couldn't have been choreographed because that would have meant that the cop was in on it, too. And I don't think that was the case. (Though yes, it probably was anticipated, if not that time, then another time.) But that doesn't make it right that she could be arrested for refusing to give up her seat for a white person or that there was a presumption that she should.<BR/><BR/>Rosa Parks was an activist, I presume, because she could see injustice around her, or maybe she was bored and had nothing better to do, I don't know. But the laws changed for the better because of the actions she took. It simply isn't right that laws should be applied differently by skin color. <BR/><BR/>If she hadn't been unjustly arrested, I guess she would have just gone home and then another day gone on a march or registered some people to vote or rode the bus again and been arrested. Rosa Parks's activism was the kind that is good. She stood up by sitting down. She didn't hurt anyone, but she took personal risks.<BR/><BR/>The problem is Ms Bruce likes her own activism, but not anyone else's. She likes to be politically savvy, but doesn't like it if others are. By picking on someone who was fighting a right fight she becomes an example of what she's arguing against.Vol Abroadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07083054947673242940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15545356.post-1129390917509793862005-10-15T16:41:00.000+01:002005-10-15T16:41:00.000+01:00Well, as an atheist in the South it really depends...Well, as an atheist in the South it really depends on the company you keep. As I imagine, many things you share about yourself to acquaintances.<BR/><BR/>I read The New Thought Police about two years ago and Bruce's issue with Rosa Parks was that she was more than just a "tired woman who wanted a seat on the bus". For the revisionists who like to paint American History as one of Oppressors vs. Victims, any tampering with the image of St. Rosa simply will not do. Even though it's the truth. She was an activist and it was choreographed. Admitting that is the first step.<BR/><BR/>Bruce isn't the greatest writer but it's her perspective that's important. If we can take such a jaded view of a turncoat leftist like Ms. Bruce - I would think it's nothing more than hypocrisy from people who probably take David Brock and his website Media Matters seriously. Right wing hatchet man found to be a serial liar turns Left Wing Media Watchdog Darling after the check clears.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com