Thanks for sharing this, Ken. A story of possibilities and paths open to all willing to see.
“We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must - at that moment - become the center of the universe.” - Elie Wiesel
Frightened, angry men and women disapprove of education. The "fringe wing nuts" have been given a "voice" AGAIN, so hang on to your boot straps, we're in for another "ride", and I fear even if the MAGA's are hurt monetarily, they'll still follow the "Orange man" blindly. We can only hope that in 4 years all his lawsuits can be refiled!
Great story on your cousin, and to your last question, I think it goes both ways, some (narrow minded) educated folks looked down at blue collar (I have first hand encounters of the smug looks as I explained my path of trade school, while visiting friends during college years at schools like Union, UNC, Dartmouth, RIT, etc.) which in turn causes the rift that we are seeing. You can see the elitism at an “educated” level with some going to state schools vs. prestigious private colleges and one group of people thinking they are better than the other. At the end of the day mutual respect is needed, and wisdom gained on both “sides” of being OK with one’s path, and how each individual has gotten/will get from point A to point B. I think it goes back to your cousin’s quote, every face has a story. Raise your children to build self confidence in themselves and others around them, not self doubt.
Obviously, there has always been an elite class, but I always believed that was because of money not of education. My humble education at a branch of the University of Connecticut and later Eastern Kentucky University would hardly be perceived as elite. But when my graduated on Mother's Day in 1979, my mother and father were very proud to have a college graduate in the family.
I come from a working class minority family who really thought they were anti-intellectuals but were not so extreme as to distrust all doctors. One thing I've admired about the North Country is the multi-faceted workforce I've met along the way. DQowstate, many are forced to work two or three jobs just to afford their living expenses.
At the age of 45 I paid my way through college while continuing to work full-time and went to classes at night, won scholarships and became a teacher. I LOVE learning and now, I love my volunteer work: informing people about our immediate community, facilitating an exercise group for elders and tutoring English Lanuage Learners.
Your point about your cousin Dawn is not lost on many of us. She was awakened to broadening her mind and heart to DO something about injustice. That's what MLK Jr. called Righteous Indignation. I love that term, it gives people the strength and courage to face difficult situations even risk being outcast. That is the conviction we need now.
For most working class families it is unaffordable to send children to college. This country does have built-in prejudices against people who work and sweat physically, in trades, and in turn, working class people distrust many cushioned, theoretical vs. practical and advantaged people. Remember during tue COVID crisis, the "essential workers" suddenly became noticed and appreciated. There is much more to this that I myself have lived through. But I appreciate more than ever, my work experience and my college and home education experience.
Yes - some people DO look down upon those who dont have a college education. My dad was a plumber - had his own business - guess who those people called when their pipes froze, etc. My son is a locksmith - there again. AND I have to add - too many of these calls (for both of them) seem to consist of fixing an issue that were caused by someone who a) thought they could save money, and b) that they knew better!
So yeah - I look at it from another side. We ALL NEED blue-collar workers that know how to fix things! Not everything is or will be automated.
A little "story": I remember vividly of more than one man walking out to my dad's shop carrying a faucet - bringing it to him in order not to pay for a service call! This was someone who had a very well-paying white collar job at IBM. It wasnt a one-off.
Now I need an electrician to come and do some maintenance on my generator - another blue-collar job.
Sorry - as you can see, sort of rubs me the wrong way. I think its great when someone can manage to get to college IF they want it bad enough to work for it, and if it helps them better themselves - absolutely. Right now, the cost is so far out of sight and so far beyond the ability of anyone to pay for it AND earn a living. Is it worth it? Not sure.
I should add - what Dawn is doing is a wonderful thing - I agree with her - people who come here for a better life deserve to get help in assimilating - the idea that so many who HAVE assimilated might be yanked out of their lives here and put into a pergatory(sp) they do not deserve? I hope that the friends and neighbors they made will at least make a stink about it - altho I would imagine anyone who is undocumented probably attempts to stay under the radar!
