ARE YOU AWAKE?

 Woke Antisemitism is the title of a new book written by David L. Bernstein,

 a long time professional in Jewish public affairs. I have been aware of the

 concepts of woke and cancel culture. However, I could not fully

 comprehend these new ideas until reading Mr. Bernstein’s book. I heard

 him speak eloquently about the subject a few months ago.

Since my name is Karen, I have felt victimized by woke individuals and cancel culture. A few years back, the media featured Karen-stories in quick succession. Livid but scared to out myself — except in emails and letters — Karen had evolved into a catchword for a lower to middle class, bleached blonde, and overweight loudmouth who complained. Voicing a concern in a store, for example, signified white privilege. I discovered that Karen replaced other feminine names used as a shorthand for racist women. This would hardly be a reason for comment, but the name calling hints at the misunderstanding that festers in our society among progressives.

For example, a Caucasian person should not grumble about equity in employment and education or service in an office or retail establishment. People who have white skin are privileged, so grievance or objection to a set of rules is prohibited. Furthermore, if one is privileged, one is responsible for the oppression of people of color. Never mind if one lives below the poverty line or belongs to a minority group.

Lest I sound bigoted or conservative, I am a card caring member of the Democratic Party and Moms Against Gun Violence. I voted for Bernie Sanders. I marched for just about every cause on the left — abortion, LGBTQ, environment, women’s rights, gun violence, nuclear arms, and peace — not war. Therein lies the distortion. As a liberal, Caucasian, Baby Boomer, Jewish person, I risk name calling and criticism — from progressives — if I challenge anti-racist theories and policies. I am white.

Over the years, I have felt ashamed of examining theories and policies regarding climate change, affirmative action, the government of the District of Columbia, and incompetent professionals among other subjects not approved by progressives. Intelligent people demonstrate curiosity and probe deeply; the behavior is not a symptom of hatred or bigotry. Division and polarity characterize the United States at the present. Choose a side and stay there; if one falters or wavers, one is doomed for criticism from one side or another. There is correct speech and behavior. For me, to be misunderstood by self-righteous progressive idealogues is frustrating. But a slip of the tongue — a misused word — and Bam a woke person slams down.

Another example, mentioning accomplishments of the Jewish state or rights of Israeli citizens results in catchwords, such as “apartheid,” “slavery,” and “colonialism” from factions on the left. Immediately, finger pointing, and loud voices emerge. The establishment of a definition of antisemitism elicits corrections from opponents. The end of meaningful discussion occurs and inflammatory jargon flies in the atmosphere. To stray from the progressive “party line” risks being called racist, including other epithets. I attended a local meeting after graffiti aimed at Israel and the Holocaust was discovered. When a county councilperson stated that he

abhorred these antisemitic slogans, several people in audience yelled out, “Israel is an apartheid state!”

I am proud of my leftist ideas which I learned from my father and grandmothers in the liberal environment of San Francisco. I take pride in being altruistic and devoted to helping those less fortunate. So, to be canceled, told I am an oppressor, or an obnoxious white woman hurts deeply. Ostensibly, the cancellers are woke leftists; some are Jews. They have defined the qualifications for being progressive which is the main idea of the book, Woke Antisemitism.

Mr. Bernstein makes valid points in his criticism of the progressive ideology of the 2020’s. Extreme left wing thought has developed into strict dogma. According to Mr. Bernstein, appreciation for traditional liberal values is cancelled and forbidden by a number of left wing organizations. Minority groups of color (Black, Native American, and Latinx) have been oppressed by systemic racism since the post-Civil War period. This is the truth. All aspects of American life have been affected, including education, access to health care, and voting rights. However, addition or omission of aspects of this point of view are considered racist, end of discussion.

People from minority groups who look “white” or designated as such, as in Hispanics, Asians, Arabs, Persians, South Asians, and Jews have been subjected to various forms of hatred. Conveniently, this type of hatred has been cancelled. According to woke thought, if your skin is not dark, you possess white privilege and cannot know discrimination or hatred. Hence, Jews become targets and represent one of the touchpoints of the present scary milieu and a focus of this book. White equals privilege: Jews are white, therefore privileged. If one is privileged, one cannot be the focus of discrimination. The irony is that South Asians are dark-skinned, but somehow, they are considered white. The same calculus is applied to individuals who are Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese.

