The Power of Writing & Why William Cronon is Being Targeted

Why is there so much attention paid to Professor William Cronon of UW-Madison? Why do the Republicans care so much about his blog post on the American Legislative Exchange Council? 

Because a piece of writing can be an extremely powerful thing. Oftentimes, people see oral communication and physical actions as most important, and they forget how much impact written communication can have. A very good friend of mine reminded me recently of how much the rich and powerful fear great writers and thinkers, which is what makes Professor Cronon such a danger to them. As my friend said, the rich and powerful fear great writers and thinkers even more than all the muscles of the world. After all, there have been many books, articles, pamphlets, etc, that have essentially changed history. 

Thomas Paine's political pamphlet called Common Sense, for example, is often credited with having sparked the American Revolution. Prior to its publication, a lot of the early American colonies were perfectly content with being under British rule. If you think about it, for a single pamphlet to give rise to the birth of a new nation...well, that's quite remarkable, isn't it? That's how powerful writing is. It can literally change the world. 

In his blog post about the American Legislative Exchange Council (or ALEC), Professor Cronon brought to light a behind-the-scenes organization, backed by corporate interests, that many American citizens never knew about. All of a sudden, so many people are looking up ALEC on the internet, wondering what it's really about and wanting to investigate it, so much so that the organization's website (as of today) suddenly shut down (which makes one wonder--what do they have to hide?). Soon after Professor Cronon's blog post, he also published an opinion piece in the New York Times about how far Republicans in Wisconsin have strayed from Wisconsin's traditions. 

Without a doubt, Professor Cronon has reminded us of the importance of questioning authority and questioning the world around us. It may perhaps lead to change. And the Republicans are now attempting to threaten and silence Professor Cronon.

Academic freedom, valid research, and the ability to intelligently question should never be hindered.

Why We Revolt

I recently read and enjoyed this article on the occurrences of revolutions and why or how they happen: Why We Revolt: Egypt, Wisconsin, and the Wherefore of Revolution by Rebecca Solnit. It provides inspiration and brief background information on how revolutions have begun and how they've succeeded.

It's amazing the sacrifices people have made in order to advance society in a sound direction. Solnit writes of regular, every day people who took matters into their own hands, people such as an unknown rapper, a college student, a U.S. Army private, a young woman in a black veil, and others. Solnit ponders the question of why revolutions occur when they do. How much can people take before they've had enough and decide to push back rather than fall? Why do the actions of one or two ordinary people suddenly inspire and ignite a revolution?

I've certainly thought of those questions in connection to the protests happening here in Wisconsin. Long before Scott Walker took office as governor, I've been bothered about the problem of wealth distribution in this country as I'm sure others may have been too. However, we were passive. Not only that, but the notion of speaking openly about it and declaring it wrong and un-American seemed..."radical." We're a capitalist society after all, aren't we? Isn't that supposed to be a good thing? On the rare occasions when I've heard wealth distribution talked about, words such as communism or socialism swiftly entered the conversation. People were quick to assert that what they worked for belonged to them; why should they have to share it with others?

But now, suddenly something has changed. Something has shifted to enable us to think beyond the "me" syndrome and think in terms of "us" as in all of us in the working class. If Michael Moore had shown up in Wisconsin just a couple months earlier, I'm sure he wouldn't have received such a booming welcome. Indeed, as I watched his speech a couple weeks ago in front of the crowd of nearly 70,000 applauding Wisconsinites, I almost couldn't believe that that many people agreed. It made me realize how much we've changed in such a short time.

It's not a new thing--what the corporate elite and their politicians are doing. It's been going on for decades or more, so why now have we in the working class suddenly risen up together to say no to them? It seems it took somebody like Scott Walker, someone brazen and unafraid, someone who doesn't even care much to hide behind the facade of "let's pretend to be nice to the people," for us to realize just how bad it's going to get for the working class if we don't stand up. That's the one good achievement that Scott Walker can be credited with.

Solnit writes in her article:

"It is remarkable how, in other countries, people will one day simply stop believing in the regime that had, until then, ruled them, as African-Americans did in the South here 50 years ago. Stopping believing means no longer regarding those who rule you as legitimate, and so no longer fearing them. Or respecting them." 

