It's easy to discount another person's experience, or if not exactly discount it, at least misunderstand it in some fundamental way.
While Nero fiddles in the White House, parts of our country are burning. The catalyst was the death of George Floyd. Maybe that's not quite right. George Floyd's death was one of many wrongful deaths of African Americans at the hands of the police. Add to that the systematic racism embedded in our way of life, and the class barriers that, while ill-defined, are nonetheless there, and you have a final indignity at the end of a long list of indignities. That's not quite right either. Unfortunately, it won't be the final indignity. I think that's where the anger and helplessness that fueled this new wave of anger comes from. People talk a good game about being one country, but we're not even two countries, as many of us have thought over the last few years. We're many countries, existing in the same physical space, passing each other in the dark as we look over our shoulders to make sure we're not being followed. As a middle-aged white male, my experience has been one of privilege. That means I don't have to think or talk about racism if I don't want to. It doesn't directly affect me. I was born into a position of power. If I had been born female, or if my skin was a different shade, or if I was gay or transgender, or if I had been born in another country, I'd be at risk. In some ways, it took me a long time to fully begin to comprehend that. It's so much easier to blame one's problems on the "other" than it is to look in the mirror. It is so much easier to quietly benefit from a system based on inequality than it is to speak up. It it so much easier to circle the wagons around a comfortable life than it is to do anything substantial. I'm at least partially guilty of the last. I am comfortable. I have the luxury of sitting here typing this. I have electricity and I just had lunch, and other than a gnawing in the pit of my stomach about how Covid-19 is going to affect my employment in the near future, I don't really have much to worry about.
There is a lot of conversation about the fires and other destruction, with all of the predictable talking points being dragged out for the umpteenth time. I haven't been to any of the protests, so I can't speak from first-hand experience. I also fear a spike in Covid-19 cases in a couple of weeks. People attend protests for different reasons. The majority are there to actually protest. After all, there is strength is numbers. Many voices speak louder than one. Some are there for their own selfish emotional reasons. Some are there to wreak havoc, either because they're pissed off or because they just like breaking and stealing things, or they just get caught up in the herd mentality of the event. Some are there not to protest, but to make the protesters look bad by causing damage. Some are undercover cops. I'm sure I left out some reasons that I haven't even crossed my mind. It's a complicated situation, but what isn't complicated is the anger. The anger that has always been there is being vented. Historically, the protests come and go but nothing changes, at least not fundamentally. Comfortable people tend to react to these protests with fear, which eclipses any understanding or empathy. Understanding and empathy are crucial right now. Taking a good, long look at ourselves is also crucial. Don't react to anger with anger. React with understanding. That's a step in the right direction.
My stepdaughter really wants to be at the protests, but being a veteran of protests, she has taken on a more advisory role for the less experienced while she continues sheltering in place. My daughter, who is still at her mom's sheltering in place, texted me a link of resources for being an ally and donating. I'm proud of them both. Where will this all end? It won't, I'm afraid. I think it will be just another flare-up. The chaos can't be sustained indefinitely. What good will come of it? Conversations like this one, maybe. More people becoming aware that there is a serious problem that continues to be ignored. Ignorance breeds fear, fear breeds hatred, hatred breeds violence. Lets start by becoming less ignorant. If I could pick my least favorite human characteristic, it would probably be willful ignorance. This seems to be the root cause of all of our societal ailments. Of course, willful ignorance serves the rich and powerful. "Keep the masses dumb and that will keep them compliant, and we get to hang on to all of our money and power while they squat in the ruins of our excesses."
And yes, I think you can both deplore the violence and destruction and support the protests. At the same time, hitting the rich and powerful right in their money is a great way to get attention. It's a shame that small business owners and private citizens end up being collateral damage time after time. Anger on this level is like a force of nature though. If you have very little or nothing to lose, a bit of cathartic chaos hits the spot. Right now we seem to be in a perfect storm of chaos and uncertainty.
The trick is, I think, to have empathy. Be kind. Try to understand. Add something positive to the conversation. Try to listen more than you speak. I always tell my students that listening is a much harder skill to master than speaking is. Right now, that's very obvious.
