Comments on: Middle-Class Activists And Hygiene

By: michelle

michelle — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 16:54:53 +0000

Thanks for the link - I found it a timely reminder to be attentive to class differences as I switch congregations.

By: Robin

Robin — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 18:32:00 +0000

I agree with these sentiments (and all of your sentiments about GA, peacebang…I have never been so frustrated at a GA in my 8 years of attending them).

I do, however, just want to say that this was the best dressed GA I have ever been to. Your minister colleagues were better dressed than usual. Even my DRE colleagues were better dressed than usual. I think I will give you credit for this, and I thank you.

And h sofia, as someone who used to work on the UUA staff:
1) we were always told that we must dress professionally at GA and
2) we live in Boston, and I find that cities always have higher standards of dress, even for white middle class folks. Boston’s a particularly conservative city at that.

By: Madgebaby

Madgebaby — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 14:17:10 +0000

I’m from Appalachia, and this reminds me of the “relief workers” I’ve known through the years who move here and relish in going without heat or running water or whatever, and who feel that somehow makes them one with the poor and morally superior. They usually didn’t last very long, and the arrogance was seen through, but it is very annoying and offensive. At least one of these folks didn’t use soap, I remember, and it was truly as if he thought the normal rules didn’t apply to him, that literally his @#$% didn’t stink.

By: h sofia

h sofia — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 13:28:04 +0000

It was very interesting to sit over by the UUA Staff section in plenary - they were dressed much differently (professional clothing) than other groups I saw.

By: ogre

ogre — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 06:37:04 +0000

Um… what, that UUs are overwhelmingly middle or upper-middle class and white, with all the crap, flaws, habits, blind spots and quirks appending thereto?