shoulder to the wheel

Okay, so I'm a deadbeat blogger. We know this. I've had all of two days off in the past month, most of my days on are ten- and twelve-hour shifts, I'm sleeping whenever I can, and I'm pretty wrecked.
Honestly, I've been reading, when I can, but I barely have the time to comment, let alone post. (Let's say nothing of my ability to do stuff like, oh, see the doctor and dentist.)

Well, blogging, especially political and feminist blogging, has got to be about community. I've refrained from doing as much linking as I ought to because I assume you-all are all reading the good stuff anyway.
I decided that's silly. I talk about how we ought to have more important concerns than irrelevant starlets and whether or not they wear whatever, that we ought to pay more attention to our allies? Well, fine. Money, meet mouth. No more kicking around with fifty jillion open tabs waiting to write something brilliant about what other people are brilliantly writing.

Here:
Listen to Nezua, telling you about the rights you've got when the boots hit the pavement. It's one I know some about myself, having discovered that when they're bigger and more armed than you, you have what rights they decide to give you.
Listen to Sylvia, who is wondering why the giant neon sign that says TERRORISM HERE seems completely meaningless to greater media when the weapon-stockpiling terrorists are white people and the targets are brown folks.
Listen to Brownfemipower, when she points out abuse of a media member. I've had my body saved from breaking by cameras. When they stop being scared of doing wrong in front of cameras because they can make the cameras disappear or because they stop caring or don't think anyone will hear it, you know you've got real problems. She's giving you stuff to watch. If you haven't, do. Actually, just listen to BFP as often as possible, because she's telling you stuff you need to hear. Pay attention. Please.
I mean, seriously, as petitpoussin points out, what is it? How are we allowing ourselves to go in circles about--actually, no. How are we panicking about outfits and tossing out people who could be allies instead of finding ways to welcome them in and--actually, look.
Let's just go with what Blackamazon had to say about it. For all the talk about solidarity and Class Whichever and We're All In This Together and how my demographic's concerns become those of more privileged folks when they need the ammo or the photo-op, but take a backseat to interminable debates about irrelevant media personalities as soon as there's a challenge, look. There's folks who will have your back, and those who won't. And we've got to look after each other. We've got to keep our eyes on who is actually working in solidarity, and who's paying lip service. We've got to build community with the folks who actually have given some evidence that they care.

Some folks don't have to think about these things. Here, Magniloquence points out that some of us have very, very different concepts of what "police" means. Here, Spotted Elephant grabs us by our collars and wants to know where the hell we are when it comes to time stand in solidarity with the disabled and mentally ill. For crying out loud, can we just stop dehumanizing each other while we're trying to "fix" people's problems?

Solidarity says "not my problem" is nonsense. We're all in this together. If you're not brown, you're not disabled, you're not poor, your legal status is all in one place, if--actually, see, no. There shouldn't have to be a list.
It should all get summed up when we tell each other, as allies, check your privilege.
Sit back. Listen to folks. Learn something. And then get your hands dirty.