Yesterday was Bastille Day, the day the French celebrate the storming of the Bastille. This act began the French Revolution.

You would think that this would be common knowledge, but apparently Americans are not as adept at French history as I expect them to be. We, the people, tend to expect every other country to know our history, but when it comes to other countries we blank out. This goes for language as well. People in European countries are mostly bi-lingual and often tri- and quad-lingual, but Americans often only speak English and expect everyone else to speak it as well. We have an internal struggle with those that feel everyone in America should be required to speak English even though we have no national language.

Getting back to the Bastille. Why should we know (or care) about this French celebration? Partly because it is good to know history (some may even say it is fun) and partly because we started it. Yes, there is an American connection to the French Revolution. This should pull those readers in that are nationalistic and USA-centered.

You see, during the American Revolution, Louis XVI was kind enough to lend his support (through monetary donations) to the radicals in the colonies (our forefathers and foremothers) at the detriment of his own French citizens.

Revolutionaries in France began circulating propaganda against the thrown leading up to the Bastille storming. You may know the most famous piece of literature circulated as the fake quote “let them eat cake.” Even though Marie Antoinette never actually uttered these words about the people of France, the way she and Louis lived, in such splendour while the masses were struggling, it was appropriate.

So, finally, on 14 July 1789, the revolutionaries stormed the Bastille as an act of aggression and so began the French Revolution. Joyeux 14 Juillet!

So, I hope this was informative and interesting to you. I love learning new things about the past, but I guess I’m just a history geek.

Peace,
Chantale aka hippiegrrl

Appropriate links:

Bastille Day
French History Timeline
France Travel Guide

The semester is over.  My on campus jobs are over.  I have a couple weeks to relax and then - on to research fellowship.  The reading has begun, but the data collection will wait until June.

In the meantime I’ll be hanging out on Elmwood, at various locations, hopefully getting a bit of writing done for my wonderful readers here at Rise Up Buffalo.  I know I often make promises that I cannot live up to when it comes up to this site, so I’m not going to be doing that today.  I hope to make a few posts on events and such throughout the summer, but again - no promises.

Today, however, I would like to discuss an interesting social phenomenon that I have been recently acquainted with.  Tween literature.  Specifically, the clique books.  While perusing the bookstore on Saturday evening, I found that there are a plethora of book series for tweens and teens.  The two main themes of these book series are vampires and mean girls (or often a combination of the two).   Throw in the fact that most of the characters are rich (and the one character in each series that is not rich gets the brunt of the mean girls wrath) and you have a recipe for disaster.

Since parents are so busy these days, trying to keep up with the Joneses, it makes it difficult to read everything that their tweens/teens are consuming.  This most often results in kids reading whatever they want and parents not monitoring content.   Now, I’m not saying that we didn’t have teen books in the 80’s and 90’s that our parents let us read without censorship, but the themes in Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary books were a lot less trivial and mean-spirited.  Yes, there were antagonistic characters (what book would be good without them) but they weren’t attacking each other for issues of monetary wealth.   Lessons learned in these books focused on becoming a better person through the trials of the characters.  The girls were mean, but they were shown as being wrong in their treatment of others.   The clique books don’t seem to send the same message.  The girls are mean and that is the way they are.   They don’t learn lessons and, in fact, they are oftentimes rewarded for their ability to secure their level of superiority over their peers.

I am not against sexual education.  In fact, I am all for teaching young adults about safe sex through literature, however I am against the framing of rich, snobiness as an okay way to behave.   Learning a lesson through this behavior would be fine, however the clique girls (and the gossip girls) never seem to learn that lesson.   They end up getting what they want and going about their business as if it is okay to treat others with disrespect and continue being popular.  This sends a message to tweens that they need to act a certain way to gain popularity, and that way is to treat everyone else as if they are lower socially, physically, and monetarily.  Bad message, right?

