When someone posts a diary asking what Booman Tribune is all about, I naturally feel like I should reply. But, it turns out that I don’t need to, and actually, it seems, it would be presumptuous for me to do so.
Reading through all the comments in Catnip’s diary made me realize that the members have somehow determined what the site is about, and you all are not embarassed to express what you think.
It’s a fascinating thing to watch a community grow and evolve, and to know that I have had a role in determining how that growth evolved.
I have always believed that American politics suffers from a deficit of female voices, influence, and power. When I decided to create a progressive community website, I had a goal of reaching for a site that had an equal number of female voices. It started with looking for women to be front-page posters. Susan has been more responsible for fulfilling the feel of this site than I ever imagined one person could be.
But it goes beyond just her contributions. This site has developed into a decidedly caring and nurturing place. It’s done so in a way that I never anticipated except in a purely conceptual way.
But it backs up my theory. My theory was that political discourse would improve, be more productive, and better reflect the values of the Democratic Party, if the community was more representative of the actual demographic makeup of the party.
From a gender standpoint, I think we’ve been astonishingly successful. We still need to work on attracting more people from the lower socio-economic strata of the party. But we already can see the benefit of having a large female voice here.
I won’t try to characterize the effect because it’s best reflected by the comments people made in Catnip’s diary. I think that I had some influence by creating certain guidelines for the community (like the ‘don’t be a prick’ rule). But, most of the effect has been organic and has developed autonomously.
One thing that has developed, and that I encouraged, is that this community is first and foremost about its members. Bringing together a community of people with a wide variety of skills should be empowering. We benefit from the sharing of political information, but we also can benefit from the sharing of photosop skills, HTML skills, gardening tricks, life advice, and everything else.
That’s what I value the most. We can all benefit from the skills and support that we have to offer each other.
So, without diminishing what everyone else has had to say about what Booman Tribune is about, I’ll just say that I am pleased with how the community has evolved. It has been surprising to me, but also validating, in that I always believed that an online community could be more than just a place to throw ideas around. An online community can be a place that makes all of us better, more knowledgable, more powerful, better supported, and happier.
The site’s general attitude comes from the “top” down. Not that you are into hierarchical organization, but that’s the way it goes in the reality based world. Thank you so very much for setting the tone and encouraging continued civility and caring.
It seems to me that 50% of our members are anatomically unable to be such, and the rest of us, the male variety, join in the fun discussing those of our leaders who fit the definition.
I can’t say that it would fly very far as a general progressive social democrat slogan, but, in a way, it encapsulates our attitudes 😉
Booman, thanks for such a site. You mentioned that it is a site that “better reflect the values of the Democratic Party”. Well, since I am in the process of immigrating to Germany, I am joining the WASG, which will be my party. So, yes, I’m more of a socialist than a democrat. Nevertheless, thanks for a site that makes me feel welcome!
I am so glad it turned out this way too. It means more to me this way that to be just reading someplace without a voice. You and your site has given me that voice I so desperately needed. So thanks very much for it. I am so please you think the way you think and act up on those thought the way you do. When you have something that is good, it will do well….and so it looks like it will grow and grow. What was it that the movie said, If you build it, they will come…..well you did just that. Congratulations.
Thanks, Booman.
When I first signed up here I felt like I had stumbled across some kind of utopia in a clearing in the middle of a dark and sometimes forbidding forest so to speak. The welcome extended to all the newcomers was the best thing that I took from here as a sign of this community’s makeup. Then I began to notice some of the trepidation of the original members. They were rightfully worried that the influx would undermine and change Bootrib for the worse. This caused me to hesitate a little about joining because I didn’t want to be responsible for that. It’s sort of like what I think about contacting previously unknown and pristine South American native tribes. Contact is almost inevitable, but we know that no matter what our best intentions are and no matter how careful we are to minimize the impact, the result will be that that society will be forever changed and sadly for the worse. Luckily, it seems like this has been avoide here mainly I believe because of the efforts put forth by the original members to set aside thier fears and protectiveness and take a risk by welcoming all of us newcomers. Now I feel completely at home here and even put up a diary. A BIG deal to me. Not only that. The responses I recieved from all the wonderful women, and a few men, were just overwhelming to me and left me smiling the entire night last night. Shit, I’m still grinning.
This place is just awesome and as was said above, you set the tone Booman and you should take great pride and ownership in that. Extremely well done :O)
Peace
.
The value of a community is its facilitating freedom of expression and exchange of ideas. To develop one’s talent is the essence of what so often is considered the American Dream, part of the opportunity in the New World, seen by immigrants landing on Ellis Island.
This is a part of life’s fulfillment, a philosophy if you please, which is the fiber in a community.
I do recognize the same bewilderment or stress when I posted a comment, or worse a diary before, wondering whether the first comments would sink my attempt to have an open discussion on any topic. That’s why I also love the presence of Ghostdancers Way and all philosophical contributions, explicit or implicit expressed in new ideas.
