WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2026
...was recorded by Dolly Parton: As far as we know, it's generally regarded as Woody Guthrie's last significant song. This might be the right day to hear it.
Yesterday, we listened with interest to Shima Oliaee, co-creator of the nine-part series, Dolly Parton’s America, for WNYC.
Oliaee appeared on Deadline:White House. Here's one thing she said:
Her whole principle that she stood on was, "I will not abandon one person, and I want those who have suffered the most to be the happiest...How can I do right by other people?"
I will not abandon even one person? Not even those we revile? In translation, Yevtushenko's approximation was this:
"No people are uninteresting..."
We're sorry, but not even one!
We jotted a note when Oliaee said this:
And she was not—she was not not-smart or [not] very thoughtful about what was going on in the world. She was just very cognizant of, you know, adding another screaming voice into the mass of screaming voices.
Sometimes, we may decide to raise our voices, though possibly not all the time.
In this essay for Time, Oliaee offers this:
[She] continued to champion the LGBTQ+ community loudly, saying, “If you’re gay, you’re gay; if you’re straight, you’re straight. And you should be allowed to be, you know, how you are and who you are.”
People who are trans were supported by Parton too. In our view, it would be especially good to find ways so that no children have to suffer for being whoever they happen to be.
Until we read that essay in Time, we didn't know that Parton had recorded Deportee, that last major Guthrie song.
This might be the right day to visit the beauty of Deportee. For Parton's recording, just click here. Though also, Here comes the sun...
"Deportee" is a good one, sure. My own favorite unexpected Dolly Parton cover was her rendition of Cat Stevens' "Peace Train.," with Ladysmith Black Mambazo helping out.
ReplyDeleteDon't know about that. Saw a clip of her singing "Stairway to Heaven" that sounded pretty good.
DeletePage is the GOAT.
DeleteIt seems more respectful to spell that acronym out.
Delete
ReplyDelete"[She] continued to champion the LGBTQ+ community loudly, saying, “If you’re gay, you’re gay; if you’re straight, you’re straight. "
Funny: this appears to be the opposite of "champion[ing] the LGBTQ+ community" (whatever the hell it means).
Meaning, precisely, that homos don't need any special Dumbocrat "rights" or any Dumbocrat "pride". You are what you're, it's your personal business, keep it to yourself, end of story.
“ Dolly Parton was a dedicated, long-standing ally of the LGBTQ+ community, consistently advocating for love, acceptance, and inclusivity throughout her life and career.”
DeleteThanks Google.
“Dolly Parton famously wrote and performed the Oscar-nominated song "Travelin' Thru" for the transgender-themed film Transamerica.”
DeleteHave you seen it?
(whatever the hell it means)
DeleteAsk your kept child to explain it.
Your sexuality, like your religion or wealth, should never be discussed in public.
DeleteNot because it's rude, but because it's irrelevant to a healthy-functioning society.
"Your sexuality, like your religion or wealth, should never be discussed in public."
DeleteNeither should other peoples'. But grifters gotta grift, and sex, or sexuality in this case, sells.
"Your sexuality, like your religion or wealth, should never be discussed in public."
DeleteAnd what about folks who are outed against their will, publicly shamed, fired, harrassed, or assaulted because of their sexuality (actual or perceived)?
Their choice to "keep it to themselves" is taken from them. Their only option is to speak up and not be afraid.
If you're assaulted for whatever reason, call the cops. If you think your firing was unjustified, call a lawyer.
DeleteAs for shaming, do or don't pay attention to it. Or stay home.
If you're assaulted for whatever reason, call the cops.
DeleteTell that to the families of Renée Good and Alex Pretti
DeleteDidn't those Dumbocrats assault the cops?
And what if the cops arrest you for being gay, instead of the people assaulting you? That's what happened. And what if they beat you up and then don't allow you a phone call to call your lawyer (assuming you have one).
DeleteThis troll has no idea how discrimination against people for sexuality has worked and why there is a rights movement. I'll bet he doesn't know who Matthew Shepard was. He doesn't know how homophobia affects some straight people. He probably doesn't know who Scott Amedure was.
