MODERN IFIGENIA

So there has been another mass shooting, and the pro-gun-control folks are already talking gun-control measures and the anti-gun control folks are talking mental health, defense of self, family and country. I am tired of this conversation. In light of what happened in Charlottesville earlier this year, and to Philando Castile last year, I know that these are just delusions of grandeur chatter from the pro-gun group. Chat of primarily weak men relying on guns to help them feel masculine, a masculinity that is lazy, toxic and wouldn't be masculine in any other part of the world. I am not a violent person, have shot a rifle once in my lifetime, have no need to have a gun, but it would be nice to know that these gun-rights people, when debating policies that affect the common good,  would actually be sincere and walk their talk when they have to. But they are fundamentally weak people, with their guns serving as a mask of masculinity they are trying desperately to belong to. I ca...

I was raised far away from "government" in Venezuela. What that meant is that government employees, including law enforcement, could act with impunity because there was no one to report to and there was no one supervising. Growing up "impunidad" was a word you heard all the time, don't talk to the police because they can can act with "impunidad." Impunidad: Impunity- without consequence. Knowing that powerful people could behave with impunity meant that you always avoided them, in most places it is a great honor to have a powerful person in your home or place of business; where I grew up it made you walk on eggshells until they left. When I moved to the U.S. nothing brought more relief than knowing you could trust those who worked for government. If they didn't do their job, there was someone to report to and there were consequences enough times that I didn't have to worry about that word following me around "impunity." You could ca...

Every day I look out of my back door and stare at two beautiful Pine trees. Those who don't know their histories see two well-formed plants that cast shadows, clean air and house neighborhood critters. I, on the other hand, see missed opportunities. Only after looking at what was lost among those trees could I begin to conceptualize how much good has been removed from the human experience due to trauma. I bought my home in 2006 and can assure you that the two Pine trees were planted and transplanted at the same time; they were nurtured (or not) by me in the same amounts. Both trees grew at the same pace for about nine years. Over a year ago there was a huge snow storm that toppled the Pine tree on the left. I tied it back up hoping it wouldn't die. Sure enough, the Pine tree was resilient and survived. In fact, if you were to look at it today you would not know that it once fell over and looks like a model Pine tree. People often see survivors of trauma after they have ...

I remember being a young adult and cramming into a van with 26 other people: this van was designed to hold only nine. Had I been wealthier, I could have gotten on a nicer and safer bus, but I was not wealthy and had to get home ASAP. I hated my country for things like that and loved America because America had nice buses, no overcrowded bus. I had been on American buses and trains while on vacation and they felt glamorous compared to what I had to get on on a regular basis. Years later, I would move to America. I would depend on public transportation to get to work, school and leisure. I lived at the border between a wealthy area and modest one, lucky enough to have been assigned to the wealthier neighborhood's school system. It turns out, PT in America was not that glamorous. The fleets were nicer, but the routes and expense couldn't get me to where I WANTED to be. They were good enough to get me to where OTHERS wanted me to be. I have since moved around and lived all ov...

I didn't know I was fat until I came to the U.S. Up to that point, if clothes didn't look good on me, it was because the tailor didn't know what they were doing....after that point, my body has always been wrong for not being able to fit into clothes.

Person 1: My biggest mistake in life is not being born hot Person 2: You don't have to be born hot, you could spend enough money to become hot Person 1: My biggest mistake in life then is not being born rich enough to afford hotness

I have to admit I was hesitant to watch this movie. Beatriz at Dinner was presented as a movie about a Mexican immigrant at a dinner party where she encounters a series of microaggressions and deals powerfully with them. You would think I would be down with the powerful part of this, but I am just tired, as a professional Latina woman, I deal with these stereotypes all the time and didn't want to deal with them during my leisure. I ultimately gave in and went in order to support Latinas in leading roles. I walked into the theater in a very diverse City and I was the only attendee of color. I understood. I assumed many like me did not want to watch their lives play out on screen. I was open though and have to admit that ultimately, this is a horrible movie. First of all, I couldn't help but feel that Salma Hayek's character is your standard Hollywood Magical Negro , with the twist that this time it was a Magical Mexican. If you remember,  The Green Mile literally had a...