That is why I understood the importance of hospitality to an influx of newbies, although many persons were known or already friends from dKos. I never considered myself an oldbie with UID #452 – only felt comfortable to make such an active group of bloggers feel at home here @BooMan’s Place. Within hours the activity spiked to unknown heights and has hardly eased since. Just like a quiet country mansion, finally becoming alive when the neighbors are invited in to fill the rooms.
I am grateful for the comfort within this community, to reach out to persons approaching the threshold of a first comment or even a first diary. I consider that very precious, the culmination belonging to a blogging community. I have stated it before, the choice is easy: a single person engaged in a discussion or one hundred visitors unable to find your single comment.
Thanking all for their gracious entry in the WELCOME diaries.
USA WELCOME: Make Yourself Known @BooMan Tribune and add some cheers!
You opened the harbour for ships in stormy waters to come and rest.
We are the strugling ships tossed about in a violent sea of chaos.
With the light house guiding us into supportive berths, where we can safely tie to our “peers” ; )
You are the light house keeper BooMan…
For the good you do, will return to you.
Its going to be hard for me to make this comment without bringing up kos, but please know that it is meant to be more self-reflective than kos-reflective.
Your words booman, make me reflect that I have taken for granted the progress we have made in hearing the feminine voice. Being the director of a non-profit organization, I have begun to take for granted that my voice can be heard in the professional world. I get to be heard most of the time on the direction I think the agency should go.
But as I’ve said before, I lurked at kos for 9 months and didn’t say a word. In a nutshell, I felt intimidated and wasn’t even aware of it. I just shut up, let others do the talking and was content with being an observer.
This is a real lesson for me in how easy it is for me to still give up the voice it took me about 30 years to develop. That is somewhat painful for me. But I hope it can be a lesson that we need to keep working at it. Both as individuals and as a culture.
Thanks Booman and all the others for helping me find that voice in the blogworld again. I’ll be much more vigilant in not giving it up again!
Thanaks Booman for allowing this site to grow and take the direction it has. With Susan on the fron page(I am in complete awe of her writing and energy) always on top of things you have attracted the womens voice. The encouragement from you, Susan and many others for all of us to take a shot at writing diaries has been incredible. It will be interesting to see how this place evolves in the next year or two. I look forward to the work ahead with 06 and 08 elections. They will be here before we know it.
Ah yes Booman, one of the best things you did was give us a voice and a hand in the development of this site…Newcomers will not know of all the early diaries(mostly led by Boo) we had on how we wanted this site to be and function and how we worked our way through several spats and were the better for it..
Booman has been the greatest with his treatment of members and for allowing us to be a part of the growing and taming of the site.
And then dear Susan who must work her fingers to the bone to present all the wonderful diaries every day, we thank her too…
BTW I qualify for the lower socio-economic group, any others here.
Lower socio-economic group would definetily include me. I wear it proudly like a medal on my chest.
Don’t know where I fit in. I own very little, except those things which are extremely personal to me – like books. Everything else is leased.
But I earn good money, which mostly goes to creative projects that wouldn’t get done otherwise. The rest goes to two daughters who like shopping, but I manage to persuade them (most of the time) to write/record songs or go to France for language studies or any other creative risk-taking. This is what my parents gave me, I think it works, so I am continuing their tradition.
..and me too. 🙂
I definitely fit in the lower economic status Booman referred to and while people don’t like mentioning money I will say my income is less than 10,000…yippie-ki-ya-mfocker..and it’s only thanks to my sister who bought me a computer and pays the monthly fee that I’m able to be a part of this great online community.
My economic status also leads me in particular to read and follow stories of poverty in children here and the status of how lower working class people struggle to make ends meet and how very prejudiced people still are towards people with little money. Being poor does not automatically mean ignorant, uneducated or lazy.(as that can apply to people with money just as easily)
You could also put me in the category of old, white, disabled redhead, then again categories while sometimes informative are many times meaningless.
I had one great moment of having money (almost 80m a year!) and then all hell broke loose and now I am definitely down in the lower ranks. It has taken me a long time to figure out how not to spend dammit! And I still waste money on weirdnesses. Bush happened to me! Downsizing, outsourcing etc.
Excuse me Granma Jo, but was that 80 million?
Nah – 80,000. But it was like a million to me! Books being my major addiction.
ms jo, I too keep praying for that big win from the lottery….I pray each and eveery night to the dear Lord….one day he answered my prayer, it went like this…God says to Brenda, “Brenda, if you want to win, Hon, you first have to buy that ticket”. Well, I keep thinking of that each time I buy gas and should buy that one ticket…but never do…so needless to say, I will always ramin in the lower class of society…:o)
When I was at DemFest two weeks ago, I looked around the tent and confirmed what had been nagging at me all weekend. Almost every face was white. And this even though two of the most dynamic speakers were Latinas – Sandra Ramos and Lupe Valdez.
(From the links: “Last year, Ms. Ramos was the manager for seven Colorado state house races, of which six were successful, which took back the Colorado state legislature for the first time in almost 40 years.” and “Lupe Valdez is a woman, a Hispanic, a Democrat and a lesbian — and, come Jan. 1, she’s entering the ranks of Texas good ol’ boys. Valdez is becoming Sheriff Lupe [of Dallas county].)
