by Mel Green
In which our erstwhile reporter dons her Radical Arts for Women t-shirt, which confers superpowers sufficient to push through another day of (mostly) interesting sessions on Day 2 of Netroots Nation, despite far too little downtime and an overabundance of stress hormones.
I was going to try something different today writing what I hoped would be a shorter midday post. The idea was to get one of my requisite “two posts a day from Netroots Nation” posts out of the way (the other is my automatically generated Daily Tweets post on my personal blog at Henkimaa.com), rather than a semi-comprehensive end-of-day post at the end of yeah the day duh, so that maybe I could get to bed at a reasonable time.
Didn’t work out. I started the post midday, but here I am past a Minneapolis midnight trying to complete it. I did, however, have a great visit with an online friend who drover over from Wisconsin so she could meet me, and tomorrow morning I get to sleep in a little.
But I still gotta watch it. With several late nights in a row, between late arrival in Minneapolis on Tuesday night, and staying up late to write end-of-day posts, piled up on top of all the info, discussions, general excitement, & too much coffee — Friday morning had me already with a very big headstart in the exhaustion department. As I tweeted around lunchtime: Thursday my biggest problem was keeping my devices recharged; today it was keeping myself recharged. I’m back-against-the-wall exhausted, & sorely need some downtime.
I get to sleep in I get to sleep in I get to sleep in….
Lucky for me, though, that Friday was a day with slightly fewer sessions I wanted to attend. And in between those sessions, I was partially reenergized by good conversations with some of the other Alaskans down here for NN11, including John Aronno of Alaska Commons, John Creed of University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Chukchi College in Kotzebue, and Jeanne Devon of The Mudflats, who was doing a book signing of Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin
In between talking with my fellow Alaskans, I actually, yes, attended some sessions. In the morning I went again to the Morning News Dump, though frankly I was too depleted to enjoy the humor. The big stuff of the morning was a Q&A with White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer — a conversation which has already generated a few headlines, as Kaili Joy Gray, who blogs as Angry Mouse on DailyKos, wasn’t exactly gentle with Pfeiffer — generating a lot of Twitter commentary from conference-goers ranging from “she’s being too combative” too “he can’t answer a damn question, his excuses for Obama don’t wash.” I retweeted a sample of tweets of different POVs (again, my tweets will compile in a Daily Tweets post on my personal blog Henkimaa), and I shared in the impatience & outrage on some of the LGBT issues Pfeiffer was grilled on like DADT & DOMA. Basically I still felt that (1) no matter how much we support Obama (& overall, I mainly do), we need to hold him and all Democrats’ feet to the fire; and (2) no matter how much we might think Obama sucks on some things, the alternatives being touted this weekend at the Right Online 2011 conference up the street at the Hilton (yes, the same hotel where I’m staying) are one helluva lot worse.T he worst moment of Pfeiffer’s Q&A for me was when he said so. As I tweeted – Gray’s question, Pfeiffer’s answer, my response to it:
why shd LGBTs still vote for Obama? b/c he’s better than the other guys. Same old answer. We need to keep pressing the Prez. #NN11 #nn11lgbt
Not so much in the news headlines, but important nonetheless: the LGBT strategy session also held this morning. This brought together everyone (or almost everyone) who was at the LGBT Netroots Connect preconference on Wednesday, plus perhaps 30 or 40 more people who hadn’t been here that day. Our task: to discuss what has worked and what has not worked with four standout issues at the federal level — DADT, ENDA, DOMA, and UAFA (Uniting American Families Act)— and what we can and should do better to push our issues towards positive results. The group I was in mostly talked about DADT and ENDA, but our chief insight fairly well matched the chief insight of another group: the need to put faces on our issues: real people telling real stories about how these laws, or their lack, affect our lives. Well, there’s a lot more to be said about that. After the session, I introduced myself to Zack Ford, who writes for Think Progress LGBT — one of my most important sources for LGBT news that matters. Zack told me that we in Alaska should make sure to keep him and his colleague Igor Volsky in the loop on important stuff in our state, because Think Progress — unlike many national LGBT blogs — does its best to keep on top of what the states are doing: a fact to which I can attest, having followed it for several months.
