I'm not really sure this is a blog entry... more of a forum topic probably. And it comes with a language advisory. But, whatever. You've been warned.
Yesterday was one of those days that should have been great. We not only watched our new President take the oath of office. We watched our first African American president take the oath of office. It should have driven home how far we've come since segregation.
It didn't. Not really. It did the exact opposite.
My sister got a text message in the afternoon from some guy we went to junior high with. I can't remember the exact phrasing but it went something along the lines of "Ducks Unlimited is having an Inauguration Day sale. Half off white sheets, coon traps and shotguns."
Yeah. It was pretty fricking awful.
She messaged him back and told him that was not only offensive as an American, but that it was offensive as the mother of a mixed child (Aybra).
His response infuriated me. "Oh, I thought your kids were Mexican."
Are you fucking kidding me?!?!
I don't even know where to begin listing my issues with that response. It makes me sick.
I just can't figure how anyone would think that was an acceptable response to being called out for being a racist moron. I mean, regardless of what race her kids are or are not... it was still a completely unacceptable message for any day... let alone a day when we'd finally realized the progress so many fought for and died never seeing.
It was still racist.
It was still ridiculous.
And I'm still angry about it.
Maybe it sounds crazy, but it just really bugs me that we didn't get to celebrate yesterday as it should have been celebrated. We didn't get to see how far we'd come without being reminded of how far we still have to go. We got served a nice cold dose of reality.
When the kiddos ask what we did when Obama took office, what we remember... what do we say?
"We dealt with racists fucks, sweetheart."
And we weren't the only ones. And that makes me even angrier. I've heard so many different people commenting about some of the things they heard yesterday.
I always say I don't like most people. I really don't. And it's this type of thing that makes me say that. There are some great people in the world. But, somedays, I think they're being overrun by the morons.
We have racists asshats. We have people that would rather spit on a gay man than speak to him. We have people that believe all Muslims are terrorist and shouldn't be allowed to continue breathing. We have people that think anyone not of their religion should be forced to submit. People that think abortion is murder... but can't see the hypocrisy in saying that those who get an abortion should be put to death.
I mean seriously! Most days, I just don't have the patience to wade through all the dicks in the world to find the good people. I'm not a violent person, but if I had to deal with those people day in and day out... I'm not sure I could do it without kicking and screaming.
I do the safe thing instead. I deal with them in small doses, recharge and then start all over again. When a good person does come into my line of sight, I feel blessed. Like the Universe is smiling at me.
Today though... I'm kind of wishing the universe would just give the stupid people a swift kick in the ass and save the rest of us the trouble.
That, I'm beginning to think, would be true progress because days like today... I just have to wonder how much good the good people are really doing. How much progress we're making. It just seems that, no matter how much we fight, it never ends. For every one heart we open... there are three more sets of stubbornly closed eyes waiting to take their spot.
It makes me wonder if there is an end. And when I'm going to run out of energy to keep chipping away. A loss of will to keep trying almost feels inevitable... and that bugs me more than anything.
That's what happened to most of the good people, I think.
They just got tired.
How depressing is that?
I do know what you mean. I felt that way, *especially* before the election. I was terrified that most of the world was blind and stupid and would fall for McCain's circus act of a campaign.
After seeing the huge margin in the polls, I realized, no, it is not that the whole world is stupid. It is just that the stupid ones are the loudest and talk the most.
Take heart, sister. We are not all stupid. Some of us are ready and eager to watch our nation progress to the point where our children will be shocked that racism ever existed, just like we were shocked to learn about slavery.
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All Campaigns are circus acts.
"Politics is all theatre"
Glutenously yours,
Pasta Rasta
I am so angered. I have had to deal with being called a racist because I did not vote for Obama. As most of us here on Pro U know I am a conservative and Obama stood against everything I stand for. If people would see that the person you talked about in your blog is closer then me to being racist they may not call me one. I have good reason why I do not like Obama. Politics is not what your Blog is about I understand that so I will move past it.
I see many issue different then many people here. I would never say kill a woman that had an abortion but please there is a difference between killing a completely helpless baby and killing a person that are grown up. Also they are both wrong in my mind.
I know what I will tell my kids if they ask me what were you doing the day Obama was sworn into office. My statement to them will be I was praying that he would do a good job and not destroy this country that I defend and will have to with my life while he is in office.
I wish that there was no need to call this day a special thing. I wish that it could be a normal new president who cares that he is black it is only a color. It is sad that we still have racist and people who make sure that there is a difference between the races. I wait for the day when a man can be judged on his merits and not the color of his skin.
