I am enjoying your posts and I took a look at the handbag link. Not for me living out of a suitcase in El Salvador currently and they were pretty. You cross posted a song today and I started a playlist. Any more music suggestions?
Thanks this will be fun! I made a playlist. How about RC the Rapper? I think you mentioned suggestions somewhere? I will have to go back and read through those posts. Yes...it is fun in El Salvador and it has been a journey as I sold my house with the intention to move outside the US and have been traveling for 1 1/2 years now. I wanted to check out El Salvador and if it didn't feel right, I was going back to Costa Rica and was going to make it work. But I knew when I landed and walked through the airport that it was special here. I have pivoted a bit in what I am doing...I want to go to Guatemala next year and check out the lake. But residency and property here is my goal right now. This is the safest-feeling country I have ever visited and the people are really nice...they look you in the eye and smile, which has become more rare in the US and other places I have been. I like it.
I listened to 30 seconds of RC the Rapper and he sounds like an excellent homegrown choice for #FreedomMusicFriday. Are you going to start doing FreedomMusic posts?
Sounds like you are doing some cool stuff out there. Many years ago I had a friend who did something similar. She lives in Bolivia now.
So what is it that caused this renaissance in El Salvador? I have heard only snippets…
I don’t plan to do music posts. RC is all yours. My once a week post on something on transformation is enough for me for now. The renaissance in El Salvador is multi faceted in my opinion and I can’t explain it. Just like I can’t explain world politics or the rational for things I see. I can say a lot and many agendas are both covert and multi-fasceted etc…etc… Money is coming into the country. A large building downtown is a gift from China. There is a port here that is being revitalized. Roads are great and roadwork is everywhere. I am sure you have heard why it is so safe and it is a relief to see police who for me, are actually friendly. They don’t act intimidating and feel like they are around to actually be helpful and to care for people (but a young local, who approves of all that is happening, said for him it is different. At 31 years old, they look to see if he has any gang tattoos.) I have met two people who told me, or I heard, were tied into spy activity from the US. It is all interesting. But why things are happening is more involved than I know. I like the courage I have seen in some of the decisions here. Again, controversial. But BTC gives me hope and so I am hopeful that that decision will serve this little country well and it seems bold and courageous to me. The people have a sense of optimism. They are grateful and touched people like me want to come. Which I find touching. It is like Costa Rica. Foreigners are driving property prices up. There is such a mix of things. And it is like in the US. People here have varied opinions on everything. Like talking to a Democrat or a Republican. Which has been interesting. Lots about it is interesting.
That is a very interesting account. I know about the BTC, which is fantastic. Also, I heard about some new leader who has really cracked down on crime, and that the increased safety is part of the change/improvement.
Nayib Bukele is the President. Gangs were prevalent and the murder rate was high. I have been told by a couple people here that the gang members were displaced young El Salvadorians who ended up in LA due to a proxy war here between the US and Russia. (That is something that would require verification and research). The young men joined gangs in LA (I was told) and those systems and behaviors found their way back to El Salvador. (Again, what someone told me). Bukele cracked down on the gangs and put a lot of people in jail. Young men were checked for gang tattoos. If they had one, they went to jail. Since this policy was put in place, the country is now incredibly safe. It is like the whole country can breathe. It feels nice to me. His approval rating I think is the highest in the world. People in other countries that know of him love him. It is over 90%. He has been doing things that rapidly and dramatically change the country. None of what I am writing is researched deeply. Just what I have gleaned talking to people. It is like the US or anywhere. I have found some locals like him and some don’t despite the approval numbers. Everywhere and everything seems controversial now. And people are polarized on issues here too. A lot is happening fast for them. But, for me, it feels less divisive. People look you in the eye and smile. They are touched I want to be here. I spent today at an amazing retreat a man with a juice company called Elixir had at his house. I talked to Ms. El Salvador and she told me about how the government wants to get into organic food and hydroponics. Things are changing and a lot is going on. I am hopeful. I need to be somewhere that feels hopeful to me.
Love fighting evil with joy. It's the best way. The cultural appropropriation topic is interesting because it's like racism: there's a true situation where groups of people have taken credit for the cultural creativity and traditions of another in a steal and using kind of way that isn't respectful, but outright theft. At the same time, the real oppressors continue to use and exploit, while everyday people become afraid to engage in wholesome cultural APPRECIATION! Our family has many lineages within it, so we've had lots of conversations of all the fusions we could do, and also if we add in our past lives that we feel a resonance with, it's interesting.