If a gay or trans person stayed home all the time, never going out to shop, attend church, or see friends or visit the movies or a theme park, what kind of life would that be?
How would that solve wealth inequality? If you're rich and you don't want to be robbed on the street for conspicuously displaying your wealth, just stay home, all the time under all and no one will ever despise or shame you or try to steal your stuff.
And if you are deviant because of your high IQ, never use big words or make a witty joke, avoid wearing glasses because some people think only smart people wear them. If you talk about something others don't know, apologize immediately and abjectly, then make an obvious mistake so others will see you are dumb. And if you are female, then you have to worry about one-upping men too, even by accident, so always stay home and never speak, not even to other women, and don't be seen reading ever. College is right out,.
See, this approach can be used to solve lots of social problems of diversity. Somerby's solution is to sigh and say that a democracy cannot function under diversity, so we are all doomed, just like sacred Troy. NEVER ask why Troy was so sacred.
Pretti and Good did not assault any cops. There was video.
Delete3:36, hey fuckface, when did that accusation get proven in a court of law, you fucking lying sack of shit?
Delete
Delete"And what if the cops arrest you for being gay, instead of the people assaulting you?"
One retard can ask more what-ifs in a hour than a thousand wise men can answer in a year.
You count yourself among the wise. Dunning-Kruger never dies.
DeleteThe traits that become targets for bigots are often ones that cannot be changed by an individual without major work, so being yourself attracts hostility and discrimination while not being yourself becomes burdensome beyond the inauthenticity involved. There is danger in concealing who you are because those deceived frequently show inordinate anger when they find out that you were concealing yourself. So even when disguised, a person must live in fear of discovery and violence.
DeleteThere is a weird dynamic that when a gay person is outed, the anger directed at them is strengthened by whatever attraction others felt toward them, even liking and friendship, so retaliation can be dangerous up to and including murder. Not to mention those who engage in gay-bashing to qwell latent attraction and fears of being gay, real or not. You don't have to do anything to be bashed, just walk down a street.
There are men who feel hostility toward women, especially successful or attractive or prosperpous or smart women. Those men target such women for rape. You don't have to do anything to show such men up, just exist and be in the wrong spot. And there are men who beat up homeless people out of their own fears of becoming destitute or their resentment at not being wealthy despite feeling entitled to success. It is very dangerous to be a homeless person and you don't have to do anything to provoke violence from random people who hate. Now immigrants have been added to that category, especially immigrants who are doing better than someone else thinks they should, or being uppity.
Watch the film The Green Book. You might be inclined to blame the pianist for his mistreatment but recall that a white pianist would have been treated differently and not been targeted at all, unless someone mistook him for Liberace, who made damned sure he always had an entourage of protection, even out in Vegas.
Right wingers want to protect their right to hate others. I do not believe such a right exists. They should be the ones hiding who and what they are from good decent people. Woke is about stopping hate from poisoning human relations.
Years back, someone wrote a letter to the editor of the Bridge Bulletin trying to raise an issue about transwomen playing in the Women's events at tournaments. The guy believed that men were naturally better bridge players (because men are more rational than women) and it would be unfair if they had that unfair competition advantage in a limited game.
DeleteI smiled at the time because I knew that my trans friend had been competing in such events for decades and hadn't won any of them, nor was she detected by any players as trans. It was difficult for her at such tournaments because she couldn't use the women's bathroom without risk and thus had to book a room in the official tournament hotel and go upstairs to use her room's bathroom, which took more time and confined her to fewer bathroom breaks than other competitors. (Smokers have that same difficulty.)
This illustrates that these so-called trans issues are not really problems except for the inconveniences to the trans people, and it seems unfair to be imposing on them when others cannot even tell who they are, nor are they necessarily gaining any "advantages."
I see this arising because Republicans lack empathy. It helps to think of that as a disability. But only a little.
"The traits that become targets for bigots are often ones that cannot be changed..."
