So I my two of my friends, Alex and Jessica, were chillin at Alex’s apartment. We got hungry and it was like three in the morning so we decided to go to Casey’s to get some food. We parked next to these people and went in. We were probably in the store for a good twenty minutes before we left. We got back to Alex’s apartment and just as we were getting out of the car my friend Jessica asked where her purse was. I distinctly remember her handing it back to me and telling me to put it on the back seat which I did. So I ask her if she brought it in. She can’t remember. Alex asked her if she locked her doors. She can’t remember. So pretty much what happened is her door was unlocked with her purse just chillin on the back seat and somebody, most likely the shady characters we parked next to, swiped her purse. Not cool.
It was obvious what had happen, no one needed to vocalize it. But the worst part of this is that the people we parked next to, the people who took her purse, were black. I know what my friends thought of when they pulled up next to them, I won’t lie, I thought it too. I, and I’m sure you as well, constantly have to check myself because we have been brainwashed by these faulty stereotypes. But the worst thing is that these people just helped to reinforce this stereotype. I know not all black people steal. I bet you know that too. But I bet when a black person does steal, you expected it from him more than his white counterpart.
I find myself watching or reading news somewhat apprehensively. Whenever I hear something about a murder or other crime, I start thinking, “Please don’t be black.” Although it’s unfair, it doesn't take away the validity of the idea that people of color must work twice as hard to get just as far. Think about it. Why do colleges give more money to black students and why do we have affirmative action? Because people expect much less from us, expect the worse, and if we do somehow manage to climb to the same level of a white person, then that miracle deserves an award.
Black Americans are working hard to dispel these ideas of what black is. You don’t have to be president or famous to change peoples’ minds, but you do have to try to not be stupid. That dumb ass who took the purse just put my race back about five people, five minds who now think that those offensive stereotypes are truth and will look at me a new way. Not cool man.
I’m not sure if any of you have seen the new Transformers movie, or if you have heard of any of the current controversy dealing with the film, but let me just say that it’s completely ridiculous. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, let me enlighten you. Apparently the two misbehaving robots are believed to be portraying black stereotypes with their street slang and gold teeth. There’s more on the situation here, but really people, c’mon. First of all, I find it somewhat offensive that people think they’re black just because they’re acting like that. I know a ton of white kids who do the same thing, they don’t have black characteristics, they have urban characteristics, and believe it or not, those are two different things my friends and I’m sure there are some urban white kids acting just as much of a fool as Skid and Mudflap. But really, it could be just some crazy trick of the white man, to demean the black culture, but then again it might not be. I really think we just need to stop assuming the worst of people. The director of the movie even said that they had complete freedom with these roles. One of them is even black. People need to just stop trippin’. peace.
If you guys haven't heard our friend Governor Mark Sanford of south carolina has been having an affair. Yep, he’s a ho. He was actually a possible presidential candidate for the 12012 election. Kinda fucked himself in the ass on this one. He was quoted as saying, “ It all started very innocently.” Not a good thing to say in a time like that buddy. There’s a rule I have that I think all government officials should follow: when you’re caught doing something bad, you should probably try to avoid cliche sayings such as those. Own up to your faults and quit sugar coating how much of a dumb ass you are.
So I’m not sure if you’re aware, but Obama held a press conference yesterday. While you may not agree with his plans and views on Iran and our current economic crisis, you got to give him props for not using a Teleprompter. You can really see the difference, it was way more sincere. I’ll take Obama’s eloquence over Bush’s barbarity any day. I'm not sure why but I wasn't able to embed it, so here's the link. Very cool Obama.
So I had the pleasure of traveling to iowa city today for the pride parade. I thought there would have been more to it, but I suppose the fact that Iowa even has a gay pride parade is reason to celebrate in itself. It was really cool to see all the people supporting gay rights, there were even a few seasoned gay rights supporters.
