True Happiness

"There are two ways of being happy: We may either diminish our wants or augment our means - either will do - the result in the same; and it is for each man to decide for himself, and do that which happens to be the easiest. If you are idle or sick or poor, however hard it may be to diminish your wants, it will be harder to augment your means. If you are active and prosperous or young and in good health, it may be easier for you to augment your means than to diminish your wants. But if you are wise, you will do both at the same time, young or old, rich or poor, sick or well; and if you are very wise you will do both in such a way as to augment the general happiness of society." -Benjamin Franklin, statesman, author, and inventor (1706-1790)

Secret Message in Lincoln's Watch

I love this story but I can't help but wonder why there is no mention of the largest inscription which reads: Jeff. Davis. Was Jonathan Dillon alluding to Jefferson Davis? If so, how and why. In the articles I've read, there is no mention of that part of the inscription. Do they think that's a signature of another watch- maker? That would be an odd coincidence. Just interesting to note. Anyone have any ideas or knowledge regarding this? This is the Press Release from The Smithsonian National Museum of American History website:
March 10, 2009 Smithsonian Uncovers Secret Message Inside Abraham Lincoln’s Watch Inscription inside Lincoln's watch The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History announced it has found a “secret” message engraved in President Abraham Lincoln’s watch by a watchmaker who was repairing it in 1861 when news of the attack on Fort Sumter reached Washington, D.C. In an interview with The New York Times April 30, 1906, 84-year-old Jonathan Dillon recalled that he was working for M.W. Galt and Co. on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, where he was repairing Lincoln’s watch. The owner of the shop announced that the first shot of the Civil War had been fired. Dillon reported that he unscrewed the dial of the watch, and with a sharp instrument wrote on the metal beneath: “The first gun is fired. Slavery is dead. Thank God we have a President who at least will try.” He then signed and dated the inscription and closed the dial. Dillon told The New York Times in 1906 that to his knowledge, no one ever saw the inscription. After being contacted by Dillon’s great-great-grandson, Doug Stiles of Waukegan, Ill., the museum agreed to remove the dial to see if the watchmaker’s message was inside. The museum did find a message inscribed on the brass underside of the movement. The wording was slightly different from Dillon’s own recollection. The actual engraving says: Jonathan Dillon April 13-1861 Fort Sumpter [sic] was attacked by the rebels on the above date J Dillon April 13-1861 Washington thank God we have a government Jonth Dillon Other markings of one or more watchmakers also appear on the watch. “Lincoln never knew of the message he carried in his pocket,” said Brent D. Glass, director of the National Museum of American History. “It’s a personal side of history about an ordinary watchman being inspired to record something for posterity.” During the 18th and 19th centuries, professional watchmakers often recorded their work inside a watch, and it would typically only be seen by another watchmaker. This inscription remained hidden behind the dial for almost 150 years. Lincoln purchased the watch in the 1850s from George Chatterton, a Springfield, Ill., jeweler. Though Lincoln was not outwardly vain, the fine gold watch was a symbol of his success as a prominent Illinois lawyer. In the 19th century, men wore their watches in their clothing pockets. It was not until after World War I that wristwatches became more popular for use by men. The watch came to the museum in 1958 as a gift from Lincoln Isham, Abraham Lincoln’s great-grandson. Lincoln was elected the 16th President of the United States in November 1860. In January 1861, South Carolina seceded from the Union, and was followed by the secession of six more states before Lincoln’s March 1861 inauguration. On April 12, 1861, the Civil War began with shots fired at Fort Sumter. # # # Note to editors: The images have been photographed and filmed and are available by calling the museum’s Office of Public Affairs.

And Now, A Message for actors about "New Media"

Carry the word. Carry your card. Carry a picket sign if necessary.

This from the Screen Actor's Guild website:

The value professional actors hold in new media will be determined by the activism and solidarity of SAG members today. Solidarity, leverage and position begin by insisting on the basic protections of a union contract whenever you work in new media.

