Home » Users » Edwin Rutsch » Blog » Progressive Values Stories...
Democracy for America personal blog for Edwin Rutsch
Progressive Values Stories: Jeremy Rothe-Kushel on Caring
Linked to groups: Democracy for America Miami-Dade (DFAM), PA for Democracy, Democracy for NYC, Democracy for Maryland, DFA Film Club
Linked to campaigns: Obama for America
"Without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community." Anthony J. D'Angelo
In this interview, Jeremy Rothe-Kushel talks about the progressive value of caring. He recounts learning to care more deeply by being with his family at his great-grandmother's death bed. It's a learning process to expand your sense of care beyond just thinking of yourself - to caring for your family, community, nation and the world.
Progressive Values Stories: Jeremy Rothe-Kushel on Caring
My name is Jeremy Rothe-Kushel, and I was born and raised in L.A., and I’ve been a Peace and Social Justice activist for about a decade of my life. I’m a teacher of young people. I do hip-hop, word props, after school programs, and I’m a hip-hop artist myself.
To me progressive values would be – first, I would start that in order to make progress as a human species, we have always had to remember from the past. Meaning that the only way that we are here is because our ancestors made it through, through all kinds of trials and tribulations.
And, so I would say, progress would be taking on the best, the highest values that have come through our thousands of years of human history, and parsing through them, because some things have to be left and composted, and other things need to be taken up.
And also allowing for the fact that the human condition and human beings in general are just like the universe, that we are unfinished beings.
Edwin: So what are those values from the past that you want to bring forward?
Jeremy: So values from the past that I would like to see brought forward is the value of family, of a tribe, of loyalty, of care – ever-widening circles of care that we can include more and more beings into in terms of our hearts and our mind, and thus breathe it into our action. Meaning when you start as an infant, you can’t care for yourself. And then you begin to learn how to care for yourself. And then you begin to learn how to care for your immediate family. And then if you have a healthy family, you can learn how to care for the larger community, your nation and your world.
What immediately comes to my mind is when I was about maybe less than ten – six, or something like that -- and there was the night that my great-grandmother died. And my whole family was there. And she has a very big family – she gave birth to 12 children. And a lot of us were there, and in that moment of her being there with us and her sort of making eye contact with us and showing her care for us, and the fact that we were there with her at her last moment.
I remember there was a moment when I think I learned how to care for another being, someone else other than myself. I think it was probably because she was my great-grandmother that I was much more readily able to do that.
I went over to her, and I held her held, and it sort of was spontaneous, like that is what wanted to do at that moment was hold her hand as she was beginning to move and pass on. So that’s something that I remember as a moment of mutual caring, in the way she was caring for us being there.
Because death is in many ways hardest for those that still live. But it’s also hard for those who pass away, and so there is an intensity of caring that I think I learned about. And I think it was an opening for my heart in terms of getting beyond just my concerns for my own person or my own ego in a way. So that’s one thing that I remember.
"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." Leo Buscaglia
Some Questions To Ponder:
- Is caring a progressive value?
- When did you experience or learn some insight about caring?
- What's the opposite of caring?
- What is personally the most important progressive value to you?
- Do you have a personal story or
anecdote of how you learned some insight into this value?
- How does this progressive value differ from conservative values?
More Progressive Values Stories
I am working on a documentary to answer the question, What are Progressive Values? So far, I have interviewed over 200 progressives and have placed over 400 video clips on YouTube with the various replies. This is part of a continuing series of interviews of progressives telling their personal stories about their progressive values.
Progressive Values Stories: Loni Hancock on Empathy and Caring
Progressive Values Stories: Joe Brewer on Empathy
Progressive Values Stories: Attica on Caring
Progressive Values Stories: Carol Dipple on Caring
Failed Conservative Values: Nancy Kops on Selfishness
What Are Progressive Values? Documentary Project
http://ProgressiveSpirit.com
and Study Group
we need a bit of that at Netroots.
- Maybe the Native American Caucus would like to do a blessing for the event.
By Susan Rowe on Jul 14, 2008 5:16 PM EDTthat he "cared." That was evident from the work he did.
Bill Clinton's "message, I care" was always a turn-off for me because, really, caring doesn't get you anywhere.
After the war we regularly received CARE packages from America. They contained chocolates and cigarettes and powdered milk. Lord only knows how much the relatives spent to have these packages (whose contents made their way to the black market) sent. Not much effort, apparently, because when we finally arrived on their door-step what they cared about most was that my mother got a job so she could pay back a loan and pay rent for the garden house we were permitted to occupy.