That's the point where we're at in Wisconsin and in America at large. Many of us no longer trust in and respect some of the people who govern us. We no longer believe they hold our interests at heart. Solnit continues on:

"Revolution is also the action of people pushed to the brink. Rather than fall over, they push back. When he decided to push public employees hard and strip them of their collective bargaining rights, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker took a gamble. In response, union members, public employees, and then the public of Wisconsin began to gather on February 11th. By February 15th, they had taken over the state’s capitol building as the revolution in Egypt was still at full boil. They are still gathering. Last weekend, the biggest demonstration in Madison’s history was held, led by a “tractorcade” of farmers. The Wisconsin firefighters have revolted too. And the librarians. And the broad response has given encouragement to citizens in other states fighting similar cutbacks on essential services and rights.

Republicans like to charge the rest of us with “class war” when we talk about economic injustice, and that’s supposed to be a smear one should try to wriggle out of. But what’s going on in Wisconsin is a class war, in which billionaire-backed Walker is serving the interests of corporations and the super-rich, and this time no one seems afraid of the epithet. Jokes and newspaper political cartoons, as well as essays and talks, remark on the reality of our anti-trickle-down economy, where wealth is being pumped uphill to the palaces at a frantic rate, and on the reality that we’re not poor or broke, just crazy in how we distribute our resources.

What’s scary about the situation is that it is a test case for whether the party best serving big corporations can strip the rest of us of our rights and return us to a state of poverty and powerlessness. If the people who gathered in Madison don’t win, the war will continue and we’ll all lose.

Oppression often works—for a while. And then it backfires. Sometimes immediately, sometimes after several decades. Walker has been nicknamed the Mubarak of the Midwest. Much of the insurrection and the rage in the Middle East isn’t just about tyranny; it’s about economic injustice, about young people who can’t find work, can’t afford to get married or leave their parents’ homes, can’t start their lives. This is increasingly the story for young Americans as well, and here it’s clearly a response to the misallocation of resources, not absolute scarcity. It could just be tragic, or it could get interesting when the young realize they are being shafted, and that life could be different. Even that it could change, quite suddenly, and for the better."

What's happening in Wisconsin is not an immediate battle with immediate results. This passage of Solnit's reminds us of what has yet to come:

"It’s all very well to organize on Facebook and update on Twitter, but these are only preludes. You also need to rise up, to pour out into the streets. You need to be together in body, for only then are you truly the public with the full power that a public can possess."

There needs to be more demonstrations, more visible outcries. Uprisings not just in Wisconsin, but all over America. We can no longer be passive about wealth being concentrated in the hands of a few. We in the working class didn't cause the economic collapse. We suffer the most from it, and yet we're being told to make more sacrifices while the corporate elite receive bailouts and tax breaks. This is our boiling point. Time to make changes.

Biggest Madison, WI Rally Yet -- March 12, 2011

I spent yesterday at the Madison capitol rally, joined by my husband, my oldest daughter, my little sister, and my niece and her family.

We arrived at around 11:30am and just missed the farmer's tractorcade. Hear how farmers and rural WI communities will be affected. There were already a lot of people there. We marched around, joined in some chants, and then went up onto the capitol lawn to listen to speeches.

We heard actress, Susan Sarandon, speak. She quoted someone from the Farm Labor Organization Committee who said, “It’s okay if it’s impossible. The object is not to win. The object is to do the right and the good thing.” A farmer also gave a speech equating Gov. Scott Walker and his Republicans to being pigs, who have no understanding and heed nobody else but themselves.

Afterwards, we went back on the road and marched some more. The kids got a little worn out, so we found a good resting place to sit for awhile. At 2pm, we went to eat at a Lao/Vietnamese restaurant off of State Street. 

We wanted to rejoin the protests at 3pm for the big rally. However, as we made our way back to the capitol along State Street, we found ourselves stuck. In the 45-minutes that we were inside the restaurant, it seemed that the crowd size had doubled. All around us, people were packed—literally shoulder-to-shoulder with absolutely no moving room. At one point, we could no longer inch our way closer to the capitol and had to make do with being quite a ways across the street and half a block down. The 3pm speeches had begun, but we could only vaguely make out what they were saying.