Act as though your future depends on it.

BOO! Hoo...R.I.P. Forrest J. Ackerman

Today will be breathtaking:

See this Art

Greg Colson's plates for "Hollywood Bowl"

This year, I've been working with Aardvark Letterpress where we started a Fine Art Editions division. Aardvark is a historic letterpress business in L.A. well-known to anyone who is particular about the quality of their invitations and stationery.
The first series of prints specifically created for the new division; Los Angeles Loteria I was introduced this summer in a very, very reasonably priced medium sized edition. It's a unique and diverse project with some awe-inspiring artists, some of whom were asked by me to contribute, including; Andre Miripolsky, Dan McCleary, Sammy Harkham, Greg Colson, Ed Wexler. This group of beautiful, thoughtful, narrative works of art should disabuse anyone of the notion that Los Angeles is all tinsel.
Prints are available individually for a remarkable (believe me) one-time only price of $300.00 or as a suite. Art is still a good investment and even if I hadn't spent myself on the project, I'd spend the bucks to buy it. The prices go up to $375.00 per print in January. Your purchase will also help us to complete the next series.
I manage the blog, too. Check it and all of the other wonderful artists and their works and let us know what you think.
Los Angeles Loteria I will be on exhibition at the Bridge Gallery in L.A.'s City Hall from November 25 to December 29th sponsored by Council President Eric Garcetti.

www.aardvarkletterpressfinearteditions.com

Dan McCleary signs "La Calavera"

"Bugs" Moran

I bought a folder of news bureau photos a while back and this one was included. There is a slightly different version available elsewhere on the internet but this one was shot a mili-second or two before or after and is in the clear of a shadow. This picture was taken 78 years ago.

Are You Fan Enough?

Hey Kissology/Phantom/Dirty Dee fans;

You read my story HERE. Now buy this shirt.
Artist Rick von Dehl came up with this cool design.

Dirty Dee Beefy T's come in black with design in white on the front.

"Chopper don't hurt nobody less he wants to."
Order may take up to 4 weeks.

Order on Ebay beginning August 17th 2009

Search: Dirty Dee Tee

Lisa post-hosts a video:

While I'm unveiling interviews by so-called children with so-called grownups here's a good one with funny bits:

The story says Jerry Levitan snuck into John Lennon's hotel room (Toronto '69) with his tape deck and interviewed John about peace. This is a film Levitan produced using the recording as soundtrack. Director Josh Raskin has created an animated visual narrative from the pen and ink art of James (Braithwaite) and digital illustration by Alex Kurina. This is a great collaboration and includes a timeless lesson from John. Peace. Now.

The Topic of Suicide

Three things not for everyone:

1. Actual Suicide

2. Book about Suicide:Gary Valentine Lachman, ex of BLONDIE has written a highly readable and occasionally even amusing book on the subject of literary suicides: The Dedalus Book of Literary Suicides can be ordered from Amazon UK. Buy the book.

3. Band called Suicide: There’s a new box set release on Blast First (petite). More versions of Rocket USA than you've ever imagined.

I "discovered" Suicide for myself at Max's Kansas City sometime in 1975. I'd seen a lot by then but wasn't prepared for an act so stunningly unique and original and they've never strayed from the original seed of their expression. They've only polished, protected and perfected it.

Martin Rev (Marty Suicide) Photo: Lisa Jane Persky

Submitted for your perusal, unedited and uncompromised is my interview with Alan Suicide from NEW YORK ROCKER Issue #3 May 1976. I hadn't read it in years and it was one of my first experiences as interviewer. Obvious to me now (other than my own lack ) was that I wrote this for readers who were already acquainted with the band. But…that's how we began at NYR; writing for the initiated. It contains some eternal SUICIDE truths. Own the CD’s. See the band.

They were, and I imagine still are truly electrifying in person.