I'd rather have a *doer* than an empty *carer* if that makes sense. Reminds me of people who have to advertise that they are Christians constantly. And the *I believe in family values* tripe.
between self-righteousness and an honest discussion about values.
Don't throw the baby out with the bath water just because of conservative hypocrisy..
throw the bums out.
Pam Paul used to post here before she started Root Camp and she ended her posts with "spread the love". I tried to inject the notion to Stephens question about values yesterday with a reference to Martin Buber who raised the idea that simple respect in relationships lead to a transcendent kind of broader love.
Caring to me is all about love and trust and self worth come at a very early stage of development. Howard Dean made me a fan of "Success by Six" and I still think of that as the ultimate progressive program. Governors Vilsack and now Culver have both developed early childhood programs of health care and day care.
Caring very clearly is a progressive value and if you have a caring doer like Obama that turns community organizing into politics there is hope for this country yet.
Phil - as you can see for the other interviews, caring and empathy come up a lot..
I just added another story by Zeus,, on the topic.
Obama has talked a lot about the empathy deficit, but it has not gained much attention.. I hope to put a video together with his comments at some point.
And learning about caring and empathy at a young age is the way to go..
- What is personally the most important progressive value to me?
By Annilow on Jul 14, 2008 2:00 PM EDTI would say civil liberties and that the Constitution is upheld. I believe that Free Speech may be our most important right in the USA. Because without it we don't know the truth. If we know the truth we can take appropriate action. But if we are told lies, as in the entrance to the Iraq war, or if the truth is withheld, as perhaps in 9/11, then the actions we take are based on bad information, so will our actions be invalid -- garbage in, garbage out.
When our speech is censored -- that is to say -- when someone else decides whether what we say in a public forum is appropriate or relevant -- and that someone takes away our power to say what we want, we become angry in the beginning, but if the oppression continues, we become resigned and we die a little. And so does the forum.
When I found Howard and wrote letters and sent money, I believed in progressive values. Then the Democrats (progressives?) got in the majority in Congress, but they didn't end the war, they didn't stop the torture, they didn't restore Habeas Corpus. When the 'progressive' Blog for America started censoring our posts, based on the opinions in some nebulous and secret listserv, which purportedly contains 'leaders' but then again maybe not, well I lost faith there, as well as in Congress.
So what are Progressive values? Beats the hell out of me, Edwin.
That just about says it all.
Home from the Sierra and wishing I could go back tomorrow. So peaceful. Thought about you when the redwoods starting thickening on the way into the park.
On my way in I stopped for coffee in a town called Mariposa. A mother came in with her two teen boys, aged 17 & 19. I had on an Aerosmith T shirt and one of the boys said "I like your shirt." I thanked him and mentioned that I was going to wear my Obama shirt but decided against it that morning (I did wear it yesterday). So I'm in big GOP territory but I aked the only question that I wanted an answer to - are you registered to vote? That's when I found out their age. Mom and eldest son were but made it very clear that their vote would be for McCain. What's the Matter with Kansas came to mind, and I chose my words carefull and recalled Howard's invitation to have a conversation about what is important to someone.
Her answer? God takes care of what is important to me. I told her my God takes care of me and I pray every day that he stops sending our young ones to invade and occupy lands where we have no business being. Later in a conversation she had with the counter gals, she mentioned that she had to go back to office work because her husband is having a hard time getting construction work. Go figure.
Repbulicans don't value much except their own self preservation.
- Thanks Denise... It is important to truth talk to all our neighbors not just those who agree with us.
By Susan Rowe on Jul 14, 2008 2:53 PM EDTI also learn the most about myself when I listen to their viewpoint.
Free speech also includes the freedom to lie.
- A person isn't free if they lie. You can go to jail if to lie in a court of law.
By Susan Rowe on Jul 14, 2008 2:57 PM EDTClinton got impeached for lying. Unfortunatley it was about what was behind his zipper.
Caring is a progressive value indeed but I believe Monica's point is more about doing - as you do, Phil. You are a doer. ;-) Everybody at this site is caring - no doubt about it.
I see ideals as mythologized values.. and values as what you actually do. ... which is what I think your getting at. the difference between saying something and living it.
--
I'll be at netroots this week, I'll be taping more stories.. I wanted to focus on
The Failed Conservative Values stories there.
any recommendations of people I should try to interview?
Howard Dean and Nancy Pelosi will be there.
--
I've got a new t-shirt with Failed Conservative Values on it ofr netroots. .. . I need Susan there to take another picture. (The last one you took I've used over and over again.)