The afternoon session attended, “Bullies and the Blogosphere: Creating Safe Spaces in Our School and Online,” featured Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, Laura Rico of the ABC Federation of Teachers in California, Julie Blaha of Anoka-Hennepin School District in Minnesota, and Scott Zumwalt, manager of the It Gets Better Project.
Early on we were asked for a show of hands of who had been bullied in school. I’d say a third to one half of the audience raised their hands. But no one raised a hand when asked if they’d been bullied over Facebook. Reason? — because most of us in the room had graduated high school before Facebook came along. But bullying nowadays is not, as when we were young, only at school itself: it penetrates deeply into the home lives of bullied kids through Facebook, Twitter, texting, and other social media. And, as the AFT folks pointed out, there’s been a rise of bullying on grounds of race, disability, immigration, economic circumstances, and LGBT status. (Think of how it affects kids who intersect in more than one of those categories.)
I think most of us in the audience were familiar with the It Gets Better Project, but I was still interested to hear Scott lay out a capsule history of how the project began and took off far beyond anyone’s expectations. He also played us the It Gets Better video that Google Chrome put out. As I tweeted,
I’ve seen Google Chrome It Gets Better video before, but in this company it esp moved me, tears to my eyes #NN11#nn11lgbt
I wasn’t the only. Blogger Noah Baron tweeted,
panelist read email from guy who changed his mind about killing himself bc of It Gets Better ad. Lots of watery eyes here #nn11#nn11lgbt
A couple of more of my tweets sum up my feelings about the session:
Here’s where I remember how it was for me coming out at 19 in college. So scared, alone…. #NN11 #nn11lgbt
I’m so proud of LGBT elders like us doing what we are doing to make it better for LGBT youth. #NN11 #nn11lgbt
Though it’s true, as someone pointed out to me later, that the session was superficial in its discussion of what we can actually do — besides creating new It Gets Better videos — to combat school bullying.
Here’s the Google Chrome video:
After the session I spent a couple of hours manning… no, womanning… no… queering… the LGBT Netroots Connect table in the Exhibit Hall — trying to finish this post, but instead having a marvellously in-depth conversation with Phil Attey, Executive Director of Catholics for Equality. An important contact for me: he gave me a lot of good background on the divergence of opinion between the Catholic hierarchy and Catholic laiety on a whole number of issues, but most especially marriage equality and other issues of LGBT equality.
As the post headline indicates, today I wore my black Radical Arts for Women t-shirt — the one RAW made up a couple of years ago after Anchorage changed it’s PR motto from “Wild About Anchorage” to “Big Wild Life.” RAW’s tee reads “Big Wild Lesbian.” And I got lots of compliments on it all day.
Not so many, though, when I walked back to the Hilton and met up with a crowd of Right Online 2011 conferencegoers. ;)
A couple of good accounts of some of the news coverage of Netroots that I ran across over the course of the day:
- “Netroots Nation Day 2: Media Overplays Obama Angst” by Ari Melber (The Nation, 6/17/11).
- “Netroots Challenge White House Spokesman on Gay Rights” by Evan McMorris-Santoro (Talking Points Memo, 6/17/11).
- “Russ Feingold: Democratic Super PACs Are ‘Dancing With The Devil” by Evan McMorris-Santoro (Talking Points Memo, 6/16/11).
And that’s enough for now. I also took lots of photos, but those will have to wait.
Related posts:
Mel Green:
you are as boring as fuck I swear to God
please please shut the fuck up forever
you’re rude (yes I know you), ugly and boring and
not nearly as informed or intelligent as you seem to
so wholeheartedly believe
and to clarify, I’m liberal, 100% pro gay and always an independent thinker
you are just a waste of space, time, everything
you’re rude, a sub-standard thinker and most of all, as I’ve
said before (and every reader REALLY thinks) AS BORING AS DEATH!!