It bothered me again last weekend at Austin Moving Forward. But this time, the issue was explicitly discussed. “How do we bridge the I-35 divide?” (West of the interstate is historically white and middle-class to affluent, east is historically minority and poor. Demographics have changed over the years, but every Austinite knows what “the I-35 divide” means.)
Tomorrow, DFT and the county Democratic party are co-sponsoring a July 4th Salute to the Bill of Rights picnic in East Austin. Note: In just three weeks, we’ve gone from 1) not mentioning it, to 2) discussing it, to 3) reaching out.
George Lakoff is pounding the drums for progressives claiming their values, coming together, and no more taking shit from Republicans.
The coming together is key. The politics of inclusion. Everyone is important. The Democratic Party will fight for every American. Note too, that many became active in DFT/DFA because we were disgusted with our local party. Now DFT and the party are coming together, too, – we progressives are taking it over, just as we said we must do in the aftermath of November.
BooTrib is part of that movement. We’re learning here what we take to the “real world” of political activism. We’re building a model of inclusion, respect, and working together.
Note: In just three weeks, we’ve gone from 1) not mentioning it, to 2) discussing it, to 3) reaching out.
That is truly excellent!
We really need a lot more work with racial integration here. IRL I’ve lived in integrated communities most of my life. But online community has never felt anything close to that integrated. I always have to go out of my way to find balance. The Black Commentator, for example.
Do you mean here or IRL?
I find it very hard to tell from words who anyone is – superficially.
Cumulatively, various facts emerge about gender and location. But often I am never sure. nor concerned. Language play reveals something of education and level of humour. A personality may come into focus after reading a lot of comments.
But for the life of me. I don’t know the colour of anyone’s skin, hair or toenails. The very wide range of subjects diaried and commented here would lead me to believe that every type of gender, race, income, (English-speaking) nationality, education, age and polite inclination is represented here. But I may be wrong…
I’m not talking about individuals. I’m talking about the overall sense of the place. I like it, but I know it’s not as racially diverse as where I live. Don’t ask me how I know. It’s not even a matter of percentages. This site feels white to me. Not oppressively so, call it “cream,” perhaps.
I’ve seen this countless times. The blacks and Latinos I know act differently in different social contexts. I talk with them about it occassionally. Most of it is second nature, some is not. So, even people of color posting here who feel perfectly comfortable doing so will tend to have subtly different ways of expressing themselves. They will (not all of them, but as a whole) subconsciously express themselves in different ways, and this will contribute to the continuing whiteness/creamness of the site, regardless of how many people of color we have here.
It takes something more than numbers to change this. It takes conscious efforts and actions.
ok i take your point. what can we do about it?
I’m in Finland. So maybe I miss the cultural subtleties.
Recruiting some front page bloggers would be one obvious move.
(You Finns are sooooo naive! <g>)
I note from your list of personal diaries that you have not, yourself, done much to correct the perceived imbalances…
…Whereas e.g. Ghostdancer has regularly diaried on native american subjects + resonating with many here + revealing several people here that share a similar heritage + celebrated in comments for his different passionate beliefs etc etc.
Passion, curiosity and courtesy seem to be (and IMHO, are) the only requirements for membership at BT.
But let’s work together on this, huh?
Actually, I haven’t diaried very much here at all. I’m trying to work on a book, and I’ve cut back accordingly.
But the imbalance I’m talking about is not about subject matter, as I’ve tried to explain repeatedly.
So it’s about perceptions?
OK, I finally get the point.
If you check out my diary on Systems Without Leaders:
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2005/6/11/72218/3739
It might give you some insight into from where I am coming.
Perceptions help to lead the way, but it’s about more than perceptions. It’s about who we attract, and what sort of community we become. Not to mention how broad range of perspectives we incude.
I did read your diary, “How systems can work without leaders,” and you even called my belated comment, “Leaders Without Hierarchy”, “a very good epilogue to this diary.” I think it’s a good way to see what I’m driving at. My comment began:
A more sophisticated example comes from the world of jazz. It’s commonplace for jazz musicians to work sometimes as leader, sometimes as sidemen. In any given song, it’s commonplace for different sidemen to take solos, during which they become the leaders. It’s also commonplace for a sideman to step forward to lead on a song during a gig, and the leader to play the role of sideman.
It’s no accident that we’re talking about racial diversity and that I brought up the example of jazz. Jazz reflects very deep aspects of African intellectuality, which are also seen in African religious traditions. I can write about this at length, but I will always write about it as an outsider. An admiring outsider, but an outsider, nonetheless.
I want to bring in people who can write about it as insiders, because I will learn things from them I could never learn otherwise. Yes, there is an altruistic desire as well. But just from a purely self-interested point of view, I want those voices here becuase I will get something from them that I wouldn’t get otherwise.