It will get better. Today was a step in the right direction for our country. Do not let some stupid person ruin that.
"Something given has no value"~Robert Heinlein
"Having been poor is no shame, but being ashamed of it, is." Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richards Almanack, 1749
and I already knew that about you. I just wanted to be clear. I know my comment above is a generalization and appears to be saying that any one who didn't vote for Obama is stupid, and that is not what I meant.
I know a lot of people who did not vote for him who I respect, you being one of them. It is based on his *policies* and that is what people should vote on.
My comment was referring more to the fact that I seriously doubt that anyone who did vote for him is a racist, and since the majority did vote for him, the majority are probably not racists.
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I sat in clas all inauguration day learning about giving injections. Although I did not plan on Pres. Obama going into office I was a bit hopefull of the new president and wish I could have been able to see the new day as it happened.
I seriously do not know what is wrong with people and look forward to the day that race, ethnicity, culture and religion are not such a big deal and no long are the basis for any war.
Have Hope sweet Fallon...We WILL get it done as long as WE do not give up and let them win.
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
“You cannot wean away an addict from the drug. It is not possible for me to walk away from Ranjha. If it is our destiny to be together then who, other than God, can change it?”
http://pakistaniat.com/2008/01/01/heer-ranjha-the-story-of-punjabs-first...
At least the majority of the voters proved they were above the kinds of things that you are worried about. So I guess that means the smart people are winning.
I voted against Obama but it had nothing to do with his race or skin color and everything to do with his liberal/socialist politics.
One can vote for Obama and still be racist. Just like a racist can love Kobe Bryant for helping the Lakers win games, a racist can vote for Obama because he truly thinks he's the best candidate, but still hate Black people. So a majority of people voting for him does not mean majority of people are not stupid/racist. Racism is something that is down in the depths of a person's heart, taught to him or her since birth. People do racist things and hold racist beliefs without realizing it. But remember, even if it feels like stupid people are winning, they aren't nearly as stupid as the stupids from 50 years ago.
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Perhaps this could have been a little clearer. I don't think that most fit into what I call the "stupid people" category and I didn't mean to imply that. What I meant with this post is that those who do fall into that category tend to drown out the others. They scream loudest and longest. They're the people you have to wade through to find the others and it gets tiring. You can't find the good people because, in too many instances, they've just gotten tired of trying to wade through the crap to make a difference. They remain silent and are overrun and drown out by the others.
It gets frustrating, not only because it makes it that much more difficult to find those people but because it's one less person actually trying to make a difference. It's depressing to see that happen. And it happens constantly, whether because of the morons or because they feel like they're going it alone or because they don't feel like they're making a difference or because they're fed up with the people who are unwilling to say anything at all... it's always sad to see someone burn out. Especially when there are more willing to stand on the other side of the fence than to do the right thing for no reason other than because it's the right thing. We can't afford to lose those people... and we do every day.
That said; not voting for Obama doesn't make you racist any more so than voting for him makes you not racist. And this isn't just about racism but about all the various things we see on a daily basis that make you wonder what the hell is wrong with people. I mean, hating Muslims because they're Muslim, Christians because they're Christian, black because because they're black... it's all a different side of the same coin. It's all intolerance. It's all ridiculous. It all needs to stop.
And days like yesterday, I just begin to understand why people just stop trying to fight towards that end at all. It's a lot less exhausting to give up than to fight when you can't ever really say that you're winning. Every time you think you are... someone comes along to remind you that you're not finished yet. It's hard to celebrate the victories when, in the midst of those victories, the asshats come out in force to remind you of everything we haven't accomplished.
That's the point I was getting at. Not that there are more stupid people than good people. Not that anyone who didn't vote for Obama simply didn't vote for him because he's black.
Sometimes you just get tired of taking a step forward only to realize you've still got miles to go. And sometimes, a little ranting about the frustrations is in order.
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"Truth is not only violated by falsehood; it may be equally outraged by silence" - Amiel
"The beginning of thought is in disagreement -- not only with others but also with ourselves" - Hoffer
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my point was simply that, the stupid ones are the loudest and talk the most.
I have said elsewhere, but I will say it again. One result of this election is that racism is probably going to rear its ugly head in one last attempt to stay alive.
Those very stupid people are going to start tantruming like we have never seen. I have to listen to my father's idiotic and racist comments every single night. He thinks he is taking a stand. He also knows he is a dinosaur on his way out. He wants to go kicking and screaming. To be honest, i say good riddance.
