Who dun fault it be?

I promised myself that I wouldn't write any political blogs while overseas... In general, I've tried to stay away from reading the American news. I even refused to bite when insanity and anti-democracy struck in Iowa. But this, my friends, simply rubs me the wrong way...

Police officers have been suspended in Houston after allegedly distributing a guide called "wacha dun did now?" -- jokingly referred to as a "quick guide to ebonics." To quote the AP report:

The booklet billed itself as a guide to Ebonics, teaching the reader to speak "as if you just came out of the hood." It included definitions such as "foty: a 40-ounce bottle of beer"; "aks: to ask a question"; and "hoodrat: scummy girl."

I'm not sure if any actual racist or demeaning statements were made in the book, or if there were any racist illustrations. If the AP report is to believed, the book is simply an ebonics translation manual. Perhaps it is necessary? Lest I be labeled a racist prematurely, let's look at the following two situations:

A cousin of mine was visiting from Europe, and we were sitting in a cafe. She was learning English, and curious about her environment. Across from us was sitting a table full of young African Americans, clearly having a good (and loud) time. More power to them. When my cousin asked me what they were saying, however, I was honestly at a loss to translate. I had no idea. I simply couldn't understand.

Another time I was taking the bus from Cleveland regional airport to my apartment, when several young African Americans sat down next to me and began an animated conversation. I will honestly claim that despite my best efforts, I could only pick up one in ten words in the conversation. Generally, that one word was the "f" word.

Keep in mind, my parents were immigrants, and I grew up surrounded by dialects and accents -- deciphering the English language in its various forms and misforms is a bit of a specialty of mine. If I can't make it out, is some American-born white-as-they-come officer from the suburbs named Joe Macnamarra going to figure it out?

If only to add insult to injury, I have watched my parents demeaned for their accents more times than I could possibly count. This, despite the fact that they make an effort to actually speak the language of the country in which they live.

Now before you plaster me up as a bigot, let's return to the AP report once again:

It included definitions such as "foty: a 40-ounce bottle of beer"; "aks: to ask a question"; and "hoodrat: scummy girl."

It's accurate. It's true. It's part of a black culture pumped into every television set in America. Are the officers to be punished by simply repeating what they see and hear everyday?

What about the following offering from a San-Fran based hip-hop website?

http://www.riceplate.com/rap/rap.php

Racist?

What about:

www.urbandictionary.com

or even the following site, representing such "artists" as Dr. Dre:

http://www.atr-mixtape.com/cgi-bin/word-search.pl?l=E

Now WHO is the racist?

It is not our place to judge the men and women who put their lives on the line in dangerous neighborhoods every day, let alone the effects of the stress they must go through.

There are bigger fish to fry in this beleagured nation without inventing racism where it is not present.

Eyes on the Prize

Some blessings come unlooked for. Some favors are unwanted. Sometimes -- in the words of Paolo Coelho -- the Universe will do something seemingly harsh to knock us back on track.

Sometimes God is a severe father, yet he is always working for our own good.

When you spend time in the dark tunnel and see the light ahead, only to have it blotted out, it can be a terribly disconcerting experience. For the prayerful, peaceful supplications can become bitter accusations and harsh words. There are times that the words fail, and as you lie awake at night, all you can do is send your groans upwards.

...yet he is always working for our own good.

It's important to recognize those times in our lives when we are called to step back and reevaluate our existence. This has been the context of my summer, one of hard work and much thought. I still have the occasional sleepless night, but things are starting to come into focus.

When Jesus told us to turn the other cheek, I don't think he was encouraging pacifism or wimpiness. If you read the statement in context, it seems that the "strike" that Christ is referring to is a backhand. A dismissive blow, from a (supposedly) higher power.

I think that Christ is really saying: "when you are backhanded and told to desist, then rise and present your other cheek. Insist on being hit with the front of the hand, as an equal."

The other cheek is turned.

The hard work is over for a litte while, and now I have time to take my thoughts to the road. First, to the Northeast coast, where so many great American creative souls have found inspiration and consolation. Then, to Krakow, a seat of Kings and a nest of Poets...I am going to drink deeply of the Christian courage of my ancestors.