DeleteThey have a hierarchical world view, in which their place on the ladder is decided, not by what they do, but who they are, what group they belong to. It's why such people end up worshipping Trumpian figures. Authoritarian daddies make life worse overall for everyone except themselves and their cronies, BUT they keep the hierarchical structure rigidly in place, guaranteeing certain groups have other groups below them to look down on. If you are, on one level or another, aware you are at best a mediocrity, but have the general human desire to feel special, you can always fall back on something, like whiteness, to give yourself a feeling of superiority: at least I'm better than THEM.
The film that best expresses this mentality is not the Green Book, but Mississippi Burning.
The Green Book is worth watching because you see the change in the main character (the limo driver) as his own initially bigoted racial attitudes change. It would be nice if someone with strong racial attitudes could watch such films and unlearn their bigotry.
DeletePretti assaulted a taillight.
Delete
DeleteDumbocrats get Darwin awards sometimes. It's natural.
""And what if the cops arrest you for being gay, instead of the people assaulting you?"
DeleteOne retard can ask more what-ifs in a hour than a thousand wise men can answer in a year."
This guy is so stupid that he doesn't know that the supposed "what ifs" are not hypothetical or "what iffy" at all. They are routine experiences of gay and trans people prior to the fight for gay rights in the 70s.
That suggests this person has never had a gay friend, never watched a movie with gay characters (try "As Good as it Gets" or a few episodes of Kimmy Schmidt, but there are so many other films available) that he had to be actively avoiding this info. The first trans movie I recall (aside from Mrs Doubtfire) was The Lying Game. Never read a comic book such as Gender Queer, and just sheltered himself from reality in order to not know what other people's lives are like. Try Glamorous on Netflix -- it is hard not to like the main character.
The documentary Will & Harper is a good start.
DeleteIt is not the job of minorities of any type to educate mainstream bigots. That includes women trying to clue in men about sexual politics.
DeleteAnonymouse 4:03pm, what risk did your transwoman friend incur in using the ladies room?
DeleteShe dreaded someone challenging her right to be there and making a scene. She was trying to avoid being embarrassed and perhaps becoming a focus of gossip. She had no idea whether the ACBL would stand behind her right to play if someone complained to a director and she were asked to leave. (I doubt that would happen because it would disrupt the movement of duplicate boards at the tables). She was only "out" to her family and a few close friends.
DeleteBridge is an extremely complex card game that requires focus. If you become upset by something someone else says, you can lose concentration and that will decrease your score. Avoiding the possibility of that happening would make it worth avoiding conflict.
I would have taken the risk, but I have a smaller bladder and a thicker skin about other people's nonsense. I know that she would not have wanted to force the issue and created political turmoil within the ACBL, which is about playing a game we all enjoy to the point obsession.
More recently, when playing in the South, I have encountered men in bridge games who have gone out of their way to "misgender" me by calling me "Sir". I am not trans but I am older and I do not wear makeup. I wear comfortable clothes, not feminine ones. I do not wear jewelry because it interferes with card handling. This has happened twice in the past 5 years, not a lot but unlikely to be accidental, especially given that they repeated themselves by saying "sir" again after I asked "What did you say?" I don't know if they were being political or being rude in order to upset an opponent (which is unethical and against the rules) or were too stupid to figure out someone's gender who is cis-female. I have also had someone ask me if my partner (not trans but elderly/comfortable) was married. I said she was not and he replied that he could always tell by the way a woman walked. I suspect he was hinting about whether she was gay or not, or just trying to get a rise before the hands were played. In any case, that is sexist bullshit and shouldn't be happening, no matter what his motives were.
DeleteWhen you are female and you play in a game that is largely male, you do have sexist incidents from time to time, especially if you are young and attractive (I am not but was once upon a time). It would be nice if bridge were more egalitarian and I'm sure the ACBL is working on it.
Anonymouse 5:50pm, so she looked like a guy in drag.
DeleteCecelia, because of your height, I think of you as a man.
