Tuesday, September 26, 2017

What I’m doing today


Thumbing through Facebook yesterday, I stirred up the memory of Martin Agronsky. I couldn’t remember his name, and searched Gronowsky, fruitlessly, until it came to me. Those hosts and commentators were the social media of my parents’ day. Last night’s broadcast was discussed in the office the next day.

At five, six, seven I recall none of Agronsky’s commentary. He was at the beginning of a career that included Pulitizer journalism; I assume he was fairly liberal, probably more so than my father. Of the Kent State shootings, my dad said “They didn’t follow orders,” and I turned on him for the first time ever. “They did nothing to die for.” The end of my closet liberal self.

I was enticed back to Facebook at the beginning of the year, when we would show the new administration he couldn’t tell us what to do. One day Pantsuit Nation began showing up in my feed. A few reads and I knew I must join. But, it turned out I was already in because someone nominated me. So I nominated two people. I wonder what they thought, or if they were just pleased, like I was.

I’m happy to have been part of the glorious beginning of the rebellion, until the end of March and the major brain injury. Now, struggle as I may, I am not the same person. I joined the village book club, to force myself to read. They’re reading “A long way home,” and I must get back to it.

Every morning I read my email, my news feed, Blogger and Facebook, in that order. It’s “something to do” for a couple of hours of my day. Yesterday, another epiphany. Facebook is like my balance work at the gym.

An exercise involves stepping on a series of boxes. They are two, four and six inches tall. Kristen mixes the order, so I don’t get too cocky. I step up with one foot, the other follows. I step down. I move to the next box, which may be shorter, or taller, and repeat. The tallest box is the struggle I overcome, weekly.

It occurred to me, the boxes are an analogy of Facebook posting responses. The commentator ascends a box, makes a statement, moves along to the next box and repeats. Add to the growing conviction that Mark Zuckerberg knew full well he was illegally pushing the election, and I’m about done with Facebook. Too bad I cannot make a Joe McCarthy analogy.

I need to get Laura’s band uniform from the cleaner and read my book. Until later.


31 comments:

  1. Hari OM
    I never turned Face for the very sort of reason you are about done with it... and let's not even get close to bird noises or other such nonsense. I had to look up 'pantsuit nation' to grasp why it felt significant to you. I understand. Not a coffee drinker, but that last shot looks lush!!! YAM xx

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    1. My porcelain artist friend is pouring maybe an inch of milk into six or seven inches of black coffee. Since college I've preached to prejudiced white friends (and not friends) to understand our nation. Before our generation is gone, white people will be outnumbered. This was before "the wall". White people have the choice of actually becoming one nation, or leaving an incredible mess to the children. Every time I see Deb pouring milk into that coffee I think about waving it over my head and yelling "See. See. This is what it's all about." Or taking a picture.

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  2. I like Facebook for keeping in touch with people. I try to not give out too much information about myself or my family. Not everyone in the world needs to know my business.

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  3. I rarely post or comment of Facebook. Once a day I have a look usually.

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  4. I am boycotting facebook. Like religion, I think its evils outweigh its merits. I get my new online via BBC News, The Guardian, CNN, Washington Post, New York Times because I don't like to be fed what is popular or "trending now". But we each find our own way.

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  5. Kent State helped make me into the liberal I am today.

    Love,
    Janie

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  6. Have you been watching Vietnam War by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick? We have been. I've learned new details about the war's background that I never knew. It also shows how officials become misguided and lie.

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    1. When it started, I still couldn't watch. Now it will be netflix or a disc.

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    2. Vietnam was very personal and horror filled for me. When we went to the National Mall, my granddaughters walked down and reported back it was beautiful. They don't know how many names I could have found.

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  7. Not a big fan of Facebook here.......sounds like you are making every effort to keep busy.

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  8. If this is the book about an orphan from India who grows up in Australia and uses google earth to find his original village and family, I loved it. Of course, I am adopted and find all these stories fascinating.

    Tonight will be the segment of the Ken Burns Vietnam War documentary which deals with Kent State.

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  9. p.s. The people who were killed were not all (if any) among the protestors. The National Guard should never have been issued live bullets. They had not the training for this. It was a heartbreaking tragedy.

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  10. FB is something I have not joined. I suspect it is something I will not join. I too had to look up pantsuit nation, and am not surprised you were nominated.

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  11. FB can be exhilarating or exasperating. I can't make up my mind. But I stay. And I make plenty of comments about our current President.

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  12. Tell me that you are not making a cocktail with Coke and milk, Joanne...

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    1. P.S. The Kent State students got as far as putting flowers down the muzzles of the National Guard's guns before they got shot. Can you imagine that today?

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    2. We're leaving the kids a helluva mess, aren't we. All over the world. I think a lot of them are more savvy.

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  13. I am on FB...but mostly to follow news from friends on there.
    I do share political stuff...and dogs needing homes...but FB still does not feel comfortable to me.

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  14. I do not know what to think about Zuckerberg and FB. He supported Hillary but accepted money from Russian operatives that spread fake news. Sometnlng is missing in this story and I need to find out more than what is in the headlines.

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  15. Coffee drink looks inviting; but I stopped drinking coffee/caffeine last month, otherwise it would be tempting. I have Facebook to keep up with family and a few friends. I rarely post on it; and I think I may have a total of 34 friends/family. I check it once daily and leave it at that.

    betty

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  16. "A Long Way Home", the one by Saroo Brierley? I like that one. It's been made into a movie, titled Lion, starring Dev Patel, a very moving story.

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  17. I'm about done with FB and Twitter for the same reasons! Post coming someday soon (I hope).

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  18. My mornings sound a lot like yours. What did your Dad reply to you when you said the Kent State kids did nothing to die for?

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  19. Remembering I'd never defied my father before, we were in a stare down. Then he turned around and took a couple of steps away. Then he turned back and said "I believe you are right."

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    1. Wow - your dad was a big man, Joanne. Most parents of that generation would not have done that. Probably this generation too.

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  20. We were not touched by the Vietnam War in Canada the way you were in the USA. The closest we came to the war was to welcome an influx of couples with small children who did not want the husband/dad to be drafted. Several of those couples landed in our community, and one of them in particular became good friends with our family, and brought so much to the community as a whole. My life was immeasurably enriched by their presence. I've mentioned them on my blog - they brought music, theatre, dance, and a love of life to our community.

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    1. We had a Canadian potter friend who stayed with us when he did area shows. He and my brother in law were always talking Vietnam; both were vets. My brother in law's father was a vet, too, visiting one time when Malcolm was here. He was so rude to Malcolm that eventually my brother in law took him aside. It turns out that Dad thought Malcolm was an American draft dodger. In fact, he did not apologize and barely improved his attitude. Sad.

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