I can't exactly say I "enjoyed" this, cuz it includes truths and realizations that aren't exactly "enjoyable." So maybe saying I "felt it" is more accurate. It made me think of my own Ukrainian and Romanian roots, a mere two generations ago. And it brought to the surface how I've become increasingly uncomfortable with patriotism. I mean, I still love an OT winner from the slot as much as the next Canadian, but more and more the notion of "home" has shifted. It seems to be more defined by who I'm with than where I am. And as I read this, I felt "with" you, and that felt interestingly home-ish. Not sure if that makes you my homey or not, but either way, I really appreciated this piece, just as I appreciate you.
First, thanks for giving my piece some of your time. I really appreciate it. Second, you're definitely my homey.
I'm glad this resonated with you. I wish more people would consider, like you did, that they're ancestors arrived where they are as strangers too, with 'strange names and funny accents.' We should all be allowed to make a new place our home, especially productive, safe and kind people just looking for a new start. Thanks again.
I try to make sure there are ancillary benefits to your Rant subscription. Discographical expansion is one of those. I had this on repeat too while I was knocking this piece out. 😁
Can't lie. I was torn between this version and the version by Boney M that came out when I was a kid. I thought to give it to the originators and honor the ancestors instead. In some ways it hits harder because it's more stripped down than Boney M, but the Boney M joint is still quite good.
Such a beautiful and heartbreaking story. I spent my grad years in Canada as a foreign student. It put me in with a wonderful worldwide group of students, many of whom were from Caribbean countries, including Jamaica. One of my good friends was from Jamaica and we had many discussions about things we missed even though Canada was very welcoming to us. Many of the students from warmer countries laughingly referred to our area as the Caribbean of Canada (because of our location we’d “only” get a foot of snow when other areas got 2 -1/2 feet)
Btw / grapenut ice cream is eaten in Rhode Island and I think Massachusetts. We often had it on the way to the beach at a place called Gray’s ice cream. Whoever laughed at your mom would have had hysterics with my family. We all loved it. And made our own (mixing vanilla ice cream with grape nuts. ) My dad, 1st generation American, was particularly fond of it. Thank you for your lovely post. I also love the song you cite; I remember from numerous viewings of “The Harder They Come”.
Valerie, thanks so much for spending time with this piece and your thoughtful comment and compliments. I appreciate it. That there are so many in Canada from the Caribbean is a fact I think quite a few would be surprised about, but it’s true. I’ve gotten to Caribana in Toronto a while back and I was shocked at how many countries were represented and the sheer number of people.
Thanks for telling me about RI and MA enjoying grape nut ice cream too. We didn’t see it in our area until I was in my later teens and an independent ice cream shop that did their own hard ice cream made it.
What happened to“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” This isn't what America stands for anymore. I thought it did longer than it actually had, I think. My pride in being an American has waned and my love for the masses has grown exponentially. I love the picture of your Mom standing there seething inside (I love grapenut ice cream btw, my dad used to make if for us) Love it because you made it so real and because it reminded me of my own mom, a country girl (barefoot usually) with her Maine accent ordering a sugahed donut in NY and being told they didn't carry them. They did however have sugerrred donuts, which she was looking at when she ordered one. I like that question "where is home then?" I think now it is in my heart, with my people wherever I am. Thank you for sharing with us, Claude.
Unfortunately, more people in our nation than we'd like to think have a casting call in their minds for the people considered acceptable to include in that huddled mass of tired, poor and suffocated. This undercurrent was always there, it just didn't have the carte blanche to be as adamant and proudly vocal as it is now. Many we're now disappointed by, were like this for much longer than we knew. They just didn't have the environment to say so openly without repurcussion.
Another commenter mentioned that Rhode Island and Massachusetts are traditional grape nut ice cream states too. It's too bad none of the locals back then pointed their cars east or north for 150 miles or so. They'd have known differently from a relatively short car ride. Thanks so much for reading and liking my post.
So well written and so much resonated with me. Two generations ago my father's parents immigrated here from Scotland and Ireland. My father remembers signs in Boston in his youth that said "Help wanted. Irish need not apply". Two generations later we forget that we too, were immigrants. It's sad how quickly we forget.
A little side note. Kelly grew up in Maine. Grape Nut ice cream is her favorite. If not related, we're at least kindred spirits.
Brad, thanks for giving this a read and for the kind compliment. I appreciate it.
I often think of the same history and wonder when truly comprehensive American history stopped being taught. I remember sitting in American history class in junior high and being surprised to learn that Italians, Irish, Polish, Chinese and others had immigration quotas passed to limit how many could enter America. Then, I got older and watched people generations later from the very same communities exclude, hate and show prejudice against others unlike them. It's as though people who were formerly hated haven't had their own place in society validated until they can discriminate against someone else.