Being that I stand at five feet small, my view consisted of the backs of the protesters in front of me. However, I was able to see a tiny bit and snap a few decent photos. Here is one of them:

The mass of protesters in front of me.

As you can imagine, our kids did not fare well being closed in a cramped space, so my niece’s husband took all the kids with him and they made their way out of the crowd.

With just my husband, my niece, and myself left, we were able to slowly inch our way closer to the capitol until we were actually on the capitol grounds and not too far from the speakers (being small has some advantages after all!). We must have missed the speeches by Reverend Jesse Jackson and the 14 Democratic Senators. I’m assuming this was while we were still a ways away from the capitol. We did, however, hear actor, Tony Shalhoub of the television show Monk, speak. He emphasized our actions at the capitol and state-wide as being a movement. I hope we will prove that it is, in fact, a movement. Certainly, our numbers at this last rally indicates it won’t die out any time soon.

A couple weeks ago, I was at the Madison rally that had 100,000 protesters in attendance. That one was huge, but this one, without a doubt, was much larger. Today, I’m reading reports of the numbers being around 100,000 again, but I’m positive that with protesters coming and going, and with everybody spread out all around the capitol and in the streets nearby, the number was much greater. Last time, I know for sure I was not crammed up against other people. 

At one point, I found a ledge to stand up on. At my elevated position, I turned around to glance at all sides of me, and that's when it really hit me: how exciting and huge this was. All I could see was what looked like a mile long stretch of protesters everywhere—behind me and to the left and right of me. Nothing but a massive crowd of protesters. Simply amazing.

Look! All the way down State Street, protesters as far as the eye could see. For a panoramic view, click here.

I’ve never seen a group of people this big and this united, passionate, and energized (and peaceful too—no arrests!). Never have I seen something like this in my lifetime, and perhaps I’ll never see something of this magnitude again. If you haven't experienced something like this before, take a look at this: 360 view of the protests (view in HD).

I think, as of now, we might be done with large-scale visible protests such as this one, but it doesn’t mean it's over. It only means we are now fighting back in the form of recalls, canvassing, and soon, re-elections. 

Controversial Wisconsin Bill Passes: What It Feels Like

So...what does it feel like? It's hard to describe as this past week has been one of the most trying and fascinating weeks I've experienced in a long time.

Trying, because on Monday, my husband (a public school teacher) had to vote, along with over a thousand other teachers in his district, on a rushed contract that the school board set before them. Some information had leaked that in the next few days, Gov. Walker's budget repair bill would pass. So the idea of this rushed contract was to get something voted and ratified before the bill took effect. To give an idea of what this new contract looks like, I'll use my husband as an example. Basically, his take home pay will be reduced by about $8000. For someone with a master's degree and nine years experience, he will be bringing home less than $40,000 next school year. Class size, stipends, planning time, number of sections, and more are "suspended." We're not sure exactly what that means. It's a dismal contract, for sure. However, teachers at that Monday night's meeting were told that this contract was bad, but once the bill passes, it will be worse. Should they vote yes to this already dismal contract or be firm and vote no? As one teacher said to me, it was like voting between "worse" and "worse." At the end of the night, fear won and the new contract was passed. I've heard that some of the teachers who voted yes felt "dirty." I understand that feeling, because when my husband came home and we sat down together to look at the contract, I couldn't help but feel that education was being raped. There were some teachers who voted no, as the new contract is really not that different from what Walker wants, but still, in the end, fear presided.

It was also a trying week for my husband and me due to some family quarrels over the budget bill. We have some family members who vehemently support Walker, and this week, it escalated a bit. I won't go into details as I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate it (although they most likely don't read my blog anyway). But hopefully, this will be the worst of it.

Trying also, because of Wednesday night's events at the capitol when the Republican senators took the original budget repair bill, split it, and passed what is apparently most of the bill anyway. And on Thursday, the assembly voted to pass it as well. Today, Walker is expected to sign it and make it law.

In the middle of all of these events Wednesday and Thursday, I felt outraged, disconcerted, and a bit afraid of what the future held. And then late last night, I climbed into bed, pulled the covers over me, and was just lying there. I listened to the quietness around me, and that's when I felt sadness. A deep sadness. This morning, I woke up with a heavy heart.

