I am not even saying this lightly.
It is one of those realizations that one has when he or she fully understands, and tries to force oneself to accept the reality that he or she will have to live this life everyday, because there are more of them than there are of you. So, why not go back to the place where almost everyone knows you, sees you and doesn't stare at you, looks like you, thinks like you, and understands you.
This is what happened, BUT before I begin this rather short tale...please don't try to make excuses for the person.
Don't say that I am upset.
OR
Sensitive because he failed me
OR
I don't know why the other person really did what he did
------------
I know I got a white male racist examiner, for my road test that I took yesterday, who when I corrected the way he said my name (he called me asthma), got all offended. The second thing he asked me after looking at my permit was how old am I, said permit has my date of birth, 07/05/1987but he asked me this question even after he was handed my permit.
Third thing, after that one time of me saying my name is Asma, he put my name in front of every single sentence that he said out of his mouth, put emphasis on it.
AND...last thing, failed me as soon as I started driving and as soon as he had finished talking.
He said I did not stop fully at the stop sign,
"You have to stop at the stop sign ASMA, Stop signs are kind of important,"
I know this happens to a lot of new drivers taking their test.
But Fudge It,
Right before my uncle left the car he told me to stop at the STOP sign.
I stopped, looked both ways and then turned.
As soon as he failed me, he started writing shit on his paper.
Didn't care where I drove the car to or what I drove it into.
Told me to park it, all while he was writing on the little slip a big FAIL because of SS.
I acted totally calm.
I had the last hoorah, sort of.
When he told me to park the car, in my nervousness and shock at what had just occured....
I gave the car a jerk because instead of putting the car in PARK before taking my foot off the brake, I did it the other way.
I saw the look on his face and that look is the only good thing that came out of that day (yesterday).
--------------
I make no apologies in saying that Pakistan is more racist than the US.
It is, it is only 60 years old.
The US is a 200 plus year old country that has been trying to achieve advancement and equality for the people on this land for the last 50 years. Wait, did I just compare the two? I did, didn't I. I don't even justify it because these are random thoughts that come when one has seen how much hate and bias is in another person's heart for you because you are not him, you don't look, speak or act like him or that their jokes are lost on you and you sometimes utter harmless words in another language.
I don't know, I can't see through these tears, when I have realized that this salt water does not achieve anything, I will come back and write with more clarity and try to make you understand why asmaw might not remain a citizen of the US, except I know there are more than a few who will say, GOOD RIDDANCE.
Oh asmaw... I really think none of us would say Good riddance. As a matter a fact I think we would go with tears in our eyes trying convince you that you can stay. Its hard to break free and move from the chain and I look forward to 'hearing' whats going on that would make you chose to leave citizenship behind.
If there is a change we can help make, we would love to eagerly
There are very few human beings who receive the truth, complete and staggering, by instant illumination. Most of them acquire it fragment by fragment, on a small scale, by successive developments, cellularly, like a laborious mosaic.~- Anais Nin
I agree with you. I hope that we can help asmaw find reason to stay in America, but if not, well we met her here and she doesn't have to leave ProU if she leaves the country.
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
Thanks...I was hesitant to switch it because I did not want to take out my cutie quote I had before which I had written myself. All in all I think this one is better and actually says something important and applicaple to here. The other one seemed kind of lame after awhile when other people's quotes say cool things like consistency not being a human a trait and all.
:grin:
~T
There are very few human beings who receive the truth, complete and staggering, by instant illumination. Most of them acquire it fragment by fragment, on a small scale, by successive developments, cellularly, like a laborious mosaic.~- Anais Nin
Birds of a feather flock together.
Most people prefer to be with people of their own kind. This is not a racist thing. People can be enirely tolerant of people that are of different racial and ethnic origens and still find a preference for being with people who look and think like themselves and who have shared similar life experiences.
It is not a racial thing but rather a comfort thing.
It is why on almost every college campus you find a black student union.
I know what you are saying, there is a difference between comfort and outright disgust and bias that turns into discrimination
Is Muslim another subset or part of being Black ? I want to go home where they don't look at me as I am an alien from outer space that came to destroy the planet.
Fudge "It's the
I would have picked the white student union if there was such a thing. When I went to school 30 years ago black was the only type of racial/ethnic union there was and almost every school had one. I understand that many schools now have Hispanic unions and you mentioned in another blog that you had belonged to some sort of India/Pakistan union. I personally have no experience with anything but black student unions. That is why I used them as an example. I have no idea if there are Muslim student unions. Are there? I would actually be surprised if there were not. Organizations that are designed to emphasize and foster our differences are the legacy of multiculturalism.
