I read GWTW over 50 years ago.

Found the story engrossing and even entertaining, but the racism is absolutely off the charts extreme. Definitely the most blatantly and unapologetically racist piece of fiction I've ever read.

The whole book is a hymn of praise to the antebellum south, how "wonderful" it supposedly was, and how "sad" it is that it's now "gone with the wind." *gag* Enslavers are portrayed as kindly and caring towards the childlike enslaved people in their care, and the enslaved people are either "good" (loyal and grateful servants who stay to serve their white enslavers after the Civil War) or "bad" (ingrates who take off the first chance they get and later become criminals that the KKK is formed to deal with). Yes, there is a love story, but it's all played out against the above backdrop, with white southerners portrayed as the hapless victims of evil Yankees who invade the south and mistreat the white southerners for absolutely no good reason, because everything was just fine the way it was and those damned Yankees should have just minded their own business and left the south alone.

I have no doubt Margaret Mitchell believed what she was writing. She was born in 1900 and grew up listening to the stories of older relatives who had lived through the Civil War and reconstruction. Unfortunately she absorbed a very one-sided version of what happened during those years, along with a white supremacist outlook that insisted black people, as well as whites, were perfectly happy under slavery. That outlook is reflected throughout the book.

Does that mean I think no one should read GWTW? No. Censorship is not something I can get behind. I do, however, feel that the book is not one that I would encourage (pre high school aged) kids to read. The racism in it is so extreme that the book is most suitable for minds that are mature enough to be able to see hiw wrong it is, imo.

Censor the book? Absolutely not. Promote it to kids as something they should go out of their way to read? Not really enthused about that, sorry.

White House considering wider list of Supreme Court nominees

Washington, DC(CNN)The White House says it's considering a wider list of potential nominees for the Supreme Court than has been reported thus far, according to a source familiar with the discussions. The source indicates there are several new names emerging as the White House casts a broad net.

The list includes judges President Joe Biden previously placed on the lower courts, noted civil rights attorneys, and a New York University professor. Biden has said he will nominate the first Black woman to the bench.

Among them are 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Holly A. Thomas, federal Circuit Court Judge Tiffany P. Cunningham, civil rights attorney and 11th Circuit Court candidate Nancy G. Abudu, 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Arianna J. Freeman, NYU law professor Melissa Murray, 7th Circuit Judge Candace Jackson-Akiwumi, District Judge Wilhelmina "Mimi" Wright, North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls, 2nd Circuit Judge Eunice Lee and Sherrilyn Ifill, a civil rights attorney who recently announced plans to step down from her role as President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.



More at https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/29/politics/growing-supreme-court-nominee-list/index.html

Just heard from H. (my daughter) that the new kitties are now home!

No pics yet, because the girls have been having an attack of the zoomies ever since they were released from the carrier, and haven't stopped moving yet!

Some musical gratitude from Yo-Yo Ma.

I debated about whether to post this in GD or the Lounge. Finally decided on GD. Hope that's okay.

https://twitter.com/YoYo_Ma/status/1486406269464420354?t=pXxLxkCFRj9yepC6DuHekQ&s=19

Thanks for the encouragement.

I, too, believe we can win this struggle, and I have little patience with the negativity that is often expressed at DU. I understand why people get discouraged, but giving in to that discouragement is a CHOICE, and it's one of the most destructive ones we could make, because it can sap our energy and make us feel like there's no point in even trying. It can easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy, and is that is the last thing we need right now!

To those who feel there's nothing left to hope for, remember this: It's not over until it's over. I know that's a cliché, but things become clichés because they contain an element of truth. This struggle we're engaged in is NOWHERE NEAR OVER. Not only has the fat lady not sung; she's still in her dressing room, in her bathrobe, doing her makeup.

It drives me nuts when people want to give up on something important prematurely. My parents did a lot of things wrong, but one thing my dad harped on that he got right was to never assume ahead of time that something is going to be terrible. If you expect bad things to happen, they almost certainly will. Keep an open mind, give things a chance, wait and see, and you might just be pleasantly surprised.

