~A message I read on my way to work on the bus ~
A poem by Abelardo “Lalo” Delgado
stupid america, see that chicano
with a big knife
on his steady hand
he doesn’t want to knife you
he wants to sit on a bench
and carve christfigures
but you won’t let him.
stupid america, hear that chicano
shouting curses on the street
he is a poet
without paper and pencil
and since he cannot write
he will explode.
stupid america, remember that chicanito
flunking math and english
he is a picasso
of your western states
but he will die
with one thousand masterpieces
hanging only from his mind.
“…with one thousand masterpieces/hanging only from his mind.” wow! That line, to me, captures the image of all those people(including myself) out there who have not realized their potential to create that next great novel,poem,film or piece of music for whatever reason. Have a great idea? Unleash it unto paper and share it with someone! Don’t leave it to rot within “the banks of chaos in your mind.”
Just this week a friend told me she overheard a Pilgrim’s descendant say in the 1960s “These immigrants need to stay away”. Yeah, pretty stupid and not much has changed.
It’s sad that some people feel threatened by other races. I feel it’s more important to embrace other cultures, enjoy their food, music , dance , language etc…knowledge is power. Why should we limit ourselves to only our own culture?
My grandfather has roots in Mexico yet he hated wetbacks. I remember as a kid he would see people put Mexican flags on their pickups and yell that they should go back home if they care about Mexico so much, and then he would curse in Spanish.
“Why should we limit ourselves to only our own culture?”
Even hipster culture?
Also, the poem is fucking retarded and pathetic.
“he wants to sit on a bench
and carve christfigures
but you won’t let him.”
We don’t let him because vandalism is a crime.
“he is a picasso
of your western states
but he will die
with one thousand masterpieces
hanging only from his mind.”
They have free computers at the library that anyone can use. You can use subsidized public transit to get there. Let the creativity flow. The poem is defeatist and reeks of liberal progressive bullshit that only reinforces the idea some powerful force that is keeping poor people down.
“Have a great idea? Unleash it unto paper and share it with someone!”
The poem implies that the Chicano screaming on the street corner cannot unleash their screams to paper for some reason. It’s not that easy. White people have conspired to keep paper out of East LA for years now. What paper that is smuggled in on the black market is unaffordable to the average man.
Well, Spokker this poem was written back in 1971 or so, you know,when computers were the size of a room and there was no internet and opportunities for Chicanos were more limited and our community was marginalized (read your history.) As for your other comments, that’s just a load of angry, pessimistic, self-hating bull that helps makes you somehow feel that you’re above us all. Why don’t you go spread your “knowledge” at the Glenn Beck 9/12 project or something?
I am no conservative. I think the government should subsidize Air Jordans to help poor communities.
I am a mindless drone regurgitating liberal drivel/I am a mindless drone regurgitating liberal drivel/I am a mindless drone regurgitating liberal drivel…Well, first of all, what i said was an original thought that just came to my head, so I wasn’t regurgitating anything…In retrospect, maybe I could’ve come up with something better and more thought out, but I’m human and sometimes we shoot from the hip and sometimes we are wrong…maybe Glenn Beck’s 9/12 project is something positive…I don’t know. However by criticizing and focusing on what I said, you seem to be in support of Spokker’s more outrageous comments. Also, Mr. Che, you seem to be one of the guys who prides himself on being some type of radical,independent, unique thinker who likes to take potshots at both ends of the political spectrum; I like playing that role too, lots of fun.
I watched the Glenn Beck show concerning the 9/12 project firsthand and I did not get a second hand opinion from a media talking head. On the surface, the project goals seem noble enough; “empowering” citizens by stressing nine values and 12 principles,restoring “honor” to our country,etc. Still, haven’t we heard this kind of talk before? What does it actually accomplish? Maybe somethings on a small scale but it doesn’t really directly address our nation’s problems;the thieves on Wall Street,the war in Iraq,our educational inequities,the war on drugs,etc. Aww,screw politics!/Don’t forget to vote!
Oh yeah Che, I can’t believe I forgot to mention this, it’s absolutely hilarious, a genuine knee-slapper given our little debate; and this is true and I swear on a stack of bibles but they had a short clip on that Glenn Beck show I just mentioned and it shows Glenn’s people marching and guess what one of the guys is wearing? A “no Che” shirt!!!! With a red circle and slash cutting through el commandante’s face! So, get this; you’re criticizing me for criticizing people who dump all over your hero! Classic!
Any positive virtues in the 9/12 project are outweighed by Glen Beck’s insane paranoia about absolutely everything.
Glen Beck is just as bad as anyone on the fringe left. A lot of issues are really blown out of proportion. The health care bill, for example, isn’t even that bad. But the fringe right have somehow hijacked the microphone, so to speak, to spout their nutty paranoid theories.
But then again, the fringe left is not so innocent. I think we lose sight that the country is pretty much middle of the road where people lean slightly to the left sometimes and slightly to the right sometimes. I hold both conservative and liberal viewpoints on a variety of issues.
Is it a conservative thing to criticize this blog for what I think is the constant defense of people who break the law (driving without a license, vandalism, disturbing the peace)? I just think it’s common sense.
I also think that the liberal fringe constantly talks down to poor minorities and keeps pumping communities and people so full of money that it’s like they are the white man’s burden all over again. But calling for personal responsibility and hard work is like an insult these days, to some people. There are always millions of excuses that would make my grandparents puke.