SUICIDE (NYR May 1976)

Suicide Note: “The thought of suicide is a great consolation; with the help of it, one has got through many a bad night.
----F. Nietzche

A Beginners Guide to Suicide:

In this chapter, Suicide is redefined and is depicted as a great metropolitan superhero disguised as a man. Victimizing the public with new versions of an old idea, he fights the crime of boredom by making the best of what is his to use. HIS ONLY WEAPON: A.C. CURRENT.

Already imprisoned by Suicide are the long sought after diodes, electrodes, cathodes and anodes that without his guidance run rampant, wreaking havoc among our already too sensitive eyes and ears. In the controlled environs of Alan Suicide’s Fortress, great creations are born. It is these very creations which turn the aforementioned potential foes into allies.

Suicide alone is responsible for the containment of light and energy in sculptural form which is often on view at the O.K. Harris Gallery in SOHO. But it is the magical association with his sidekick and musical entrepreneur that brings our hero to Rock n Roll. A sole lavender neon tube rendering the enemy pleasant within lights the electronic and riotous keyboards belonging to Marty, whining to his whim. Suicide soon surrenders himself to the sounds, succumbs to the stare and surprises ensue. Sexual Sado-Machismo Rock.

Victims of Suicide:

Suicide has a devastating effect on everyone left in his wake. The real victims are those left to decide what will be done with the body.

LJP: Do you really hurt yourself on stage?

AS: Oh yeah, that’s cool though. Everything heals incredibly rapidly for some strange reason. I get really heavy welts on my leg, bruises and the whole trip. It does a three day number. It goes from red to blue to better. See the cuts on the face? (He indicated the lack of scarring made from a previous slice made with a safety pin.)

LJP: How do you think you affect people who come to see you?

AS: It’s like when you’re walking around feeling really unsure of yourself, you don’t believe in yourself and then you see somebody else doing the same thing you’ve been thinking about so suddenly you don’t feel so alone any longer. You start thinking maybe I’m not as crazy as I think I am. There’s another nut like you. And then you see three nuts and four nuts and five nuts doing the same thing and suddenly you’re just dull. First you thought you were crazy and then you thought Oh well I’m just a genius and then you just realize how dull you are. I think it makes people feel better to know that somebody else is not only in that same place but is showing it right up there on stage. I think it cools them out. It’s like when you get turned on to a painting or a book or a piece of musing and you’re wandering around hearing those sounds and seeing those pictures in your head and you think; Hey I better go check into the nearest loony asylum.

LJP: Did you ever do that?

AS: No. No, you ain’t getting’ me into one of those things. Never. What a bore. What a fucking bore and a waste of time. You might as well walk around in the street being crazy instead of being shut up in one of those places. That’s why I’m never going to do anything too serious. I just don’t want to have to deal with cops and all that shit. It would really be a bummer to try and kill yourself and not pull it off because you’d wake up and you’d see the overhead light and the green.

LJP: Has anyone ever tried to hurt you during a performance?

AS: Oh yeah. Sure. Everything was thrown at me; punches, chairs, bottles, cigarettes, instruments, you name it.

LJP: Did you ever get hurt?

AS: No. I just dodge it as it comes. Oh yeah, I got slow one day. I got smacked in the head.

The other night a girl came and took her shirt off for the duration of the act.

LJP: What other kinds of things happen?

AS: She once tried to split her head open. She got drunk and she was dancing and she got crazier and crazier as the gig progressed. Then she just started smashing her head against the wall and I tried to stop her. I finally thought I had her. She was on the ground. I was singing to her on the floor and she just looked……she was bleeding all over the place she’d split her head. Then she got up and she went at it again. Jumped right up and ran right into the wall. I was full of blood.

LJP: Are you always so aggressive toward your audience when you perform?

