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.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
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
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