On another level, I want to comment on how the call for “leaderlessness” can unintentionally have racist consequences. You see, after millenia of hierarchical, coercive social structures, escaping into non-hierarchical structures is a final form of privilege. It’s something that some of us can afford to do, because we have the luxury–if we so choose–of stepping away from struggles in an hierarchical context that still require hierarchical power (such as one lone Senator in January 2001 to support the Congressional Black Caucus members who challenged the Florida election).
Now, it’s true that in theory a leaderless state would produce the most net benefit to those who are most oppressed in the existing hierarchical state. But it does not follow that we can simple jump wholesale from one state to another, and realize all those benefits with the snap of a finger. We have to be sensitive to the transition costs involved. And it’s hardly surprising that theose transition costs would fall most heavily on the people already at the bottom.
To keep this perspective in mind, once again, it makes utmost sense to actively recruit articulate representatives from those groups that would be most disadvantaged. Not because I oppose your vision–I share it. But because an idealistic vision requires us to seek out those who feel or actually would be threatened by it, and work with them, as much as possible, to make it practical as well. And perhaps, even, to discover other ideals, other visions we can embrace as well.
I hope this clarifies things for you, since looking backward on our exchange it’s obvious that I didn’t respond with sufficient depth and patience when I should have initially.
Paul, I really welcome this – I’m sorry if I didn’t remember your earlier contribution to my diary.
Your point about ‘changing leaders’ is important, simply because people find themselves ‘out front’ – like Martin – without aspiring to the position. They find themselves in that positition, not by design, but usually because they have ‘stronger wings’, ‘better feeding’ or pure random chance. Most of the things I’ve done in my life, which have been appreciated by a large audience, have been total accidents. “Everything just happened to be right”, Nothing was planned – except to do the best with the elements you had to juggle with.
Re Jazz: I’ve argued the point endlessly with top classical and Jazz musicians in Finland – but my view is that it is ALL rehearsal. You can rehearse the linear sequence of notes (classical ie ‘as written’) or you can rehearse riffs, and then combine them ad hoc into a linear whole.
There is no such thing IMHO as a totally extempore solo – it has a modular structure based on past experience. As far as the brain is concerned there is no difference in processing the phraseology of classical v jazz. The brain works in word/phrase short-term structural mode in which the gestalt is illustrated by the module.
I worked with Gary Kasparov for a while – to whom I owe a great deal in insightful knowledge – we did a test with him in which a chess position was concealed from him and then revealed for a short while. He was wearing special spectacles which showed precisely and visually where his visual focus was. His eyes invariably went to the King and hovered there around. He was able to deduce everything that had led to that circumstance – he didn’t need to see it. He was focused on the organic threat. That is what I think we are discussing here.
What you talked about in your latest reply was the ‘transitional costs’. Here I absolutely agree (and actually, in general)
From your writing here, I really look forward to your book. To me, the most interesting writers are ‘on the cusp’ ie transitional. Representing a merging of two disciplines. I try to be multi-disciplinary myself – since the collapse of borders interests me greatly – whether physical, spiritual or metaphysical – and especially technical.
Let me not keep you from your book! I write myself, I sympathise 😉
I’m glad to see this conversation continuing – I’ve been checking in from time to time and thinking . . . . I’m not through thinking but I’m afraid that if I don’t post a comment you guys will think I just commented and ran. Not the case at all.
As Paul says, it will take conscious efforts and actions. The first step, I think, is the consciousness. We white folks have to be aware. That’s not easy for the majority – see comments in MAJeff’s thread about heterosexuals. Most of us spend most of our lives surrounded by others like ourselves for the simple reason that there are more of us – we are, numerically, the majority. Add in the privileges that we “privileged” folks have – and that we usually take entirely for granted – and it gets even more complicated. (Almost all of us fit in some privileged category: white, male, straight, not-poor, theist – pick one or more.)
One reason that I started spending less time a dKos was the “Fuck the South!” diaries and comments. Much ranting about how Southerners are all racist assholes and we don’t need their votes, write off the South!! What’s wrong with this picture? Far be it from me to imply that African-Americans are not capable of racism, but I don’t think that’s what the posters were going on about. I think that they could only see white Southerners. It’s the “not seeing” that led me to grave doubts that true progressive politics could be nurtured in that environment.
At the first DFT (our local DFA) meeting that I went to in Jan., a member of the DNC was there to discuss the DNC chair race then underway. Someone took the opportunity to get up and start lecturing the guy – “The Democratic party should do this! The Democratic party has to stop doing that! Until you start doing this other thing, I will not support you! Rant rant.” People started trying to talk back to him and finally the DNC person summed up what most of the people there were trying to say to him. “You are the Democratic party. Whatever you think the “Democratic party” should be doing – just go do it.”
Ghandi, as in so many other things, had it right: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Want more diversity, more inclusion? Do it. Conscious efforts and actions. How? That’s the tough part.
At the Austin Moving Forward event I spoke to Glen Maxey during a break. He’s one of my all time heroes. Broke all records for voter registration and voter turnout last October through a strategy of reaching out to people who had not registered or who had registered but didn’t usually vote. I thought he’d know “how.”