AS: Who’s aggressive? I thought I was being really cute. The ones who find me really aggressive are tho ones who finally come around to really loving it or feeling it. In the old days when we would perform, we used to be able to clear out a hundred people but now it’s the opposite. People are coming. It’s going the other way, which has just happened over the past year. Before, It was a bummer to be an artist and be in rock and roll at the same time, but it’s getting there. The scenes are pushing to hard at each other it’s ironical, I think. There’s finally an intermingling. The Heartbreakers, for instance, even though they’re not going out and looking for another scene, they are picking it up because they’re closer to it being around CBGB’S, being in that neighborhood, being around various new kinds of people. If they were aware of other things, The Heartbreakers for instance coming out and doing a fifties trip with some kind of electronics, can you imagine? That group would be the most incredible thing in the world. But they just stay into whatever their format is so they’ll just be greasers. I can only take the bands now, the way they are, for the first few minutes, then to really get off, I start fantasizing about what they could be. The truth of the matter is that everyone, including myself, is such a moron.

New Yorkers are great though…they’re the toughest and the warmest. New York is the grandest shit scene of all time. It’s like the Titanic a thousand times over; just sinking away but it’s beautiful. I could say I’m political because I do what I do. The problem with artists is that they just don’t reach a large enough audience. They can’t get their work out enough to make a really heavy change in society and if they do, it takes such a long time. I’m definitely not fucking around with what isn’t going to sell. That’s the whole trip. Being an artist is one thing but being able to take your work and sell it, that’s the real art.

----Lisa Persky

Nicolas Cage, Kathleen Turner, Dog

On my photo blog here is a picture of Nicolas with the dog in question. Go to Portraits and it's picture number eleven. He loved that dog.

I don't believe Nicolas ever stole anything. While we worked on "Peggy Sue Got Married" he might have copped some visual licks from Murnau's "Nosferatu" and perhaps the name for the dog (who I think was called Carlos after the Tom Waits song "Frank's Wild Years"). I haven't seen him in years but still, NICOLAS CAGE: NOT A DOGNAPPER.

contact lenses

Why do I need a prescription? 

creepy racist creates an overweight america, dies.

Earl Butz, finally.

Bailed out the farmers in the Reagan era by converting the use of sugar to corn in everything.

Corn syrup is killing us.

Plus, remember how good everything used to taste? 

If one great product would go back to using sugar they would surely experience a tremendous boost in sales. let's try to get someone to do it. Say...Milky Way, Coca-Cola, Devil Dogs?!

Call me optimisty eyed.

JUST MARRIED

HAPPY and MERRY

Bathroom Graffiti 2007

Recommended Listening

photo by Lisa Jane Persky

Jason Webley
and his great merch deals :
1. You can get all 5 of Jason Webley's albums - including the new CD, The Cost of Living - for just $40.
2. You can also pick any CD on his label and any design and size of Jason Webley T-Shirt for just $22.
3. Or you can choose any three albums on his label for $25.
HIT IT at: www.jasonwebley.com
Cool.

BREASTS and BEASTS, MEN and METAL and ME!

Check out this ambitious undertaking for your Halloween pleasure.
Scum of The Earth, Type O Negative, Penny Layne, and yours truly.
Rock Confidential 's Editor and creator Jesse Capps interviews me here .
BOO!
Photo for Miami Herald circa 1960's Woolworth

The Spirit Moved Me

"HIDEOUS BEYOND BELIEF...with an INHUMAN CRAVING!" was the tagline for Curtis Harrington's best known cult classic, Queen of Blood (1966); strangely it could have been applied to his fellow avant-gardist and occult celebrity Kenneth Anger when he made an appearance at Harrington's burial service last month.

Head over to my article at Fortean Times Magazine or pick up the latest issue (#227) for the rest of the story.

Kissology 2. Lick it Up.