It has not been as true in recent years, but historically a substantial (I think I read 30%) of immigrants to America returned to their country of origin. I guess it is tough being a minority in a strange culture and it is not everybody's cup of tea. You should follow your heart.
Do you have USA citizenship or would you be making an irreversible decision? A USA passport is an invaluable thing and something you can pass onto your children. It is not something to be given up lightly.
"Do you have USA citizenship or would you be making an irreversible decision? A USA passport is an invaluable thing and something you can pass onto your children. It is not something to be given up lightly."
Pakistan is very unstable and it is already dangerous. It will likely become even more dangerous. It is sad that one has to choose between living without the threat of terrorism and living without racism.
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
I really do not care where I die or how I die, as long as I die and am buried in a place that loved me for me. I don't know how to explain to you that Muslim's don't fear death, but at the same time Allah (SWA) has told us not to court death or ask for it, it is a grave sin to commit suicide, most who die saying it is "jihad" today, will go to hell.
The two things (maybe three) that Muslim's believe is already written before you are even born are...one's death and how much one will earn in his whole lifetime, not what job he will do but just how much he will be able to earn. If a Muslim understands these two things, he or she understands almost all.
The other thing, I am not sure if you will be able to relate, that land, those people nurtured me until I was 10. This land and the people nurtured me from 10-21. I can not say in words how much people from both lands mean to me .
Also, to say it is a choice of living in a land without threat of terrorism is almost completely false because I think I have not have told you that the house where I am currently living in had eggs thrown at it after we moved in, and apples that cracked our front window and this was not near halloween.
The crack finally shattered the pane but my dad never had time to go get a new window pane and now when I get my license, IF I pass, I will go get it (window been like this for 3 years). When the eggs were thrown at our windows, not only our front windows but my brother's window on the second floor too, I wanted to call the police, my mom said no because what can they do?
I would love to die anywhere where people do not do this to me for any reason related to or that has to do with my religion, skin color or ethnicity.
Is Muslim another subset or part of being Black ? I want to go to a home where they don't look at me as I am an alien from outer space, come to destroy their planet.
Fuck It.
what you mean about not fearing death and dying in a land that is home. That doesn't seem strange to me at all.
That is interesting, the part about how much a person will earn being predestined.
I am disgusted to hear about what happened to your home. Some people are animals. I don't know much about Philadelphia, I have one friend that lives there and he talks about what a sh--hole it is, but I know a lot of sh--holes.
Aslo after I posted the above reply I though of NYC, I have only spent 24 hours there, but it was an incredible 24 hours.
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
One of the largest on college campuses and national association/union whatever
this one is in cali but there is one in every college http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/reference/searchquran.html .
and just for fun and because I like to argue/discuss things with you, http://www.thedailycougar.com/static/vol61/950925/3b.html
Is Muslim another subset or part of being Black ? I want to go to a home where they don't look at me as I am an alien from outer space, come to destroy their planet.
Fuck It.
The link you posted about the white student union was pretty damn insulting and blatently racist.
and neither do I agree with most of what he or she is saying because s/he is doing the same exact thing that was done to others by the majority.
Is Muslim another subset or part of being Black ? I want to go to a home where they don't look at me as I am an alien from outer space, come to destroy their planet.
Fuck It.
I realize you didn't write it.
Being half white and half hispanic I am pretty proud of my white identity and while in no way ashamed, less proud of my Hispanic identity.
Predominantly it was the values and mores that came with white European culture that have made America the greatest country the world has yet seen. Yes, there is some stuff to be ashamed of but we have suffered a lot to correct our most egregious wrongs. It was whites who started the war to end slavery and it was predominantly whites who died fighting it. It was white protestantism that has fostered the notions of tolerance that have allowed the USA to be the most diverse country the world has yet seen. And the vast majority of the functioning Democracies across the entire world owe their freedom to the USA and our brave young men who spilled blood on foreign soil not to conquer but rather to spread freedom. Not all of those young men were white but the ideas they believed in were a product of the American version of white European culture.
On the otherhand, when I look South I don't see a single Hispanic country that is truly prosperous. Several of these countries are well endowed with natural resources and some (Argentina for example) were settled primarily with the same European stock that settled the USA. There is something badly flawed in Hispanic culture that causes countries that are dominated by it to be mired in corruption and second rate complacency. I think my Conquistador ancestors were butt-kicking cool but they did not manage to build successful societies.