His answer to me: “So how many black people did you invite to come here today?” Point taken. However, I continued to badger him. I said, “I don’t know how to connect with African-Americans who are or want to be, politically active. I want to, but I don’t know how. I just feel so . . . . impotent on this issue.” After a pause, he said, “We all do.”
I haven’t a clue on how we increase diversity on this site, but I think discussing the issue is a first step. IRL I’ve been going up to African-Americans at political meetings and introducing myself and saying, “We’re a group of liberal bloggers. We’re trying to reach out and connect with other progressive groups. We’d be interested in helping set up blogs, linking to your blog, publicizing your events and actions on our blogs, anything you’d find useful.”
Reaction – obviously appreciate the reachout, but always mention, “Most of the members of the community we work with don’t have computers. I don’t know how useful blogs would be to us.”
So that’s a problem, when we’re talking about blogs. Though not an insurmountable one, imo. Obviously, there are a lot of African-American and Latino bloggers. Quite a few here, even though we remain pretty “creamy,” in Paul’s phrase. A Latino and/or A-A front page poster would send a powerful signal of welcome, as Susan’s posts have done for women here (though I don’t see how anyone, of any ethnic group could approach her astounding output).
Women and gays already seem to feel at home here, and have given the site much of its power. The Latinos, African-Americans, Asians, Native-Americans among us are loved and much appreciated. However, one of the things that happened here is that women and gays on the site are represented, I would guess, in numbers that reflect America as a whole. If we had ethnic/racial minority members and participants reach a similar critical mass, this place would be truly awesome.
And we here could be part of “being the change” we wish to see.
Sorry for the long post – I have been thinking about this all day. And I was also sort of waiting for the traffic to die down to post such a long response.
What’s wrong with creamy, and issues, as two separate entities. We can be creamy and deal with all kinds of issues, if you have then put them out there, bring them to us, go out and invite others from blogs you like to come here. That’s what I do all the time..
Seems to me to try to have a racial diversity (in the sense you speak of)that will be counter productive to what this site is about.
There is no color on the internet only digital and I find that refreshing, knowing that it is the heart of a person speaking to me, no matter the ethnicity or culture.
Why do we have to know your color or ethnicity. I don’t have to be an Iraqi to care about Iraq.
I don’t have to be black to care about blacks…for example. Don’t we need to just see people, who all have things in common. Issues are a different thing.
Just putting this out there, I might have more to add but I will see where these comments go first.
You say, “Seems to me to try to have a racial diversity (in the sense you speak of)that will be counter productive to what this site is about.”
BooMan made a conscious effort to reach out to women and to have the numbers of women here reflect our numbers in the world as a whole. I think the site has greatly benefitted from this. And as a woman, I am very grateful for what he’s done in that respect. I feel welcome, and that my perspective, from my experiences as a woman, contributes to what we have here.
We could be genderless here, too, if we chose (and if we’d pick screen names unlike “Janet” and “diane” 😉 ) But the fact that there are a lot of women here – that we don’t chose to be genderless, leads to wonderful diaries like supersoling’s last night.
People of different racial and ethnic groups bring their own perspectives, their own experience. I love being able to see things from the other points of view than that of my experience that ManEgee and ghostdancer’s way give me, for example. More Tribbles like those guys could only make this place even more awesome.
All are welcome here, and we all care about each other’s issues – that’s what being a progressive is all about! Now I’m a mouthy, opinionated, and downright cocky (on my good days) female, and I don’t necessarily wait for an invitation before barging in. But a lot of the women here have mentioned how much BooMan’s explicit invitation to women meant to them. Minority folks too, often aren’t sure that they are welcome unless they get a specific invitation.
Seeking out bloggers and inviting them here is an excellent idea!
Oh Janet, I was never saying I did not want all sorts of diversity here, of course I do, I was talking about we should be a creamy mix, or a moccha mix or whatever mix we end up being, but I don’t think anyone ethnic group needs front page status anymore than any other as was suggested above, maybe not by you but by Paul. I think our writing and subject is more important than our race as far as who gets FP’ed.
People will end up here as they choose and as they are found and brought here, and our mix will be whatever it turns out to be. It sort of sounded to me like you or Paul were going into the direction of seeking quotas for members and stories FP’ed. I also think it is up to Booman and Susan to front page any diaries or members as they see fit and should not be based on we need a black FP’er and then what about all the others, we need one from each group to be FP’ed. I personally think it should be the writer/writing/subject and not the race that should be considered for FP’ing.
Maybe its the term creamy, I see creamy as being the best mix of coffee, others may prefer black or some with sugar or even mocha, so maybe it is the metaphor.
So to make it perfectly clear I love, want and seek out ethnic diversity and world views and more and more is just fine with me…That was not what I was speaking of in my earlier comment.
This probably would be a good topic for a diary as there is just too much to say.
but I seconded it. It is my understanding that when BooMan set up this site, one of the things he did was specifically invite women to be front-pagers – and of course, Susan has picked up that ball and run with it brilliantly.