“groups of people have taken credit for the cultural creativity and traditions of another” I am trying to think of examples of that. Can you think of any offhand? Something that pops to mind is that some of the achievements of the Islamic golden age actually came from peoples they conquered. Today, for example, we give them credit for some things that were actually developed by the Assyrians, whom they conquered. And because that conquest was so thorough, there were few Assyrians left who could even object. (This info was from a talk I attended years ago; I am not especially knowledgeable on the subject.)
But more generally, we must segregate allowable knowledge or cultural innovations by race. That path leads to horrible places. Did you check out the article I linked on the subject?
Yes, that's a great example. Also White Western Europeans have claimed credit for developments in science that happened first in the Islamic world. I read a particularly disturbing academic rational for that in a book on Light. Additionally, Jazz and Tap in the US more recently, although I am not super schooled on it. Some white people relate beautifully to indigenous traditions with which they resonate but others use indigenous cultural identities in a self-promo kind of way that isn't respectful. I think its' all about attitude. Is it appreciation or appropriation? Look at the UNESCO sites - it's world domination of the World's Sacred sites. It says, "We are showcasing and preserving the wonders of the world heritage" but in fact they are just exploiting it for control
My husband also jokes about inventing random things he didn't :) I go into a little more on my thoughts on cultural appropriation in this post. I am a balancer, so when I'm around people who are to one side or the other, I usually bring the complimentary perspective, in this case inspired by you. But if I'm around people who are so walk on eggshell-y that they make everyone too nervous to connect genuinely and it actually disrupts cultural appreciation and the celebration of our diversity in communion with all life and each other, then I voice how corrupt the political correctness movement is. It's all about the heart. And by the way, I don't think you are an a-hole (when you read it I'm just writing loose-lipped,)
My wife and I are getting ready for another fun day out in crazy and sunny New Orleans, so I am not able to give this the response it deserves. However, very briefly…
First of all, categorically, I reject the left’s version of “cultural appropriation.” However individual rank and filers may feel, as an aggregate ideological phenomenon, that doctrine is solely based on power and control. I reject it utterly. (Note also that it is 180 degrees from what they were insisting on a few decades ago. Moving the goalposts to keep everyone either aggrieved or off-balance is another tactic of the left).
However, I am interested in discovering what is right and what is good. To that end, I want to think of real-world example, or at least plausible analogues thereof, to try to figure out what is good and bad. To that end, while my wife and I were getting ready just now, we tried to think of some.
So, for example…
Let us say there is a white artist with a shop in Lake Tahoe. He sells paintings he does with Native American themes, images, people, etc. He does not claim to be Native American; he just truly loves the theme. For whatever reason, he has an abiding interest in all things Native American. His work, thus, ends up being, in a sense, an homage…or at very least, a manifestation of a genuine artistic calling.
I am having difficulty finding anything to critique there. Similarly, I would have nothing bad to say about a Native American person who, for whatever reason, developed an interest in the castles of Anglo-Norman England and began painting those.
What is tacky—repellent, really—is when people claim to BE something that they are not. That is stealing.
Really, I would need to run thought experiments like this—create plausible hypotheticals—in order to make (what I would consider to be) dispositive determinations.
But also, we still have to play out the questions I raise in that piece of mine that I linked. Who is allowed and who isn’t? How do we determine guilt, oppression, degree of association with a particular group? Etc. The further down that path I look, the more I see danger and horror.
Oh, and thanks for the warning re: the word “asshole.” But we are both trying to figure out, with honesty, what is right and good. So all is well 🌝
All over really, Mesa, Gilbert, Fountain Hills, Scottsdale, Family in Glendale. Moved to Tucson for awhile. My husband and I bought our first house in Queen Creek before it was an actual city, crazy how it’s grown. Worked at Cancer Treatment Centers of America and then transferred to OK and it closed and now it’s City of Hope in Goodyear. I went through all my cancer treatments at Banner Desert, 15 years ago.
Yep, I know those places. My wife and I lived at 39th Ave. and Cactus for a few years before 2011. She also lived there in the late 80s. And yes, it does just keep growing!
I am enjoying your posts and I took a look at the handbag link. Not for me living out of a suitcase in El Salvador currently and they were pretty. You cross posted a song today and I started a playlist. Any more music suggestions?
Living out of a suitcase in El Salvador sounds fun. I hear wonderful things are going on there now.
