Dopp Juice Archive

My cousin, Katie is in Ecuador this year. She writes:

I couldn’t leave Quito this past weekend because of blockades on all roads leading to the capital. I also couldn’t walk to work because I have to walk past the presidential palace, which was completely guarded by tanks, soldiers, and lots of big GUNS! There were protests in high schools, many of which got out of hand and suppressed by the police with gas. It’s REALLY big news here. One of my students told me today that he wanted to start a huelga de los estudiantes (a student strike). He then chanted,”Viva el paro!” (paro=strike) He’s in 3rd grade. It would be a lot different to grow up in an unstable place with lots of political activity. They are learning from a very young age.Here are the articles about what’s going on…Ecuador Quells Indian Trade ProtestOffer Made to Settle Ecuador Oil Dispute

In the first article, the New York Times tells us:

Police fired tear gas at dozens of Indian demonstrators trying to reach the government palace Monday to protest free-trade talks with Washington this week that are expected to draw thousands of opponents to the capital.

And Katie adds:

ALSO,It’s not “Indians”; it’s “indigenous”.They’ve asked to be referred to as this and here that’s all people say…so we should probably start referring to them that way.

This is in response to the cribnotes post about our culture’s “war on Christianity” this holiday season…Dear Stephen,I’m glad you started this post with examples. You make a strong argument, and that’s a refreshing change of pace these days. Personally, I tend to side with the left on this one: Christianity has been forced on too many people for too long, and an education in diversity is crucial for pulling our culture to a higher ground. But just as I believe a feminist is wrong to place herself above men, I agree that it’s destructive to cut Christmas out of that education in diversity. In some situations, it’s appropriate to argue that Christianity gets plenty of attention in the rest of our culture, so we need to emphasize the other traditions whenever we get the chance. But yeah, cutting a secular christmas carol from a concert while leaving in “O Hanukkah” is absurd.It’s not a war on Christianity, at least not compared to the scale of war Christianity has waged on other cultures throughout history. It’s not a war on Christmas either. You had it right with the first point. It’s political correctness run amok. Pendulums of influence swing back and forth until they come to a common ground. And we HAVE made a hell of a lot of progress over the years toward what I believe to be the ideal goal: tolerance, acceptance, and peaceful coexistance across the board. As for “Chrismakkuh,” if you have one Jewish parent and one Christian parent, it’s just a term for what you’ve always celebrated. Don’t forget that Christmas as we celebrate it today is a blend of multiple traditions and holidays–including pagan–that came about when different cultures needed to coexist. It’s fair to keep Christmas on the front lines of the holiday season, as long as there’s space for the other equally significant holidays on the front lines as well. But–to use your analogy–both sides keep taking things too far, shooting off their mouths too much, and knocking out each others’ teeth. It’s time for a little more “live and let live” if you ask me.Peace,Sarah

Wow, wow, wow. I was getting to the point where I didn’t think a site like this could possibly exist. But it does exist. So that must mean there’s adequate good things happening every day to fill its quota.HappyNews.comMy world just got a whole lot brighter.