It’s BooMan’s decision, but BooMan said in his original post, “We still need to work on attracting more people from the lower socio-economic strata of the party.”
As several people pointed out, including you, we already have several active members who fit the “lower SES” category.” Paul and I just picked up the thought and extended it to attracting more minority members.
Affirmative action has always been a contentious issue. I’ve never looked at it as “quotas” but rather as a recognition that members of minority groups are often wary (given their experience, probably with good reason) about whether they are truly welcome in a place where almost everyone is white. As I struggle to understand their experience, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s up to us whitefolks to be the ones to reach out and say, hey, come on over, we’d love to have you join us.
And minority front-pagers might be one way to extend that welcome, in the same way that inviting women worked so well, for the reason Paul pointed out in his comment I linked to – and my response to it. Paul and I are just brainstorming ideas. I love brainstorming.
And btw, I did know that didn’t mean you don’t welcome more diversity. I was just trying to say, sometimes the only way to get it is to reach out, to make the extra effort, given history and all of the complications and misunderstandings from that history.
I think this subject may deserve a diary of its own, hint Janet!!!!
Put it out there and we can discuss like we always do..
Interesting subject and good points both pro and con above.
BTW have you seen Nanettes diary today…
Diane – I’m with you on this – I just – as a Finn – find it hard to put myself in the same position as black, green, or purple writers. I find it hard to empathise totally – whicb is why your suggestion of a diary is so apt. I’m interested in what people think, and where that thinking comes from, but not the physical origin. Brains are brains – the same weight, shape and colour for everybody.
But I also accept that I was born white with every privelege that whiteness bestows. I’m here to learn!!!
Thanks Sven for adding further to my point,so now who is going to do the diary????Janet or Paul or you, but not me…I’ll contribute but I don’t want to write it. Sven I think you might just be the one to do it since your ‘Finnish perspective’ is one that I hold as it pertains to the world view of this site..
It’s a lot easier to invite folks in when they see someone prominent they can identify with already in a prominent position. Hence my suggestion about front-page posters.
suggestion, Paul. Notice how often women here mention Susan as a reason they feel so welcome?
I linked to this quite awhile ago as I get their online publication in my email. Always valuable articles and great writing. As I do a Latino publication called Olivera Street.
Maybe we should have a poll like the gender poll on the diversity or the bootrib members?
I’d like to add also that some of the best diaries here for me have been from ghostdancers way…a different and informative perspective of our American history.
It will be a tough diary!!!
But one which I think would have deep deep ramifications.
Go for it!
dems and dem bloggers (dem bones, dem bones gonna rise again! (sorry)) Is that the dems have participated in the selling of the government to lobbyists and corporate deep pockets the same as the repubs. When we look to Joe Biden and to Lieberman we get the corporate echo chamber, not the dem values chamber. This has to be addressed in some way. It is a healed over sore, only healed over because repubs have had all the action. But the moment the dems start to move the sore will rupture. “Dem values” phrase is not a code word but a living memory that dems are inclusive (affirmative action, choice but not demand) care about safety nets (social security, welfare, head start, school breakfasts and lunch programs, minimum wage, unemployment insurance). But what we’ve gotten are dems that know “to get along you go along”. So we’ve gotten regressive drug war laws that are draconian. We’ve had no checks on the repubs war on the bill of rights. Dems accepted “welfare reform”, tort reform, “bankruptcy reform and decided that gun laws were not acceptable. They “slept with the enemy” saying they were doing their part to negotiate. They didn’t want to be labled obstructionists. They haven’t demanded an accounting of the war plunder that has gone to Halliburton. They haven’t demanded an accounting of torture and rendition. They haven’t done their jobs any more than the repub counterparts – except with notable exceptions – Boxer, Conyers, Slaughter. And those have done the major part of any work coming out of the congress. So why should we invest in dems plural? Why not invest in those that still know how to speak to dem values?
Truer words were never spoken…how can we keep voting for people who don’t stand for anyting, other than, “we’re not as bad as the other team”?
Out Fuck’n Stand’n…How sweet those words ring,
It’s about time those words turned into a war cry, from both sides of the isles. We need to shout it on the steps of every building, and people not only need to Hear it…they need to LISTEN to it.
Grandma Jo/glitterscale, I anxiously await your DIARY…you go girl…Hoooooooo Laaawwwd YOU GO ; )
I see a top notch diary in the making here…Yessir
I’m with you on this one – “Why not invest in those that still know how to speak to dem values?” Boxer and Slaughter and of course, my hero!
And we need to give major support to the Congressional Black Caucus. As the story at the links says,
I just posted a L-O-N-G response to the entire discussion under Paul’s comment, above. Further thoughts?
The Congressional Black Caucus has long been called “the conscience of Congress,” and it’s absolutely true. It’s not just on black issues, but on virtually any subject you can shake a stick at, they are the moral leaders.
For over 20 years, whenever anyone would ask who my representative in Congress was, I’d say, “Ron Dellums.” I never lived in his district, unfortunately. (Berkeley!) But he always represented me.
We’re about 5000% better than the Repubs in this regard!
