Tuesday, June 2, 2015

THE "BIG" STORY?

THE "BIG" STORY?


Today a few of my favorite activists ridiculed media coverage of the transgender "coming out" by the former Bruce, now Caitlyn, Jenner, basically saying there are bigger environmental, economic justice, etc, stories for the corporate media to report rather than this "Kardashian" infotainment.


And I suppose if you aren't transgender perhaps the issue is not important to you... or perhaps the murders and suicide rates are so high among trans people that you don't hear about it enough to care.

But the story of a famous person going public about who she is attracts the kind of media attention that is essential to spreading a message of acceptance of transgender- the "T" in LGBTQ- community members in a world that has been and still is for the most part, hostile to them.


At a time when the same acceptance and civil rights they seek are finally on the verge of being won by lesbian, gay and bisexual persons, it's a story that is just as important as "same sex marriage" or any LGB story was one, five or ten years ago... whether it was "Ellen" or your neighbor down the block.

This is a crucial time for transgender persons, especially children. We don't need another generation growing up with an almost 50% suicide rate. And seeing themselves positively portrayed on TV is the beginning of the end of discrimination and the kind of religious atrocities that directly cause those deaths.


It could take years before laws fully catch up and it will take a sea change in attitudes to get there. But until then reporting the story with sensitivity and acceptance- as most if not all media are doing now- will remain as important as anything. If it takes a "Kardashian" to move the issue to a new level it will be following the same path that LGB and before that racial integration stories took when famous people "came out" to help reverse bigotry and make acceptance the norm.

Monday, June 1, 2015

Neil Young + Promise Of The Real “A Rock Star Bucks A Coffee Shop

Promise Of The Real “A Rock Star Bucks A Coffee Shop” Official Video and Lyrics Contrary to the misleading information coming from Starbucks, the coffee company is in alliance with other Food Giants, including Monsanto, in suing the state of Vermont to overturn the GMO labeling laws voted for by the people. If you don’t like a rock star bucks a coffee shop Well you better change your station cause that ain’t all that we got Yeah, I want a cup of coffee but I don’t want a GMO I like to start my day off without helping Monsanto Monsanto, let our farmers grow What they wanna grow From the fields of Nebraska to the banks of the Ohio Farmers won’t be free to grow what they wanna grow If corporate control takes over the American farm With fascist politicians and chemical giants walking arm in arm Monsanto, let our farmers grow What they wanna grow When the people of Vermont voted to label our food with GMOs So they could find out what was in what the farmer grows Monsanto and Starbucks grew the grocery manufacturer mice [?] It sued the state of Vermont to overturn the people’s will Monsanto — and Starbucks — others want to know What they feed their children Monsanto, let our farmers grow What they wanna grow -----------------------------