I think it is ridiculous that whites would be barred from starting a union to celebrate the tremendous good they have done for the world.
It must be nice looking at the world through rose colored glasses.
Thank God for the Cosby Show~Me
For you to identify another culture that has made as great a contribution to the world whether it be political, social, artistic, scientific or economic.
I won't be holding my breath.
That's completely subjective, but since you asked. Artistically, IMHO, all of the best music that has ever been created has been made by Africans. And I would say all the best artists are either African or Mexican.
Thank God for the Cosby Show~Me
And now all of a sudden the Civil War was the war to end slavery? I get it, you want to revise history to make whites look good, but everybody knows that war was about states' rights. If Lincoln could have ended the war without ending slavery he would have.
Thank God for the Cosby Show~Me
What particular right were they fighting about? It was the right of succession. And why did they want to succeed? Because it became clear due to the Mason-Dixon Line that the admission of new states as the country expanded westward would eventually lead to the non-slave states having enough votes to abolish slavery.
I don't think there were any blacks in Congress at the time and there were large numbers of white Congressmen working to end slavery. To argue differently is revisionist history. The Civil War would never have started if it had not been for slavery.
Just about 1 million white people died in that war.
The confederate side fought to keep slavery, the Union fought to keep the South from seceding. Yes, slavery was one of the rights that people wanted, but the Civil war was not fought to end slavery. The end of slavery is a result of the war. The war was fought because the south wanted to secede, not because the Union cared about slaves. Those 1 million people did not die to end slavery. And also, I'm guessing you're including the Confederate side in that 1 million, which would imply that the South also fought to end slavery, which we all know was not the case.
Thank God for the Cosby Show~Me
The amount of time he spent in the car, less than 5 minutes.
She has been told to fuck it and forget him because even her uncle who went with her as her guardian realized that said male was a racist bastard, he talked AT us like we couldn't speak English.
Is Muslim another subset or part of being Black ? I want to go home where they don't look at me as I am an alien from outer space that came to destroy the planet.
Fudge "It's the
I believe that someone did something terribly rude but this doesn't give any context.
Also, I must say, Philadelphia is not representative of all of America. There are places where racism doesn't exist, at least not outwardly. I would love to take you to Los Angeles, San Francisco or Berkeley. No one would treat you badly because of your appearance or your heritage. Colorado is a pretty progressive state, especially in Denver and CO Springs. I don't about many other spots where I haven't seen displays of racism.
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
This happened in a predominantly well off neighborhood by the name of Norristown near the famous shopping mall called King of Prussia almost a 30-40 minute drive from the city.
One of the places that people love to pick on is Philly, it is the biggest Bullshit that everyone on television and media spreads. Almost every person, colored or not, who was 40 or younger from Philly, treated me like a human. and the other place where I have almost NEVER had to deal with this is of course NYC.
Is Muslim another subset or part of being Black ? I want to go home where they don't look at me as I am an alien from outer space that came to destroy the planet.
Fudge "It's the
I guess we're neighbors and never realized it. I took my driver's test at the Norristown DMV, too! I wonder if we got the same guy? My guy was almost soulless... he barely said anything. I suppose that's what working at a DMV does to you...
And more generally speaking, I think that the Philadelphia region has a lot of racial tension. I wouldn't flat out say it was racist- so I agree with you on that point- but there is a lot of distrust between the black and white communities especially. Last October I got to speak with the political cartoonist for the Philadelphia Daily News who said that whenever she drew a black person committing a crime in her cartoons, blacks called her racist, but when she drew a white person committing a crime, whites accused her of denying the truth (that blacks statistically/proportionally commit more crimes in the city). It gets messy.
Otherwise, southeast PA is very diverse, so I think it's surprising whenever instances of racism come up. Maybe, though, it's not racism at all, but Islamophobia. Unfortunately there will always be some random individuals who are intolerant- the question is, how should we deal with them?
White Male, mustache and not too much hair but had it and it was mostly gray/white.
also, when did you go to take it? so many q's lol.
Is Muslim another subset or part of being Black ? I want to go to a home where they don't look at me as I am an alien from outer space, come to destroy their planet.
Fuck It.
My guy was a white guy too, and I don't want to say he was 'fat' because that wouldn't be very nice of me but, oops, I already said it. That was more or less his defining physical feature. I took mine two years ago this month.
I'm in college now, but I went to PW High School in Plymouth Meeting.