I'm thrilled to tell you that the Kissology 2 DVD anthology has hit the stores and with the exception of the conspicuously absent ANIMALIZE seems to be the package Fans of Kiss have been waiting for. Included in the box is their Kult Klassic camp-fest KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park (1978) (TV) ...aka Attack of the Phantoms ...aka KISS in Attack of the Phantoms. I'm in it. I was asked to do commentary but it was at the last minute and we weren't able to work it out in time so here are ten comments for those of you who want info:

1. It was my second gig as a newcomer to Hollywood.
2. I had just moved from New York with my Blondie boyfriend and my black leather jacket.
3. I was into the whole CBGB's scene so Ramones not Kiss were on my radar.
4. Liked the idea of Kiss and Kiss Fans as a phenomenon.
5. Wanted to be in the movie most of all because Gordon Hessler (dir.) had also directed The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (full of supercool Ray Harryhausen work).
6. The boots and the black leather jacket that I wear in KMPTP were my own.
7. The costume designer asked me if I would mind if they studded the back of my jacket with a lightning bolt. (Cool).
8. At Magic Mountain where we shot the exteriors it was 104 degrees most of the time. Black leather is cool, not air conditioned.
9. I only got to meet Gene. The other guys weren't around when I was filming.
10. I cannot be counted among the throngs who have supposedly slept with him.

Questions, anyone?
I have one: Am I the first girl (or guy, for that matter) to wear a cockring on National Television?
(It was attached to the shoulder of my leather jacket and no one at Standards and Practices ever seemed to notice.)

John Edwards does Weho

The John Edwards Event Yesterday (Thursday) at Republic Restaurant.
If elected, John Edwards does solemnly pledge to do the Constitutional thing,
REGARDLESS of race, gender, or sexual orientation.







Admirer poses with autograph.

Don't fall asleep.

Surviving Snack Food Recall, Headbutts and Buttheads

Well, I think we're out of the woods on this one (see post below).

There is no evidence of Salmonella Poisoning in our household.

There is Scooter Pardoning, or I should say, sentence commuting.
If that didn't get you gagging, there is another example of fraught decision making by Barack Obama who yesterday said, just vote 'em out.
If we forgive the current administration for malevolent high crimes and misdemeanors that make Nixon look practically benevolent, if we can impeach Bill Clinton for lying about oral sex, but not impeach Bush/Cheney/Rove for the gutting of our constitution or a war that has killed thousands, broken our budget and was predicated on a lie, then we must all be on crack.
If you want to get straight again, here's a rehab: Hullabaloo

I ATE THE WHOLE THING

I chose Veggie Booty for a snack today. It's billed like alot of snacks as a "natural" treat. It has things in it that are supposedly good for you that have been reduced to something puffy with a bit of crunch and very little flavor save for salt. Not a bad thing, really. I rarely eat Veggie Booty but I like it and today I ate the whole bag, up to but not including the actual bag, with the exception of a couple of pieces. Those were offered to my boyfriend who has always been against the idea of kale and practically any other vegetable and has a special hatred that he reserves for broccoli.

Tonight, upon returning home and checking my email, I happened to notice a small headline that would call out to me under any circumstances. I did not guess the close personal nature of the story. The headline is this: Popular Snack Food Pulled From Shelves. Surprise! It's Veggie Booty.
Salmonella is at hand or perhaps elsewhere inside the body, or maybe not at all but it sent me to the trash for the bag. I read the bag for no particular reason. Robert at Robert's American Gourmet says if I dump out the rest of the contents and send the empty bag back, I can get a rebate. The FDA and the CDC say Robert's is recalling ALL SIZES AND ALL LOTS. I don't know what frightens me more, the possibility of getting Salmonella or the possibility that my boyfriend may one day know that he ate--no, that I FED him broccoli.

Location, location, location.

Miles from no/some/anywhere.
Speaking of locations, far more accessible is my
new photo website at:
www.lisajaneperskyphoto.com
I'm just getting started and will be adding/subtracting/updating as time allows.
All photos will also be for sale via paypal and I can be contacted through the website.