I value public education a great deal. I was once a poor, disadvantaged kid, the child of refugees who had nothing. But public education changed that for me. I would not have a masters degree and be teaching college right now if not for public education. It gave me an equal chance to succeed, just like other kids who were much better off than me. So I credit public education for everything I've accomplished and have yet to accomplish. The drastic changes to public education makes me very sad. And then of course, when the bill passed in the manner it did, it felt like democracy was raped also.

BUT...no matter how I feel today, tomorrow I will be back at the capitol to rally and to show my support and encouragement. You might be wondering why I chose to describe these times as trying but also fascinating. It's fascinating because it's so unbelievable that this is actually happening. I never in a million years would've thought that teachers and other public workers would be publicly denounced and declared the enemy, and that some people would actually buy into it and regard it as truth.

This whole nightmare might have already happened to us, but I refuse to believe that it will last. After all, nothing is lost until you give up. 

What it was like attending an Oprah Show taping

I've had some questions about attending the Oprah Show, but I haven't had time to respond. Sorry, I've been too preoccupied with the whole Scott Walker budget bill and the protests. Oprah had to take a backseat for awhile.

Anyway, my husband and I attended a taping of the Oprah book club show on February 18, 2011. We were told to wear bright colors and arrive at the studio between 11-11:30am. We got there around 10:45 and found a line of people outside. We parked in a lot across the street, and by the time we walked to the studio, the line had moved indoors. We stood around for about an hour, and then what proceeded next reminded me of getting checked in at the airport. Our IDs were examined, purses searched, and body scanned. There's a strict policy about no cameras or phones allowed, so my husband had to hand over his iPod and reclaim it after the show.

We were then taken upstairs to a holding area and given two forms to fill out. One was to give Oprah ownership over any images they may take of us while we're in the audience; it was also full of some other legal stuff, such as not writing and publishing anything about the taping and what took place (this doesn't count, does it?). The other was an index card with questions about what we thought of the books (Great Expectations and Tale of Two Cities) and about the author (Charles Dickens). We were asked to come up with questions we'd like to ask the Dickens expert, Jane Smiley.

The taping didn't start until 2pm, so we waited forever (or two hours). There were a couple flat screen TVs hanging on the walls that played a recap of Oprah show moments and there were pictures hanging of Oprah and her famous guests, but other than staring at those, there was nothing to do but wait.

While we waited, there was a taping going on, and apparently, we were being too loud. The noise kept echoing into the studio where they were taping, and this lil' old lady who worked there kept trying to shush everyone up. Poor lady. She wasn't very successful.

Eventually, we were called to be seated. Friends and family of Oprah employees got called and were seated first. Audience members who were specially selected by Oprah's producers to have a speaking role were among the first to be called too. There was also actors from a Les Miserables touring group that came and were seated. And then after that, we were called by numbers. My husband and I were #87 and #88.

I was surprised at how small the actual studio is. On TV, it looks fairly big, but it's quite small, although it holds about 300 people. My husband and I sat towards the back but were still no more than 50 yards away from the stage. So every seat is pretty much a good seat. A lady came out and started "hyping" us up for the show. She made us get up, dance, and showed us how to participate in the discussion. Lots of cameras all around.

I was sitting near the entrance where Oprah would be coming out onto the stage, and I could distinctly hear her talking to someone out in the hallway. Then one of the producers said, "Okay, Oprah's coming!" And all of a sudden, we went into "taping mode."

Oprah came out, and everyone stood up and clapped. She was very genuine, personable, and talked a lot to the audience. I gotta say she looks a bit heavier in real life than she does on TV. Jane Smiley was then introduced and came out onto the stage.

You can watch the entire book club discussion on her website. To sum it up though, it was interesting. I've taught Dickens for 8 years, but there were a few new things I learned about him. Jane Smiley did a great job in explaining the complexity of Dickens, his Victorian world, and his writings. I never knew he was quite the hero!

The taping went straight through for an hour. There were no breaks. Afterwards, Oprah stayed to talk to the audience some more. She expressed how bittersweet it was that her show would soon come to an end, but she was glad to have time away from the strenuous schedule of show tapings.

Overall, it was a good experience--definitely something new. So now I can check off attending an Oprah Show from my bucket list. :)