Ask them what they think the difference is between a progressive Democrat, a conservative Democrat and liberal Democrat. And ask them what on God's green earth is a "New" Democrat and what is wrong with just being a Democrat.
And ask them how much money they have in their pocket or if they only carry credit a cards. And please ask them the last time they baked any bread or milked a cow.
See if they're gun owners and if they are ask them what kind of gun it is that they own and for what purpose.
Do they like to go hunting and fishing or do they like to play soccer and attend football games?
During a yearlong examination, The Sacramento Bee studied the civilian and military backgrounds of hundreds of troops identified from recruiting documents and other military records, focusing on those who entered the services since the Iraq war began and those linked to in-service problems.SUNDAY: Dozens of soldiers and Marines with criminal records and other questionable backgrounds were linked to misconduct in the military. In some cases, past misconduct appeared to foreshadow future behavior.TODAY: Lance Cpl. Roel Ryan Briones saw the horrors of the Iraq war firsthand, including the site where his fellow Marines allegedly killed 24 women, children and other civilians at Haditha....[...]Parra supported vets' bill
Because of links to the Haditha killings, the Briones case was making headlines worldwide as Assembly Member Nicole Parra, from Hanford and chairwoman of the Assembly's Veterans Affairs Committee, was pushing fellow lawmakers to offer veterans treatment in lieu of prison.
"I brought [Briones] up, I remember, during the committee," Parra said. "I didn't know the specifics of the case to say he had PTSD, but I said ... you've got to believe that [the war] had to have had some kind of impact."
Told that Briones had been arrested on felony drug sale charges prior to his service, Parra said, "Yeah, so he sold drugs. But again, he went to war, saw horrific crimes being committed. Did that time and experience in Iraq affect him when he got back?"
The first version of the bill would have mandated that judges divert veterans diagnosed with PTSD to treatment. Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed it.
"The trauma of war is unfortunate, but justice for crime victims and the safety of the public must remain a paramount concern of the criminal justice system," Schwarzenegger wrote in his veto message.
The version signed by Schwarzenegger in September 2006 empowers California judges to bypass sentencing guidelines and choose between treatment or jail for veterans convicted of any crime.
As word of the California law spread, Parra's office fielded calls from lawmakers in other states, including New York, Montana and Minnesota.
Minnesota tried to take the California law further, proposing that judges be empowered to divert veterans to treatment even before their criminal cases were decided. ....
I put up a comment about a bunch of caring Republicans making a treck to Rwanda and that doesn't qualify?
WASHINGTON (AP) — Cindy McCain and Mike Huckabee are among a bipartisan group headed to Rwanda next week to see how U.S. investments have helped some of the world's poorest people and what steps the next president can take to fight global poverty.Former Senate Majority Leaders Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and Bill Frist, R-Tenn., will lead the delegation for the ONE campaign, an organization that uses grass-roots efforts to pressure world leaders to address poverty and preventable diseases.
Cindy McCain is the wife of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, and Huckabee is a former Arkansas governor who challenged McCain during the GOP presidential primaries. The two will join John Podesta and Leon Panetta, both of whom served former President Clinton as chief of staff. Former Rep. John Kasich, R-Ohio, will also make the trip, which is planned for July 17-23.
| Failed Conservative Values: Nancy Kops on Selfishness | ||
 |
I interviewed Nancy Kops and asked her about Failed Conservative Values and what are Progressive Values. She feels caring is the most important liberal-progressive value. She knows many conservatives and finds them to have good hearts and be very caring about the people around them. However, she can’t figure out why they can be attracted to the Republican Party. She thinks they just don't see the big picture. View @: Democracyforamerica.com - Opednews.com - Dailykos.com |
...Hallmark channel broadcasts the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at 6 AM to 7 on Sundays. It's refreshingly free of 'preachin' - just beautiful singing. I always forget or can't get up.
We've had a ton of very welcome rain in N FL recently. Everything is green, green, green. The downside is FL's finest mosquitos. I now have a tube of itch medicine by my chair, by the computer, by the bed.
...and btw Joan (I'm pretty sure it was) thanks for the tip on Bullfrog Mosquito Coast -- it's the greatest when I remember to squirt -- not as yuk as Deet but works great.
...are you guys taking $ out for a 'rainy day.' I'm really getting spooked but haven't made the move yet.
I liked your post about free speech, Anni. Now, the question is: Does the cover of the New Yorker (was it that mag)? qualify as free speech? Is it like the Danish cartoons? Where's the line between free speech and hate speech or does free speech incorporate hate speech? And who gets to decide which is which? Hate speech appears to be very objective, whereas free speech is not.