Sensible people know that millions of Jews were murdered by the Nazis. Leaders of the Third Reich developed a pseudo-science for racial differences, primarily those between Aryans and Jews. The fact that this horrendous turn of events occurred does not minimize the suffering of enslaved African American or displaced Native Americans. Suffering coexists in our world. But there have been progressives that have placed the Holocaust in a separate category from the plight of other ethnic groups. Whoopi Goldberg stated twice — not once — that the death of millions of Jews was “white on white violence” or “man’s inhumanity to man.” True but then so was slavery. Why differentiate or prioritize what is worse or not racism? Hate is hate.

Photo by Duy Pham on Unsplash

Cancel culture and woke ideology has been blatant in the San Francisco Bay Area where progressives have fiercely argued for improved school curriculums, prohibition of Zionists to speak at U.C. Berkely Law School, and changes to enrollment qualifications based on merit to special high schools. Educated, left wing Democrats become visibly uncomfortable when the subject is introduced into polite conversation. I have witnessed and experienced the squirming, whispering, and lack of eye contact when a brave person dares to mention the current situation. Liberal Democrats find themselves in a quandary. Another example — we seriously care about Palestinian rights, but do we turn our backs on Israel completely? As parents, we want our children to grow up as open-minded thinkers, but do we approve of a social studies curriculum developed by a singularly minded and focused organization?

David Bernstein points out that this manner of thinking has permeated all levels of education, Jewish social service and community groups, synagogues, and other left-wing secular associations. According to the writer, liberal Jews have sold out to the leftist groups as a default. Liberals would never want to be classified as conservative or worse — racist.

Israel has become an axis upon which political discourse about foreign policy turns. Are you in or out? Are you against what the Israeli army perpetrates against innocent (and not so innocent) Palestinians. Yes or no. A typical American Jew is put into an untenable bind. Most of us are related to someone who was murdered, tortured, discriminated, or displaced by the Nazis in the 1930’s-1940’s Europe. Baby Boomers were taught that Israel was a haven for the downtrodden, traumatized displaced persons after World War II. Furthermore, we watched the weak, starved survivors enter Palestine and change into strong, healthy, and proud freedom fighters and farmers. We experienced the independence movement, the culmination of the State of Israel in 1948, and the 1967 war. Yes, my cohorts and I are biased too.

This is not to say that I agree with the present policies of the Israeli government. I do not. Terrible crimes have been committed against Palestinians and Israeli Arabs over the last 75 years. I saw evidence of this unfair treatment with my own eyes when visiting towns in the West Bank. I have read books and attended lectures by Palestinians. I am not blind to what has been perpetrated in the disguise of defense. I have gone so far as to apologize to Muslims for what Israel has done.

This may be how the author and I differ. He did not write about his specific views of Israeli policy towards Palestinians, but I suspect he may hold differing views from my own. Mr. Bernstein rails against progressive ideas about racism and equity which have become dogma. Strict ideology springs from extremism on the left and right. We know from recent history that the outcome of radical political movements has not been positive. Mainstream thought and law enforcement focus on limiting and observing right wing groups that espouse white supremacy and antisemitism. However, it is more difficult to point out the less blatant antisemitism from progressives. The latter is embarrassing and feels like a betrayal.

©Karen Levi 2023

TO BE PROUD IS POSITIVE POWER

Since my college days, I have been proud to be a Jew and explain our traditions to non Jews. For the most part, my listeners were receptive and interested. There were sporadic incidents of antisemitism. I ignored them. I actually thought my father--a Holocaust survivor--was ridiculous to be involved with the Anti Defamation League. Antisemitism seemed to be a relic from World War 2. Though names from his discussions, such as John Birch Society, seeped into my mind. I seem to be following his model. 

