toodling and tuning

Lately, I've been listening to lots of music.  Some of it are the tunes I favored in my young adult years, thru my teens, into my twenties~~Melissa Etheridge, Joan Osborne, Tracy Chapman, Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, Sinead O'Connor, and a healthy dose of 80s {we were ever that young?!?}.  Some of it is what I grew up with, the records my folks played by artists who have made lasting impact on so many more than me.  These are the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin, Doobie Brothers, Eagles, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Steve Miller Band and what we might now consider classic rock, or even southern rock.  Some are current or fairly recent finds, but most are reaching back thru the years because its not just the music that I'm experiencing, but the memories evoked, the feelings so strongly associated with each of those songs, musicians, albums, time period, etc.

I usually find music to match the mood I am in or the mood I want to be in.  Sometimes I miss the mark altogether and end up thrusting myself into some angst ridden hidden memory that was full of such rawness that it takes my breath away, feeling such compassion for the me of that time, who was so tender, so powerful but unaware or unprepared, or both.  I was able to be with those aching hurting me of then.  Sometimes that younger version of me was experiencing such unbridled joy, that even now just listening to that music and experiencing the memories of that time made the me of now grin and belt out the lyrics with such exuberance that fellow drivers in other vehicles were startled by my flailing arms.

That's the thing about most of the music I've been listening to lately; it begs to be played while I am alone, in my car, driving and riding, thru town, along back country roads, taking in the sights of lovely lush Mississippi summer verdant fecund vegetation and stopping in the tunnels of tree limbs arched over me into protective canopies that soothe my soul like the best balm ever.  There are a few locations in the area that I've discovered in my ramblings and if I go there at the right time, just as the sun sets, or the dusk dims the heat of the day, or as the rain swollen clouds darken the skies, I feel as though I can taste life right at that moment, a slice of being completely present right then and there.

So if you see a ten year old, slightly dented and worn, dusty hatchback in your neck of the woods with a woman emoting her bliss, her ecstasy, an odd sort of angst that harkens back to times gone by, chances are it may be me, driving along, singing my song, wandering around, checking the sights, enjoying our summer while it lasts.

Reluctant Reactions Regarding Ravelry

 

While today's Mallard Filmore's comic message {which is a headline from Business Insider} is not exactly the truth of the matter, it is the way many folks are interpreting Ravelry's zero tolerance policy regarding hateful speech, texts, pictures, avatars, etc. from their members, toward their members.  So yes, while they do focus on Trump supporters as an example of this sort of behavior, their policy has been contorted beyond belief with many folks up in arms because this is a very emotional issue, with lots of fear and shame involved.  Tempers flair, anger and blame erupts, and the original point is lots in all the recriminations and voices wanting to be heard.

So, to be fair, Ravelry does specifically target those who post their support of Trump in their recent policy.  {“Note that support of President Trump, his administration, or individual policies that harm marginalized groups, all constitute hate speech.”}  However, they go on to clarify what the policy means, including "You can still participate if you do in fact support the administration, you just can’t talk about it here."  I think in large part, the overwhelming Trump relevant posts in the past have been focused solely on exclusion, hate, and intolerance.  This tends to incite the verbal, text, visual, and virtual equivalent of riots as things escalate quickly into the heated realm of personal attacks, threats of actual violence, and further destructive division.  So Ravelry's admin stepped in and adapted a policy that specifically addresses this type of nonproductive conflict.

I have mixed feelings regarding this.  My first reaction, a gut level, emotion driven response was a resounding sense of relief and a vague sort of victory.  This was quickly followed by a wry "yeah, but this is going to have lots and lots of backlaah".  And then my "let's think this thru" parts spoke up with reluctance, which is different than my "yeah, but" parts that are very tentative at voicing differing opinions when I know they will not be well received by those who I generally agree with.

However, my tribe where I feel I truly belong gets it, they might not agree with it, but they totally support that I have a right to my opinions and so for that reason alone, most are willing to listen to and think about what I have to say.  True belonging allows you to voice dissension and still be accepted and embraced, so long as you express your own points of view in reasonable ways without personal attacks and while respecting others.  Many shy away from conflicts, voicing differing opinions is often associated with huge confrontations, because that is what their experience has been, even within families, with friends, and other loved ones who responded with rejection or intolerance.

This ties directly into Ravelry's decision to specifically cite Trump supporters.  While I completely agree that intolerance and hate are futile and destructive, I'm not amiable to acting against hate and intolerance with further hate and intolerance.  Seems counterproductive and hypocritical.  I'm not exactly sure what the answer is, but I am pretty sure this is what it is not.

We cannot foster discourse that allows us to learn, understand, and clearly communicate with an aim to unite when we reject and ban others from the conversation by expelling them from the gathering altogether.  I understand that for the most part, these postings on Ravelry were not fruitful discussions, as most of them were hate~mongering; but to respond to those individual cases with a generalized discrimination of an entire group by equating all Trump supporters with hate, bullying, and intolerance is itself promoting self selection and sweeping intolerance.  So while I understand the good intentions, I think the actions may have been off kilter and missed the mark.

What are your thoughts?  Comment below and share!