When I worked for a state senator’s election last year, one of the truly enjoyable aspects of it was the multi-cultural folks I met at HQ. It must be so culturally boring to be a Republican.
The whole discussion here and in catnip’s diary reminded me of the following from the Tao Te Ching (#17):
When the Master (sage, wise leader) governs, the people
are hardly aware that he exists.
Next best is a leader who is loved.
Next, one who is feared.
The worst is one who is despised.
If you don’t trust the people,
you make them untrustworthy.
The Master doesn’t talk, he acts.
When his work is done,
the people say, “Amazing:
we did it, all by ourselves!”
When I was a supervisor, I kept two quotes handy where I would see them daily. One was the above, the other was “People live up to – or down to – your expectations.” (Unfortunately, management didn’t always agree with my philosophy, but that’s another story…)
You set a tone of trust, openness, and caring and the resulting crop grew naturally from the seed that was planted. We thank you.
is true in teaching as well. BTW, I’m interested in Taoism. Do you study it?
No formal training, but a lot of reading. Email me; I’d be happy to talk to you about it.
Very glad to be here. Thanks.
Thanks, Booman. I have to say that the people who commented in my diary definitely answered my questions and I’m amazed at the response. Within the space of just a few hours, it was made crystal clear to me what this place is all about – true community in every sense of the word. I want to thank everyone for helping me to better understand what I can do to help out here.
The fact that you and Susan are so directly responsive, via e-mails, comments in peoples’ diaries, and meta threads helps tremendously to make this place what it is. Neither of you place yourselves above others by any stretch of the imagination. That truly makes a huge difference to me. Both of you have incredibly big hearts and that sets the tone for everyone.
As some already mentioned, there are representatives of the elusive lower economic strata group here, including me, and I hope to address how to bring more into the fold of your party through a diary or two in the future.
So, once again, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Catnip, your diary caused me to think about how often I talk to myself instead of commenting in the more serious diaries. I want our wonderful diarists to feel “read,” so after reading what you and others said, I decided that I’d better step up and participate a bit more. Since your diary I have commented–for better or worse, lol!–in several diaries that I wouldn’t have contributed to before. I would only have read, rated, and recommended. After your diary, the 3 R’s no longer seemed enough. So. . .thanks, even though this may turn out to be a mixed blessing for diarists! 🙂
That’s great!
I just want to thank you. You set the tone and that makes a huge difference. Your front page rants are just excellent as are your news stories.
I also really want to thank Susan. Her front page work here is what really keeps coming back every day, several times a day. I don’t always have time to respond and comment, but I truly appreciate all that she has done here.
Also, the community here is diverse, interesting, and fun. By being receptive and respectful, we are clearly building a community that welcomes all. Kudos to everyone!
I have an idea I want to write down somewhere before it slips away.
It comes from seeing the number of people who have been making their first-ever comment on a blog, or writing their first-ever diary. It appears to me that because of the kindness of this community, BooTrib is fast becoming a place that “grows” new political writers of a different sort than other sites grow–the heretofore shyer sort, you might say, the quiet ones who have wisdom and learning to impart but who need a bit safer environment in which to try it out.
Well. . .
Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine has a feature they call, “Department of First Stories” that publishes a new writer every month. They have introduced many a future well-known mystery/suspense writer to the field in this way, over many years.
When this site gets even bigger than it is now, we might want to consider a similar idea: a Department of First Diaries where anyone could file their first-ever diary, get tech support, morale boosts, etc., and where the old-timers (by which time even I will be one!) will pour in to offer encouragement and 4’s.
Just a thought for later down the line.
What an excellent idea! Why don’t we do it now? In fact, it could be something for not only first diary people (although them primarily) but for others as well… it would provide encouragement, as well as giving people more confidence in their technical skills and so on.
I agree it’s wonderful to see people saying how shy they were, and who are now making their first comments and writing their first diaries. I think something like this to show even more that its’ okay to be shy, or not confident at first, and that there are people around who are happy to help out will make a big difference.
Susan has been great with that too, sometimes providing stories that need addressing (she headed up a project where we took the 10 most under reported stories of the year, from the UN, and wrote those up… even I did a diary on something substantive!).
Anyway, I think something like this would be a definite benefit to the site and up and coming writers.
I also think this is a great idea. Especially for those that are hesitant to write.
But I’d like to clarify something about my previous silence and finding my voice here. I am NOT a shy person. Its just that when I started going to kos I was in a new environment and kept trying to get my signals straight before I jumped in. Obviously it was too intimidating to do that. The minute I came here I felt different and all that I already am came out. I think as I first saw the “welcome wagon” diaries and watched new people introduce themselves and get welcomed – I wanted to join in. Thats what got me started. My first diary had just been sitting inside for years and flew onto the page once I was comfortable. For what its worth – thats my story. It might or might not be relevant for others.
I wish I could write. I love to comment though, mouthey soul that I am. What I love more than anything are the cheerleaders – those people – like Catnip – who never critique but always join in. It is so important to me to see that encouragement. Discouragement is always there ready to grab us and throw us down. And it can come from within as well as without. But encouragement is the life of the universe.