I am concerned about the rise in antisemitic incidents in 2022. My dad died in 2005, oblivious to the power of the internet, social media, emails, and texts in spreading hatred. He was accustomed to a more obvious form of loathing. My mother lived until 2019; however, she could not grasp that the white supremacists marching in Charlottesville were a threat. I happened to be with her at the time. I said, "Mom, look!" highly alarmed as we watched the news. She waved her hand dismissively and said, "they know nothing of real Nazis." She ignored unpleasantness. My parents were opposites in their approach to a resurgence of the hate that expelled them from Germany.

Blessed to be living in the United States, there is a flip side to antisemitism, that is pride, strength, and Tikkun Olam. The various sects--for lack of a better word-- of Judaism demonstrate positive self-regard in different ways with the extreme resulting in brutality and bloodshed. From the Bar Kochba revolt against the Roman Empire to the Irgun who resorted to savage acts during the British Mandate, the Jewish people have a history of impassioned ferocity. The current extremists treat Palestinians with ruthless disregard. 

Returning to positive acts of pride, my thoughts turn to Chanukah. The winter festival, minor in significance, is a touchpoint in our society. Faced with the commericial onslaught of Christmas, which many Christians abhor, well meaning individuals have felt the need to match holiday for holiday. 

Jewish children are confronted with their difference at Christmas. Our society has progressed from the years of my childhood when the only winter holiday acknowledged was Christmas. No sensible Jew would have advertised that they did not celebrate the Christian holiday, especially Holocaust survivors who were afraid to call attention to themselves. Many a Jewish family resorted to outwardly celebrating Christmas with a tree and gifts on December 25, the ultimate act of assimilation and fear. 

Fast forward to the late 20th century, and we have public menorahs, including one beside the national Christmas tree on the Ellipse in Washington D.C. The latter tradition started in 1979, and it was a  timely addition. A new generation of Jews were not afraid to proudly assert their background. Baby Boomers reveled in speaking out, marching, and singing, whatever gained the attention of Americans asleep to a burgeoning multicultural society. 

Now 2022, everyone knows about Chanukah. Target, CVS, and any other large retail establishment sell Chanukah stuff--cards, candles, candies, cheap decorations made in China. We have hit the big time, I guess. Jews got what they sought. I would rather a person in a small town be aware of Chanukah from Walmart than nothing Jewish at all. The sad part is that Americans continue to be blatantly unaware of our serious holidays. 

Public Chanukah lightings have sprung up like mushrooms. Unbelievable to me--the change is mind blowing. Children can feel proud, happy, and excited to be recognized publicly. The President of the United States and the First Lady have had a beautiful truly American menorah constructed from an old beam of the White House and silver cups created by an artisan. President Obama held Passover Seders. Wonderful! Excellent! Actions that serve as antidotes to the rise of antisemitism.

Only one "but" here. Most of the Chanukah lightings seem to be sponsored by Chabad--Lubavitch, an Orthodox Jewish sect founded in Lithuania in 1775. Lubavitch refers to a town in Poland where the dominant line of leaders lived for a century. Other scions of Hasidism joined the Lubavitch line in the 1930's. The Schneerson family transfered the center of the movement to Russia and then to the United States after the outbreak of World War II.

Rabbi Menachem Mendel developed the educational and social services branches of Chabad. He became the successor to Rabbi Yosef Yitchak Schneerson. Today 5,000 families direct 3,500 centers worldwide. They provide inspiration, spiritual practice, education, and social and recreational programs to nearly 100,000 of people in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas, Israel, New Zealand, and Australia. 

Chabad demonstrates Tikkun Olam and encourages outsiders or lapsed Jews to participate. On the face of it, they provide much needed sustenance and succor, but the members of the group practice Orthodoxy, with strict definitons of gender roles and adherance to rigid practices developed centuries ago cloaked in a mainstream message and a modern method with their benign online presence. 

