2020-10-20, Talkative Tuesdays

Howdy folks! I hope everyone’s been having a decent week so far. I’ve been getting really anxious after the sun goes down myself: where I live gets targeted by fascists because of the free market, and the election is getting closer.

Speaking of the election, how about Bolivia, right? Imagine having the ability to vote against US imperialism! Sure isn’t what folk’ll be doing in a few Tuesdays here State-side, huh?

Alright, with that bit of doomsaying out of the way, I’d like to again explicitly thank y’all for reading these newsletters, and subscribing (if you have). I’ve really been enjoying the conversations that have come up in response to them, too!

Now, to explain this email’s subject: Talkative Tuesdays. Some of you might be familiar with it, but basically: Tuesdays, my partner has a lot of video conferenced lectures for school, so I’m usually sitting around on my computer, so I’m not coming in and out of the home while they’re talking. This has made Tuesdays, by far, the day I’m most active on the Internet. So y’all are invited to reach out to ask any questions you might otherwise feel would be a labor, or just make small-talk, and I’ll probably have time to promptly respond!

You can’t tell me engineering

is not the place for Indigenous issues.

As long as you live with us

and as long as we drink

from the same watersheds

my Indigenous issues are yours.

So when I say include our voices,

I am not asking for permission.

I am telling you to listen.

And yet I am still met with isolating silence.

Does it make you uncomfortable?

Do your hands sweat

and does your seat start to shake?

Does your worldview tremble?

Good. It’s about time.

I have been made uncomfortable for over 130 years.

You’ll be just fine.

So listen carefully as the words of

my grandmothers and grandfathers

roll off my tongue

in a language your soul will hear.

The above is from 0 by Anpo Jensen, Oglala Lakota masters student in Stanford’s Environmental and Civil Engineering program. I strongly encourage y’all to read it: there’s been a lot of colonial journalists writing this year “we need to [appropriate] Indigenous lifeways to sustain colonialism” and it’s nice to hear the truth under that claim represented, from someone doing the work the rest of us are imitating.

I also want to share this video about the advantages of bamboo for Indigenous peoples of Cambodia. There’s one farm near here that does bamboo, and they’re slowly working to build up their stock to share it with the communities of Karen refugees around the area.

And finally, Joy Harjo on the power of poetry. Harjo is the incumbant poet laureate, and the first Native American to… hold the position? I’m not sure the proper “etiquette” around the poet laureate.

I’m going to close out this email with some Instagram and Youtube channels that @eliot_jude@Instagram.com recommended for me: - @tickover@Instagram.com embroiders slogans, specifically focused on fast fashion and mistreatment of garment workers. - @julianmiholics@Instagram.com is an illustrator - @ijotikak@Instagram.com is an Inuk artist - @slocotion@Instagram.com is an artist, mostly sculptures and dolls - Maniacs & Psychos: Mental Illness in Horror Movies is a video analysis mental health in horror films.