Diversity and Other Things I Love About the DC Area; Traffic and Other Things I Hate

All the talk about racial issues in the wake of the Trayvon Martin trial got me thinking about how I've often taken for granted the diversity I've been surrounded with pretty much all my life, forgetting that many, if not most people in America don't really share that experience.

I was born in and am again living in Prince George's County, Maryland, not all that far from Washington, DC. PG County is often stereotyped, but one of the more positive things it's known for is being the wealthiest majority-black county in the nation. I am white, but from a young age I've been surrounded by people of every race, color, and ethnicity. Many of my neighbors and classmates were black, but others were white or Hispanic, with a smaller population of Asians. But I was also surrounded by people of differing economic status, religion, educational level, etc. etc.

It's an experience I forget not everyone in America has. When I went to my cousins' high school graduation in southern Maine, there were only a handful of non-white students in their graduating class. My dad's hometown outside of Buffalo has similar demographics.

Of course racism, of the overt and more subtle varieties, occurs everywhere and everyone is susceptible to it. But exposure to diversity definitely affects your worldview. It's something I most appreciate about growing up where I did, and something I am reminded not to take for granted.

And now I'm gonna tiptoe back away from the topic of race and reflect on more things I love about living in suburban DC, and a few I can't stand.

Stuff I Love:
Along with the racial and socioeconomic diversity goes the access to culture (theater, museums, music) and to diverse cuisine.

FREE Smithsonian museums. Definitely something I take for granted.

Stuff I Hate, or At Least Don't Like So Much:

The traffic. Oh, my goodness, not a day goes by without DC-area traffic driving me near-crazy, and you'd think I would be used to it by now. The DC metro area regularly makes lists of areas with the worst commute, worst congestion, you name it. It's partly the congestion itself, but then that is topped off with drivers who are jerks, incompetent, or both. So yeah. DC traffic sucks.

The crowds. I am not a crowd person.

Just how fast-paced and competitive the whole area (city and suburbs) is. It wears me out sometimes, honestly.

But the good and the bad of where I grew up and still live have shaped me. I think we tend to forget how much environment shapes perspective, and how different a perspective people from other areas have.

Glee and Cory Monteith, Dead at 31

I'm sure most people have heard by now that Cory Monteith, best known for playing Finn on Glee, is dead. As a Glee fan, I'm still somewhat in shock. I had heard a little about his struggles with substance abuse and his going back to rehab, but didn't know the extent of his issues and never expected his life to be cut so short.

I hate to admit it, but when I first heard the news, one of the first things I wondered was how Glee would deal with his character. This is the first time in my memory that a still-running tv show has lost one of its stars, and so it does beg the question. Finn had less screen time after graduating, but he was still a major part of the show, with his on-and-off relationship with Rachel and his return to coach Glee Club at McKinley.

But anyway, reports confirm that Monteith had heroin and alcohol in his system when he died. Reactions have been frustrating but not altogether surprising - a lot of "well, clearly he didn't try hard enough to recover" and "well, he never would have become an addict if he didn't start using in the first place." There's not a lot of compassion or understanding out there surrounding the devastation that is drug addiction.

So I'm kind of hoping that Glee actually ties the reality of the circumstances surrounding Monteith's death into the show somehow. It wouldn't be the first time; one of the things I most admire about the show is how they manage to gracefully incorporate real, often "heavy" issues (bullying, domestic violence, guns) while still maintaining the lighter musical elements.

On the subject of lighter elements, Puck could reprise "Only the Good Die Young" - it would be a tribute fitting of his character.

In fact, they could also work the whole trauma of seeing someone close die young into the episode. I can see Marley singing The Band Perry's "If I Die Young," for instance.

Rachel and Kurt could do a duet of Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven," perhaps for a funeral scene.

If I were a screenwriter, right??

But as hard as it must be for Hollywood to deal with Monteith's death, it's gotta be even harder for his family and friends. May he rest in peace. And maybe something as frivolous as a tv show can help other addicts to seek help before it's too late.

Reflections on the George Zimmerman Case and Verdict

The last trial I remember with as much of a media circus surrounding it was that of Casey Anthony. At the time I just sort of observed the outcry surrounding that verdict with no real strong emotion, thinking that the jury had done their job, taking in all the evidence and, finding nothing that could prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, acquitting.

With the George Zimmerman case, it's a little different.

Once again, I see no real benefit to a court case being so high-profile. It sucks people in to the emotion, but doesn't actually serve justice.

But.

I did get sucked in enough this time to actually care about the outcome and to be disappointed when the alleged perpetrator was acquitted.

I think it's because of the various social issues surrounding the case: self-defense, gun laws related self defense, and, of course, the big "elephant in the room," racism.

Even if no one could prove that Zimmerman stalked and then shot Trayvon Martin out of racial bias or hatred, the case shows how much racial division and prejudice is still at work in America.

I actually thought that Zimmerman was probably more generally paranoid than overtly racist - his behavior as a neighborhood watchman to me reflected an abnormal fear of crime/criminals and I'm surprised that, as far as I've heard, no one gave him any kind of psychiatric evaluation.

But clearly he had been following Martin because he deemed him a criminal, and the case is a reminder that for many, the image of "criminal" is still "young black male."

And then there's the claims of self-defense. This is what bothers me about the verdict: no one could prove that Zimmerman was acting out of malice, but I think that claiming self-defense sort of falls apart when the person claiming to be defending his or her life was the person  following the unarmed victim in the first place.

Unfortunately, in this case, the law does not agree.

So, while the loss of the life of an unarmed teenager is tragic enough, the Zimmerman case adds a lot of thorny social issues to the picture.

Best of Washington, D.C.: Outdoor Pools and Water Parks - My Article at Yahoo Voices

It's summertime in the city, and if there's one thing Washingtonians know, it's that summers here get hot and humid. But rest assured that the region offers plenty of places to cool off! Whether you swim laps or are just looking for a place to splash around with the kids, here are some of the best outdoor swimming pools and water parks in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

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