I think Dawn's words of saying open your mind and take a pause to consider you might be wrong is valuable advice. I found this story heartening and just what I needed. Thank you for sharing. Happy Thanksgiving.
Dawn is an inspiration! What a wonderful story for Thanksgiving week. It also made me stop and think - becuase the statement "If you are refusing to admit you might not be right, you will never grow," really resonates. I think our country is suffering from the refusal to admit we may not be right....on both "sides." That rules out compromise. Thanks for sharing, Ken.
Dawn's is a story of hope and change, and of how community involvement can improve one's life. Thank you for sharing her story with us, Ken. After the shocking election results, I needed to find a cause to feel hopeful and to have a new tangible purpose. Next month, I will become a member of the "Zonta Club of Glens Falls" and "Zonta International." Zonta is an organization that supports women's rights and other important issues. The word Zonta comes from the language of Native American Sioux peoples and means "honest and trustworthy". If anyone is interested, check the link below, and find the local club on Facebook.
Every immigrant, wherever they are from, has a story. But the stories of Afghan women under the Taliban seem particularly relevant in today’s America where oppressive religious fundamentalism has gained so much power. It is a good illustration of the idea that despite distance, culture, and differences we are all the same, but sometimes not in a good way.
Fundamentalism in any form, religious or otherwise, can be dangerous, dehumanizing, and deadly. Deadly in the sense of killing the human spirit. As the Good Book says, “…the letter kills, but the spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6).
Go Dawn! My grandparents emigrated from Germany in 1928 with three kids under 6 years old, one of whom was my mother at 4 years old… like all the Italians, Irish, Jewish, Polish who settled in the Bronx and NYC…part of the backbone of America, their new home. Now full circle, their 65 yo Christian grandaughter has recently become a literacy volunteer…and helping a Mom with her two young children, improve her English… “let the Circle, be unbroken, by and by Lord, by and by“
What a wonderful and uplifting story to read on this day before Thanksgiving!!! Dawn really gives me hope! She was the perfect source for this information....as your cousin! Her evolution is incredible---she did it on her own but her thoughts about her younger self....beautiful. Growing should never stop and she's proof.
Bravo to your cousin. It's never too late to learn that the smug view of the world can be changed if your heart is opened.
Your comments about education are spot on as well. I also grew up working class and went into the media business and the only reasons our former peers have for their disdain and distrust of those like us are fear and insecurity. Trump appealed to those instincts -- instead of encouraging those folks to grow, he exploited their weaknesses and gave them an excuse for not improving themselves intellectually and spiritually. They should take the lesson your cousin offers to heart.
Ken wrote: "Something in that story stirred something in Dawn's soul./ I told Dawn she sounded different."
Reminds me of the adage "To change the world, start with yourself’.
Ken also wrote: "There is nothing wrong with being blue collar, but there is nothing wrong with being white collar either…."
If we’re going to cross the divides that separate us, I think we’re going to have to start with ourselves. This, from W.E.B. Du Bois in a 1953 speech:
"Work is service, not gain. The object of work is life, not income. The reward of production is plenty, not private fortune. We should measure the prosperity of a nation not by the number of millionaires but by the absence of poverty, the prevalence of health, the efficiency of the public schools, and the number of people who can and do read worthwhile books."
Thanks for sharing this, Ken. A story of possibilities and paths open to all willing to see.
“We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must - at that moment - become the center of the universe.” - Elie Wiesel
Once again your words are priceless and I wish all would read.
Thank you for sharing Dawn's revelations regarding immigration.
THANK YOU Ken, for sharing this! You give me hope! The "fight" ahead of us for the next 4 years is a big one..WEE WILL PERSEVERE! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Frightened, angry men and women disapprove of education. The "fringe wing nuts" have been given a "voice" AGAIN, so hang on to your boot straps, we're in for another "ride", and I fear even if the MAGA's are hurt monetarily, they'll still follow the "Orange man" blindly. We can only hope that in 4 years all his lawsuits can be refiled!