Please go away.
Please.
Just
Go
Away
From All Readers with minds :)
If you don’t
approve the above comment I’ll know you are as cowardly as I’ve always known
You’re certainly entitled to your opinion, anonyomouse@hotmail.com. Other readers may judge for themselves. I’m afraid I don’t find much reason to credit your opinion of me, or your claim to know me, or any of your other claims about yourself — given your vast [lack of] courage in posting personal attacks anony[o]mous[e]ly.
Whoever Anonymous is, you ought to look in the mirror for your own medicine. An anonymouse coward has no credibility. Go back to your mouse hole and rest comfortable in the aroma of mouse piss and little black turds. These are the contributions that you are now known for. Weak weak weak.
I feel pretty much the same about this personal attack as I did about personal attacks on me (& others) in comments at Anchorage Press Friday before last (some of which seem to have been deleted b/c they were personal attacks). I thought then, & I think now: I know who I am. Your hatred isn’t going to change my mind about myself.
Reasoned argument & criticism of where I might be wrong about something I write, say, or believe, on the other hand, can often lead to me to modify my opinions on many issues.
For the record, as an admin I approved the above comments, but neither I nor other Bent Alaska administrators are going to feel any obligation to approve further comments that consist of personal ad hominem attacks & namecalling, no matter how “cowardly” us not approving attack comments might seem to the oh-so-very-brave-anonymous-commenters who make those oh-so-very-courageous attacks.
I mean, really. Anyone can namecall. Big deal.
just wanted to let Mel know, as someone who has “known” you for many years now through your writing and emails, you are neither mean nor boring. Cowards hiding behind anonymous posts and insults cannot change that!
I’ve been proud to call Mel my friend for years, and am always better, more learned and more thought-filled as a result. Those knee-jerk complainers who commented above don’t speak for me. I think Mel is superior in all of the most important ways.
Wow, I had no idea about the weirdness of the comments at the Press article about the Mountainview event, and am saddened by the anonymous crap above. Enjoy the rest of your trip, Mel. Thanks for the coverage of NRN.
Mel, boring? You have got to be kidding. She is one of the most deeply caring people I’ve met online, as well.
The ranting, alleged independent thinker seems to be able only to make ad hominem attacks, instead of rational arguments or statements. I don’t see any intelligence in *that*.
The alleged human above fits the subject of a bumper sticker I saw yesterday:
Your hate becomes you.
Now, my actual comment on this reporting. I am so very glad that there ARE LGBT elders out there to help the youth of the community, especially those who aren’t yet aware that they ARE members. I’m old enough to remember when that would never have been possible, even in liberal areas. I myself am a straightish-but-not-narrow member of the LGBT community, as one wise woman I know said.
Mel, I can’t now find the reference, nor remember in which of of five of your entries around this time I saw it, but: instead of “manning”, I have never used “womanning” or worse, “personning”, but “staffing”, as it tells the function, rather than trying to identify the person. I talk about “access hatch covers”, as well.
Keep pushing your sociability envelope, tiny bits at a time–but you’ll always know that downtime is essential. It’s essential to all of us, I think, but introverts and deep thinkers need more because, unlike extroverts, interacting in large groups takes energy from them, instead of boosting it.
I’m glad that you got to this conference–may it provide you with months of inspiration.
Hi Mel, I’ve never met you, nor do I live anywhere near Alaska (my man is employed there seasonally). I do follow the Bent Alaska blog, and I’ve always been impressed with your insightful thoughts and postings. I’m somewhat shocked at the personal attacks you’ve been subjected to lately, and I’m certain they’re difficult to bear. Why bother responding? Just consider the sad source!