How about Sonny Rhodes’ “The Ballad of Serenity”? There are so many great choices…
Here are all the #FreedomMusicFriday posts I have done thus far:
https://substack.com/search/FreedomMusicFriday?searching=focused_posts&focusedPublicationId=1336219
Thanks this will be fun! I made a playlist. How about RC the Rapper? I think you mentioned suggestions somewhere? I will have to go back and read through those posts. Yes...it is fun in El Salvador and it has been a journey as I sold my house with the intention to move outside the US and have been traveling for 1 1/2 years now. I wanted to check out El Salvador and if it didn't feel right, I was going back to Costa Rica and was going to make it work. But I knew when I landed and walked through the airport that it was special here. I have pivoted a bit in what I am doing...I want to go to Guatemala next year and check out the lake. But residency and property here is my goal right now. This is the safest-feeling country I have ever visited and the people are really nice...they look you in the eye and smile, which has become more rare in the US and other places I have been. I like it.
I listened to 30 seconds of RC the Rapper and he sounds like an excellent homegrown choice for #FreedomMusicFriday. Are you going to start doing FreedomMusic posts?
Sounds like you are doing some cool stuff out there. Many years ago I had a friend who did something similar. She lives in Bolivia now.
So what is it that caused this renaissance in El Salvador? I have heard only snippets…
I don’t plan to do music posts. RC is all yours. My once a week post on something on transformation is enough for me for now. The renaissance in El Salvador is multi faceted in my opinion and I can’t explain it. Just like I can’t explain world politics or the rational for things I see. I can say a lot and many agendas are both covert and multi-fasceted etc…etc… Money is coming into the country. A large building downtown is a gift from China. There is a port here that is being revitalized. Roads are great and roadwork is everywhere. I am sure you have heard why it is so safe and it is a relief to see police who for me, are actually friendly. They don’t act intimidating and feel like they are around to actually be helpful and to care for people (but a young local, who approves of all that is happening, said for him it is different. At 31 years old, they look to see if he has any gang tattoos.) I have met two people who told me, or I heard, were tied into spy activity from the US. It is all interesting. But why things are happening is more involved than I know. I like the courage I have seen in some of the decisions here. Again, controversial. But BTC gives me hope and so I am hopeful that that decision will serve this little country well and it seems bold and courageous to me. The people have a sense of optimism. They are grateful and touched people like me want to come. Which I find touching. It is like Costa Rica. Foreigners are driving property prices up. There is such a mix of things. And it is like in the US. People here have varied opinions on everything. Like talking to a Democrat or a Republican. Which has been interesting. Lots about it is interesting.
That is a very interesting account. I know about the BTC, which is fantastic. Also, I heard about some new leader who has really cracked down on crime, and that the increased safety is part of the change/improvement.
Nayib Bukele is the President. Gangs were prevalent and the murder rate was high. I have been told by a couple people here that the gang members were displaced young El Salvadorians who ended up in LA due to a proxy war here between the US and Russia. (That is something that would require verification and research). The young men joined gangs in LA (I was told) and those systems and behaviors found their way back to El Salvador. (Again, what someone told me). Bukele cracked down on the gangs and put a lot of people in jail. Young men were checked for gang tattoos. If they had one, they went to jail. Since this policy was put in place, the country is now incredibly safe. It is like the whole country can breathe. It feels nice to me. His approval rating I think is the highest in the world. People in other countries that know of him love him. It is over 90%. He has been doing things that rapidly and dramatically change the country. None of what I am writing is researched deeply. Just what I have gleaned talking to people. It is like the US or anywhere. I have found some locals like him and some don’t despite the approval numbers. Everywhere and everything seems controversial now. And people are polarized on issues here too. A lot is happening fast for them. But, for me, it feels less divisive. People look you in the eye and smile. They are touched I want to be here. I spent today at an amazing retreat a man with a juice company called Elixir had at his house. I talked to Ms. El Salvador and she told me about how the government wants to get into organic food and hydroponics. Things are changing and a lot is going on. I am hopeful. I need to be somewhere that feels hopeful to me.
Love fighting evil with joy. It's the best way. The cultural appropropriation topic is interesting because it's like racism: there's a true situation where groups of people have taken credit for the cultural creativity and traditions of another in a steal and using kind of way that isn't respectful, but outright theft. At the same time, the real oppressors continue to use and exploit, while everyday people become afraid to engage in wholesome cultural APPRECIATION! Our family has many lineages within it, so we've had lots of conversations of all the fusions we could do, and also if we add in our past lives that we feel a resonance with, it's interesting.