The author of the books claims that the subject matter (and the obsession of the characters with expensive, designer clothing) is tongue-in-cheek.  That’s cool if the tweens who read the books get that it is a joke.  That the characters are meant to be read as wrong and over the top and that the tweens who read the books should aspire to be better and different than the characters.   However, I have a feeling that this is not the case.   I know one middle school girl, in particular, who has taken the clique books seriously.  She has decided that she needs to be like these girls in order to be popular and well liked.  This will, most likely, be the downfall of her middle school popularity since kids in western new york (yes, even in amherst, williamsville, and clarence) are not like new york city kids.   They are obsessed with being better than each other, but not necessarily to the degree of showing it thoroughly through clothing.  They are, on the most part, still regular kids.  One can get away with being cool without wearing designer clothing.  The girls in the clique books are not able to maintain popularity without the “right” clothes, but kids in Buffalo can.  That is a perk of growing up somewhere that is not as obsessed with money and status.

I have to admit that I have not read these books.   However - I plan to do a study of tween literature as soon as I finish my current project.  I’m thinking about doing a content analysis of the books and then, possibly, interviewing a few tweens from different backgrounds that have read the books to see what their perceptions of the literature are.  This may end up showing that the books are not that harmful and that perceptions of lifestyle from the perspective of different classes can skew the true meanings in the books.  Alternatively, it could show that the books, themselves, are actually skewing tween and teen perceptions of reality.   It isn’t fair to judge without empirical evidence, so I will gather that before moving forward with my critique.   I just wanted to put this out there and let you ponder it for a bit.

Peace -
Chantale

appropriate links:
Lisi Harrison discusses her clique book series
Beverly Cleary Books - still awesome
Judy Blume - still some of the best books for tweens - where would we be today without “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” and “Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret?”
Gossip Girl Books
The Vampire Diaries Fansite
House of Night Series

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The end of exam week is quickly approaching and it should be a time to relax and reflect on the previous semester.  If only that were the case.  Rather than resting on the laurels of a semester well spent, I will be out fighting the crowds to get some last minute items for a holiday that is less than 10 days hence.  The season really crept up quickly this year.  It seems like only a few weeks ago I was celebrating my 35th birthday (12 November) and now it is time to bake cookies and wrap gifts.

As is tradition here at rise up buffalo - I would like to offer my advice on a more relaxed and well spent holiday season.  In years passed, we have discussed the goodness of buying green, the wonders of spending time with family and friends, the happiness that comes from volunteering/giving, and the simple pleasure of buying nothing.  This year, I would like to talk specifically about consumerism and ways in which we can enjoy the holiday season without breaking the bank.  As a homage to last year’s post I would like to again include the the give list link.  This list shows a number of ways that we can have holiday spirit without emptying our wallets.

Consumerism is a way of life in America.  We feel that we always have to strive for the biggest and best in our lives and when it comes to holiday shopping this feeling transcends to the gifting of others.  It seems like the person that gives the biggest gifts is the one that wins.  Even though we try to discuss the meaning of our holidays and the fact that spending time with family is enough, we each still feel a certain amount of pressure to perform in the capitalist arena.  The commercials pushing us to buy buy buy are heightened during the holidays.  We barely have time to breathe before another commercial is nudging us off the couch and out to the department store for another spectacular sale.

This year we will break the cycle.  This year we will buy local.  This year we will give handmade items.  This year we will do better.  In the past we have tried to do these things, but our attempts at being conscious consumers have sometimes failed.  We always end up going to one store that isn’t local or buying items that may not necessarily be as green as we could find elsewhere.  It’s about convenience.  We try to be sustainable, but sometimes convenience wins.  Sometimes we cannot bring ourselves to trudge through the smaller stores in order to find the perfect gift when we know that gift can be purchased with ease at a chain.  We are human.  We are tired.  The holidays take the energy out of us.  So we go for convenience and feel guilty, but we should not feel bad.  This is the nature of the season.  No matter how many times we say to others, “we would like to cut back this year - maybe just bake cookies or give handmade gifts” we know that we will end up waiting in long lines at the bookstore for the latest release because it makes our lives less complicated. 