ZOMBIE ALERT

Okay, enough already, I'm weighing in on this Paris Hilton travesty. My advice to Ms. Hilton last week would have been along the lines of "Take it like a man." Serve out your sentence with dignity and hope that you've finally learned something of value and set a good example for someone else (hordes of young fans, perhaps). The Sheriff, Ms. Hilton, her parents, her publicists and whatever other too-many-cooks handlers she is surrounded by have blown that opportunity. That was an opportunity to make her look good and maybe they think that would be bad. Maybe it's opposite decade. Or maybe no one but Judge Sauer is thinking at all. A friend of mine rubbed me the wrong way when he argued that Ms. Hilton is a "private citizen just like the rest of us and therefore should get to go home to serve out her sentence". First of all, SHE IS NOT. She is one of the least private citizens ever, taking gross tonnage of cash for simply appearing (with no talent whatsoever) at events and parties. This is her job; to be a public person. If a someone like this, who is spread before us on a daily basis by every form of media even when she's not misbehaving isn't an example, then no one is. That doesn't mean she has to set an exemplary one but one hopes she will (that one being me but not me alone, I hope) I would love for Ms. Hilton would grow up and stop getting stoned and driving. I would suggest going back to school and taking a Philosophy class or acquiring a hobby like macrame or even a skill like turning a lathe, or how about maturity, grace, good taste, charitable work, law, math, chess. The best thing I can say about the person that the public knows to be Paris Hilton, is that she is overexposed and underdeveloped--as in not having taken advantage of any opportunity to develop a life that has meaning. That alone will drive a person to cocktails and drugs. She doesn't seem to be thoughtful or well-spoken and she doesn't even play the ukelele. She could use a little ukelele (and all ukeleles are little). The one time I have ever seen Ms. Hilton in person surprised me. She is so tiny that she looked two-dimensional. Her dress hung off of her in spite of its size two-ness. She looked exactly like a paper doll. She was with a handsome and similarly tiny young man. They could not have looked less engaged with one another or their surroundings. They didn't look tired. They looked bored, meaning-less. West Hollywood straight people of this certain age have a distinct "Dawn of the Dead" quality. Once Paris was boomeranged back into the slammer, I heard this from a male anchor on a local newsradio station; he suggested that throwing her back was merciless, was a case of "reverse racism". Yes, he said it, I swear to Buddha. He continued to bite the shoe leather, saying that mean people "just wanted her to stay in jail because she is pretty and rich." Clearly this guy has swapped his brain for his ass. I want equal justice for everyone and we're talking about someone driving under the influence. Not just once, not twice, but three times---that we know of. One of the times---that we know of--the Sheriff stopped her but then let her go. And I don't wanna hear about "even Martha Stewart got to go home to serve out her sentence". The reason people have their licenses suspended and then go on to be arrested for continuing to drive under the influence even after they've had their license suspended is because they pose a threat to society. That's you and me, people. The greatest threat being---DOES ANYBODY OUT THERE VALUE THEIR LIVES?--bodily injury and/or death. GO LOOK AT THIS WEBSITE and I'm almost certain you will see the good sense of letting someone/anyone this disrespectful of others cool their heels in the slammer for a while. Why on earth shouldn't there be a consequence of incarceration at a judges discretion in this matter? And further,why should it make any difference if the incarceration is of someone who is famous? They may consequently have an influence on others due to their super "public work". Look, they already cut her numerous breaks and its not like she got "sent up the river to the Big House" or thrown in the snake pit. That anyone thinks there wasn't room for her in the Special Persons Least Offensive Pokey is a farce. It's never reassuring to know or be reminded that our judges and our Sheriff's department are at odds with one another, either.
Now my advice to Ms. Hilton is this: While you sit in stir and even beyond, exercise your mind. Don't fall asleep and be replaced in the night by your Zombie doppelganger again. You still have an opportunity to live a meaningful life. That's what you probably crave. Don't cry for mommy and daddy, they're the ones who screwed you. Your parents should have taught you that actions have consequences and that we still live in a society full of people who believe in equal justice under the law (look it up). They should have taught you that it's bad to endanger the lives of others just because you want a hamburger. Because they did not do their job and therefore you do not take your life or the lives of other peeps seriously, it's up to the judge to have to teach you. We (and I include you) pay him and the sheriff to protect us from Zombie drunk drivers and other people who commit crimes. Drunk Driving, Driving While Impaired, Drugged Driving are crimes. (Are you listening, Lindsay Lohan?) YOU COULD HAVE KILLED SOMEBODY. It would have been your fault. GO LOOK AT THIS WEBSITE. There's meaningful work for you over there. It's not your fault that we live in a culture that will pay millions of dollars to a girl or boy for not doing anything particularly worthwhile. That's bad. It's bad not to do good things with that kind of earned income. It's bad to give people the idea that consequences aren't for everyone. Consequence is a universal law, shared by all things. It's not bad to suffer the consequences of your own actions. It's how we acquire real knowledge and real knowledge is meaningful. It's bad to make dumb headlines that cover up what's really going on. What's really going on is bad. It's not just you. If you think you might continue to get high in the future, hire a driver who is sober and remember to tip well.
The idea that we shouldn't suffer the consequences of our actions is a weird human conceit that seems to have gone viral. Look at the current administration. A fish rots from the head down. Do I smell a giant croaker?

