Links That Changed Me | September 2020
Fashion Industry
2 Sentenced to Hang for Deadly Garment Factory Fire in Pakistan
“The fire raised questions about poor regulations in the country’s industrial and manufacturing sectors. Activists and victims’ families say factory owners have been mostly lax or negligent in setting up proper security protocols, leaving workers vulnerable to accidents. Corruption has also contributed to the poor enforcement of safety regulations.
The 2012 fire also shed light on the underbelly of Karachi’s politics, in which political parties have been accused of running armed rackets and extortion rings.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Lace Collar Wasn’t an Accessory, It Was a Gauntlet
“The idea was to claim what was a traditionally male uniform and unapologetically feminize it. That may seem innocuous, but it was in fact radical. In 1993, when Justice Ginsburg joined the court, women in the work force were still largely wearing men’s suits as armor; conventional wisdom had it that looking too “girlie” was a mistake, and would undermine the seriousness with which a woman was received.”
Religion
‘Racism Makes a Liar of God’
“It should not be so difficult for so many Christians to affirm that yes, Black lives matter, without conditions or complaints. “We are being called to love our neighbor,” Ms. Purvis observed, “and my God, my God, we are failing.”’
“Everybody Being Themselves Real Hard”
“Anyone who is serious about theology or religious asceticism may have their reservations about embracing fashion. Indeed, fashion’s emphasis on novelty, extravagance, and self-obsession seem distractedly opposed to the pursuit of eternal truths, spiritual discipline, and community often associated with religion. Hence the curious looks I get when I mention my research interests at the intersection of religion and fashion. But doesn’t this oppositional view keep our understanding of the sartorial superficial and, similar to other impasses between convention and contemporary life, limit our possibilities for doing religion and theology differently?”
Evangelicals are looking for answers online. They’re finding QAnon instead.
“The Wayfair conspiracy theory was a prelude to a much bigger social-media push: #SaveTheChildren. In July, as Mel Magazine has documented, this and other existing hashtags were flooded on Facebook and Instagram with QAnon memes about pedophile rings and the Clintons. That then inspired a series of rallies across the country. Some of them, NBC News reported, were organized by figures who implicitly or explicitly support QAnon, and some marchers brought signs with QAnon slogans. Some legitimate human-rights organizations have told the New York Times that they hope the wave of conspiracy-fueled interest could translate into genuine support for those who are trying to actually save children, but others have been overwhelmed with false reports and nonsense tips.”
Pandemic
No One Should Be Surprised That America Abandoned the Elderly to Die
“As coronavirus carves through the elderly, it tells us something ugly about the high price of the American project. The prosperity it engenders is real but limited; it is exclusionary by design. Wealth flows upward, where it stays, and creates an inverted pyramid that bloats at the top then vanishes to a fine point at the bottom. Proper care for the elderly and for people with disabilities requires what some corporate executives might call a restructuring — an unpalatable task for those already at the top. Coronavirus lays the consequences bare. In the U.S. the elderly and the disabled aren’t quite unworthy of life, fit only for extermination. But they exist somewhere in the same hostile neighborhood. Life is expensive, which makes it a luxury. Whatever care we extend to the aged we consider a gift, or an act of charity, and not something we owe them because they exist.”
3 Older Detroit Residents on Life During the Pandemic
“I was listening to a program about [the death of] John Lewis, and how he was treated. Tears came in my eyes because it was so hurtful. He was a champion. He didn’t give up. He kept fighting to the end. That really stuck with me. I’m hoping that there will be some change, and we all can live in peace.
We all need to pray more and trust in God—that’s what I say. I don’t care whether you’re Black, white, green or red. We all bleed red.”
Check-In
- What I’ve Been Watching: New Girl and PEN15
- What I’ve Been Listening to: Sufjan Stevens, especially oldies from my college years (#fallvibes)
- What I’ve Been Eating: roasted vegetables and Indian food
- What I’ve Been Reading: Books for school, including How We Die and Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America
Re: fashion and faith: f ever we cross paths again, remind me to tell you of the Maryknoll Sister, Joanna Chan, who was in a sabbatical course Patty and I took. The course went to the Sinai, camped out a coupe of nights under the stars, climbed Mt Sinai before dawn (then visited St Catherine’s. We all stank, and our clothes were full of sand and sweat. Except for this Chinese nun, who wore silk and never broke a sweat! We still exchange Christmas cards and she continues to be active in the NYC Chinese Theater scene, plus using theater in her prison work. (Btw, who will fabricate you’re vestments?)
What a lovely story, and it sounds like a lovely woman, too. Some of my seminary friends who read my blog are already hoping I’ll found an ethical vestments company using natural fibers. I don’t have any plans to do it, but it’s a fun distraction.