OccupySacto.org

GaryRobertHarris wrote:I myself have a problem that not one female was present or willing to help with the documentary on either of the two occasions Andrew was filming. I also have issues with how many nights I slept in a lawn chair or on cold grass and on average women and African-Americans made up less than 10% of the people "occupying".

[b] The womyn, including the four former rotating leaders and founders of the Sacramento Occupy's Community and Outreach Committee, were pushed away. As a former Comm and Outreach member who spent countless hours in the field talking with people, generating that necessary critical mass to come occupy and educate one another, I got first hand stories of the discrimination. Of the countless womyn and minorities who were pushed out as much as possible. In fact, there was a womyn who was the brains behind the former committee and it helped open my eyes a bit more personally when the majority of core members began coming to me rather than her for comm and outreach requests and collaboration, believing I was in fact spearheading the committee (alone and as the one facilitator.)
Not sure what's so important about singling out "African Americans" (first generation immigrants from a country on the African continent? no?) You've got some big melting pot in Sacramento. Probably some 45-50 ethnicities, and that's no exaggeration. I'm not understanding why you'd point out "African-Americans." But I'm not being smart with you. Go ahead and explain what you mean so we can all better understand what you mean.
As for "occupying." Occupy as an educated critical mass that on the flip side acts in close knit affinity groups (and sometimes as a large mass as well, of course) to bring about direct change. There's multiple ways of doing so that have yet to be used and were mentioned by quite a few womyn formerly of occupy sac. A lot of the ideas have there source with those womyn. [/b]

If the bodies and voices aren't there or weren't willing/available to help at the time of filming than this short clip did represent "us". Currently and in our short history this has been a problem.

It became a problem within Sac Occupy's short history. Not the other way around.

I do think that rather than offer this wasted criticism you could have compiled a list of willing female interviewees who would like to be interviewed and with very little effort contacted the producer of the video and offered content for a more representative video. For my part I am not interested in boy or girl parts, I'm interested in ideas. Did you feel unrepresented by the ideas in the film? If so your issue is valid, if not than "my problem" is with people willing to waste time on sexist crap rather than producing something.

It's a waste to become defensive and personally attack a person making a valid point with hopes of opening dialogue on a most important issue. The properties of any society or government is half people, half ideas. All other things are like the machinery we work that can't run on their own. Our property isn't society or government... nationality. It's people and then their ideas. Discrimination involves people at (socially constructed) basic levels that can not and should not be changed. This issue is therefore paramount as it deals with our most basic and necessary first step. Bob is the one doing the right thing pointing out the truth and opening up dialogue for those that are capable to participate in. Your response, in fact, everything that all people say are examples of themselves. What kind of example are you making of yourself by calling a person's intelligent comment "wasted 'criticism'?"
By the way, Bob also acted as an example of herself by being productive during occupy. She produced a shit ton of what we needed when we needed it with no sitting around or passing tasks off to other people. Just constant action. And again, "sexist crap" is fundamentally important to avoiding the problems we're facing.

Have a great day!

Ridiculous.