The pronoun business is apparently pro-forma now. I attended a meeting called by Los Angeles for All with people from Unite Here Local 11 (the hospitality workers union,) the Los Angeles Tenants Union and some immigrant advocacy groups, and in this case the pronoun introductions were quickly made and then we went on to talk about more substantial issues. All the outfits involved have organizing experience and the discussions centered around what sort of legal and extra legal non-violent actions we should be prepared to take, which pols might be simpatico and how we could link up with others.
Somewhat similar tho more positive experience. I attended an online meeting of DSA activists focusing on organizing resistance to deportations. Overall very well run and useful. Democratic Socialists of America is a good organization. But a facilitator asked us to introduce ourselves, not with relevant experience or connections to the various but mostly Latin American immigrant group. No, instead we were only asked for Name and pronouns. How knowing pronouns helps support the victims of mass deportation is, of course, beyond comprehension. Plus, it is a clear signal that this is a woke environment, which is an automatic turnoff to most ordinary people and the immigrants we are trying to support.
I'm very concerned we have to thinking carefully on how to respond. One veteran activist suggested to me today declaring our village a sanctuary village would just put a target on it for Trump, and I think it could be performance. I'm thining quite a bit about all of this and doing a bibliography here on my free substack: https://michaelalandover.substack.com/p/immigrant-and-refugee-rights
Marc Cooper's account (https://thecoopscoop.substack.com/p/coop-scoop-woke-is-not-dead-and-its-463) of his infuriating experience in a purple district with an event that he had hoped might keep the fascists away from his door is instructive. It wasn't WOKE it was DOPE. However, I learned in the Chile Solicarity movement--that Marc was also in--and in the labor movement, that there are two sides to every story.
Marc, I might have pressed on the time angle to get the two groups back together...I like the slogan, "We need to unify, not segregate." That applies to unifying democratic socialists, progressives, liberals, and moderates and never-Trump conservatives to defend democracy. See my Election Analyis coverate and extensive bibliograpy here: https://michaelalandover.substack.com/p/2024-election-analysis. I'm going to propose pragmatism as a unifying angle, the subject of my Op-Ed in the Plain Dealer in 2020, see Other Work on my home page.
Marc Cooper's account (https://thecoopscoop.substack.com/p/coop-scoop-woke-is-not-dead-and-its-463) of his infuriating experience in a purple district with an event that he had hoped might keep the fascists away from his door is instructive. It wasn't WOKE it was DOPE. However, I learned in the Chile Solicarity movement--that Marc was also in--and in the labor movement, that there are two sides to every story.
I might have pressed on the time angle to get the two groups back together...I like the slogan, "We need to unify, not segregate." That applies to unifying democratic socialists, progressives, liberals, and moderates and never-Trump conservatives to defend democracy. See my Election Analyis coverate and extensive bibliograpy here: https://michaelalandover.substack.com/p/2024-election-analysis. I'm going to propose pragmatism as a unifying angle, the subject of my Op-Ed in the Plain Dealer in 2020, see Other Work on my home page.
Your experience was certainly a downer Marc.
The pronoun business is apparently pro-forma now. I attended a meeting called by Los Angeles for All with people from Unite Here Local 11 (the hospitality workers union,) the Los Angeles Tenants Union and some immigrant advocacy groups, and in this case the pronoun introductions were quickly made and then we went on to talk about more substantial issues. All the outfits involved have organizing experience and the discussions centered around what sort of legal and extra legal non-violent actions we should be prepared to take, which pols might be simpatico and how we could link up with others.
Yes. It is now ritualistic but pretty pointless. In the end it is the opposite pf what it intends....it is Exclusionary and tribal.
I would have paid to watch you in that meeting 😝
Somewhat similar tho more positive experience. I attended an online meeting of DSA activists focusing on organizing resistance to deportations. Overall very well run and useful. Democratic Socialists of America is a good organization. But a facilitator asked us to introduce ourselves, not with relevant experience or connections to the various but mostly Latin American immigrant group. No, instead we were only asked for Name and pronouns. How knowing pronouns helps support the victims of mass deportation is, of course, beyond comprehension. Plus, it is a clear signal that this is a woke environment, which is an automatic turnoff to most ordinary people and the immigrants we are trying to support.
It has become ritualistic. At least the call you were on was about something real and pragmatic. The meeting I went to was about nothing.
I'm very concerned we have to thinking carefully on how to respond. One veteran activist suggested to me today declaring our village a sanctuary village would just put a target on it for Trump, and I think it could be performance. I'm thining quite a bit about all of this and doing a bibliography here on my free substack: https://michaelalandover.substack.com/p/immigrant-and-refugee-rights
Marc Cooper's account (https://thecoopscoop.substack.com/p/coop-scoop-woke-is-not-dead-and-its-463) of his infuriating experience in a purple district with an event that he had hoped might keep the fascists away from his door is instructive. It wasn't WOKE it was DOPE. However, I learned in the Chile Solicarity movement--that Marc was also in--and in the labor movement, that there are two sides to every story.
Marc, I might have pressed on the time angle to get the two groups back together...I like the slogan, "We need to unify, not segregate." That applies to unifying democratic socialists, progressives, liberals, and moderates and never-Trump conservatives to defend democracy. See my Election Analyis coverate and extensive bibliograpy here: https://michaelalandover.substack.com/p/2024-election-analysis. I'm going to propose pragmatism as a unifying angle, the subject of my Op-Ed in the Plain Dealer in 2020, see Other Work on my home page.
Marc Cooper's account (https://thecoopscoop.substack.com/p/coop-scoop-woke-is-not-dead-and-its-463) of his infuriating experience in a purple district with an event that he had hoped might keep the fascists away from his door is instructive. It wasn't WOKE it was DOPE. However, I learned in the Chile Solicarity movement--that Marc was also in--and in the labor movement, that there are two sides to every story.
I might have pressed on the time angle to get the two groups back together...I like the slogan, "We need to unify, not segregate." That applies to unifying democratic socialists, progressives, liberals, and moderates and never-Trump conservatives to defend democracy. See my Election Analyis coverate and extensive bibliograpy here: https://michaelalandover.substack.com/p/2024-election-analysis. I'm going to propose pragmatism as a unifying angle, the subject of my Op-Ed in the Plain Dealer in 2020, see Other Work on my home page.