MIS-PERCEPTION RULES

    I've been chewing on the the bone of mis-perception this week. Spell check doesn't like my word but I do. It means a perception that misses the mark...an inaccurate perception. It's like a virus I've caught from the media as it dances it's circus around all the hoopla of embittered politicians vying for the attention of the public. As the politicians cheat and lie their way into the graces of the American public with the media recording their bickering and jockeying for position, serious environmental problems are emerging around our country. There are gas leaks, poisoned water systems, historically damaging storms, a new epidemic of mosquito borne viruses and who knows what else is hidden by the superficial arguments of a bunch of well heeled white men who know nothing about white priveledge or the conditions of life for those that were born into a colored race or poverty. It seems the media wants us all to be sucked into the drama turned frenzy of a TV star billionaire actually emerging as the top candidate of the republican party. It is extremely embarrassing to be American right now. What is taking top billing in our country today is the travesty of our government and the deceit that has plagued us for years as we've allowed ourselves to be brainwashed in our addiction to entertainment and advertising. Never has the twisted truth been more obvious...and never has civility, respect and focus been so invisible. We are a deeply polarized nation and be you republican or democrat, we all seem to be guilty of mis-perception.

   I watched the Super Bowl this year. Because I was a girl in an all girl family that attended all girl schools, I missed out on football. Just recently I have made the effort to learn what so many are so invested in. I watched the halftime production without really overthinking it. I enjoyed Beyonce's daring dance and statement about her race. It was a work of performance art. I was shocked the next morning to hear all the hoopla about how she offended people with her black leather and video referring to police mistreatment of people of color. Her performance was obviously great art based on the intensity of reaction especially by white politicians and religious righters. She was speaking in a voice for all those people that aren't heard by the media. Her statement was not violent. It was not politically correct. But her point about the racism systemic to our legal system and police procedure came out of her repeated encounter with situations that victimized black people. What fascinated me was how government and police professionals interpreted her commentary as disrespectful to them.
There was no effort to view her performance from her perspective. She is a black woman whose black people are being victimized by our racist police procedures and she is courageous enough to speak up at a venue where the whole world was watching. Does that make her a police hater? No. What she hates is the treatment to her people and she has a right to express herself.  Was she dissing the police? I didn't get that. I heard her dissing the treatment her people have received at the hands of law. After seeing the spin that was imposed on her song and dance, I was aware of a kind of waking up inside myself. Since when did a victim's reaction to their perpetrator victimize the perpetrator?
Where is the onus of responsibility for the crime? As a woman, I am very familiar with this phenomenon.

    There is a need for courage if one is going to express oneself. For women who express their opinion in the world of white privilege and white power, there are many chances to watch as their legitimate concerns become minimized by the outrage of the perpetrators. Because Beyonce was expressing pro-black power does not automatically mean she is against whites. That perception is really small and petty. The candidates do it every day...and they do it with disrespect and intent to damage. That has become part of white privilege. If you are rich and white and male, you can say anything you want at any ones' expense. A woman speaking anger is generally patronized for being over emotional. Her feelings are dismissed. Even more so for a black woman. Or a black man. If our president wants to put some controls around gun ownership, he is perceived as wanting to take all guns away. Such a childish and simplistic deduction. And how it fans the flames of divisive argument.
I love icicles. I love the way the light softly passes through the transparent ice. Does that imply that I am an enemy to fire? If I am drawn to a male partner does that imply I hate women? Of course not. Because one empowers black people, that does not mean that it is at the expense of whites. I fear people have really stopped thinking...and without thought, they become pulled into the emotional vortex of polarized issues.

   For a person who has stayed out of politics for 60 years, I guess my rant is over.  Rest assured fire...ice has it's day...and so do you. The truth is in here somewhere. Look past what the media is selling because underneath the political circus, there are some very scary issues that need to be addressed...and only one person seems to be focused on those.