I propose--like my father would have done--that all branches of Judaism--Reform, Conservative, Secular, and Orthodox--join the public display of pride in being Jewish. We cannot be fearful and quiet. Antisemitism festers in dark corners. Free speech is rampant, both virtual and real. Let us be part of the rabble. We must show the various faces of Judaism--modern, multicultural, and multi-faceted.

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/36226/jewish/About-Chabad-Lubavitch.htm

https://www.washingtonjewishweek.com/public-menorah-lightings-withstand-controversy-antisemitism-pandemic/

©Karen Levi 2022

Ten Long Years

Ten years since that Friday in December when I heard on the car radio that there had been a shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut. At home, I caught President Obama on the news, crying about the loss of children and their teachers. Surely, this would mark a turning point. The drama of the tragic moment would certainly convince recalcitrant lawmakers to pass strict laws to prevent another Newtown disaster. The National Rifle Association would change. Congress would act. I was captured by the images of six-year-old children murdered, gunned down in their classrooms. Surely, this would be the start of a new era. Before this day, the country had witnessed numerous other mass murders in schools, shopping centers, and movie theaters. 

 Seven months ago—the name of another elementary school flashes on my cell phone. Not possible, again. This time—nine-year-old children gunned down by another young man. This is a nightmare. But wait, the story is on television—parents crying, struggling to find their youngsters; police scrambling, stretching yellow police tape in front of a school’s entrances. This time I am transported to a small Hispanic town in Texas, Uvalde. 

Since the Newtown tragedy, there have been 239 school shootings with 438 people shot, 138 killed. In the ten years of 2012—2022, thousands of shootings in random places have occurred—Walmart, synagogues, grocery stores, TV stations, country churches, medical buildings, holiday parties, nightclubs, concerts, schools, and spas. Here are the statistics—the number of shooting incidents has nearly tripled since 2013. The number of mass shootings continues to rise with a sharp increase in 2019. According to the Gun Violence Archive all categories of gun related deaths have increased except for Defensive Use. The rate of Murder-Suicide has remained steady. Bored? Maybe you are. But each American is at risk. 

 This is hardly a fitting memorial or appropriate honor for beautiful children, elderly congregants at prayer, young people dancing at a club, a rising congresswoman. Truly, this phenomenon reflects a deep sickness in our country. The symptoms are an increase in gun sales and expenditures by pro-gun lobbies; parents failing to store weapons safely; and frightening behavior from potential perpetrators that friends, family members, professionals, and colleagues ignore. 

 The deadly illness is a belief that one’s individual rights supersede those of the community. It is more important to have access to as many automatic weapons as are manufactured than to prevent the possibility of a crime committed with one of the deadly firearms. A civilian is guaranteed the right to own and use weapons produced for the military, but due to this privilege citizens are targets anywhere anytime. Certainly if “rights” taken to their extremes harm the people the laws were intended to protect, our leaders must assist the collective “we the people” to return to our senses. But power to remain in office is more important to these cowardly officials. We vote them out, but more are elected in simultaneously. We are split which means half of our country either does not care or wants to maintain the status quo of a free-for-all for the ownership of firearms. I am not speaking of making all gun ownership illegal, but certainly a sensible hunter could not object to background checks, red flag laws, and waiting periods. 

 How can this country have devolved to such a state that we maintain a system which puts all of us in danger every day? How does an individual sustain a rigid belief in “second amendment rights,” after being shot? (Congressman Scalise was shot at a baseball practice in 2017.) These remain the questions. Why has the United States moved backwards in gun safety legislation? More importantly than answering the unanswerable is maintaining hope. 

 As I scan the internet today, I find a story about several women who have devoted their lives to gun violence protection; in 2012, they practiced professions unrelated to the cause; they did not pay attention to politics or social change. Something happened to them on December 14, 2012. The yoga instructor, attorney, and former teacher promised to be the change. They joined grass roots organizations, returned to college for master’s degrees, and took sharp decreases in pay to work for national organizations dedicated to gun control and advocacy for victims. That gives me hope. President Biden signed the first gun safety legislation in thirty years. The law gives states incentives for states to pass “red flag” laws. The bill expands the definition of convicted domestic abusers who are prohibited to own guns. This is a sign of hope in a country where approximately half the population has voted to rescind gun control laws and reject the congress people who support sensible regulations.