Great story on your cousin, and to your last question, I think it goes both ways, some (narrow minded) educated folks looked down at blue collar (I have first hand encounters of the smug looks as I explained my path of trade school, while visiting friends during college years at schools like Union, UNC, Dartmouth, RIT, etc.) which in turn causes the rift that we are seeing. You can see the elitism at an “educated” level with some going to state schools vs. prestigious private colleges and one group of people thinking they are better than the other. At the end of the day mutual respect is needed, and wisdom gained on both “sides” of being OK with one’s path, and how each individual has gotten/will get from point A to point B. I think it goes back to your cousin’s quote, every face has a story. Raise your children to build self confidence in themselves and others around them, not self doubt.
Obviously, there has always been an elite class, but I always believed that was because of money not of education. My humble education at a branch of the University of Connecticut and later Eastern Kentucky University would hardly be perceived as elite. But when my graduated on Mother's Day in 1979, my mother and father were very proud to have a college graduate in the family.
I come from a working class minority family who really thought they were anti-intellectuals but were not so extreme as to distrust all doctors. One thing I've admired about the North Country is the multi-faceted workforce I've met along the way. DQowstate, many are forced to work two or three jobs just to afford their living expenses.
At the age of 45 I paid my way through college while continuing to work full-time and went to classes at night, won scholarships and became a teacher. I LOVE learning and now, I love my volunteer work: informing people about our immediate community, facilitating an exercise group for elders and tutoring English Lanuage Learners.
Your point about your cousin Dawn is not lost on many of us. She was awakened to broadening her mind and heart to DO something about injustice. That's what MLK Jr. called Righteous Indignation. I love that term, it gives people the strength and courage to face difficult situations even risk being outcast. That is the conviction we need now.
Thanks for telling your story B. You are also an inspiration to many of us who take our education for granted.
For most working class families it is unaffordable to send children to college. This country does have built-in prejudices against people who work and sweat physically, in trades, and in turn, working class people distrust many cushioned, theoretical vs. practical and advantaged people. Remember during tue COVID crisis, the "essential workers" suddenly became noticed and appreciated. There is much more to this that I myself have lived through. But I appreciate more than ever, my work experience and my college and home education experience.
Yes - some people DO look down upon those who dont have a college education. My dad was a plumber - had his own business - guess who those people called when their pipes froze, etc. My son is a locksmith - there again. AND I have to add - too many of these calls (for both of them) seem to consist of fixing an issue that were caused by someone who a) thought they could save money, and b) that they knew better!
So yeah - I look at it from another side. We ALL NEED blue-collar workers that know how to fix things! Not everything is or will be automated.
A little "story": I remember vividly of more than one man walking out to my dad's shop carrying a faucet - bringing it to him in order not to pay for a service call! This was someone who had a very well-paying white collar job at IBM. It wasnt a one-off.
Now I need an electrician to come and do some maintenance on my generator - another blue-collar job.
Sorry - as you can see, sort of rubs me the wrong way. I think its great when someone can manage to get to college IF they want it bad enough to work for it, and if it helps them better themselves - absolutely. Right now, the cost is so far out of sight and so far beyond the ability of anyone to pay for it AND earn a living. Is it worth it? Not sure.
I should add - what Dawn is doing is a wonderful thing - I agree with her - people who come here for a better life deserve to get help in assimilating - the idea that so many who HAVE assimilated might be yanked out of their lives here and put into a pergatory(sp) they do not deserve? I hope that the friends and neighbors they made will at least make a stink about it - altho I would imagine anyone who is undocumented probably attempts to stay under the radar!
I'd like to think that was the exception rather than the rule, but maybe not.
I think Dawn's words of saying open your mind and take a pause to consider you might be wrong is valuable advice. I found this story heartening and just what I needed. Thank you for sharing. Happy Thanksgiving.