(I can hardly afford any of this, but it's exactly what I need at the moment.)

That familiar fire is returning in the pit of my stomach, the eyes are narrowing, yet the anger is diminishing. Focus. Joy. The rest of my energy will be used to embrace the blessings unlooked for. I won't let anger chain me to the spot where I was brought to my knees.

The other cheek is turned.

...and HE is always working for our very greatest good...

Hope and Hockey in Chicago

Enjoying a rare simultaneous week off, my father and I decided to play beat reporters today and make a trip to the second day of the Chicago Blackhawks Prospects camp. We were eager to see the new kids on the block, and perhaps catch a glimpse of some hidden potential.

We might as well dub the future Toews/Kane line the "hope" line, because these two athletes carry the hopes of beleagured Chicago fans on their young backs.. Kane dazzled with his rapid stickhandling and seemingly hit-proof skating, while Toews seemed to knock the puck around the ice effortlessly. Their chemistry is already fantastic. If Savard can match the correct style of winger with these two, then Chicago's second line (and future) is assured. As talented as the squads today were, these two athletes were on a whole other level.

Not wanting to be undone, the white team's Nigerian born Aliu and a fiesty Tanguay combined for some wonderful play on the other end of the ice. Aliu was aggressive and surprisingly elusive for a man of his size, showing great promise. Cam Barker was convincing on both sides of the ice, exuding the most veteran cool of any player on the ice.

It is unfortunate that Skille dissapeared after the drills -- it would have been nice to see his ability alongside that of the hope line.

If I had to pick an additional favorite or sleeper talent, it would have been Bertram. He was excellent in drills, adding offensive punch and even a fight during the scrimmage. This is a player that could potentially develop into top-line talent.

I am a jaded Blackhawks fan, and history has taught me not to hope too much. With the huge pool of young talent and recently signed veteran help, Tallon is tempting me into becoming a believer again. One this is certain: after what we witnessed today, we can't wait until October. Summer is too long without the greatest sport in the world...

Sex Abuse, Catholophobia, and Media Hypocrisy

"It's almost a curse to be a Priest -- so many people hate us now. Many Americans think us no better than a troop of pedophiles."

So a friend of mine, recently ordained, lamented about the public perception of his vocation. In America, Anti-Catholicism is the last acceptable prejudice, one seized upon by media outlets and various leftist organizations. The Priest sex-abuse scandal has provided these Catholophobe outlets with ample ammunition.

The numbers, however, tell a different story.

As a person who has long been involved in education, I must first say that ANY abuse directed towards a child is tragic and deserving of the highest punishment.

Anyone reading the newspapers would be under the impression that there is a virtual epidemic in the Church regarding pedophilia. For the purposes of Catholic congregations, even a single proven incident of Clerical sexual abuse is one-too-many. The image of the pedophile Priest and the uncaring Bishop is simply a false one, however, when compared with the available date.

An AP report released today chronicles the yearly number of sexual abuse cases in Protestant Churches, claiming an average of 260 complaints are filed every year. That is higher than the average of 228 a year from the Catholic Church. Remember the Frugal Gourmet? He was a Methodist Minister, and a convicted sex offender. Last week when a grown man complained against the Catholic Bishops in Chicago for their "lack of action" against pedophiles, he was front-page news in the Tribune. Today's AP report about Protestant sexual abuse is hidden on the corner of page 22.

Yet Protestant Ministers don't receive the stigma of being a pack of pedophiles. As to why this is, the complex of reasons lie beyond the scope of this article.

Keep in mind that of the nearly 500 claims filed a year against Clerics of all stripes, many are shown to be false claims. Not surprisingly, such vindications rarely make the news.

When compared to the numbers against public school teachers accused of the very same act, it's not even close:
"A national survey of 2,064 students in 2000 showed that 9.6 percent of public school students from kindergarten through 11th grade reported unwanted sexual harassment or abuse by public school employees, mostly educators, said Shakeshaft, professor of educational policies at Hofstra University in Huntington, N.Y." (Agostino Bono, "Picture of Child Sex Abuse..." CNS.)"