 A few months after the 2012 Newtown, Connecticut shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, I attended a meeting at Bethesda Jewish Congregation to join other like-minded individuals who were shocked by the murder of first and second graders. Since that time, gun safety advocates who are members of both Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church and Bethesda Jewish Congregation have engaged in a variety of activities. We have participated in the T shirt Project, an outdoor display of white t shirts with the names of gun violence victims on the shirts. Members of both congregations have attended protest marches. Bethesda Jewish Congregation held a panel discussion providing different views on gun safety legislation. We have presented films about the varied aspects of gun violence, including traumatic affects on youth in inner city high schools and first aid for gunshot victims. Members of both congregations have listened to speakers from the District of Columbia affected by gun violence. We partnered with a variety of national and local advocacy groups. Emails and bulletins over the years sent by the Social Action and Interfaith Congregation Partnership Committees provided opportunities to join lobbyists in Annapolis, write letters or sign petitions to our lawmakers, and engage in panel discussions by clergy. 

Where do we go from here? Continue our dedication to peace, understanding, and compassion among all members of our community. Engage in Tikkun Olam. Some shootings originate in misunderstandings among racial/ethnic groups and prejudice. Write emails, sign petitions, go to protests, and engage speakers to remind us of this modern tragedy and our roles in stopping the unnecessary, unspeakable violence. 

gunviolencearchive.org 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/02/15/us/school-shootings-sandy-hook-parkland.html 

©Karen Levi 2022

A Recital

 Ah, the music and dance school recital, a twice yearly event in most American cities. Countless, piano, voice, and dance teachers present their students to showcase what they have learned. Little children in taffeta, velvet, and bow ties primly march up to the stage and show their skills, usually flawlessly. Often, parents have to give a little push to a reluctant child in a slightly outgrown suit, party dress, or costume. 

Sometimes, there are older students--high schoolers who have spent their childhood and adolescence with the same school or teacher. They perform more difficult works and sometimes falter but persist.  These kids have guts; they pursue and improve. Some continue to practice and perform their art as college students and adults. They will become the parents who encourage their children.

Today, I was the outlier, the grandmotherly figure, to perform with the children and teenagers. I am studying the piano. What was most interesting was that most of the performers were multi-racial. This is the population in suburban Maryland, outside of Washington D.C. We are a microcosom of the world. 

These children were Chinese, Thai, Korean, and South Asian. Their proud parents and grandparents captured their success on their I phones and Androids. This is the emerging face of our country now. In contrast to years ago, when there may have been one brave little girl or boy from a minority racial group; now the blonde girl is the token white child. 

The parents of the children who performed dream the same dreams, have the same hopes as white parents. They want their children to succeed and to be proud of them. There is no difference between these parents and the caucasian moms and dads of fifty years ago. Playing an instrument, singing a solo, or dancing are part of the fabric and story of growing up (if a child is lucky enough to live in a relatively affluent area.)

Why do the haters continue to create differences where none exist? Parents everywhere want their offspring to have a better life than they had. Mothers and fathers--the world over--feed, protect, nurture, and encourage their sons and daughters. Brown, tan, black, white--it just does not matter. 

We saw the Ukrainian mothers and their children bravely walk and ride trains to another country to be safe. Whenever, there are refugees escaping, mothers and fathers are clinging to babies and holding the hands of older kids. All they want is to be out of danger. Families--and children by themselves--travel thousands of miles northward to enter the United States for the freedom to live far from harm. 

The color of people's skin, the language they speak makes not a shred of difference. All want safety and peace. Most Americans do not have to reach far back on their family trees to find their refugee or immigrant ancestors. Mothers and fathers the world over wish to see their children well-fed, educated, and proudly playing in a recital.