Sunday, May 31, 2020
Sunday, May 10, 2020
Backyard Birds During the First Two Months (!) of Sheltering In Place
We're about to start week 9 of sheltering in place, and for me at least, the time has gone by quickly. I'm thankful that many of my interests are compatible with not leaving the house. The main exception these days with my relatively new obsessiveness with taking photos of birds, but the backyard has been a boon in that arena. Since mid-March, I have added 7 species to my list of birds seen in the backyard. The first, way back on April 5th, was either a Rufous or an Allen's Hummingbird. The two species are hard to tell apart, especially the females and juveniles. While I saw a male a couple of times, it was always gone by the time I got out there with my camera, but I did get a couple of photos of a female (or possibly a juvenile).
Next up was an Eurasian Collared Dove, which is of course an invasive species here, but I was still excited because I hadn't noted this species previously (I say "noted" because I've only been really paying attention to birds for a year or two, so while I may have seen one before, it wouldn't have mattered at the time). It was sitting on top a pole at the far end of a neighbor's yard, looking for all the world like a miniature gull until I zoomed in.
This was followed by a sighting of a Double-crested Cormorant quickly flying past. I did get a photo, but was of even poorer quality than usual.
The beginning of May came with three new additions. Over at the end of the neighbor's yard, I've now seen a female Western Tanager a couple of times, and a Black-headed Grosbeak once.
The most unusual sighting happened while I was scanning the sky. I often hear the noise from flocks of California Gulls as they wheel around in apparent confusion high above. They're probably wondering why all of the parking lot snacks have been replaced by inedible disposable gloves. While scanning, I saw a couple of small, dark silhouettes high up to the south. They looked like Turkey Vultures, but I took a few photos anyway (I love Turkey Vultures, but I have some nice close-ups, so I knew that taking pictures of distant ones wasn't going to result in anything better that what I already have). When reviewing the photos, I realized that they weren't Turkey Vultures. They had the same basic shape and coloration, but there where lighter patches where there shouldn't have been, and one of the bird's heads caught the light just so, revealing coppery gold plumage. They were Golden Eagles. I had always read that they tend to stay away from built-up areas, and sure, as the eagle flies, they weren't far from the hills, but still it was unexpected to see them above the suburbs.
In addition to these relative rarities, we have the regulars. There is a pair of Bewick's Wren (pronounced "Buick's", I recently learned) and a pair of California Towhees nesting in the yard. The Towhees love stealing chicken food. A Black Phoebe is drawn to the yard by our abundance of flies. House Finches may or may not have a nest in the avocado tree. I've seen a fledgling hopping around on the wire begging for food, supplied by a very patient mom.
We've run out of bird seed for the feeder though, so the finches are slightly more distant now. There are a couple of Lesser Goldfinches that I see almost every day, and a pair of Anna's Hummingbirds who regularly visit. There is a crow who hangs out above the other neighbor's yard, and due to its slightly less dapper appearance and tendency to ignore scrutiny might be a juvenile.
Oh year, there is a trio of Brown-headed Cowbirds who like hanging out on top of the power poles. Their courtship displays are fun to watch (or at least I assume the weird head movements and such are courtship displays). I managed to get a relatively close-up shot of the female when she landed on the fence recently.
Working from home continues apace, with one day merging into another. This week, I managed to go up to camp three times, once to check the nature lab, once to film some distance learning segments, and once to take a hike through Sanborn Park with my friend and co-worker, Jellyfish. The main difference between business as usual and our current situation is that there a lot more people on the trails during the week, and many of them can't seem to hold onto their stuff. There was a small pair of shorts floating in the pond (the one we've dubbed "Newt York City") near the visitor's center at Sanborn Park, a couple of lost hats, extra bits of micro trash, and of course the usual bags of dog shit (don't get me started). We've probably been noticing a few more animals than usual, but that's only because there aren't 20 kids trailing after us. Even when kids are quiet, they're loud. I've been taking photos on trail too, but I'll save those highlights for another post.
On my Tuesday excursion, I even took a trip up the hill to visit Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve, which was the first time I've been hiking anywhere besides Sanborn Park since mid-March.
Next up was an Eurasian Collared Dove, which is of course an invasive species here, but I was still excited because I hadn't noted this species previously (I say "noted" because I've only been really paying attention to birds for a year or two, so while I may have seen one before, it wouldn't have mattered at the time). It was sitting on top a pole at the far end of a neighbor's yard, looking for all the world like a miniature gull until I zoomed in.
This was followed by a sighting of a Double-crested Cormorant quickly flying past. I did get a photo, but was of even poorer quality than usual.
The beginning of May came with three new additions. Over at the end of the neighbor's yard, I've now seen a female Western Tanager a couple of times, and a Black-headed Grosbeak once.