After the parade there was a festival where vendors sell assorted goodies. I went with the one lesbian friend I have. We were just walking around and stuff, looking at the merchandise etc. But as I stood there, I found myself thinking how natural all the couples looked. They didn’t look like gay couples, they looked like couples. If more people could see what I saw, I believe minds could be changed. She was getting her face painted and I guess the lady had called her sexy or whatever, I was too distracted at the (straight) hottie playing guitar. When my friend paid she gave her an extra dollar and was like, “That’s for calling my sexy.” The face painter looked at me and said, “She’s not going to come back and beat me up is she?” I looked around for a good ten seconds before I realized she was referring to me. I had been mistaken as a lesbian!
On our way back we saw a person with a rainbow heart sticker on their car. My friend commented about how she wanted one. I told her how I had previously owned a gay rights bumper sticker but it had fallen off. My friend then asked me a question, one that I suppose was well justified. Do you like girls?
I understand why she might have been suspicious. Going to a gay pride parade, having a gay pride sticker, the evidence seemed to be piling up. But no, I do not like girls. The way I see it is that the gay plight is similar to the black plight in that both are unrepresented and have struggled to be accepted by mainstream society. Gay rights is something that I can connect with because of this. My personal beliefs support my friend’s lifestyle, and I heavily back any of my beliefs.
I agree, it is one thing to support something, and quite another to display it. But why should I be concerned with displaying my support. True, I’m sure, like the face painter, that many people will assume I’m gay, but who cares? I know I’m not so it really isn’t important to me. I am comfortable enough with my sexuality to support others'. And perhaps those people shouldn’t be assuming anyway, I think we all are aware of what happens when one assumes.
I believe that the only way to change other peoples’ minds is to open them up to the way in which your own mind works. That’s why I chose to display my support for gay rights. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, on the contrary it’s something to be proud of. By showing other people that it is indeed okay to support others, then perhaps they can better realize it themselves and do the same. And so the numbers grow.
You should have known I couldn't stay away for long.
Sadly, it is not a topic of joy that brings me back, but one of annoyance. This week I started my black summer school thing. Except for the math part of it, it is very enjoyable. Although I will say that being taught Algebra after just finishing advanced Pre-Calc is very refreshing. Plus, I don’t think I have ever had so many black friends, it’s very nice.
But the topic of my post is not my reconnection with my people, but about one of my teachers. She is of course black, which is very cool since I have never had a black teacher, but she herself is really starting to piss me off. We were talking about the new disney princess, which, excitingly, is black. I guess there’s a big controversy over her mate, who appears white, but is actually Brazilian. I’m not sure why this is so upsetting to people, if it’s her being black or her not having a black spouse, but she asked us how we felt about it.
When she asked me, this is more or less how I responded:
I think it’s refreshing to see a biracial couple because all you see on TV and movies today is usually a black male and female as if either of them are incapable of dating anyone but their own kind. It has gone from the token person to the token couple. In any movie where there are multiple couples, there is at least one black couple.
I thought this was a good response, but apparently my teacher was not pleased. This is how she responded:
So you think that the black community has been represented well enough that we can now move on?
Wait. Back up. When did I ever say that, because I don’t remember having done so.
My teacher then proceeds to talk about how we have not been accurately portrayed in media, and I fully agree with that, we haven’t. Look at Mami in Gone with the Wind. We have a long ways to go still, I’m not denying that. But can we only reach that goal of being accurately portrayed by having both a black male and female couple? What will that prove? I believe that it will only support the idea that black people only hook up with black people, which simply isn’t true.
But it wasn’t this statement that got me. It was when my teacher said, “When will we finally have an ethnically correct couple,” that really pissed me off. Ethnically correct? As if a black man dating a white woman or vice versa was ethnically incorrect. How can you be so ignorant?
peace.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
I decided that I’m going to be taking a bit of a break from blogger. I still love to blog, but I’m afraid that at the rate I’m posting, I’ll end up losing my mojo. I just want sometime to think without having to think about how it translates into a post, as I find myself doing more and more. I just don’t want to end up tainting my posts with feces. I’ll be back in a week or two though, hopefully with some new insight and more interesting things to complain about. But just remember guys, I’ll always be here.
So I was driving around with my two friends and we had stopped at gas station to pick up some gum. We got back in the car and my friend in the passengers seat unwraps her piece of gum and rolls down the window to dangle the wrapper out. She holds it up to my window, so I can clearly see what she’s doing, teasing me with the threat of littering. I look away, because I know she is about to free the wrapper and let it drop onto mother earth.