Wish you could write?? Ha! Just who wrote that superb rant up above, if not you??! You can write, all right, and you can think–another rather useful skill, :).
Okey, dokey, I don’t need much encouragement!
In a week or two, after I meet a certain deadline from the so-called real world, I’ll stick up a diary to brainstorm this idea. If the consensus is yes-us, and we work out da plan, and there’s no discouraging word from Da Man, then maybe we’ll go ahead with it.
And that’s all the ambiguity I left in me for today.
If anybody wants to move this idea along faster, please do. It’s here for the taking!
Hey kansas, great freaken idea. I’ve never done a diary and not due to any shyness on my part but more the technical aspects and not knowing much about linking etc. This would give many people I bet a place to ask questions(there are no stupid questions) without feeling a bit foolish.
I think BrendaStewart said it all with this comment in my diary: “This site has freed me up to really think and be myself.”
Is there any higher praise than that?
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Week of Einstein
Gotcha!
E=mc²
USA WELCOME: Make Yourself Known @BooMan Tribune and add some cheers!
What’s the membership up to, just curious!
uid 1730, which amounts to 1475 users or which just above 130 are counted as “international”.
Yes, I’m still around, although obviously less, with the build up over at the European Tribune, and I’ll also use this as an opportunity to thank Booman for his effective and patient guidance. European Tribune will also owe a lot to him (and will be shaped by its users, so it’s still time for all of you to have an influence!)
To you and to all people here. I think it’s a matter of maturity. So many people love the freedom of the internet because they can act however they please. People here seem to realize that we are all fellow beings deserving of respect.
We all grow up wanting to be superstars, First it’s attention from Mom that fills the need. If we’re lucky at some point we figure out that we’re not superstars but maybe can get satisfaction from being a catalyst for something good. A gathering of grown-ups is a real pleasure. Sometimes the world cries out for it.
being (often) right politically is certainly important but it isn’t all that’s required. what is also equally as essential, IMHO, is common courtesy. and that’s one of the things i see around here, an effort to be courteous.
i’m sad to say i’ve not found a lot of it in other places. people come online gathering across great distances to exchange political thoughts and experiences but many often leave their manners at the digital front door. until recently i’ve sort of felt as if i were a victim of road rage!!!! you know, like a digital equivalent of someone pulling out in front of you, cutting you off, making obscene gestures or tailgating. i’ll be the first to admit that it’s not easy to for me to disagree with someone’s ideas and not get invested personally as i assert my own. but i do know that what i see around here, at booman tribune, are just a lot of people with superior “driving skills” and courteous attitudes. and that sure makes it easy for those of us who are still learning how to drive!
any of you ever think about taking up synchronized swimming? :::grin::: bet we’d be good at that too!
Love that synchronized swimming comment! 🙂
mee too!!!!!!!!!
Thanks.
I love the fact that 4’s are freely given out here. They are not used to intimidate or as a competition. I’ve also yet to see any comments by the Diary Police who seem to spend ridiculous amounts of time busting posters other blogs. When I see these police/accused
dueling posts, the thought always occurs to me – with there’s got to be a more constructive way to expend energy.
Thanks BooMan, for creating such a site, nurturing, caring, supportive. Yes, you’re right, that is the message Democrats need to project. Thanks again. (Even my paintings are tolerated on Saturdays!)
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Where are the links of actual photos? JPL – ESA – or NASA?
NASA
USA WELCOME: Make Yourself Known @BooMan Tribune and add some cheers!
Way cool pic.
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Mission Accomplished: Probe Hits Comet
First European images of impact on Comet 9P/Tempel 1
These are the first pictures of the impact received by European observers of the Deep Impact encounter.
They were taken by the Faulkes Telescope in Maui, Hawaii (Faulkes Telescope North), which was ideally placed to observe the impact which took place around 07:52 CEST on 4 July. These images show impact and the flare growing as material is thrown out from the comet. The plume appears to be brightening the nucleus by a factor of approximately ten.
USA WELCOME: Make Yourself Known @BooMan Tribune and add some cheers!
Historically a Tribune is an official group that works to protect the rights of minorities – “of the proletarians against the patricians”. The idea was part of Roman law.
A Tribunal is a hearing.
In the last century, the use of the suffix Tribune in local and national newspaper names had continued this tradition (of protecting and informing minority rights).
Then began a slow transition from newspapers financed by sticker price, to newspaper content financed by advertising, to newspaper content influenced by advertising, to what we have today. And what we have today is basically a product – readership – being sold to customers – advertisers. Content is no longer the product, it is only a means to secure readership.
The Tribunal aspects of MSM are long gone. Except for here at Booman Tribune.
For me, this and other sites are my newspapers these days. I’ve given up paper (Oooh that’s terrible for a Finn to say!)
Here I can get front page news, world news, cartoons, op-eds, letters, lifetsyle – and it’s interactive. The only thing missing is sport – which does not bother me at all – though Jerome is now bringing the Tour de France in!!