accusations

AIDS and Accusation: Haiti and the Geography of Blame
$21.95
Farmer's excellent historical ethnography of Haitian illness (as seen through the contemporary context of the world AIDS epidemic), proves the necessity of developing anthropological approaches to understanding health systems and implementing medical care. The diagnosis and analysis of sickness, disease, illness, and treatment should go hand-in-hand with the cultural understanding of local systems of blame, accusation, causation, and cure. Where most approaches to medicine are based on the "Westernized" first-world nations' understanding of the causes of illness (tainted as well, as Farmer shows, by systematic "blame the victim" and shame techniques), the adoption of these approaches in treating the illnesses of other peoples can be catastrophic. Three ethnographies make up the structure of a detailed historical inquiry ) The longstanding tradition of conceiving of illness through the lens of powerlessness shapes the contemporary lives of the people in Haiti with whom Farmer worked. Although they could see the effects of the illness, people in this region were obsessed with the cause of the illness, and felt the need to understand AIDS through a constructed narrative of blame. A deep belief in their religion led villagers to look for the source of witchcraft that could possibly be harming them, and elaborate stories about neighbors, jealousies, and rivalries flourished as a result. Any improvement in the standing of one member of the society (through wealth, status, relationships, acquisition of property or food, or political power through employment or marriage) adds to the structure of distrust and blame. Farmer's book shows how disturbingly complex and deep the layers of mistrust, misinformation, and the effects of racism, are. Among the medical hypotheses for the probable exposure is the theory of Haitian sex-workers' contacts through gay tourists to the early strains of HIV. Farmer outlines the long history of Haiti as a gay tourist attraction, and Duvalier's encouragement of tourism as a boost to the domestic economy. Although the possible cause of the gay sex trade for HIV exposure has not been confirmed, medical establishments in the U.S. based their theories of causation on other factors, such as Haitian religious practices. These theories were, in truth, reinforcing longstanding ignorance and racist misunderstandings about Haitian vodou. Stereotypes and racial profiling of Haitian citizenship as a "risk factor" (one of the "Four H's" along with hemophiliac, homosexual, and heroin user), contributed to public policies against Haitian immigrants. Haitians' belief that they are being attacked by some evil sorcery in the guise of a fatal illness called sida falls into place amidst the context of extreme antagonism and injustice. While reading this book, I was compelled to ask myself if there isn't some truth in Haitians' understanding of AIDS as the result of malicious sorcery. Haiti was the only American society to successfully result from the direct action of a revolution against slavery and colonialism. As such, the small nation governed by creoles and black ex-slaves presented a threat to North and South American colonial societies, which were firmly entrenched in slave labor economic systems. Historically, the threat of a repeat of the Haitian revolution must have terrified white European landowners. This terror of African power and strength has been passed on in a racist legacy, adapted to political policies and nationalist agendas, and still exists in ignorant beliefs about AIDS and its causes. Haitians believe that they are victims of a longstanding racist agenda, and they may in fact be right. Farmer's book begins to illuminate some of the complicated historical and ethnographic realities of the overlapping connections between illness and racism, and between causes and effects.

Moral Waiver
$1.99

Embracing Accusations (Pages Album Version)
$0.99

False Accusations
$11.98
Blues music has become more streamlined in recent years, thanks largely in part to the amazing career of Stevie Ray Vaughan, who took Texas swing blues to millions of new listeners. His life was cut tragically short, with Clapton bearing the torch for white man blues, although this reviewer considers Clapton overrated, boring and unimaginative.
Robert Cray has been on the blues scene for decades now, but has yet to break out with a mega-hit. It certainly isn't for lack of talent- it's just that Cray plays with a sophistication and maturity that doesn't lend itself to overwrought blues wailing.
"False Accusations", the second album from the Robert Cray Band, smolders and wafts out of the speakers like a layer of smoke in a small jazz club. His crisp blues playing is soulful and subtle, but the real charm is the healthy addition of soul from the great Stax/Volt days of the late sixties. Cray's voice recalls the greats - Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and the keyboards, usually a Hammond organ background lift the music to ethereal dreamy levels seldom heard in blues music.
"Porch Light" sets the mood and pace - love and no love, sometimes in the best and worst situations, all with soloes that reflect the tone of the songs beautifully.
Stand out tracks include "She's Gone", the gritty "Playing In The Dirt", and a beautiful ballad "The Last Time I Get Burned Like This."
If you long for the days of the Hammond B-3 organ and other cool keyboards, incredible vocals and the touch of cool jazz in your blues, this is the premier place to get it.