Assuming that all is lost is about the most counterproductive thing we can do. That state of mind almost guarantees failure, because it provides no motivation to fight. If we believe we've already lost, why even try? If we are thoroughly convinced that there's no hope, why put in any effort at all? It's a lot easier to just lie here, moaning about how terrible it's going to be, while we wait for the end to come.

That mindset drives me absolutely nuts. Thanks for pointing out how much there is that we can do that can make a REAL difference. We need more posts like this around here, and a lot fewer Chicken Littles running around screaming about how the sky is falling.

New furbabies on the way!

My daughter and her boyfriend are adopting a pair of kittens! Two girls, litter mates, about 6 or 7 months old. They are part Siamese, although only one of them has Siamese markings. Here are some pics:





The girls have been living with a foster mom, and my daughter and her boyfriend are planning to pick them up and take them home this coming Saturday. I don't know the names of these cuties, or even if they have names yet. But I couldn't wait to share!

I think I'm just about where you are.

I don't think I have ever actually celebrated anyone dying. I just can't muster up much sympathy for people who willfully and deliberately refuse to get vaccinated, won't mask up, and end up dying of covid because of it.

I feel terrible for anyone who gets sick because of these bozos, especially the immunosuppressed and anyone who doesn't have access to the vaccines. I feel even more terrible for the health care workers who have to deal with them every day. But the bozos themselves?

These people aren't just endangering themselves with their bad choices. They endanger ALL of our lives and the lives of everyone we hold dear. They're serving as petri dishes for the development of new variants and as vectors who spread those variants far and wide. I'm ANGRY with them for that. I'm angry with them for all the damage they're doing and all the suffering they cause.

This disease is spread through the air we breathe. No matter what precautions I take personally, unless I stay home all day every day, from now until God knows when, I could still get this disease. I'm vaxxed and boostered so not very likely to have a bad outcome, but the possibility is still there for my husband and me, just because we're over 70 with pre-existing medical conditions.

I've been living in fear of this disease for almost 2 years now, and I am freaking sick and tired of it and of the people who are doing things that encourage it to continue raging out of control.

But celebrate people dying? No, not really. When someone who is known for actively working to spread disinformation and lies about the severity of this disease and the importance of masking and getting vaccinated is hoist by their own petard, I've been known to breathe a sigh of relief that there is now going to be one less person doing that. If someone wants to call that celebrating even though I don't feel the least bit celebratory, so be it.

I've also been known to indulge in gallows humor at the expense of antivaxxers and maskholes. This is not celebrating either. It's a coping mechanism, and it helps me keep my sanity. According to Dictionary.com, gallows humor is "humor that treats serious, frightening, or painful subject matter in a light or satirical way." It's a way of shrinking scary or disturbing things down to a size that makes them a little easier to deal with, something that can be very helpful in times like these. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it is mine, and from what I can tell, I have a lot of company. This is NOT celebrating, even though it involves laughter. Anyone who doesn't find it funny is welcome not to laugh, but please believe me I say that some of us NEED to be able to relieve tension in this way. If you think that makes us a bunch of sickos, here's something that might help you understand better: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/crisis-control/202006/in-praise-gallows-humor

Going forward, I will do my best to not appear to celebrate anyone’s death, because I agree that is wrong. But I'm afraid you'll have to pry my gallows humor from my cold dead hands, because I am not giving that up. I need it to survive all this craziness.

Quietly and over some objections, a national digital vaccine card has emerged.

The SMART Health Card is voluntary and minimal by design to protect personal information. About 80 percent of vaccinated people in the U.S. most likely have access to it.

Lawsuit says elite schools schemed to reduce financial aid for students.

It's now 2022 here in the Central time zone!

Happy New Year to all my heartland cohorts!



Mountain time people, you're up next!