Essay 474

Poetry in motion with a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The tale of the rhyming rascal (see Essay 472) has an ugly new twist. Postcards bearing swastikas were littered around the school where the 7-year-old poet made her original presentation. Police claim the postcards have appeared throughout the area in recent weeks and insisted, “There’s nothing at this point to conclude that there’s any sort of connection between the two matters.” Unless you consider hate and bigotry as potential connections.

• Michael Jackson has agreed to pay wages to employees at his Neverland ranch, preventing any legal action at this point (see Essay 472). If Jackson knowingly had people performing services without compensation, wouldn’t that technically make him a slave owner?

• The New England Journal of Medicine reported on a massive survey showing there is no racial disparity when it comes to receiving health care. Everyone gets about the same treatment. The catch is that everyone gets equally mediocre health care. “It doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter whether you’re rich or poor, white or black, insured or uninsured,’ said a study author. “We all get equally mediocre care.” Unless you’re a slave at Neverland ranch.

• A new survey revealed a lack of diversity in visitors at Chicago cultural museums and institutions. The majority of folks showing up are White, educated and affluent. “Chicago’s large arts organizations are not successfully engaging households with poor socioeconomic backgrounds,” researchers concluded. “Areas with high concentrations of African Americans and Latinos have among the lowest participation rates.” Not to sound discriminatory, but why would large arts organizations be expected to “successfully [engage] households with poor socioeconomic backgrounds?”

• Kanye West is taking his art to a new level, with plans to produce a feature film. The flick will take inspiration from West’s music, plus create “a multiperspective portrait of America.” Sounds like the perfect movie to play at Chicago cultural institutions.