The main issue is time.  The holidays creep up on us every year because we refuse to think about them until after Thanksgiving.  This is a time honored tradition in our household.  Thanksgiving first, then the rest.  We do not purchase gifts until after Thanksgiving weekend and we do not partake in the Black Friday madness, prefering to celebrate Buy Nothing Day each year on that date.  However - this could be a big part of our problem in being able to give handmade and local gifts.  If we started shopping and/or making items in September, by December we would be fully prepared and able to enjoy the holidays even more.  That is the key then.  Start making plans earlier.  Think ahead.  It may cost a little bit more, but buying local items in advance will make you feel better about your purchases and afford you the time to relax when December rolls around.

So - with that revelation I offer a few links to what others have said about the holiday season.  I am off now to get those last minute purchases in and perhaps next year I’ll think ahead.  Or maybe I’ll repeat the same pattern as so often occurs.  Either way - have a wonderful holiday season and try your best to get a little rest and relaxation in.  Before you know it it is back to work and school!  So take the time you can while it is given and hopefully you will have a wonderous and happy holiday.

Peace - Chantale

appropriate links:
The Virtue of Not Buying by Karen Sternheimer; from the Everyday Sociology blog at Norton Books.
20 Tips for a Sustainable Holiday from Earth911.com
Slow Holiday Gift Guide from масиTreeHugger.com

Earlier this month the White House announced that it would be treating the Fox News Network (and the term “news” should certainly be used loosely in this case) as a political opponent.  In an interview with Time magazine, White House communications director, Anita Dunn, criticized Fox by saying “It’s opinion journalism masquerading as news” (Time.com article).  One pundit in particular from Fox, Glenn Beck, has jumped on the ‘attack Anita train’ with something that can only be referred to as fervour.

Now let us talk Facebook.  Since this Time article was sent to press I’ve been seeing more and more comments about Glenn Beck on my newsfeed in Facebook.  Mostly positive feedback about a guy that some of my friends (for reasons unbeknownst to me) seem to love.  I decided to engage with one of these Facebook “friends” last week and get to the bottom of this obsession with Beck.  My “friend” had put up a comment about how much she loves Glenn Beck so I asked her why.  She fired back with a litany of how she is “afraid for the future of our country and for our children”.  Well - that’s all fine and good, but why?  No response came from the other side.  Since I couldn’t get a response on this question from my “friend” I decided to give Beck a chance and force myself to sit through a full episode of his show.  Here are my findings.

Glenn Beck does, indeed, present scenarios to be afraid of.  The problem that I found while watching his “news” show was that he isn’t fully basing his arguments in reality.  In the particular episode I witnessed, he spoke of the dollar and how it is “about to collapse”.  After watching him discuss this for 20 minutes I have cracked the code!  Beck begins talking about a subject, in this case the dollar, with an “if” scenario.  “If” the dollar collapses this will happen and that will happen.  “If” the dollar collapses you can be sure that [fill in the blank].  The interesting thing about the argument is that at about the midpoint he changes from an “if” stance to a “when”.  He begins stating things like “when” the dollar collapses this will happen or that will happen.  This is how the fear mongering is spoonfed to the Fox audience.  They don’t notice the switch in future conditionals.  “If” becomes “when” with intentional effort on Becks part.  He is basically duping his audience.

Now I understand.  If you have a hard time following news in the first place, the mere change of a future conditional within an argument will make you fearful of whatever hypothetical is being presented.  This is why people start showing up all over the internet talking about how afraid they are for the future of our great country.  What a lot of hooey.  The real fear should be OF Beck.  He is leading the “tea party” charge which is plainly a racist movement.  If you don’t believe that you should look at visual proof from the 9/12 teaparty movement gathering in D.C. (courtesy of Strwbrry_Blonde on Twitter. Yes, she was there to take photographic proof of the nutcases).

Hopefully you haven’t been duped into thinking that this network is presenting facts.  If so, please turn to another channel at some point in your evening.  Or, better yet, turn the television off and read a book.  Prefereably something that will increase your brain power and open your mind.  Take a break from the political roller coaster that is Fox News and relax.  Things are going to be okay.  If we could just educate ourselves as a country, collectively we would be a lot better off.  Education is key after all.

Go Anita!  Keep fighting the good fight.  Someday our country will be a place of inclusion and intelligence.  Until then we must contend with comedians masquerading as pundits like this Beck character.  Someday we will be past this.  Someday.

