Isn't it funny that we are fed all sorts of messages from a very young age in America, one is that we are the greatest country on earth, probably the greatest country in the history of the world and the other is that we have some sort of freedom in our country that is better than anything else, ever.
It starts with the pledge of allegiance and continues on through all our education systems, small words, secret handshakes, all that stuff, about what a great country we have and don't get me wrong, we have a great country, but it is not perfect and pointing that fact out does not make someone hate their country.
Last night I did this art walk thing downtown. First time I have done it here, but I have lived in a few cities and I have taken part in these sorts of nights before. This one was not much different, although I would like to see a more vibrant arts community. I lived in Seattle for many years and the arts night, first thursday, whatever it is called, is a huge event. The sad part about Seattle is that there are so many hippy bone heads that the open air arts night becomes a mess of non-judgemental crap sales. It's as bad as a grateful dead show, without the boring music.
In Pittsburgh, the night is sweet. Not many galleries, but the cultural area on a hot friday night, with the bars and restaurants open and attracting business, the galleries all had mediocre shows up and some of the theaters offered new works and free admission. Even the Planned Parenthood offices were open, with art on the walls (terrible, terrible art) and free condoms. I have written about the almost constant protests I have run across at the Planned Parenthood offices and this was my first time actually in the building. Just to be clear, we live in a country where it is OK for old, white, sad men can stand in front of an office with pictures of aborted babies and scream at women. Freedom, taste it.
The Planned Parenthood offices were nice, but what I found sad was how much security they are forced to have. This is what I find frustrating about the rights and freedoms we do have in America. I once, long ago, had an encounter with a man who had just moved to this country from Poland. He had been a member of the Solidarity movement and he had been beaten at a factory in Warsaw, which for him was the last straw. The union he was a part of was fighting for living wages, fair working conditions and a fairly normal work schedule. For this he was beaten. When I met him in New York, early 80's I believe, I mentioned to him how proud I was to just meet someone who had been in the streets, fighting for his rights. He kind of shrugged it off and I reminded him that in America we have the freedom to protest and march and demand rights. He laughed at me and asked me, "when was the last time your protests led to anything?"
That encounter often plays through my mind. I was too young to be part of any Vietnam marches, but my sense is that there was 2 or 3 real committed people, the rest were sheep who wanted to get laid and smoke pot. I was in New York at the end of the 84 election, with hundreds of thousands of people lining 7th Avenue to hear Walter Mondale declare victory, that was the day before he was trounced. I was in the streets photographing protesters at the infamous WTO rally in Seattle in the 90's. While the protests garnered world wide attention, nothing changed and the broken windows and police brutality were quickly forgotten. In 2003 my young daughter and I marched in Seattle as part of a world wide protest of millions of people against the war in Iraq. When I last checked, our army was still in Iraq. Last September I was brutally beaten in Pittsburgh by police, who were in the process of tear gassing and beating protests at the G-20 meeting. Again, lots of protests and words, no change in police.
So, my friend from Poland was right. We do have the ability to march in the streets, scream and yell and send thousands and millions of letters, email and other messages to our elected leaders, but it seems, hardly anything ever changes.
Which brings me back to the propaganda that we, in America, are fed from a very early age, that we are the greatest, smarted, most able people in the greatest country, etc. This may be true, in some form, but I do not see it so much anymore. I see a divided country, torn by racism and sexism and money. In such a rich country, how can so many be destitute and in the streets? I love that people can make a lot of money in this country, but I never understand how we can be out on a friday night and step over our fellow citizens as they lay in the streets. In my mind, as a child, I always thought we were better than that.
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