Othering

It all begins with lies.

Lies about autism.
Lies about immigrants.
Lies about those living in poverty.
Lies about people of color.
Lies about Trans folx.
Lies about women.
Lies about the innocent victims of Gaza.
Lies about DEI.
Lies about LGBTQIA+.
Lies about mental illness.
Lies about the humans who are resisting.
Lies about absolutely anything that does not fit the narrative of this unlawful regime.

Seeing those different from us through the lens of all the lies as the "other" allows them to become the "enemy." Or at least, that is what they would have us believe. It is, after all, one of the oldest forms of propaganda.

I can only hope that we (all of us) are smarter than that and that we teach our children, by example, that every person has value and deserves respect no matter who they are.

This is your reminder: everything happening right now is by design. Outrage is being played as a distraction—pitting the people who believe the lies against those who don't.

Again, I will say - this is not politics; it is about disenfranchising millions by maintaining control of the narrative through bullying and fear-mongering. Atrocities are committed in the name of saving us from the "enemy," and an army of duped followers have been conned into doing all the heavy lifting for them. In the meantime, they direct the flow of dollars to the wealthiest people in the world, shifting the blame and avoiding accountability while staying out of prison. 

We can't outdo rude and nasty with more rude and nasty. The misguided and misinformed mob and their boss excel at that. On this 250th anniversary of the first revolution against a king, the only way to interrupt and disrupt this storyline is to rise up as a positive force dedicated to ethical soundness to respectfully refute every single lie at every turn with facts, embrace and celebrate all the diversity, goodness, and hopefulness in this world, and send out rays of kindness and compassion that are impossible to ignore.

Our young people are intently watching this all play out. In the last few weeks, I have witnessed conversations that included gentle but firm confrontations of inaccuracies and falsehoods — kids sticking up for themselves and the truth — all grounded in patience and thoughtfulness. Based on my observations, I am thrilled to report that our youth have this! 

DRC News

The DRC Canton Crew made the most of our last week before Spring Break with plenty of outside adventures, an informative program about balanced eating with Jackie from GardenShare, and a fun art activity with our favorite guest artist, Kris R, along with our usual fare.

Thank you to both of our guests this week for providing new opportunities for us to explore.

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Sadly, the Pop-ups were cancelled again this past week. They will be in session next week during Spring Break. Plan on meeting Janine at the Norwood Library on Wednesday and the Massena Library on Thursday.

Pop-ups Info