In The News (click on pic to zoom)

Poppy Day

PEACE IS NOT A PARTISAN ISSUE

Honor All Soldiers. Promote Peace.

Is this what anyone had in mind for their children?

Watch this New York Times photojournal with narration by Michael Kamber
and tell me; Are we really going to let this go on indefinitely?

Jerry Ragni 1974

At the corner of Christopher Street and 7th Avenue with playwright
H. M. Koutoukas.
Photograph by Lisa Jane Persky

my greatest regret

I’ve never learned the thing about suffering fools gladly--especially when that fool is me.

I was in a restaurant the other day to order some food for take-out. When I walked in and saw the man at the counter, I thought he looked exquisite and very friendly. But as the experience went on, I couldn’t ignore the fact that he took all the men before me, that he was friendly to them and not so much with me. I was myself. At heart, I still expect equality and do my best to live up to the standard. It was the one I grew up with in the sixties/seventies in Greenwich Village.

The Village is a place where people have gravitated or fled to in order to escape labels and/or persecution, a place where everyone who feels “different” or has been made to feel “different” can go and relax. It’s also a place where people go to bring cultural issues such as these to the forefront for debate, or a place for dilletantes to feel hip and “cutting edge”. My parents who grew up “different” in the American South got us there as soon as they could based on that premise, promise, and/or propaganda.

When I started school at P.S. 41 on 11th Street, I thought that every school was like ours. There was no point made of its being “diverse”. We took diversity for granted. If we had a nickel for every time we heard the words “melting pot” we could have financed world peace. We were made to feel proud of it, too. Not that everyone got along at every moment of every waking hour, but the disagreements and problems were human--not racial, sexual, or class-based. It worked pretty well. Because of this, it took me a while to really understand just how huge Martin Luther King’s “Dream” would be to accomplish. I thought that the rest of the country and the world was just a little bit behind. That they would catch up with us. That everyone wanted, a safe place to be different or to fit in, to share commonality and be inspired by--or at least tolerate--our differences. It still is my dream.

When I witness anyone treated unequally (and I admit: especially if that person is me), I go home and have a cry.

You must feel it, too. Has the whole human race lost its appetite and aspiration for equality, for treating others as we wish to be treated ourselves? I’m disappointed; the very least of it being that I will never be able to go back to that restaurant.

How can we both "live and let live" and agitate for change? Perhaps a gentle agitation; like a washing machine on the "delicate" setting.