© Karen Levi 2022

STATELESS

 Stateless--last time I wrote about the subject, I looked back in history. I explained that my family, specifically my mother and her mother, were stateless from 1938--1953. Yesterday, I had the privilege of listening to an extraordinary woman who was born in Gaza and is without viable citizenship. She stood before a large crowd and spoke--no podium--about living in a cage without freedom. Gaza is a large cage.

Since she lives in Gaza, the Israeli government prohibits her from leaving. If she travels, her identification will enable her to visit a handful of places, such as Iraq, Syria, Jordan, or Lebanon. The chances of travel to Europe or the United States is nearly nil. 

Through a bureaucratic miracle, she has been allowed to visit Japan--due to diplomatic intervention-- and then Europe and the United States a few times. Majhd Mashharawi is an engineer, entrepeneur, and inventor. If she had been born in the United States, she would have probably attended MIT. She is the receipient of many awards. I imagine she could apply for asylum in another country. However, she is commited to her land and her people. 

Her passion to help her people moved me to tears; as is often the case when I confront the troubles and predicaments of the Gazan and Palestinian people--painful to watch the videos of human beings treated unfairly; ill-advised, flippant rules continuously applied randomly to peaceful farmers. How much injustice do people tolerate before they explode? The answer is in the news--more bombings, missles, and death.

Ms. Mashharawi's  earth-friendly inventions have aided Gazans to rebuild their neighborhoods. She devised a technique to form bricks out of the detritus from bombed structures. Due to her expertise, she developed a process for solar energy to power the devices modern individuals utilize in everyday life, so Gazans could access computers, for example. Obviously, this young woman demonstrates skills that will help her family, friends, and neighbors for years to come. 

Creative, passionate, and intelligent--yet feared by the Israeli government. At first glance, one wonders how anyone could be wary of her. But yet, one does not have to be a security professional to realize she is a risk due to where she lives. Hamas, a terrorist organization, controls Gaza and its people. Ms. Mashharawi cleared security, otherwise I would not have heard her speak. She represents 2 million Gazans. It does not matter if she is brilliant or not. A loosening of punitive restrictions for ordinary people to travel must begin. Trust has to occur on both sides. 

The irony that Israel prohibits normal citizenship for Gazans is not lost on me. It has been 84 years since German Jews lost their citizenship. I am not a specialist in security; however, since Palestinians and Gazans have safely traveled around the world, including to the United States, there is a precedent. I am scared everytime I board a plane, so I am not regarding this in a frivolous manner. The Israeli government must allow more Gazans--who have been cleared by security--to travel as a tiny step towards the reconciliation process. Peace and freedom are in the best interest for all.

©Karen Levi 2022

My Extraordinary Daughter

 Normally, I do not watch movies or t.v. shows about characters on the Autism Spectrum. It is a situation of knowing too much about a subject. When one is knowledgeable about a specific topic, for example a disability, one tends to be critical of a director's choices in the portrayl of individuals with this challenge. Typically very high functioning individuals with few unusual behaviors and features are depicted, the same being the case when characters with Down Syndrome are in a television series, as in Call the Midwife. The Extraordinary Attorney Woo is no exception when it comes to character with high intellectual functioning; however, I took to the Netflix show immediately.

The director, Yoo In-shik, and the writer, Moon Ji-Won, have done an extraordinary job emphasizing the awkward behavior of people with Autism, including motor, sensory, and verbal. In addition to the common lack of eye-contact and slumped posture, people on the spectrum move in a strange manner. 

Their gait is often slightly off or they walk too slow or fast. This is due to sensory motor difficulties, for example judging their body's and other objects' position in space. I frequently tell people, "They see the world differently. We have no idea what it is like actually." I am not certain the average person comprehends what I mean. In the series, Attorney Woo has difficulties going through doors, stepping into elevators, and going down escalators--all issues my daughter has faced and resolved. Noise is a common problem which my daughter and Attorney Woo combat by using noise reduction earphones.

Using the correct facial expression and interpreting the latter are extremely difficult for people with Autism. Sometimes, they have no idea what is appropriate for a situation. They need to learn to understand and react correctly for myriad social conditions. My daughter asks, "What does ____'s face look like when they see____?" Woo Young Woo's friend teaches her how and when to smile, what to say, and how to interpret gestures when interacting with people.

