Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Saturday, 10 September 2011
a lot to think about
Well I got the Parson X gig and I love being back on my old estate.
A far cry from 35 years ago when I left it.
I've been busy juggling Other Things, the Parson X stuff, GRAFT, work for the Institute for Lifelong Learning at Sheffield University, the Open University, counselling and we have a new student from Freeman College coming to live with us from tomorrow - so al the many preparations for that.
See you soon.
A far cry from 35 years ago when I left it.
I've been busy juggling Other Things, the Parson X stuff, GRAFT, work for the Institute for Lifelong Learning at Sheffield University, the Open University, counselling and we have a new student from Freeman College coming to live with us from tomorrow - so al the many preparations for that.
See you soon.
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Saturday, 9 July 2011
yup
Things to write about on here:
Quarantine artists support group - GRAFT
Derrida and Ulmer.
Performance based on the performer's own lives - Other Things.
Living with no money at all.
I thought that Africans were....
Being an artist.
Quarantine artists support group - GRAFT
Derrida and Ulmer.
Performance based on the performer's own lives - Other Things.
Living with no money at all.
I thought that Africans were....
Being an artist.
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Stuff
Quarantine artists's support group.
RC - specifically Mental Health Liberation workshop.
Job with OU.
More work with TILL.
Good night. x
RC - specifically Mental Health Liberation workshop.
Job with OU.
More work with TILL.
Good night. x
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
I thought all Africans...on-going writing....
I thought all Africans were supposed to be good runners
I was running in the Sheffield half-marathon, for the first time. I have never run long distances before and was very pleased with myself that I was getting towards the end of this run – the longest I had ever done. I had noticed various people that seemed to be running at a similar pace to me, even though they weren’t always visible. One of these was a black guy – quite a bit younger than me and fit-looking and wearing a basketball shirt. Around the 10 mile mark, I saw him ahead – he was walking. Lots of runners did this throughout the run. I guess that I think that they didn’t train properly but this is of no matter. It could well be that the black guy had just started walking for the first time and soon started running again – but all of this is speculation.
As I approached him on a bridge (we had now entered a one-time industrial area of Sheffield and the bridge was very reminiscent of the type I knew from my childhood) an old white man (possibly wearing a cloth cap also reminding me of my childhood) shouted to the black guy: “I thought all Africans were supposed to be good runners.” I was both shocked and unsurprised by this comment. Shocked at its insensitivity – apart from all of the huge assumptions being made by the old white man, which I’ll come back to soon – the runner had already run 10 miles and, no doubt, was feeling tired and taking a break.
Before we go any further, I am absolutely convinced that the old white man intended his comment to be supportive. I think I am familiar enough with white working class culture to be very sure of this. I think he was, in his head, saying: “Run like you can – like all you Africans can.” He was, ironically, praising the black runner. This is part of the unsurprising part. But I could be wrong. It’s is very possible that I don’t know enough about working class culture to ‘know’ this.
I’ll return to the other part of the unsurprising part later.
I overtook him and spent the next period thinking about what I had just experienced. Running long distances is good for this – it provides lots of opportunities for reflection. Here is what I came up with:
Assumption 1 – that all Africans are supposed to be good runners. Maybe, the old white man has watched lots of African runners on TV? The famous Ethiopian runner - Haile Gebrselassie – was the epitome of this – running in bare feet and running for his life. All Africans are good runners aren’t they? Look at him run.
With a population of around 1 billion people, Africa is going to throw up some good runners. But name me some other famous African runners. I was struggling and running to Wikipedia before long. The most famous runner in the world at the moment is Usain Bolt and he is Jamaican. Michael Johnson is American and Linford Christie is British. What these all have in common, and with the half-marathon runner/walker, is that they are black. And all black people are descended from Africa – so the old white man shouting on the bridge in Sheffield wasn’t completely wrong was he?
Assumption 2 – already touched upon above, that the black runner was African. While all black people do indeed descend from Africa, for most of them their descendants’ departure from that continent was so long ago as to make the label ‘African’ being applied to them meaningless. For the white old man on the bridge, black meant African. Is this ridiculous? The label ‘African-American’ is preferred by some black people in the USA. And Mumia Abu-Jamal labels himself and other black people as ‘African’(?). But, ‘African’? For all black people?
Assumption 3 – that it was o.k. for the white old man to shout this to the black runner/walker. Because, I believe, the white old man saw it as supportive. But, how could he perceive it to be so? The black man had already run 10 miles. But the white old man maybe didn’t know that – he maybe didn’t know the race course. But, does this excuse his comment? It is possible that the comment was either implicitly (but not deliberate) or explicitly racist.
The idea that the old man’s comment was based upon’ ignorance’ is an unsurprising one and one that is often heard in certain circles. But was the comment based upon ignorance? Who are we - white, middle class, university-educated citizens – to say that the old white man is ignorant? He almost certainly will know lots of things about lots of things that I, and probably we, don’t know that much about. Maybe he knows something about cutlery or steel production or engineering? He will almost certainly know a lot about Sheffield geography and culture. Maybe he knows something about families and parenthood. Or, maybe he is a fluent Mandarin speaker or a physicist or artist or dental surgeon? To use the term ‘ignorance’ based upon his comment to the black runner is misleading and inaccurate. (AND ignorant?)
1. I think the white old man intended it as a supportive comment.
2. Assumption – that all Africans are supposed to be good runners – where does it come from?
3. Assumption – that the black runner (who was walking) is African!
4. The idea that it might be a supportive comment – when the runner had already run around 9-10 miles! And was walking cos he was very tired!
