SO many of my friends showed up outside Rep. Tom Barrett's office today to protest. Titled, "Musk or Us," the protest was was supposed to get Barrett to fight back. So many people kept asking me to go to this one--I know a lot of very committed people!
I had to keep saying no, because I had committed to coaching students in Baltimore working on their Baldwin Prize essays via Zoom. As it turned out, their heating went out and school was (and meetings were) canceled. But other related meetings took their place. Reportedly, there's another protest on Monday and I could go to that.
SD and AH sent a video of themselves chanting "Do Your Job!" and it occurred to me that basically it was a call for Barrett to perform his duty, his karma. Which made me wonder again how karma became shorthand for revenge or payback. Of course things get lost in translation, and "karma is a bitch" and "karma is a cat" are catchy sayings but distort Hindu philosophy. One of those chai-tea things that seems impossible to correct at this point.
But Rep. Barrett should do his job, his karma; he should do the right thing.
Pic: SD and AH sent me a picture of the crowd outside Rep. Tom Barrett's office.
12 comments:
I did not know that about the word chai! And it is interesting how the meaning of the word karma has become twisted to have a sort of negative connotation. I’m encouraged to hear about all the various protests that are happening across the nation. I haven’t had a chance to attend any of them either, but I hope to at some point.
It is good to see protests outside the DC area. Town meetings for your representatives are good, too. I don't know anything about yours, but it's probably most important for moderates (less so if you can count on them to do the right thing or if they are never going to do the right thing no matter what).
You've gotten pretty good at identifying me when I end up anonymous, but that was me above.
Good.
Lisa, You might be interested in this article-- It's one of my favorite things ever! "Tea if by sea, cha if by land: Why the world only has two words for tea"
https://qz.com/1176962/map-how-the-word-tea-spread-over-land-and-sea-to-conquer-the-world
I really need to start attending protests. It's difficult with work. And you have work and travel too!
Steph, I really don't think Barrett can be swayed to do the right thing, but I plan to go to support my friends at least.
Thanks
Chai tea is On My List along with hamburger meat, tuna fish, PIN number, rise up...OH SO MANY.
It hurts to be me, and DO NOT get me started on apostrophe abuse.
Anyway, I saw video of the Barrett thing. It made me feel a teensy bit better.
Thank you for sharing that article. It is so fascinating to see how the use of the words tea/cha spread across the world!
You can bet I made a careful note of those terms so as to not risk the wrath of Nance! I think I'm guilty, guilty, guilty of each of those things, Nance... and now I get my comeuppance for being supercilious!
Wait! Chai tea? Karma? How did I not know this? I'll definitely stop using the work "karma" in the wrong way from now on.
Sorry, Jenny--I hope it didn't come off as mean!
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