The most unusual sighting happened while I was scanning the sky. I often hear the noise from flocks of California Gulls as they wheel around in apparent confusion high above. They're probably wondering why all of the parking lot snacks have been replaced by inedible disposable gloves. While scanning, I saw a couple of small, dark silhouettes high up to the south. They looked like Turkey Vultures, but I took a few photos anyway (I love Turkey Vultures, but I have some nice close-ups, so I knew that taking pictures of distant ones wasn't going to result in anything better that what I already have). When reviewing the photos, I realized that they weren't Turkey Vultures. They had the same basic shape and coloration, but there where lighter patches where there shouldn't have been, and one of the bird's heads caught the light just so, revealing coppery gold plumage. They were Golden Eagles. I had always read that they tend to stay away from built-up areas, and sure, as the eagle flies, they weren't far from the hills, but still it was unexpected to see them above the suburbs.
In addition to these relative rarities, we have the regulars. There is a pair of Bewick's Wren (pronounced "Buick's", I recently learned) and a pair of California Towhees nesting in the yard. The Towhees love stealing chicken food. A Black Phoebe is drawn to the yard by our abundance of flies. House Finches may or may not have a nest in the avocado tree. I've seen a fledgling hopping around on the wire begging for food, supplied by a very patient mom.
We've run out of bird seed for the feeder though, so the finches are slightly more distant now. There are a couple of Lesser Goldfinches that I see almost every day, and a pair of Anna's Hummingbirds who regularly visit. There is a crow who hangs out above the other neighbor's yard, and due to its slightly less dapper appearance and tendency to ignore scrutiny might be a juvenile.
Oh year, there is a trio of Brown-headed Cowbirds who like hanging out on top of the power poles. Their courtship displays are fun to watch (or at least I assume the weird head movements and such are courtship displays). I managed to get a relatively close-up shot of the female when she landed on the fence recently.
Working from home continues apace, with one day merging into another. This week, I managed to go up to camp three times, once to check the nature lab, once to film some distance learning segments, and once to take a hike through Sanborn Park with my friend and co-worker, Jellyfish. The main difference between business as usual and our current situation is that there a lot more people on the trails during the week, and many of them can't seem to hold onto their stuff. There was a small pair of shorts floating in the pond (the one we've dubbed "Newt York City") near the visitor's center at Sanborn Park, a couple of lost hats, extra bits of micro trash, and of course the usual bags of dog shit (don't get me started). We've probably been noticing a few more animals than usual, but that's only because there aren't 20 kids trailing after us. Even when kids are quiet, they're loud. I've been taking photos on trail too, but I'll save those highlights for another post.
On my Tuesday excursion, I even took a trip up the hill to visit Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve, which was the first time I've been hiking anywhere besides Sanborn Park since mid-March.
Monday, May 04, 2020
Week 8
This is the beginning of the 8th week of sheltering in place. Other than going to the pet store around the time it started, getting gas last week, and going up to camp once or twice a week, I've gone nowhere. The funny thing is, I don't mind much. There is always something to do. For example, I just wrote the 168th page for the animal field guide project I've been working on. That's one page for every vertebrate (and a few invertebrates) we've seen around camp. I have photos for nearly all of them as well.
I've been adding to my list of backyard animals (a definition that includes animals seen from the backyard, not just ones physically in the backyard), and some interesting ones have cropped up. I'll share photos soon.
I'll share my Facebook post verbatim describing a backyard moment earlier today:
I was out in the backyard earlier, enjoying the breeze and birdsong, when out of the tree came a glittering cascade, like a faerie waterfall. I almost walked right through it, but then stopped to wonder what could be causing such a thing.
It's a good thing I did.
Squirrel pee.
After it was done peeing, I took its picture. I'll publicly shame the little beast the next time I share some photos.
Currently listening to: My Brightest Diamond "From the Top of the World"
I've been adding to my list of backyard animals (a definition that includes animals seen from the backyard, not just ones physically in the backyard), and some interesting ones have cropped up. I'll share photos soon.
I'll share my Facebook post verbatim describing a backyard moment earlier today:
I was out in the backyard earlier, enjoying the breeze and birdsong, when out of the tree came a glittering cascade, like a faerie waterfall. I almost walked right through it, but then stopped to wonder what could be causing such a thing.
It's a good thing I did.
Squirrel pee.
After it was done peeing, I took its picture. I'll publicly shame the little beast the next time I share some photos.
Currently listening to: My Brightest Diamond "From the Top of the World"