5.02.2008

Questions: Un

I'm going to take your questions in doses. I'll do JayBee first because he pissed me off and Doll second because she intrigued me. If you still have more questions, do ask away.

JayBee said... i'm a conspiracy theorist. you know that absentee ballot is going in the trash, right?
With that level of skepticism and lack of belief, how do you get anything accomplished? That's the second time I've mentioned my absentee ballot and you've said the same thing. Why vote at all if that's the case? Why are you a teacher if you think nothing you do matters in the long run? Matter of fact, what's the point of life?

I believe in the political process. I believe that though it is flawed, at the very least I have to participate and communicate with my lawmakers when they are making decisions I believe are detrimental to my community. If I don't do that, how am I any better than some derelict who doesn't participate but loves to complain? Without action, you absolve yourself of responsibility but is that what you really want? You already know black people didn't always have the option to not vote. Read this and specifically the second to last paragraph to give you a better idea of where I'm coming from. Also look here and here and here and here (section 3).

My mother grew up in Mississippi, my father in rural North Carolina. Both of them have impressed upon me the seriousness of voting. My grandmother, at almost 81 years old, votes unless she can't get out of the bed. Rain or shine she's there. Primaries and general elections. Her home is less than 5 minutes from where Medgar E.vers was shot in front of his home for registering people to vote. If it wasn't important why did white people try to keep the vote away from us for so long? Where there is no vision, the people perish. Proverbs 29:18. You can hold to your conspiracy theories and only participate when you're in town or not at all, but I intend to flourish.

DollFace said... How many of the ladies from freshmen year dorm do you still stay in contact with?
I lived in VVVVVVVV-C! Virginia Cleveland Hall baby! Same dorm my mom stayed in her freshman year. I still talk to Wynel a couple of times a month. I keep up with her roommate via her and a little on myspace. I also still talk to my friend Christina. She just sent me an invite to her graduation. She's getting her MSW! Yay! I keep up with more of my sophomore year friends. We still stay together when we go to Homecoming and plan trips with each other.

Can you post a pic of your all time fave shoes?

I love these shoes!!! I look for any excuse to wear them and stare at them whenever I'm bored and have them on.

Who are you? If you took away your pursuit of your dreams, your goals and your accomplishments, if you were stripped of all of the externals, who are you? This whole blog answers that question, no? I'm me. Absolutely opinionated and driven. Outspoken but also enjoy keeping to myself. If I were stripped of pursuing my dreams/goals/accomplishments I'd be pretty bored. What's life without something to look forward to and strive for? So despite the headaches which accompany the aforementioned, I'll keep 'em.

16 comments:

Jazzy said...

Wow @ that first response! Typical opinionated virgo response!! I look forward to the debate between you and James.

LOVE THE SHOES!!! Great color with your complexion too.

Open Grove Claudia said...

I love the shoes! Where did you get them??? I'm a bit green with envy!

Arg - absentee ballots are the only ones that are guaranteed counted here in Colorado. The rest is all computer - you know the kind with two votes for the unpopular republican and one for the democrat. They got rid of those and did an entire absentee ballot. You'll be shocked to learn that we have a democrat as a governor this term

Shocking.... :)

The system might not be perfect, but it wants to be.

Anonymous said...

Definitely impressed by that first answer. A lot of people have lost complete faith in the political process, so it's interesting to read about the opposite viewpoint.

And those shoes are fierce. They do go so well with your complexion!

Ticia said...

I want them shoes...
I have a pair close to that.. same color..with some designs on them-- with a peep toe.. I plan to wear them soon-

Sparkling Red said...

I am right behind you on the voting issue.

Those raspberry pumps are yummy.
:-)

Jameil said...

diva... you come at me, i come back. POP OFF! thanks for the shoe love.

claud.. thx! nine west. i'm obsessed with them. look at that CO knowledge right there!

labella... long time no see. if you refuse to participate, it doesn't make the process go away. thx for the shoe love!

ticia... welcome! ooh peep toe! where'd you get them??

red... danke and merci!

Southerner in Suomi said...

Girl do you know this woman stepped on foot with those kinda shoes one time and I thought my toe was gonna come off!!!

Momisodes said...