Now, for those of you who know me, I am very concerned with our planets well being, as I think all people should be. If there are simple ways to reduce your impact, i.e. not littering, then why won’t you do it? These two people I was with know how much of a tree hugger I am. Anytime they through shit out, I scold them for it, because they know better. One of them was actually in the same environmental science course as me. And yet, they not only continue to do it in my presence, but showcase it.
It’s the same thing whenever I go out to eat with my friends. I am a vegetarian, they know that, and because of this, they constantly talk about how much they love meat and how much they’re going to eat, and how it’s so delicious. Yeah, cool. Know what, I don’t care that you eat meat, or litter necessarily, but why rub it in my face? To show how much of a dick you are? Very cool.
I nag my friends for littering and chose to not eat meat for two reasons that mean a lot to me. I am very passionate about saving the earth as well as the cruelty towards animals. These are two things I have thought about for a long time, two things that mean a lot to me. I don’t care that you don’t feel the same, you don’t have to, I get that peoples’ views can differ. Eat meat, throw cans out of your window, but don’t act like a three year old and try to piss me off by doing it. It’s not cool to disrespect things people believe in so much. Grow up.
So I was talking to my friend the other day about something that I now can't remember. If made to describe him in one sentence, I would sum him up as cynic. That’s right, that’s the sentence. I understand that technically, that isn’t a sentence based on the rules of literature, but rules were meant to be broken. But he is probably the hardest person to read. I feed off of emotions other people give me. If they give me sad, I’ll console, if they give me happy, I’ll smile, If they give me mad, I’ll cower and apologize, or perhaps go crazy black woman on them, depending on the person.
But this person gives me nothing. I can’t tell if he’s displeased on pleased unless he’s yelling at me or laughing. It’s not that he never shows emotion, it’s that there doesn’t seem to be any transition between them. Granted, I only see him for a short period each day, but when I do see him or talk to him, that’s what I get.
I was talking to him about emotions the other night. We are two very different people, and sometimes I wonder what he sees in me, how can he be friends with someone so completely different than him. I usually come to the conclusion that he really hates me, but puts up with me because he actually has one of the most admirable emotions, compassion. But anyway, not important. I would say I am a fairly dramatic person. All of my emotions are exaggerated. When I’m happy, you’ll know it, and when I’m pissed, it’s obvious too.
Now, I don’t think everyone needs to show the same emphases in their own emotions because then we would just have a bunch of Tamaras running around, and no one wants that. But I also don’t believe that we should hide our emotions. In his post, my friend says that he has self control, so he can handle his emotions. What does that even mean, to handle one’s emotions. That’s wrong, that goes against nature. Emotion is a reaction, you are suppose to react.
I understand that this all probably means nothing coming from someone who has little to no self control, but still. Emotions have been given a bum rap. They are a sign of weakness, a disability. They are a sign of one who lacks self control. But I don’t buy that shit. Emotions are probably the only pure thing humans have, and I for one don’t want that taken away from me. They allow a person to think. By interpreting your emotions, you’re allowed to decide what action to take. I’m not saying that they’re without their problems. I get that a person can’t react based solely on emotion, but you shouldn’t act without it either.
I don’t think people say thank you enough. Not because they aren’t thankful, simply because they forget. You know that old saying, you never appreciate anything until it’s gone? Well, it’s true, people really don’t. A lot of good things go unnoticed. This is just a short reminder, be thankful for everything, and if you are thankful for something, let them know. We could all use a bit of good karma.
Let me take this time to thank all of those who read my crap that I have written. You truly don’t know how much it means to me.
I went to my friend Charlie’s graduation party yesterday. While I was there, and older gentleman started talking to me. He asked me what my plans were after high school. I told him I wanted to be a housewife and he asked if I understood the physics and chemistry behind it, a response I was not expecting. I told him that I had been kidding and that I really wanted to be a doctor. He said some things, but what I remember was him telling me to ‘keep going’. Now, I don’t know if I want to be a doctor, but these two words really hit me. This man was obviously a bit intoxicated and perhaps a bit insane, but his words were powerful nonetheless. It really is that simple.