“groups of people have taken credit for the cultural creativity and traditions of another” I am trying to think of examples of that. Can you think of any offhand? Something that pops to mind is that some of the achievements of the Islamic golden age actually came from peoples they conquered. Today, for example, we give them credit for some things that were actually developed by the Assyrians, whom they conquered. And because that conquest was so thorough, there were few Assyrians left who could even object. (This info was from a talk I attended years ago; I am not especially knowledgeable on the subject.)
But more generally, we must segregate allowable knowledge or cultural innovations by race. That path leads to horrible places. Did you check out the article I linked on the subject?
Yes, that's a great example. Also White Western Europeans have claimed credit for developments in science that happened first in the Islamic world. I read a particularly disturbing academic rational for that in a book on Light. Additionally, Jazz and Tap in the US more recently, although I am not super schooled on it. Some white people relate beautifully to indigenous traditions with which they resonate but others use indigenous cultural identities in a self-promo kind of way that isn't respectful. I think its' all about attitude. Is it appreciation or appropriation? Look at the UNESCO sites - it's world domination of the World's Sacred sites. It says, "We are showcasing and preserving the wonders of the world heritage" but in fact they are just exploiting it for control
Self-promotion and exploitation for control appear to be major themes these days!
Also, I invented the steam engine and the banana daiquiri.
My husband also jokes about inventing random things he didn't :) I go into a little more on my thoughts on cultural appropriation in this post. I am a balancer, so when I'm around people who are to one side or the other, I usually bring the complimentary perspective, in this case inspired by you. But if I'm around people who are so walk on eggshell-y that they make everyone too nervous to connect genuinely and it actually disrupts cultural appreciation and the celebration of our diversity in communion with all life and each other, then I voice how corrupt the political correctness movement is. It's all about the heart. And by the way, I don't think you are an a-hole (when you read it I'm just writing loose-lipped,)
https://aliciakwon.substack.com/p/mr-rogers-look-for-the-helpers
My wife and I are getting ready for another fun day out in crazy and sunny New Orleans, so I am not able to give this the response it deserves. However, very briefly…
First of all, categorically, I reject the left’s version of “cultural appropriation.” However individual rank and filers may feel, as an aggregate ideological phenomenon, that doctrine is solely based on power and control. I reject it utterly. (Note also that it is 180 degrees from what they were insisting on a few decades ago. Moving the goalposts to keep everyone either aggrieved or off-balance is another tactic of the left).
However, I am interested in discovering what is right and what is good. To that end, I want to think of real-world example, or at least plausible analogues thereof, to try to figure out what is good and bad. To that end, while my wife and I were getting ready just now, we tried to think of some.
So, for example…
Let us say there is a white artist with a shop in Lake Tahoe. He sells paintings he does with Native American themes, images, people, etc. He does not claim to be Native American; he just truly loves the theme. For whatever reason, he has an abiding interest in all things Native American. His work, thus, ends up being, in a sense, an homage…or at very least, a manifestation of a genuine artistic calling.
I am having difficulty finding anything to critique there. Similarly, I would have nothing bad to say about a Native American person who, for whatever reason, developed an interest in the castles of Anglo-Norman England and began painting those.
What is tacky—repellent, really—is when people claim to BE something that they are not. That is stealing.
Really, I would need to run thought experiments like this—create plausible hypotheticals—in order to make (what I would consider to be) dispositive determinations.
But also, we still have to play out the questions I raise in that piece of mine that I linked. Who is allowed and who isn’t? How do we determine guilt, oppression, degree of association with a particular group? Etc. The further down that path I look, the more I see danger and horror.
Oh, and thanks for the warning re: the word “asshole.” But we are both trying to figure out, with honesty, what is right and good. So all is well 🌝
Love that you understand I'm coming from a good spirit and so are you!
Hope you thoroughly enjoyed your fun day! Keep fighting evil with Joy! Today I wrote joy on the sidewalk (along with a few other uplifting messages)
I was born and raised in AZ, so for the last 9 years the time changes have definitely interfered with communication, 2 hours later is late with kids!
Oh, what part? We lived in Phoenix for several years…
All over really, Mesa, Gilbert, Fountain Hills, Scottsdale, Family in Glendale. Moved to Tucson for awhile. My husband and I bought our first house in Queen Creek before it was an actual city, crazy how it’s grown. Worked at Cancer Treatment Centers of America and then transferred to OK and it closed and now it’s City of Hope in Goodyear. I went through all my cancer treatments at Banner Desert, 15 years ago.
Yep, I know those places. My wife and I lived at 39th Ave. and Cactus for a few years before 2011. She also lived there in the late 80s. And yes, it does just keep growing!
I hope you are and stay in great health.💙