Loved your replies...and those shoes! I enjoy your blog BECAUSE you're "Absolutely opinionated and driven."

Rashan Jamal said...

Go Jam!!! I love the first answer.

Did you just call out his teaching credentials? LMAO!

You so opinionated and bossy, oops I mean driven. LOL

the joy said...

Good answers! I may have to cut and paste your response to jay, in case someone comes to me with that reasoning. I feel it, but I usually can't say it as well.

JayBee said...

@jameil: methinks you misunderstood. i was not saying that you shouldn't vote. i'm not saying don't mail in your absentee ballot. what i am saying is that it may won't matter in the long run. we've seen two elections where votes didn't seem to count. have you forgotten? it's clear to me that you are passionate about exercising your civic duty. admirable. but let's be clear about this: no one really knows what's happening with the votes that are cast. before i continue let me say that i will definitely be voting. that in no way means that my vote is going to do what i intend it to do because there is no mechanism in place for me to be sure what's going on after i open that curtain and spin around.

i think you've read too much into the comment about the absentee ballot going in the trash. i mean, if it gets lost in the mail, are you going to know? how would that be different from someone looking at the zip code from which your ballot originates and deciding not to include those ballots in the count?

my opinion about this specific topic and my decision to practice my craft as an educator have no relationship. the ballot thing doesn't mean that nothing in life matters; it means that i'm not sure if mailing your absentee ballot matters or for that matter if any of this whole voting stuff matters. what if someone has already decided the election and we like drones are just going through the motions? does that negate me doing my part? nope. again, participating in the political process is your right and you should honor the weight of responsibility that comes with said right.

Liz Dwyer said...

A very big AMEN to your response on voting! I love you for this post! PREACH!!!

I about want to smack anybody who doesn't vote, but especially black folks. We really REALLY should know better because our people were denied for so long! My mom talks about seeing her father go vote for the first time and how he kept the poll stub for years --- so I have mine from every single election I've ever participated in. Gosh, if he were alive now, how proud would he be of us all that we get out there and make our voices heard!

Jameil said...

v... girl! that's happened to me before too!! the shoes are lethal but they look so good!!

sandy... aww! thanks!

rj... danke. i'm just sayin... hopeless in one important area, what keeps you from being hopeless in another imp. area? did you just call me bossy? cuz i'ma boss!

joy... thanks dear heart.

jaybee... how could i misunderstand "you know that absentee ballot is going in the trash, right?" sounds pretty pessimistic and hopeless. if i based my every move on whether or not it may matter in the long run, i'd never get anything accomplished. who's to say any of this will matter in the long run? only time will tell and God will know. I have to have faith that my vote does count whether mailed in or emailed or phoned (if those were allowed) or right there in the booth at a hotly-debated (in PA anyway) electronic touch screen.

anything you have to rely on other human beings for it to happen is left to chance. that's called life. i'm going to do what i can to play my part regardless of things that may or may not happen when the ballot leaves my hand.

how does your lack of faith/hope in this not translate to a general lack of faith and hope? if no other profession requires heavy doses of both, it's teachers who are responsible for shaping our future.

if you don't believe voting matters then why was it kept away for so long? why was it used as another thing to dehumanize blacks? how do you account for the supplies schools need but don't get? for the children who are hungry and won't get the food they need? who are homeless and have nowhere to go but may be able to get somewhere because of a government aid program? your tax dollars will be used whether you vote or not. you can be accountable or not. this argument makes me sound far more idealistic than i am. i am not so solipsistic as to believe my vote counts for everything but i am not so devoid of hope to believe it counts for nothing.

how do you marry the conundrums of your vote probably won't matter to you should honor the weight of responsibility that comes with said right? the two do not compute.

liz... thank you dahling. you know i really value your opinion. our grandparents COULDN'T vote and now we're throwing the RIGHT aside as though it meant nothing. it's disgusting.

Adei von K said...

Doll's questions were the last ones? niiiice.

jaybee done started something. *smh* DON'T DO IT DOG!

and YEAH! Sophomore year was where it was AT!

Jameil said...

stace... yep, i know... and WORD!!

Monie said...

Hey, J! Still reading. I loved your view about voting and I am in COMPLETE LUST with those shoes!!!!

Ok...reading...