Such is the limit of digital interaction. Most things only let you thumb up or click a heart to show your agreement, regardless of how devastatingly sad the point you're agreeing with is. Totally understand.
Such a poignant and powerful piece of writing. Where is home? As the granddaughter of Italian immigrants to Australia, who worked so hard to scratch out a living and be accepted here, I can only watch with dismay and disbelief at what is happening in your country. It's heartbreaking and such a pointless contribution to suffering in the world.
Thank you, Renee. I appreciate your solidarity and your willingness to sit with the discomfort of being made to feel unwelcome that this piece discusses. You've been able to consider your own ancestors and the consequences of your life if they weren't accepted in Australia. I hope more will take the time and consider their own life's arc, not just in the US but other countries where anti-immigrant sentiment is building.
I viewed 2 videos about Superman being an illegal immigrant. Good luck sending him back ! ( if he was real anyway..... ). He is the essence of all dispossessed people who came here seeing it as THE place to make a new start.
I like this analogy a lot. From somewhere else, a bit different but does the best he can to fit into his new home, has powers his new friends and family find both exciting and terrifying and can only show those powers safely as an alter ego, putting them to use for the good of all. Hmmm… I’m liking it the more I think about it.
Some compare him to Moses although I prefer comparing him to Prometheus, even though he WASN'T cast out of Olympus / Utopia for bringing metaphorical fire to humans. Which is kinda beside the point.
None of us are completely NATIVE, probably not even the Native Americans. I have Eastern Band Cherokee AND a small amount of Turkish & Romanian. If I get deported I'd be ok with being sent to Brazil.
Daniel, I totally agree. I wrote another piece a while ago titled, "Who You Callin' Illegal" that focused more on that argument. You'll find it digging in the crates of the Rant archive if you're of the mind to check it out. Thanks so much for checking out this one and engaging with my work. I appreciate it.
My pleasure. Deporting people just because their ethnic backgrounds, beliefs or political stances don't meet with their approval diminishes society & destroys the pool of talent, speaking from a reasonably practical standpoint.
I can't exactly say I "enjoyed" this, cuz it includes truths and realizations that aren't exactly "enjoyable." So maybe saying I "felt it" is more accurate. It made me think of my own Ukrainian and Romanian roots, a mere two generations ago. And it brought to the surface how I've become increasingly uncomfortable with patriotism. I mean, I still love an OT winner from the slot as much as the next Canadian, but more and more the notion of "home" has shifted. It seems to be more defined by who I'm with than where I am. And as I read this, I felt "with" you, and that felt interestingly home-ish. Not sure if that makes you my homey or not, but either way, I really appreciated this piece, just as I appreciate you.
First, thanks for giving my piece some of your time. I really appreciate it. Second, you're definitely my homey.
I'm glad this resonated with you. I wish more people would consider, like you did, that they're ancestors arrived where they are as strangers too, with 'strange names and funny accents.' We should all be allowed to make a new place our home, especially productive, safe and kind people just looking for a new start. Thanks again.
Now im replaying this song on repeat on spotify :)
I try to make sure there are ancillary benefits to your Rant subscription. Discographical expansion is one of those. I had this on repeat too while I was knocking this piece out. 😁
Can't lie. I was torn between this version and the version by Boney M that came out when I was a kid. I thought to give it to the originators and honor the ancestors instead. In some ways it hits harder because it's more stripped down than Boney M, but the Boney M joint is still quite good.
Love this version
Boney M gets my vote !I'm surprised that Aretha didn't do a version of it since it's pretty much gospel.
Please forgive this '90s kid for being most familiar with Sublime's cover of it
Apology accepted. That's why old heads like mine are still above ground: to redirect the youth to the good stuff. 😁 Thanks for reading this piece.
This is one of those instances where there's not really a wrong answer, just one good choice or another one. Few things in life are as safe.
This is a powerful piece, thank you for sharing it with us.
Laura, thank you for the compliment and taking your time to engage with it. I truly appreciate it.
Such a beautiful and heartbreaking story. I spent my grad years in Canada as a foreign student. It put me in with a wonderful worldwide group of students, many of whom were from Caribbean countries, including Jamaica. One of my good friends was from Jamaica and we had many discussions about things we missed even though Canada was very welcoming to us. Many of the students from warmer countries laughingly referred to our area as the Caribbean of Canada (because of our location we’d “only” get a foot of snow when other areas got 2 -1/2 feet)
Btw / grapenut ice cream is eaten in Rhode Island and I think Massachusetts. We often had it on the way to the beach at a place called Gray’s ice cream. Whoever laughed at your mom would have had hysterics with my family. We all loved it. And made our own (mixing vanilla ice cream with grape nuts. ) My dad, 1st generation American, was particularly fond of it. Thank you for your lovely post. I also love the song you cite; I remember from numerous viewings of “The Harder They Come”.