5. Assumption – that it was ok for the white old man to voice this idea.
6. How did the black runner/walker feel about it…?
7. It was said in a working class Sheffield accent.
8. Ignorance??
9. Or something else?
I was running in the Sheffield half-marathon, for the first time. I have never run long distances before and was very pleased with myself that I was getting towards the end of this run – the longest I had ever done. I had noticed various people that seemed to be running at a similar pace to me, even though they weren’t always visible. One of these was a black guy – quite a bit younger than me and fit-looking and wearing a basketball shirt. Around the 10 mile mark, I saw him ahead – he was walking. Lots of runners did this throughout the run. I guess that I think that they didn’t train properly but this is of no matter. It could well be that the black guy had just started walking for the first time and soon started running again – but all of this is speculation.
As I approached him on a bridge (we had now entered a one-time industrial area of Sheffield and the bridge was very reminiscent of the type I knew from my childhood) an old white man (possibly wearing a cloth cap also reminding me of my childhood) shouted to the black guy: “I thought all Africans were supposed to be good runners.” I was both shocked and unsurprised by this comment. Shocked at its insensitivity – apart from all of the huge assumptions being made by the old white man, which I’ll come back to soon – the runner had already run 10 miles and, no doubt, was feeling tired and taking a break.
Before we go any further, I am absolutely convinced that the old white man intended his comment to be supportive. I think I am familiar enough with white working class culture to be very sure of this. I think he was, in his head, saying: “Run like you can – like all you Africans can.” He was, ironically, praising the black runner. This is part of the unsurprising part. But I could be wrong. It’s is very possible that I don’t know enough about working class culture to ‘know’ this.
I’ll return to the other part of the unsurprising part later.
I overtook him and spent the next period thinking about what I had just experienced. Running long distances is good for this – it provides lots of opportunities for reflection. Here is what I came up with:
Assumption 1 – that all Africans are supposed to be good runners. Maybe, the old white man has watched lots of African runners on TV? The famous Ethiopian runner - Haile Gebrselassie – was the epitome of this – running in bare feet and running for his life. All Africans are good runners aren’t they? Look at him run.
With a population of around 1 billion people, Africa is going to throw up some good runners. But name me some other famous African runners. I was struggling and running to Wikipedia before long. The most famous runner in the world at the moment is Usain Bolt and he is Jamaican. Michael Johnson is American and Linford Christie is British. What these all have in common, and with the half-marathon runner/walker, is that they are black. And all black people are descended from Africa – so the old white man shouting on the bridge in Sheffield wasn’t completely wrong was he?
Assumption 2 – already touched upon above, that the black runner was African. While all black people do indeed descend from Africa, for most of them their descendants’ departure from that continent was so long ago as to make the label ‘African’ being applied to them meaningless. For the white old man on the bridge, black meant African. Is this ridiculous? The label ‘African-American’ is preferred by some black people in the USA. And Mumia Abu-Jamal labels himself and other black people as ‘African’(?). But, ‘African’? For all black people?
Assumption 3 – that it was o.k. for the white old man to shout this to the black runner/walker. Because, I believe, the white old man saw it as supportive. But, how could he perceive it to be so? The black man had already run 10 miles. But the white old man maybe didn’t know that – he maybe didn’t know the race course. But, does this excuse his comment? It is possible that the comment was either implicitly (but not deliberate) or explicitly racist.
The idea that the old man’s comment was based upon’ ignorance’ is an unsurprising one and one that is often heard in certain circles. But was the comment based upon ignorance? Who are we - white, middle class, university-educated citizens – to say that the old white man is ignorant? He almost certainly will know lots of things about lots of things that I, and probably we, don’t know that much about. Maybe he knows something about cutlery or steel production or engineering? He will almost certainly know a lot about Sheffield geography and culture. Maybe he knows something about families and parenthood. Or, maybe he is a fluent Mandarin speaker or a physicist or artist or dental surgeon? To use the term ‘ignorance’ based upon his comment to the black runner is misleading and inaccurate. (AND ignorant?)
1. I think the white old man intended it as a supportive comment.
2. Assumption – that all Africans are supposed to be good runners – where does it come from?
3. Assumption – that the black runner (who was walking) is African!
4. The idea that it might be a supportive comment – when the runner had already run around 9-10 miles! And was walking cos he was very tired!
5. Assumption – that it was ok for the white old man to voice this idea.
6. How did the black runner/walker feel about it…?
7. It was said in a working class Sheffield accent.
8. Ignorance??
9. Or something else?
Sunday, 8 May 2011
Sheffield half-marathon
I did it! In 2 hours and 30 mins - which was my aim.
Here is some photographic evidence...
Thursday, 21 April 2011
other things
First post of 2011 -on the 21st April!
SO much has been happening; money worries, working hard at TILL, started a job at YCA and left after 4 days because of a poor and paranoid boss, applied for a post at Sheffield Centre for Independent Living and Other Things has really taken off - after Amber and Alex's departures.
What a 4 months! Euphoria - coming off anti-depressants. RC has played a blinder.
And starting running - training for Sheffield half Marathon on 8th May. Running is a wonderful release. And LOTS of other things!
So, this was a quick blurb to start the year off - oh and a wonderful opportunity with Quarantine has arisen - fingers crossed!
Love,
Paul x
SO much has been happening; money worries, working hard at TILL, started a job at YCA and left after 4 days because of a poor and paranoid boss, applied for a post at Sheffield Centre for Independent Living and Other Things has really taken off - after Amber and Alex's departures.
What a 4 months! Euphoria - coming off anti-depressants. RC has played a blinder.
And starting running - training for Sheffield half Marathon on 8th May. Running is a wonderful release. And LOTS of other things!
So, this was a quick blurb to start the year off - oh and a wonderful opportunity with Quarantine has arisen - fingers crossed!
Love,
Paul x
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