marieldraconis

Since the riots started, my first concern has been for my family there, and I'm very glad that things have calmed down. But I'm also glad that the cops in question (who appear to have been negligent at a minimum) are being charged accordingly.
Because I have a one-year-old niece, and since the riots started I've been wondering--what if she were male and black (if my sister-in-law weren't Caucasian as well, and given that gender is a matter of complete chance), instead of white and female? Or if preconceptions changed, and white teenage females were considered suspicious? In twelve, sixteen, twenty-five years would my niece be in danger because of a water pistol, or a panicked run from cops, or....
The cops, and also the grand juries who have said "oh, no charges, just doing his duty" so many times in the last year--have they ever stopped to think, what if it were my son/nephew/cousin on the other side of the gun? If the response is "well, but my relatives are white, or female, so there's no danger to them", then congratulations on both being aware of the problem and being part of it.
But I don't think they've, any of them, thought that far. I fear that the cops in the incidents in Ferguson, New York, Cleveland, Baltimore weren't seeing citizens who it's their duty to protect (even from themselves), much less "what if it were my family", but at best saw "possible threat, must destroy." Not "must stop"--many of these incidents sound to me like they could have been stopped without death, so unless I'm missing key details about all of them, we have some problems with police training nationwide.
And what were the grand juries thinking? "We can't stop cops from protecting themselves, then they won't be able to do their duties"? What if it were your child, your husband, your family next time? It is true, cops need to be able to do their jobs, but part of that is making sure that they are doing their jobs. Don't you realize that each acquittal without trial reinforces this type of behavior on the part of the police, and so will lead to another dead child or young adult, possibly for doing something wrong (though not worth a death sentence), but possibly for nothing more than loitering while black?
...I just realized, I missed a key set of people. The prosecutors in these cases should have been able to come up with these arguments themselves. I really hope they do better in Baltimore, instead of protecting the cops just because they're cops (the idea that police can do no wrong would lead us down a very bad road).
We need to do better. We HAVE to do better.

Sorry it took so long to update--you guys may have noticed I don't use my journal on a regular basis. Anyway, this post involves dealing with human bones, so if you'd rather not read about that, please skip this.

( June 15th )

( July 16th: Pub Quiz! )

( July 17th: Dentition, or All Hail the Toothbrush )

( July 18th: Skeletons and Soccer Balls )

( July 19th: The Obligatory 'How to Do Scientific Research' Lecture )

( July 20th: Ethical Ramifications of Excavation )

For all of you out there who have been wondering where I disappeared to...well, here I am. Ish. There are some very good reasons why I am putting this on livejournal and not e-mailing the relevant people. The reasons: spam problems, far too many helpful but clogging e-mails from my Dad relevant to my EE in the wrong account, inability to forward said e-mails to the right account, unwillingness to download all fiftyish e-mails until one problem at least is solved, and certain key e-mail addresses (Kaiya and Kender) on the wrong end of the line.
After this, I fully intend to continue to fail to update my LJ unless circumstances drastically warrant it. And they won't. That said, I will continue to e-mail people, so if you want to hear from me, e-mail is the best way to do so.
Anyway...so where have I been in the last few weeks? Overwhelmed by school stuff, college application stuff, and 'since-when-am-I-old-enough-to-go-to-college-itis', also known as attempting to act in ways so immature and disorganized that one wonders if I really am sixteen. Key symptoms: procrastination, which I've mostly recovered from, failing to remember my responsibilities and promises, and childish refusal to learn how to drive or have anything to do with cars. No, examples of any of the above are not available on request. I blame Dark Mongrel Look, it's either you take a year off to learn chaos or we do this the hard way and Dark Mongrel is very willing to accept responsibility.
Um...I believe some of you out there are interested in what, if anything, I'll be writing soon? Here is the list of my current inspirations:
1) the wedding of Harry and Ginny's eldest son to Remus and Tonks' eldest daughter. Flashbacks of various incidents from the end of HBP to present.
2) from my Paladin story, how Lareli and David became bonded and when David finds his mate-for-life.
No, I do not have werewolves on the brain. I have colleges and not wanting to be old enough to go to them on the brain, and much homework. Otherwise, David and the Triplets would be vying for control of my fingers right now, so that one or the other would be written.
As for school, the main reason other than Dark Mongrel why I dropped off the face of the earth, my classes are:
English: Nice teacher, but new. We are apparently covering six texts this semester and only three next. I hate commentaries. I can do commentaries on subject material I like, but they don't let us read what I like in class. However, our big assignment this year can be creative writing, and I'm thinking of writing some section of Madame Bovary or Death in Venice from another character's POV. In the meantime, I think I'll just continue to hate English.
Theory of Knowledge: Philosophy class. Readings, write twenty questions on the readings, have a seminar/discussion of the readings. Repeat.
Music Theory: Has piano days, which I use to work on other stuff because I'm past the end of the book we are supposed to be working through. Other days I get to fill in the scary gaps in my knowledge of musical theory. I play two instruments and sing, and yet I have no clue what an augmented interval is. Yeef.
History: Working our bloody way through World War I right now, with occasional books to read and seminars. I have to find two books on the Easter Rebellion of 1916 and write a paper on them as our year's major project.
French: Watch movies. Do worksheets. Have grammar, vocab, and occasionally culture quizzes. Watch more movies.
Psychology: take notes, read significant amounts of the book each night, have at least one quiz per week.
Multivariable Calculus: very fun. Hard to explain to people taking AP Calculus this year--which I believe most everyone reading this is. Take everything you learn this year, and put it in three dimensions. Add a few concepts.
In addition, I'm working on college essays, and the final draft of my Extended Essay is due October 20th. I'm president of Archaeology Club, co-captain of Math Team, and tutoring in the Writing Center. I'm taking the SAT IIs in biology and math in October, and French in November. I will try my best not to drop off the face of the earth again--I'm clearing out my inbox this weekend, so e-mail me and I will get back to you as soon as sanity permits. In fact, please let any responses be e-mails--somewhere along the line I decided LJ was mostly unnecessary. And if anyone talks to Kender before the weekend, tell her that I'm sorry I dropped out of sight, direct her over here, and tell her that I will e-mail her ASAP.
In summary: I am alive, and probably will stay that way for the near future. I am not sane, and probably will stay that way for the near future. Right now I have very little homework, but trust me when I say that that won't last.
DRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
Dark Mongrel's Alter-Ego (Does that mean me?) (No)