For these reasons alone, I continued to stream the popular South Korean show. I love to watch foreign films and stories for the cultural education. Needless to say, this series struck my heart. Here was a woman who did many of the same (sometimes wacky) things my daughter does: rearranging a display in a store that is messy; organizing the refrigerator, kitchen drawers, counters, and pantry in a neat orderly form; and stopping abruptly at a revolving door.

                                                       Our refrigerator

Oh, there's so much more. My daughter unfortunately is not a genius and does not have a photographic memory. Law school would be an impossibility. However, her memory for trivia is remarkable. So are her flashes of insight into people's behavior, as Woo Young Woo demonstrates in the show--usually clueless, but sometimes "seeing through a person," similar to my daughter. 

And then there are the whales and dolphins and animals, in general. My daughter exhibited a special affinity for marine mammals at a young age, memorizing facts she still remembers. I have visited numerous aquariums, zoos, and refuge centers as a parent. I know numerous details about whales, dolphins, penguins, skunks, dogs, and wolves. My daughter and I would love to see Orcas in the wild. We have seen dolphins and other species of whales. Attorney Woo and my daughter are inspired by the intelligence, loyalty, and beauty of these animals. 

                                                              Monterey Bay (California) Aquarium

As Woo Young Woo utters non sequiturs so does my daughter, seemingly to fill in gaps of silence and an inability to engage in small talk. People are uncomfortable when confronted with a person who does not match what is considered normal. Some individuals intuitively pick up on a conversational thread but usually not. People with Autism face silent rejection constantly. It is painful and embarrassing to observe. When we meet a particularly compassionate listener, I rejoice. The lawyers who work with Attorney Woo disdain her at first but come to marvel at her legal skills. Slowly, some of her peers accept her quirks and begin to love and advocate for her. 

Woo Young Woo utters inappropriate and hurtful words in her attempt to communicate, unable to understand the subtle variations of social discourse. After her boss, whom she respects and likes, has been diagnosed with stomach cancer, she blurts out statistics about the disease. When he is wheeled into surgery she yells that she wants to say good-bye in case he dies. My daughter has blurted out so many embarrassing statements, it is hard to include them all, for example, "She is not my mother" at one point in her development; yelling "Don't shush me, you know I hate that" when she is making a noise, creating an even louder altercation and unwanted attention. Sometimes my daughter sounds like a nasty spoiled brat which she is definitely not. Anxiety in unknown or overwhelming situations can result in meltdowns. The viewer of The Extraordinary Attorney Woo observes this in the episodes.

A romantic relationship is the most challenging. Attorney Woo meets a paralegal who is exceptionally kind, and there is a spark between them. What ensues is bittersweet to behold. Unfortunately, my daughter has not had such an experience or rejected some that came her way. Romance remains in her fantasy life. As with Woo Young Woo's father, a parent is extremely worried about unsavory characters influencing or adult children who are vulnerable to say the least. 

Attorney Woo is likeable--a genius, beautiful, charming, well-groomed. It is television. The aggravating, daily issues are omitted. But, she can be exasperating, annoying, and tiresome. The director and writer did not avoid reality, the best gift to society for understanding the disability. 

                                               Isabel, my daughter

Note: Thank you to my brother-in-law, Alan Robin, for recommending this show. 

©Karen Levi 2022

   

Three Shining Black Faces/To Those Who Enable Violence by Inaction

Evil surrounds us

In the form of guns.

Used by the maladjusted,

Enabled by those

Who feel their rights supersede

Victims sleeping, studying, listening, worshipping: 

Caught of guard.

Act of cowardice

Mute until the perpetrator pulls a trigger.

Afraid to speak

Words hurt but do not kill.

Unable to look at the picture of the three shining young men

Murdered for no reason.

Shaking with grief and rage.

Please--stricter laws and enforcement.

Cease the murder

For which you are responsible, culpable.

©Karen Levi 2022