Hey Mel, just wanted to add my sense/cents to the topic.
As Ms. Fournier said above, it’s great to have LGBT elders around who can give us youth the history of issues and joys of our community here. As a member of said youth, I think it’s fantastic; I have learned so much reading this blog and, most recently, reading the history of Pride in Alaska. Though I’ve been an active member of the community for not such a long time, I am glad (and relieved) that there are people like you–wise adults who remember the stories of the past and who help make sense of the future–to go to for guidance, help, and snarky comments on politics. In that way the community is so much MORE than a community; it is a culture, as much as being native/indigenous or Korean or otherwise, and I am honored to call you one of our elders out of respect for that.
As for Anonyomouse, I think this is one person who could do with a few more grammar and spelling lessons (perhaps they missed those sections in school?), and figure out who they are. I would love to see HOW they ‘know you’, I could use a good laugh, and I’d like to hear why they follow this blog. Perhaps they’re closeted, not necessarily sexuality-wise, but intelligence-wise… At least, that’s the sense that I got from them.
If you happen to be reading these comments, Anonyomouse (and I hope you are), I hope that you at least checked the size of your feet before you attempted to swallow them. I hope you realize that there are far better things that you could have done with your time than attack a poster of a blog you don’t seem to appreciate simply because you don’t appreciate them on said blog… Perhaps you could have done this personally, and sent your message to her email or called her, if you know her so well? If you have such a problem with Mel, then don’t read her posts. It’s as simple as that. No one has to deal with something or someone they don’t appreciate when it’s in their power to look away or get rid of it, you know. I wouldn’t call you ugly or rude, as I don’t know you from Adam, but your comments above certainly put you in that light, and you did it to yourself. No one coerced you into making those statements. If you truly knew Mel, you’d know better than to give her a response on a blog. Be a decent human being and talk to her to her face, whether it is positive or negative remarks you have for her. As my mother would say, “Man up”. (Or, if you’re a woman, “Put your big-girl panties on”. Either one applies here.) It honestly doesn’t matter if you’re “liberal, 100% pro gay and always an independent thinker”; you’re not very independent if you’re posting personal attacks on a state-wide blog.
From,
A Reader With A Mind Refusing Association With THAT One.
I don’t know Mel very well, but I’ve always enjoyed her blog posts. Aside from their intelligence, compassion, insight and meticulous research, they’re unfailingly grammatical, organized and completely free of gratuitous ad-hominem commentary (something which can’t be said about every AK liberal blogger). When you can rise to that standard, anon, you might want to post another comment.
Remember ‘it gets better’. Many times before I came out of the closet (decades ago) I was one of the ones who tried to bully the LGBTQ community. I never realized that I would later understand that I was a lesbian. Now I am true to myself.
LOL, why in the world would one continue reading someone thinks is boring, let alone comment *twice* on the same article?
Stop wasting your time, Anon, and find something you like, like the rest of us have.
Mel is an intelligent articulate person who writes interesting & informative pieces without ever talking down to her audience. She knows her stuff. She also lives what she talks, which is no small thing.
Of course, I may be prejudiced. I like her. If I didn’t I’d be reading someone else.
I’ve known Mel pesonally for quite a few years. She’s astondingly intelligent, starting from very persnal insight and goes to the political. Lately, I’ve began to wonder if she has a photographic memory. To my reasoning Mel concisely and logically states the issues and makes her point. I can be bored reading a blog fairly easily, but that is not the case when Mel’s writing about an issue. I am eager to find out what Mel knows and thinks about the topic. I’ve always known Mel to be truthful and honest. Personal integrety is extremely important to her which is the underpining, the backbone, of what she writes for the public. We need writers like her. I need a writer like Mel.
Thank you, everyone. Your words mean a lot to me. (Well, except for anonyomouse’s.) The Netroots convention was very good but also very exhausting — your comments are a lift to my spirits.
Barbara: “concisely”? Me? ;)