Is not self-conciousness, perhaps, the strongest form of narcissism possible?

Shelters and surveys

Issues of race/class within the “progressive community” (i.e. movement work, etc.): why is it all such a white, middle-class, middle-aged (at times) demographic? What is the definition of “progressive”, and where do winter shelters, soup kitchens, and the like fit in? [Sidenote: Where does voluntary poverty fit in? Why is it so hard and undesirable to adjust our social/class ranking, particularly if in the name of creating a much larger "progressive" presence? Perhaps this is why grassroots activism is ultimately doomed to fail. Perhaps it is as John Dear wrote, that we cannot befriend the poor if we are all of different classes; in this case, "befriend" means "work with" as well.]

Social isolation and new media: the Pew Internet report published last month argues against an earlier report produced by the General Social Survey which claims that today’s media options and availability are contributing to the social isolation of all. Interesting to read statistics and studies that (and were, no doubt, designed to) disprove an earlier claim, but a bit of a letdown as well, as many of its statistical points leave out (or at least appear to) outside factors – class, community style (urban vs. rural), etc. – that could contribute to such differences.

I find my thoughts repeatedly returning to the same idea: that perhaps social isolation is not a new concept  – that it’s as existent now as ever it was - and that it’s been linked unnecessarily to new media.

Interesting thought this morning during/after church with the folks: perhaps social isolation isn’t nearly as new or technologically-based as we think. In what ways do today’s trends in social isolation – more “virtual” friends, knowing very little about the vast majority of one’s comrades, having many more “acquaintances” than true friends – mirror the patterns already found in social settings of old (churches, community organizations, social clubs, etc.)? For example, knowing lots of folks via church but next to nothing of their politics, intimate family life, past histories, etc. – and being afraid/not wanting to ask? Maybe all anyone wants is to be in the company of others – be it at church or Starbucks – so that they know they’re not alone.

“At a Pizza House in Brooklyn”

I.

Cozied up at Ganni’s
at Myrtle and Franklin,
I’ve staked my claim
at one of the three plastic booths inside.
Dinner is long gone,
the crunch of crust and grease-bubbles of cheese
having vanished within moments of being released
from behind the sweating counter.
Now, I am savoring ice-chips -
all that remains -
sucking each cube
until it disappears under my searching tongue.

 

II.

Behind me,
three badge-bearers
shoot the breeze,
their banter of baseball championships and bodies in luggage
punctuated by
tense moments of overt teasing
and personal jabs.

Look, man, I don’t know what your fuckin’ problem is...

 

III.

Outside,
where the downpour has faded to a mere drizzle,
life goes on per norm,
buses and old women and traffic
and taxis and vendors
and a stray cat and Orthodox Jews
rushing by,
eyes fixed directly ahead.

Allegheny Cemetary

Sitting at the feet of a giant oak tree, lost somewhere in the hills of Allegheny Cemetary. Signs of fall are all around me – chipmunks cavort among granite monuments, acorns drop haphazardly from above, and I instinctively pull my sleeves down as a breeze awakens the leaves above. The cemetary is a restful place – far removed from the street-traffic and innane sidewalk chatter – and I can understand why geese choose to pause here in their annual migration.

[God, but there's so much nature about! Chipmunks, robins, squirrels, geese, woodpeckers, a groundhog, and deer too, by the looks of the pellets across the way. Can this really still be Pittsburgh?]

I feel hungry/centered/at peace.