Well, Colorado Springs is pretty nice, because there are so many colleges there and everything, but it's not really racially diverse. I mean, there's a pretty substantial Hispanic population, but there isn't a whole lot of diversity beyond that. And it's a very heavily Christian town. Denver's a lot better for diversity. I've lived in both.
~C
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I was going to say that I know I am only out in the Springs for one weekend a month but I did not think it was all that diverse but you sort of beat me to it.
When it comes to judging diversity, and many other things, I wonder if growing up in San Diego California has made my perspective diffrent. San Diego has so many types of things to do and alot of very diffrent people from all over the world. Its all around much bigger and more diverse then all the other places I have been and I tend to believe that what I knew growing up is normal and how things are suppose to be.
There are very few human beings who receive the truth, complete and staggering, by instant illumination. Most of them acquire it fragment by fragment, on a small scale, by successive developments, cellularly, like a laborious mosaic.~- Anais Nin
there is a lot of cultural diversity there, especially because it so close to Mexico. I was overcome with tears though when I first saw the signs of a woman running dragging a little girl. These are road signs that say, "Watch out for illegals running into traffic."
There are more hispanics there than black people. In general people in San Diego are just mellow and down to earth. I LOVE concerts in San Diego. There isn't the same kind of elitism and pushiness as in OC or sometimes LA.
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
I said it was progressive. I could be wrong, I haven't been there in awhile.
I just remember walking around downtown in Denver and people were lounging on sidewalks playing guitars, peacefully being outside and expressing themselves.
In Co. Springs I remember a lot springs, and landmarks with rich mythology about manitous. The native american heritage has left iits mark and it hasn't been overridden yet. I didn't get the feeling that people there were interested in things like race and religion as far as judging others.
Of course, Focus on the Family is also based there. I do know there is a lot of tension regarding church and state issues in public education, at least last time I was there, but this is a white on white dispute.
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
I know you didn't say it was diverse, but you said that you didn't see anything blatantly racist or anything. That's because Colorado Springs is largely homogenous... there isn't a whole lot of diversity to really allow for a whole lot of racism. I mean, the slums in the area are largely enlisted military and their families, or just plain poor white people. I went to UCCS, and I think I knew all of like 5 black people that went there. There were a lot of displays of native american and hispanic pride, but the campus was still largely white.
The largest church in Colorado Springs is New Life. And if you remember the elections in 2006, I'm sure you've heard of Tom Haggard, the one who was caught up in a scandal surrounding his opposition to the amendment that would define marriage between a man and a woman. Christianity is extremely prevalent, to the point where there are even multiple Messianic Synagogues in town, and only really Reform as far as other Synagogues (one in town is both Conservative and Reform, but I imagine they largely practice Reform, and then there's Chabad, which is Orthodox, but is primarily aimed at getting Jews more familiar with their heritage). While I'm sure there are a few mosques in town, I never saw them in my driving around town. People generally aren't interested in judging others if they believe that others have the same beliefs as they do.
So, while Colorado Springs may be considered progressive, it's not really applicable in this discussion because it is so homogenous... It's not diverse, which is what we're really looking for in this discussion, because areas that are more diverse tend to be more accepting of other cultures.
~C
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I haven't been there in 10 years. I met a lot of native Americans and hippies, but I guess that's just because of the people who I visit when I go there.
I didn't remember it being so homogenous, but I am white, and I other than the people I mentioned I don't remember seeing diversity either.
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
that is how scrwed up I am right now
Is Muslim another subset or part of being Black ? I want to go home where they don't look at me as I am an alien from outer space that came to destroy the planet.
Fudge "It's the
You should do what you think is best. Sometimes i want to move to a country that's majority black so I don't have to deal with the ingrained racism here.
Thank God for the Cosby Show~Me
I don't have anything new to add at this point. So I'll just heap my condolences and apologies onto the pile and say that you have to do what feels right.
Oh, and sure that guy may be a total piece of crap, but that isn't going to change wherever you are.
"Don't blame me. I voted for Kodos."
Homer Simpson
:`( :bye:
Is Muslim another subset or part of being Black ? I want to go to a home where they don't look at me as I am an alien from outer space, come to destroy their planet.
Fuck It.
Always glad to be cynical for you. Personally, I find the best way to deal with people like said driving instructor is to say snide things behind their backs.
"Don't blame me. I voted for Kodos."
Homer Simpson
the one I mentioned in the blog...so mean of me, but that was the ray of sunshine from that day =]
Is Muslim another subset or part of being Black ? I want to go home where they don't look at me as if I am an alien from outer space...come to destroy, to torture their planet.