Peace - Chantale

A few days ago a good friend of mine (the poet) decided to move to another city.  In this new, magical place he hopes to find a better life then the one he was living in the suburbs of Buffalo.  After making the trip and settling in he gave me a call to let me know that he had arrived safely and when he would be coming back to visit Western New York.  We spoke of the car trip to his destination, the landscape of his new surroundings, and the people, culture, and layout of this lovely new city.  After a few minutes I paused to let him know that I would appreciate it if he did not talk bad of Buffalo while in this new place.  Even if he believes the writing community there is better, he should keep that opinion to himself.  Far too often, people move away from WNY and trash the region upon arriving somewhere else.  Buffalo (and the surrounding area) is what you make of it.  If you do not put in the effort you will not reap the rewards.

Our conversation was still very cordial, despite the fact that he stressed how much better the writing community in this new town is in comparison to Buffalo.  Let me pause here to let you know that the new town is not New York City as you may have guessed, but rather somewhere further Northwest.  It’s smaller than the city of Buffalo and yet the community of writers and artists is perceived to be bigger.  I believe that this is all a new place type of feeling.  You always feel more hopeful in the beginning when moving somewhere new.  That feeling can persist through life if you put the effort in, but if you expect things to come to you simply because there is a community in place it will most likely not happen.

On the subject of work.  I realize that Buffalo is devoid, most recently, of good positions workwise, but with a little time and effort most people can find decent jobs.  We have several colleges and universities in the Western New York region that afford many diverse programs of study and opportunities for employment.  I am not trying to be the number one Buffalo booster, but I do feel that with time, effort and patience one can make a great life in this area of the country.  Some people feel the need to go away and then, upon returning, understand how great we really do have it here in Western New York.  Four seasons, thriving arts and theater communities, many locally owned businesses, community coffeehouses and cafes (keeping the proliferation of starbucks at bay), a natural wonder, waterfront access and beautiful parks to compliment the rivers and lakes, a short drive to Toronto and a young college community that adds to the vibrancy of the region.

My point in writing this piece is not to call out those that have left the region, as the writer and I have also discussed moving, but rather to make the point that you should not base a moving decision solely on a feeling.  If it is completely impossible (even after you have looked exhaustively) to find a job/career in your field (or a short term position outside of your eventual field) then it is best to move on.  However, if you have not done ample research and attempted to have longevity in any given field it may not be the best reason to move to another city.  You will simply take those habits with you wherever you go.  If you are not good at keeping a job in Buffalo, you will most likely continue this pattern anywhere else in the world you decide to live.  If you are unsatisfied with working an interim job while working on a degree in your field, this dissatisfaction will follow you whever you choose to roam.

There are certain things we must do as adults that make it boring to be grown up.  Working meaningless jobs until we find the career for us is something that nearly everyone does.  Going to school and studying hard to show future employers your worth as a student and potential employee is essential.  Working hard to make it to a better place financially is required.  These are not always fun things, but they are merely a way of getting there.  The means to an end, as it were.  If you do not have the stamina or drive to move forward in the direction of your dreams you will continue to stagnate in any city, town or village you choose to reside in.

So - whether you are in Buffalo, New York City, Seattle or Tallahassee you have to be willing to overcome certain obstacles to get to your destination in life.  You take yourself (and all the intricacies and doubts of being you) everywhere that you go.  If you are bad at keeping a job in Buffalo you need to modify that behaviour rather than blaming it on the city.  If you continue with the same behaviour in the new place you will get the same results.  Confucius certainly said it best: “And remember, no matter where you go, there you are”.  On that note I will end as one cannot improve on Confucius and I believe my point has been sufficiently made.

Peace - Chantale

appropriate links:
The Library of Congress Current Poet Laureate Kay Ryan
The Poetry Society
Poetry NYC
Rooftop Poetry Club at Buffalo State College Not just for students!
Writers and Books, Rochester NY
Talking Leaves Books, Buffalo NY
Old Editions Book Shop, Buffalo NY
Portland, Maine