Valerie, thanks so much for spending time with this piece and your thoughtful comment and compliments. I appreciate it. That there are so many in Canada from the Caribbean is a fact I think quite a few would be surprised about, but it’s true. I’ve gotten to Caribana in Toronto a while back and I was shocked at how many countries were represented and the sheer number of people.
Thanks for telling me about RI and MA enjoying grape nut ice cream too. We didn’t see it in our area until I was in my later teens and an independent ice cream shop that did their own hard ice cream made it.
What happened to“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” This isn't what America stands for anymore. I thought it did longer than it actually had, I think. My pride in being an American has waned and my love for the masses has grown exponentially. I love the picture of your Mom standing there seething inside (I love grapenut ice cream btw, my dad used to make if for us) Love it because you made it so real and because it reminded me of my own mom, a country girl (barefoot usually) with her Maine accent ordering a sugahed donut in NY and being told they didn't carry them. They did however have sugerrred donuts, which she was looking at when she ordered one. I like that question "where is home then?" I think now it is in my heart, with my people wherever I am. Thank you for sharing with us, Claude.
Unfortunately, more people in our nation than we'd like to think have a casting call in their minds for the people considered acceptable to include in that huddled mass of tired, poor and suffocated. This undercurrent was always there, it just didn't have the carte blanche to be as adamant and proudly vocal as it is now. Many we're now disappointed by, were like this for much longer than we knew. They just didn't have the environment to say so openly without repurcussion.
Another commenter mentioned that Rhode Island and Massachusetts are traditional grape nut ice cream states too. It's too bad none of the locals back then pointed their cars east or north for 150 miles or so. They'd have known differently from a relatively short car ride. Thanks so much for reading and liking my post.
I believe you're right! Just didn't see it coming. Keep sharing, I love your words.
So well written and so much resonated with me. Two generations ago my father's parents immigrated here from Scotland and Ireland. My father remembers signs in Boston in his youth that said "Help wanted. Irish need not apply". Two generations later we forget that we too, were immigrants. It's sad how quickly we forget.
A little side note. Kelly grew up in Maine. Grape Nut ice cream is her favorite. If not related, we're at least kindred spirits.
Brad, thanks for giving this a read and for the kind compliment. I appreciate it.
I often think of the same history and wonder when truly comprehensive American history stopped being taught. I remember sitting in American history class in junior high and being surprised to learn that Italians, Irish, Polish, Chinese and others had immigration quotas passed to limit how many could enter America. Then, I got older and watched people generations later from the very same communities exclude, hate and show prejudice against others unlike them. It's as though people who were formerly hated haven't had their own place in society validated until they can discriminate against someone else.
I hit “like”, but it was only an acknowledgment of your comment. I have great distaste for the stark reality of it.
Such is the limit of digital interaction. Most things only let you thumb up or click a heart to show your agreement, regardless of how devastatingly sad the point you're agreeing with is. Totally understand.
Such a poignant and powerful piece of writing. Where is home? As the granddaughter of Italian immigrants to Australia, who worked so hard to scratch out a living and be accepted here, I can only watch with dismay and disbelief at what is happening in your country. It's heartbreaking and such a pointless contribution to suffering in the world.
Thank you, Renee. I appreciate your solidarity and your willingness to sit with the discomfort of being made to feel unwelcome that this piece discusses. You've been able to consider your own ancestors and the consequences of your life if they weren't accepted in Australia. I hope more will take the time and consider their own life's arc, not just in the US but other countries where anti-immigrant sentiment is building.
I viewed 2 videos about Superman being an illegal immigrant. Good luck sending him back ! ( if he was real anyway..... ). He is the essence of all dispossessed people who came here seeing it as THE place to make a new start.
I like this analogy a lot. From somewhere else, a bit different but does the best he can to fit into his new home, has powers his new friends and family find both exciting and terrifying and can only show those powers safely as an alter ego, putting them to use for the good of all. Hmmm… I’m liking it the more I think about it.
& Calvin Kent is a dark - skinned / black Kryptonian in one of DC's alternate Earths, FYI. Superman CAN BE BLACK !
Some compare him to Moses although I prefer comparing him to Prometheus, even though he WASN'T cast out of Olympus / Utopia for bringing metaphorical fire to humans. Which is kinda beside the point.
None of us are completely NATIVE, probably not even the Native Americans. I have Eastern Band Cherokee AND a small amount of Turkish & Romanian. If I get deported I'd be ok with being sent to Brazil.
Daniel, I totally agree. I wrote another piece a while ago titled, "Who You Callin' Illegal" that focused more on that argument. You'll find it digging in the crates of the Rant archive if you're of the mind to check it out. Thanks so much for checking out this one and engaging with my work. I appreciate it.
My pleasure. Deporting people just because their ethnic backgrounds, beliefs or political stances don't meet with their approval diminishes society & destroys the pool of talent, speaking from a reasonably practical standpoint.