Wan
:yay:
"Don't blame me. I voted for Kodos."
Homer Simpson
I just said to my 8 year old niece, that I'm going to get my revenge on you, just you wait!
Is Muslim another subset or part of being Black ? I want to go home where they don't look at me as if I am an alien from outer space...come to destroy, to torture their planet.
Wan
:( I still say we lack smileys. But those we do have have rendered me unable of expressing these sorts of things through words. :(
It wasn't sarcastic.
"Don't blame me. I voted for Kodos."
Homer Simpson
the whiplash, except that day when i was trying to stop...you know, crying, that made me laugh, more so at my stupidity, guess I really don't deserve the license yet.
Is Muslim another subset or part of being Black ? I want to go home where they don't look at me as if I am an alien from outer space...come to destroy, to torture their planet.
Poor Asmaw :( I think driving instructor people are just mean in general...a friend of mine (white female) failed hers twice before getting it. She has two older sisters and an older brother, and both of her sisters failed once and her brother passed the first time, and they all got the same guy...they decided he was prejudice against women. I'll probably be stuck with the same guy whenever I take mine (*sigh* IF I ever take mine...), so I'll be able to confirm that on a later date.
Don't leave over this. *hug* There are always going to be jerks who discriminate against you for one reason or another wherever you go. A lot of people discriminate against me, assuming that I'm a lot younger than I am and that's kept me from being able to do everything other friends have done. People are just stupid in general, in my most humble opinion. O:-)
Love you!!!!
RESPECT LIFE
http://progressiveu.org/blog/respectlife
"It is poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."
~Mother Teresa
but I failed 3 times before I got my license. The first one was just like yours, I failed as soon as I got out of the DMV parking lot because while I was stopped, people were crossing the street. As soon as they cleared my path, I went forward. She said I had to wait until they were off of the street completely. She was a b---- too. I don't remember the other times.
Someone explained to me that the DMV has quotas. They are only allowed to pass a certain number of people a day. this is supposed to help traffic control.
so the last time I spent the night outside the santa ana dmv to be first in line. by morning the line is around the block.
I was one of the first 20 people and passed with flying colors. before my tests were always in the afternoon. I also kissed a little butt by telling my driver how scary her job must be, being at the mercy of unskilled drivers. She was like, "Oh yes, you have no idea," and told me stories about coworkers who had been severely injured in accidents on the job.
All in all people who work for the government have jog security and ususally hate their jobs. They usually treat people like they don't care, because they don't. Notice there is no customer service department or complaint process.
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
Notice there is no customer service department or complaint process.
That's not true of all government jobs. I did my phlebotomy externship in a military hospital, working with GS civilians. There was a patient advocacy department in the hospital that would respond to the feedback of patients, provided they actually left any feedback to begin with. The girl who was training with me actually got a pin because she encouraged people to fill out the surveys when they complimented her on her work. Of course, the ladies who actually worked there kept saying she didn't deserve it, because she had only been there like two weeks, and they got several hundred compliments every month, but didn't get any awards from them.
~C
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the patient's rights advocacy that is in place by the government tends to work against the workers. At least in the state developmental center where my husband worked, but that deserves its own blog. I've been putting it off, but it needs to be written.
Government run anything is filled with so much red tape and supervisory boards over supervisory boards that when state budgets are in a crunch, the healthcare institutions fire people who directly care for the patients to keep the sacred cows fed in the manner they are used to.
I should stop now or I won't stop at all. while many assume I am a liberal I do not think politicians and state officials are qualified to handle healthcare administration. We need to get politics out of healthcare. State run hospitals and clinics are the worst.
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
"I also kissed a little butt"
LOL!
When I was in the military I enjoyed practicing the art of engaging/distracting the inspector for success. I should do a blog on some of the tactics. Kissing butt is just one of many.
There is a reason for borders. IT is easiest to belong within those borders, but if you are along the borders it becomes a conflict.
i have a friend with a similar problem. she doesn't know if she wants to become a us citizen or not.
it is your choice.
but it is very difficult
this is all I have to share:
"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain."
-Maya Angelou
Is Muslim another subset or part of being Black ? I want to go to a home where they don't look at me as I am an alien from outer space, come to destroy their planet.
Fuck It.
asmaw really misses her hometown
Is Muslim another subset or part of being Black ? I want to go home where they don't look at me as if I am an alien from outer space...come to destroy, to torture their planet.