There's a saying in spanish that when translated is this: Wisdom is the art of knowing what to overlook. Does that mean that hate speech is in the mind of the beholder.? Isn't hate speech a judgment? If so, where does that judgment come from? Is it from the past?
You provoke thought Seashell- maybe it's like some famous politician don't remember who said I hate what you are saying but I will defend to the death your right to say it. I think the Danish cartoons and the Obama NY cover both went too far but I don't think either should have been censored. Funny - I was thinking about the Danish cartoons myself in relation to the Obama cover -- oh well great minds and all that...
NOT exclusively. Caring is a human value and cannot be determined by one's political affiliation.
How is progressive caring different than conservative caring? The approach ~ nurturing and guiding rather than authoritarian.
~ ~ ~
Now this is an axample of the progressive caring here... progressives on call to handle anything and respond to the needs of the larger community.
- Hey Ho
By Lenny in Iowa on Jul 14, 2008 3:12 PM
The 'old' blog to me was more like a firehouse. Many kinds of folks who otherwise would never have gotten together were there regularly as if on call, and the threads may not have seemed to always make sense with some comments on topic, mixed in with other conversations and poems, recipes, jokes, baseball chatter, music links, cartoons and whatever else. But to those who were there, it made sense. They were like a group of firefighters doing whatever they could to keep on keeping on and staying loose because sooner or later everyone knew that the fire bell was going to ring, and when it did, the fire fighters would be there to respond...whether it was to respond to a fund raising ''bat'', rapid response to an article, letter to the editor campaign, or an email response to CNN, or any other thing important in the moment.
The old blog worked. It was unique. It is natural to those who were there and fighting hard to miss it.
Good luck to the 'new' blog whatever it may turn out to be...
I think conservativism with it's focus on the self,
limits it's caring to oneself or the immediate circle of family or friends.
Then there's *pornography*. Here in Buenos Aire, on the streets, in the subway, there are on display women in all sorts of extremely provocative poses and undergarments. Men too. The whole place is filled with crotchless panties,bras with holes cut out for the nipples....right out there for children to see...
So...the question is: Should people have the right to censor these images? I would think sex involving two (or more) consenting adults is not offensive - nor the photos. Would Americans stand for this?
And the TV ads - Oy, what they can do with a toothpaste ad!!!! tongues and sucking motions are sorta old hat.
Again, what is pornography?
Here's a quip from a guy friend. "We Latins are hot-blooded; Americans are cold."
If that's true, is that why we're not taking to the streets to overthrow putzco? Is there a connection there? Are hot-blooded people more likely to throw the bums out?
Tomorrow's the big rally, 2 of them - one pro, one anti-gov't.
- NPR is reporting that people in CA care about their money
By Monica Smith on Jul 14, 2008 3:57 PM EDTand are standing in line to take theirs out of the bank.
new thread and mainefem was waterboarded but the video from Maine with Howard works after I brought it back
"Without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community." Anthony J. D'Angelo
Easy enough to understand, lol!
It does NOT say: without a WC, there can be no sense of community. . . .
A bit schizoid here. . . . We front-page caring/community. And then toss in the toilet every evidence of that very thing. . . .
Odd, eh?
Add your comment
(to reply directly to a comment, click the reply icon for that comment)Post closed to commenting
 |
|
 |
My DFA |
|
Members |
|
Groups |
|
Events |
|
Candidates |
 |
|
Blog for America
-
No end in sight for rising health care costs
By Joe F on Jun 23, 2009 4:44 PM EDT -
Last Week's D.C. Rally
By Joe F on Jun 29, 2009 1:41 PM EDT -
Health Care Costs & the Entitlement Crisis
By SteveG on Jun 29, 2009 9:57 AM EDT -
Healthcare Reform with Sound Information Technology
By Ge Z on Jun 22, 2009 10:16 AM EDT -
Senator Conrad’s Co-Op Option vs. the Public Plan Option
By LindaB on Jun 15, 2009 11:21 AM EDT
Recent Blog Posts
-
The Political Suicide of Sarah Palin?
By Steven G on Jul 3, 2009 10:43 PM EDT -
Democracy For America needs to support Jonathan Tasini for US Senate in NY
By Thomas Janowski on Jul 3, 2009 2:49 PM EDT -
Friday finds
By Gerry Lykins on Jul 3, 2009 9:16 AM EDT -
Race, AIDS/HIV and the Systematic Situation
By Hudson K on Jul 2, 2009 6:27 PM EDT -
Thursday items
By Gerry Lykins on Jul 2, 2009 8:06 AM EDT
-
By Edwin Rutsch on Jul 13, 2008 11:32 PM EDT