DeleteAnonymouse 6:23pm, are you sure it’s not my five o’clock shadow?
Delete“ People who are trans were supported by Parton too. ”
ReplyDeleteYes, she did. So do liberals/peogressives. But that makes her and us “woke”. The Republican Party runs on a platform of anti trans hatred, constantly demonizing them and making up grotesque lies about them. Even some Democrats want to avoid the trans issue because they feel it’s a vote loser. They are often told that by centrist Dems and consultants. Even by commenters at this blog, we are labeled smug and performative for fully and publicly supporting trans people. And it isn’t an issue that you can remain silent about in hopes of avoiding it during a campaign. As a Democrat, you will be asked to take a stand. Hegseth is targeting trans people for removal from the military.
Trans people are just the latest small, politically powerless minority Republicans are punching down on, because they know what motivates their base of bigot voters.
DeleteAgree 2:52.
DeleteThere is an issue of personal disgust due to excessive repression and indoctrination and other abuse-borne trauma, but at the root it is dominance all the way down for Republicans.
Psychologist Paul Rozin studied disgust and found it to vary across people as a personality trait. Women self-report greater disgust but there are negligible differences in autonomic arousal to disgust stimuli between the sexes, which suggests there may be some cultural learning involved. Despite reporting more disgust, women are assigned the messy dirty disgusting tasks (diaper changing, food prep & clean up, nursing wounds and vomit) as a gender role.
DeleteMoral disgust is expressed as physical disgust. So it makes little sense that men would feel more disgust at transwomen, given that they self-report less disgust to other stimuli. That makes this more complicated than @3:58 implies. The disgust is not a natural physiological response but is mediated by cultural learning. If we could teach all children healthier understandings of people's differences, this would be a better place to live for everyone. But disgust over such differences is not natural, but learned, no matter how "natural" one's bodily reaction might seem.
One of my favorite Rozin experiments is one where he gave people a sweater and asked them to put it on. Nearly everyone did so, when they thought it was just a sweater. When he told subjects the sweater used to belong to Hitler, large numbers refused to put it on as directed. If he told them it had belonged to Hitler but had been dry-cleaned, more would wear it.
DeleteThe point is that disgust is not inherent in the object itself, but in the mind of the beholder.
The way to desensitize yourself to a classically conditioned reaction, such as nausea in response to dog poop, is to expose yourself to the stimulus (the poop) until it no longer makes you nauseous. Then you can advance beyond just looking and smelling to actually cleaning it up. You can do this in one long session or in multiple briefer ones. The more exposure the less disgust over time. This works with whatever elicits your disgust -- it is in your head, not the stimulus itself and it is not natural to be disgusted by other people, even when sick, injured, needy, dirty, disabled, different or female -- whatever sets you off. That is YOUR problem, not theirs.
DeleteDarline Graham wins primary to contest late brother's US Senate seat
ReplyDeleteI remember well when republicans were dead set against
family political dynasties. But of course, her name is not Clinton, so all previous principles are non-operative.
While Darline is representative of the people in SC, she will not serve them well.
Delete"I don't criticize or condemn. I just accept and love." -- Dolly Parton
ReplyDeleteEasy to say. Now try doing it.
DeleteParton was wonderful. But she wasn’t a politician. Somerby likes to praise people like Parton, but condemns politicians who have to campaign on policy proposals. I don’t recall right wingers attacking Parton for her support of trans people, but if you are a liberal/dem politician, and you express that kind of public support, then you’ll be viciously attacked by the GOP. And when they incessantly bully you, I’m not sure what the answer is supposed to be. I love you? I pity you? Sometimes you actually have to fight like hell against those forces trying to take you down. Parton didn’t have such forces against her.
DeleteDolly was smarter than 95% of politicians and 150% smarter than the idiot celebrities who tell fans not to partake of their art if they don’t share the same politics.
DeleteLife is politics and vice versa.
DeleteAnonymouse 6:02pm, and Dolly played “life” well.
DeleteDolly was a successful businesswoman.
DeleteThe personal is political, as the feminists say.