To be fair, if Catholic Priests are to be labeled a pack of pedophiles, then the slander must extend to Protestant Ministers and ESPECIALLY to Public School Teachers. The easily influenced might as well lock up their child until they turn 18.

Let me suggest, however, that the very same media who is so quick to slander based on claims of sexual abuse is itself guilty of the very same crime. In a culture where psychologists claim the average age of female sexualization as 8, something is clearly wrong. Whether watching television, driving down the street or checking out in the grocery store, our oversexed culture is impossible to escape.

Perhaps magazine editors and television executives should be slandered for sexual abuse towards children? Considering the magnitude of their influence, such a claim would be far more justified than the irrational and bigoted hate directed towards Catholic Clergymen. It is an honest question: When a "diva" grinds her crotch into the stage during a performance meant for all ages, is this really different then somebody doing it in the middle of the street in the sight of children?

As usual with the media, what "sells" is often overblown, whether we are speaking about sex abuse or spinach-salmonela scares. It is good habit to view all press with skepticism, and dig deeper on the issues before forming our prejudices.

In the case of the Church, it is both unfair and bigoted to paint the world's largest provider of charity as a den of child molesters. I can only call such claims what they are: Catholophobia.

New Music: Alive and Well.

Just last week, several thousand people filled the Harris Theater in Chicago to hear "new music." Dawn Upshaw was in town, and she was about to give a rousing performance of Osvaldo Golijov's "Ayre."

Aided by musicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Upshaw's performance received the adulation it deserved. The musicians even repeated a movement from the first half of the work, further breaking from (recently) established tradition.

Upon entering the upper level of the theater, I could already spot the new music "purists" and academics, being obviously uncomfortable with the large turn-out for a composer and piece many of them probably considered "second-rate."

I've heard people slam Phillip Glass for sounding "too much like Yanni." The criticisms of Gorecki are many, including his "total disavowal of the past 100 years of advancement in Western Harmony." I heard a well-known composer slam Golijov for his "undisguised use of folk melody."

Amazing. Milton Babbitt's "Who Cares if You Listen?" mentality, aided by the mathematical snobishness of Boulez-ites, has done nothing but empty the concert hall.

Academic art has its place. And it needs to KNOW its place, which does not include the criticism of legitimate art that falls outside of its borders, or the students that aspire to such careers.

A city like Chicago has 9 million listeners to choose from. To assume that the only "intelligent" or "adventurous" listeners are the dozen-or-so who populate your new music series is an arrogant and agregious insult to many intelligent and open-minded people.

The fact is: people want something to hold on to. They want a dramatic curve. They want MEANING. Music -- or any art for that matter -- that fails to provide this is specialist at best, and useless at worst. An artist who refuses to extend a hand (or at least a fingertip) to his/her audience is nothing more than a creative snob, completely ignorant of the great tradition of artists who did just THAT.

The crowd at the Ayre concert was wonderfully varied, from neo-hippies to yuppies to art students to families with children to the simple-looking South-American couple sitting behind me. It was obvious that Golijov's creation had crossed numerous borders, just as the composer had intended it to, conventions be damned.

I wonder how many of the "real" composers sulking at the Ayre performance had the ability to compose something so simply beautiful and near-perfect as the guitar-voice duo in the second half of the work. Simple harmonies. Simple melodies. Transparent scalar structure. Yet, my heart fluttered when I heard it... and my intellect was not offended at its simplicity, because it simply worked.

The acquiring of Golijov as the CSO "Composer is Residence" is simply the smartest new-music move Chicago has made in a generation. Golijov is himself -- he expresses his cultural identity, his ideological bent, and his melodic heart in a music that can only be considered authentic and honest. If the Ayre concert is any indication, the presence of Golijov -- along with fellow CSO-Composer-in-Residence Marc-Anthony Turnage -- will go a long way in repairing the image of new-music in Chicago.

New music is alive and well, and its face is Osvaldo Golijov. He proves that it is possible to write authentic new music, while still caring "if you listen."