Dawn is an inspiration! What a wonderful story for Thanksgiving week. It also made me stop and think - becuase the statement "If you are refusing to admit you might not be right, you will never grow," really resonates. I think our country is suffering from the refusal to admit we may not be right....on both "sides." That rules out compromise. Thanks for sharing, Ken.
Dawn's is a story of hope and change, and of how community involvement can improve one's life. Thank you for sharing her story with us, Ken. After the shocking election results, I needed to find a cause to feel hopeful and to have a new tangible purpose. Next month, I will become a member of the "Zonta Club of Glens Falls" and "Zonta International." Zonta is an organization that supports women's rights and other important issues. The word Zonta comes from the language of Native American Sioux peoples and means "honest and trustworthy". If anyone is interested, check the link below, and find the local club on Facebook.
https://www.zonta.org/Web/Web/Default.aspx
Peace to all this Thanksgiving! 💙
Every immigrant, wherever they are from, has a story. But the stories of Afghan women under the Taliban seem particularly relevant in today’s America where oppressive religious fundamentalism has gained so much power. It is a good illustration of the idea that despite distance, culture, and differences we are all the same, but sometimes not in a good way.
A young Afghan refugee, Nila Ibrahimi, who has been making a difference in Canada and beyond with a project she calls HerStory: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgz55wn0g6o?fbclid=IwY2xjawGz8pNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHRvB9feR1gk-1RwjuDRMZTpx4B5efemJjbyUGilab21noLCCY3nhTvSeFQ_aem_TjI6lvYrRjkTTJjnRzshxQ
Link to the HerStory page: https://www.herstory-af.org/
Fundamentalism in any form, religious or otherwise, can be dangerous, dehumanizing, and deadly. Deadly in the sense of killing the human spirit. As the Good Book says, “…the letter kills, but the spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6).
Thanks for sharing Dawn’s beautiful, compelling story! What an example she is. No, what an inspiration!
Thank you. I respect your cousin for opening up to a world beyond her daily responsibilities
and commitments. Oh my, if we only had more people like her responding to issues in our world.
Go Dawn! My grandparents emigrated from Germany in 1928 with three kids under 6 years old, one of whom was my mother at 4 years old… like all the Italians, Irish, Jewish, Polish who settled in the Bronx and NYC…part of the backbone of America, their new home. Now full circle, their 65 yo Christian grandaughter has recently become a literacy volunteer…and helping a Mom with her two young children, improve her English… “let the Circle, be unbroken, by and by Lord, by and by“
What a wonderful and uplifting story to read on this day before Thanksgiving!!! Dawn really gives me hope! She was the perfect source for this information....as your cousin! Her evolution is incredible---she did it on her own but her thoughts about her younger self....beautiful. Growing should never stop and she's proof.
Bravo to your cousin. It's never too late to learn that the smug view of the world can be changed if your heart is opened.
Your comments about education are spot on as well. I also grew up working class and went into the media business and the only reasons our former peers have for their disdain and distrust of those like us are fear and insecurity. Trump appealed to those instincts -- instead of encouraging those folks to grow, he exploited their weaknesses and gave them an excuse for not improving themselves intellectually and spiritually. They should take the lesson your cousin offers to heart.
Ken wrote: "Something in that story stirred something in Dawn's soul./ I told Dawn she sounded different."
Reminds me of the adage "To change the world, start with yourself’.
Ken also wrote: "There is nothing wrong with being blue collar, but there is nothing wrong with being white collar either…."
If we’re going to cross the divides that separate us, I think we’re going to have to start with ourselves. This, from W.E.B. Du Bois in a 1953 speech:
"Work is service, not gain. The object of work is life, not income. The reward of production is plenty, not private fortune. We should measure the prosperity of a nation not by the number of millionaires but by the absence of poverty, the prevalence of health, the efficiency of the public schools, and the number of people who can and do read worthwhile books."
One of the great pleasures of writing this column is the interactions with so many wise people. Thank you Bob.
I love your stuff about pos_tfnKKK and politics.. but these personal stores are where you are in a realm of greatness
I love telling these stories.