DeleteDolly Parton was astute but she also had several business managers and financial partners over her career. AI can list them for you.
Delete"Whatever the hell it means"
ReplyDeleteIt means include everyone, not just the actual letters in that string.
I assume Somerby is talking about Deportee. Why does he not say so and give some credit to both Parton and Guthrie?
ReplyDeleteWhile he is at it, Somerby might discuss his own phobias about deportees, who are just immigrants being sent somewhere else against their will.
Somerby has said before that he is of Irish heritage. In Dublin, there is an Emigration Museum that is well worth visiting, integrating new media and technology into presenting the experience of those who departed Ireland over the centuries, due to poverty, famine, and British occupation. It presents the positive impact those Irish immigrants had on the places they wound up, including the USA and Australian, among others. Until visiting there, I had no idea that Ireland contributed both tap-dancing and Guthrie's own Appalachian folk music to our own culture. Boston owes a lot to Irish immigration, of course, but so do many other American cities. The Irish contributed bosses like Tweed and Daley, who were not all bad in their innovations. We might not have had JFK as president without Daley, and everyone admitted that big city machines were efficient if also corrupt. And don't forget the railroads (the Eastern half) built by Irish workers. Somerby is an asshole when he joins the right in persecuting our own immigrants now being scapegoated while our crops go unpicked.
The plane crash described in the song did not happen on purpose, but it could be happening to any of the unfortunates being picked up off our streets today. Like the immigrant woman released into the cold at midnight without money or phone or proper clothing, who froze to death. If Somerby mentioned the name of Guthrie's song and his lifelong devotion to helping the downtrodden, he might have to look at his own collusion with the right and the modern deaths at the hands of men selected for their brutality. This is not America and I don't blame Rosie O'Donnell for fleeing to Ireland. I would do it myself if my circumstances were different.
JFK almost started a nuclear war.
DeleteThe Russians did that by trying to deploy missiles in Cuba.
DeleteWoody Guthrie was quite the leftist. He wrote for communist publications, praised communists. He opposed capitalism. He wrote a protest song about the racist practices of Fred Trump. The song was called “old man Trump”. Nowadays, he would be labeled a woke, communist, and would probably be singled out for criticism by people like James Carville, and dare I say, Bob Somerby, for being smug and arrogant and losing votes for democrats, despite never being a politician or member of the Democratic Party. He was kind of like a podcaster in his day.
ReplyDeleteThe time period when Guthrie was a communist is the time when fascism was bad, Russia was our ally fighting WWII, labor was organizing and most lefties were either members of fellow travelers. Today he wouldn't be a communist because both the party and the times have changed. Woody wrote the famous words on his guitar "This machine kills fascists" in 1943.
DeleteFor some reason, Somerby wants to pretend that Dolly (who is rightfully famous for her own work) made Guthrie's song Deportee famous, when it was well known and admired 23 years earlier than her cover of it. I admire her courage in taking a stand on behalf of immigrants, which is very relevant today, but Somerby wants to retend that we lefties (and Guthrie himself) wouldn't have felt the same way about ICE and today's atrocities (which Somerby never ever mentions, including today).
Woody Guthrie wrote the poem Deportee in 1948. It was put to music in 1951-52. Dolly Parton sang it and had a hit with it 23 years later, after Bob Dylan and Joan Baez sang it, and after Baez featured it on her own album, making it a hit.
ReplyDeleteThis statement "WEDNESDAY: Woody Guthrie's last big song..." is certainly misleading if not a lie. Many famous singers have covered Woody Guthrie songs. It didn't take Dolly Parton to popularize Deportee, a song already well known to folk music enthusiasts and anyone around in the mid 1960s.
Somerby is careless and unfair to both Parton and Guthrie when he implies that she made the song great or that his songs aren't continuing to be sung today. This Land is Your Land is considered his most well known song, biggest hit. It is played in the 7th inning at Rockies games here in Denver. And it has the kind of woke meaning that Woody stood for.
Bob wasn’t lying. He’s just dumb.
Delete