zerbie,
I know that this man was on the job market. He is educated, sophisticated, even-tempered. He is a lawyer. He was hired a few weeks ago, and within a week, he had been bumped to 2 other positions, each time at a lower salary. He was able to discover from a friend who helped him get the position that a) it was because of his race, and b) others in similar positions are paid more money. This is a government agency.
affirmative action programs are being eliminated. Even here where I work, there are over 400 teachers in this district, with only a handful being ethnically diverse.
it's also interesting that we feel like we're becoming more conservative, but our collective behaviors don't match that. I find it hard to believe that only gay men are going to see Brokeback, it just wouldn't be that successful if that were true. I watched Will & Grace last week; Will had a good long kiss with another guy. I didn't hear any noise from the conservatives about that. why? It almost seems like the religious right wants to be critical of some things, while enjoying the same things but in a different context. For example, they don't want lgbt people to marry, but they don't mind watching tv shows with gay characters. (albeit, stereotypical characters, I guess that makes us "safe".)
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Originally Posted by Zerbie
Keltic, I would be interested to hear from your friend's SO as to what the differences are between now and the 70s. How is it worse?
My husband sometimes says that the American society is less open now - more ideologically, socially conservative than it was in the 70s. His favorite example is the TV show All in the Family - he swears up and down that show would never see airtime if it were produced now. Judging by the reactions to End of the Sword, Brokeback, Book of Daniel, I wonder if he's right? Are we going backward, socially?
TJ: It would be sad if the memorial service does not reflect the spirit of Coretta Scott King. Hardly does she leave us, but the spin and the doublespeak comes to cover her up. But WE are still living, and remember that the dream lives in everyone with a loving heart and a willingness to learn, grow, and uplift those around us.
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