Brief sketches from a strange day
Feb. 4th, 2009 07:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sabotabbyI think everyone who becomes a teacher knows at some point that he or she will have to teach a sex ed lesson to a bunch of 13- and 14-year-olds, but I had no idea it would happen so soon in my career.
By utter chance, I ended up here today. I must be looking respectable and authoritative these days, even with my Soviet hat and skull mittens on a string, because lately whenever I go to a protest, random people want to interview me for the news. Today was especially strange, as I was like one of three non-Tamil people there, and obviously knew less than anyone else that could be plucked from the crowd.
But anyway, they were insanely happy at the idea of a non-Tamil joining in on the protest, so happy that it brought tears to my eyes because people who are currently scared shitless that their friends and relatives are being massacred in Sri Lanka were coming up to me and thanking me. Unreal.
Hundreds of people are being killed every day over there. It barely makes the news unless something like tonight's protest shuts down parts of the city.
On the way home, a nice young man on the subway who wanted bar recommendations in my neighbourhood asked me if I was old enough to drink. I suspect he was just flirting, but it still made me smile.
I'm on my annual Brecht/Weill kick, so please recommend to me your favourite covers of Brecht/Weill songs. I clearly don't have enough on my iTunes and it's the best commuting music ever.
Here is my least favourite Brecht/Weill cover ever, and high-octane nightmare fuel:
You can reset your brain afterwards with my favourite Brecht/Weill cover ever.
By utter chance, I ended up here today. I must be looking respectable and authoritative these days, even with my Soviet hat and skull mittens on a string, because lately whenever I go to a protest, random people want to interview me for the news. Today was especially strange, as I was like one of three non-Tamil people there, and obviously knew less than anyone else that could be plucked from the crowd.
But anyway, they were insanely happy at the idea of a non-Tamil joining in on the protest, so happy that it brought tears to my eyes because people who are currently scared shitless that their friends and relatives are being massacred in Sri Lanka were coming up to me and thanking me. Unreal.
Hundreds of people are being killed every day over there. It barely makes the news unless something like tonight's protest shuts down parts of the city.
On the way home, a nice young man on the subway who wanted bar recommendations in my neighbourhood asked me if I was old enough to drink. I suspect he was just flirting, but it still made me smile.
I'm on my annual Brecht/Weill kick, so please recommend to me your favourite covers of Brecht/Weill songs. I clearly don't have enough on my iTunes and it's the best commuting music ever.
Here is my least favourite Brecht/Weill cover ever, and high-octane nightmare fuel:
You can reset your brain afterwards with my favourite Brecht/Weill cover ever.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 01:45 am (UTC)http://youtube.com/watch?v=DJmWMoYOSZQ
no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 01:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 02:10 am (UTC)Posterity demands that anecdotes be forthcoming.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 02:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 02:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 02:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 03:57 am (UTC)I mean, they acknowledge that non-heterosex happens. But the delivery of the sex ed, is still pretty heteronormative.
We focus on
1) The naming of parts. This bit is pretty non-heteronormative, in that it looks at the parts and how the male and female anatomy works in normative cases. We don't really talk about gender reassignment.
2) Health risks associated sexual activity and how to identify and mitigate them. A lot of stuff about pregnancy prevention goes here too. We do talk about safer sex for non-PIV activities, as well as the usual discussion of condoms, barriers, and hormonal contraception. Also NFP.
3) Sexual decision making, and healthy relationships. We do not assume that all sexual decision-making will take place in the context of opposite-sex relationships, and stay well away from assigning gender to the people making the decisions, so points there, I suppose.
That's the resources, though. A lot depends on the teacher--the can be totally heteronormative, as some of our reviewers were, or less so.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 02:17 am (UTC)I semi-seriously looked for you, but there were a lot of people there.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 02:29 am (UTC)I looked for my kids, but I don't think any of them were there.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 02:37 am (UTC)My favorite -- sadly predictable -- is Ella Fitz's famous live version of "Mack the Knife" in Berlin. Although I should probably break out some of the Ute Lemper again, it's been a spell.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 02:39 am (UTC)Hmm, I have like six versions of "Mack the Knife" but apparently not Ella's. One is Ute Lemper's, though.
Fair disclosure
Date: 2009-02-05 02:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 03:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 11:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 01:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 10:03 pm (UTC)Not quite a cover...
Date: 2009-02-05 03:54 am (UTC)Re: Not quite a cover...
Date: 2009-02-05 10:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 03:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 11:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 03:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 05:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 11:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 05:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 03:52 pm (UTC)"Even Cathy Berberian knows/There's one roulade she can't sing."
no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 04:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 04:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 10:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 06:58 am (UTC)Also, see Ute Lemper doing anything in the original German, particularly Surabaya Johnny. Morgan recommends Ute's version of Tango Ballad she does with Neil Hannon of the Divine Comedy.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 07:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 10:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 08:32 am (UTC)Why, oh why do we live in a world where art is co-opted and ruined!
I want to hear about your heteronormative sex-ed class!!! Did you make them get up, walk around the class, touch each other and say "And that's how you get an STD!".
That's what they did to us! For serious.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 08:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 11:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 10:12 pm (UTC)For some reason, that makes me happy, even if it didn't work.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-06 11:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 07:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 10:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 08:30 pm (UTC)The first time I ever heard a Brecht song was when I was 18. I was in Atlanta at a Food Not Bombs gathering/Olympic protest. We were waiting for the torch ceremony and a woman who I had never met, but later came to know as Isoleucine, got up on a stage, grabbed a mic and started belting out Pirate Jenny. I was totally blown away. She was this crusty traveling kid who seemed rather timid and shy, yet she could sing like nobody's business.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 10:18 pm (UTC)I want to learn how to play that on the piano, but I just checked, and I don't have the range to sing it.