The comfort and hope that I have is that because of the majority, these people will be called out. Like I said in my own blog about obama winning the election and the hole in my tv screen, racism has become a boil, or a zit, that is pushing up under the surface, and ready to burst. That is a lot better than the septic, multisystem infection it has been in history
as for all those other issues, well, these kinds of shifts in the collective consciousness tend to spread quickly. I suspect we will be seeing some major changes, for the better, in our culture's thinking regarding all aspects of human variations in culture, religion, sexuality, etc.
If I am right, America is going to be really set apart, and will represent to the world what it has always said it did, but failed to. Our biggest threat is going to come from outside our nation, where even now, it still comes from inside. We are progressing. Sometimes it doesn't feel like it, but we are.
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Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups, right?
I get depressed almost everyday because of the rampant stupidity that surrounds us.
I can barely watch ANYTHING on television without wanting to smack someone.
To be honest, I think that most people are lazy and willfully ignorant.
Even those who seem self-motivated and driven to accomplish their goals... well I can sit back and look at their goals and usually (not always) find them pointless, selfish, or laughable.
Sitting in my 5th year and final semester in college (2 degrees) I get to hear for the first few days who my classmates are and why they chose their major.
My second degree is in Journalism and Mass Communication. So I hear things like... I like sports, I played sports in high school, I like to watch sports so I want to report on sports for the rest of my life.
If you sit there and think about it.... IS THIS REALLY WHAT LIFE IS ABOUT? How sad, how trivial, how pointless.
SPORTS? Yah... let's dedicate our lives to reporting on games that we made up that most people watch while eating unhealthy food and getting intoxicated. Oh and don't forget how much money the PLAYERS get for being good at a made-up game while people starve to death in other countries.
And don't even get me started on religion.
"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." -F.N.
Your frustration is totally understood.
I have issues with the political atmosphere right now because of all this hype when Obama hadn't officially done anything yet (I'm talkin' weeks before the inauguration). I'm going to get around to blogging about it eventually.
Now, I'll admit, I voted for McCain. But that had nothing to do with race and whatever. I might have voted for the other guy, but that doesn't mean I wish Pres. Obama any ill will.
Shouldn't we all be hoping for the best, rather than making more problems for ourselves?
~ *~
This is a signature, an automated thingy that pops up when I comment, not a demand to see my blog!
Mind Control is Easier Than You Think
im not exactly a fan for Obama, but im definately anti-rascist. and i dont really think "i thought..." is a good excuse for anything. the ignorance shows that they dont care at all. and i have to say, you are very wise for dealing with the world as you do.
to quote a couple of proverbs:
Stay away from a foolish man,
for you will not find knowledge on his lips.
The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence
overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.
Semper VIgilans
I think Tolkien hit the nail on the head when he said: I wish that there was no need to call this day a special thing. I wish that it could be a normal new president who cares that he is black it is only a color.
I completely agree with him.
I think the idea of making it a big deal that he's black, whether for good or ill, is equally a bad thing. It just shows how much of a big deal we still make things like skin color. Yes, it's cool that we're around to see the first black US President, but it shouldn't be that huge of a deal. I don't care if he's black or white or purple, he's still a man, he's still human. Skin color should be an afterthought in most cases.
I think the fact that we feel obligated to make a larger celebration of the inauguration of a new President than any past one simply because of his skin color (or gender, or religion, or any other aspect that deviates from the White Christian Male, for that matter) speaks just as much about the state of our society as those who would wish to see him dead for the very same reasons.
I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge
I couldn't have said it better myself. :yay:
Personally I am stoked to see Obama in the House. I love his ideas. I love his attitude. I like what I see of his family. I tend to judge people by kids they produce. He seems very grounded. What sounds crazy to so many who don't trust him is this idea of *hope* and *change.* Gee that sounds good, but it can't work. It will never work. It has never worked.
Immediately conservative minds are turning over the pictures of *communism* and *socialism,*
The thing is, we have never seen this before. No one like him has ever been in the president's chair. Not just because of his color, but because of his sure and peaceful confidence.
We have no idea what it will bring, but one thing it is going to do is to make people start questioning their assumptions. The more effective he is, the more people are going to be forced to *wake up* and get on board with the new gameplan.
It is time to stop passing on things like racism to our children.
That is just one aspect of change that is inevitable with this presidency.
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I don't think racist jokes is what we have to worry about overcoming
They are a symptom of what we have to worry about overcoming,
My thought exactly.
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"Truth is not only violated by falsehood; it may be equally outraged by silence" - Amiel
"The beginning of thought is in disagreement -- not only with others but also with ourselves" - Hoffer
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Racism, in all manners, is disgusting and offensive. I have received several of those types of messages and I tell anyone that has forwarded them to me to not do it again. The person forwarding it is just as racist as the original sender.
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Respectfully,
Adam L. Labonoski
PUAA Director's Assistant
I know what you mean, and I know how you feel. I don't particularly like people, I usually keep to myself. Matter of fact, I never even really opened up to my own mother, even as a child. The reason is because most people aren't able to be open minded, and that's the kind of people I look for. Some days I wish that all the idiots who refuse to learn, listen, feel and care would just... quite frankly, fall in a ditch and choke on air. It's obscene how an American man or an American woman can call themselves 'American' when all they do is spit on everything America is supposed to stand for. It makes me sick.
However, from what I saw, the inauguration was a very happy day here in Pitts. From what I heard, everyone was excited and enthused about this change, about the new starts we'll have. I too, am happy about all this, but like you, I didn't get the chance to celebrate. Though I did pray to God and asked him to help Obama through this, because I know he will be met with some favorable skepticism. It's always out there, yet I still wonder why we can't all come to terms, as I read in another blog, Obama isn't just our first African-America president, he is a human being, with feelings and dreams, goals and a family.
This may be purely speculative, but I'm beginning to think that America just doesn't 'want' to act the part.
I am who I am and who I am is someone unique.
" It makes me wonder if there is an end. And when I'm going to run out of energy to keep chipping away. A loss of will to keep trying almost feels inevitable... and that bugs me more than anything".
"The end" is in your heart ,the minute you don't care ,the minute it end..
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***Edited by sawaboof on 2.17.2008 for spam.***
I'm giggling at the image of you wading through a sea of dicks.....
Heh.
"He cried a bit, but not for long." - Neil Diamond
they're winning my anger
“You cannot wean away an addict from the drug. It is not possible for me to walk away from Ranjha. If it is our destiny to be together then who, other than God, can change it?”
http://pakistaniat.com/2008/01/01/heer-ranjha-the-story-of-punjabs-first...
people will only get dumber, thanks mtv, E!, BET, VH1: you are creating the dumbest youth culture the world has ever seen....................
Fox news it the official stupid people channel:
now
viacom youth + fox news nativist= deep troubles in years to come, stupid levels will be at an alltime high
So what upset you about Fox news? Is it that they have twice as many viewer then any of the other news organization out there. Or is that you just disagree with the more right wing ideas of some of the commentator on Fox. Also did you just call millions of Americans stupid. Let me guess you are a Keith Olbermann fan.
"Something given has no value"~Robert Heinlein
And if you're seeing lines in my writing that you feel you need to read between, they aren't there. ~N. Ledger
When you assume, you make an ASS out of U and ME.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Interesting I do not see where I assumed anything in my comment.
"Something given has no value"~Robert Heinlein
And if you're seeing lines in my writing that you feel you need to read between, they aren't there. ~N. Ledger
You said, "let me guess, you are a Keith Olberman fan..." that is an assumption.
Meke made a funny. I know it was in reply to you, but it could just as well be at anyone.
When you "ASS" "U" "ME" you make an "ASS" out of "U" and "ME" pretty clever, I think.
As for FOX, I drop my jaw when I watch their news, usually because I am in public standing in line or waiting in a lobby somewhere, because they tend to drastically misrepresent their opponents. Their opponents are also usually self perceived opponents (meaning they were not set out to create conflict with FOX or its funders).
They have a similar gimmick as Rush Limbaugh, which is to isolate fragments of sentences or speeches, what have you, and draw radical conclusions, while ignoring the core context of what they are quoting. I am sorry I can't give specific examples, because I don't watch enough, but I guarantee I have felt this way when watching.
The only thing that makes FOX forgivable is that they are the home of the Simpsons :)
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I thought that there was a difference between assuming and guessing but, I guess that I must have written that comment in a tone that insinuated that I was assuming and for that I will say I am sorry for assuming.
I will agree that fox is right bias and is as bias as any other news organization out there the only difference is Fox is right wing bias and the others are left wing bias.
"Something given has no value"~Robert Heinlein
And if you're seeing lines in my writing that you feel you need to read between, they aren't there. ~N. Ledger
As the commenter below me said, it was the comment about Keith Olberman. And what's wrong with calling millions of Americans stupid? I was riding the bus today and had that very realization.