This past year, I noticed something. I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. This is a bit of a problem here, seeing as I will be officially grown in less than a year. I have noticed something else this past year too. Writing is the only thing I have ever done that people have consistently enjoyed. But saying something like ‘I want to be a writer’ is like saying 'I believe in unicorns.' It sounds perfectly fine in the fantasy world of your head, but say it allowed under the presence of harsh reality, and you just end up looking the fool.
peace.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Humans have a deep-seated desire to have their views confirmed by people who they perceive to be more articulate than them. Thus there is some money to be made talking, but not as much listening. And yet it's the listening that gives you the ability to talk with any sort of richness and depth. ~Coates
There are many words to describe me, but feminine is not one of them. As far back as I can remember, I have never been a real girly girl. I mean, I played with barbies of course, but most of the time they just ended up in the bedroom. Let's just say Ken was a very happy man. Some may say that this was because I watched Lifetime movies with my mom from the age five. If you have ever seen these movies, you should know that they can get pretty racy, their main audience being lonely housewives. This could be why my barbies were less than classy, but I doubt it. I just thought that is was funny.
When I think of my childhood, the things that stand out the most is the fort my friends and I built in the woods near my house. It wasn't one of those "No boys allowed" forts, mainly because I built it with boys. There were bugs and dirt, but this is where a good portion of my summer was spent.
I also remember my bike. I loved my bike. Hot pink and purple with shiny tassels. Classic girl bike, but its appearance was the only girly thing about it. I mainly used it for racing the neighborhood boys. I didn’t have anything against the girls, it’s just that the girls never provided me with enough of a challenge. I also remember this dirt track my friends and I found. I can't count the hours I spent on that thing, pretending I was racing motor-cross bikes or whatever they're called, that is until I got yelled at by some angry old person for being on their property. Yeah, rebel even at that age.
My legs tell novels I don't think there is a spot on them that hasn't been darkened by a wound now turned scar. Most of them are from my clumsiness, but a lot of them date back to my childhood. I was an adventurous one, I don't think I ever didn't have a band-aide on me. It was never one of those girl band-aides either with princesses and hello kitty, straight brown, keep it simple. I would rather have left it open, but you know how moms are. The battle wounds never did keep me away from the trees taller than buildings or an aggressive game of tag.
I would get lost on my grandparents farm, walking to the nearby cemetery or picking boysenberries. I remember trying to coerce the pigs to come over to me, stealing food from the fridge. This was highly forbidden, playing with the pigs. But could rules ever really stop me? It was hard to hide when you came back smelling like crap though.
In short, I was a tomboy. I shied away from girlie things, and excelled in boy activities. But, I bet a lot of girls were tomboys when they were children. The only difference between them and me is that they grew out of it.
I guess I have just recently been noticing it. Perhaps this is because we are almost adults, and more and more girls are acting lady like. But like a lot of other things, that’s boring. I can act like a lady if I want to. I can cross my legs, avoid burping, and talk about how I plan on marrying a rich doctor, but I’d be much happier slouching in my chair, belching the ABC’s, and not marrying at all. In short, I am not a girl.
Don’t get me wrong, I have a vagina and everything, but like my bikes’ appearance, that’s about the only girl thing about me. It seems that recently, I have been getting a lot of crap for this. Comments like, ‘Why can’t you be more like a girl’ and ‘Why are you such a boy’. I guess people are starting to notice what I have known all along. But is that so bad? I'm happy this way, or comfortable at least.
I make farting jokes, ask my guys friends if they hit that, and I’d rather watch a game of baseball than desperate housewives. I’m crude, unrefined, and perhaps the missing link to the definition of vulgar. But If being a girl means being what I’m not, then I’m perfectly content being one of the guys.
So I'm not sure how to put my essay up on my blog, if anyone knows, hit me up.
But I decided to start a vlog. It seems like something fun and I think that I'm obnoxious enough to make it work. Plus my mac will make it super easy. I haven't posted anything on it yet, but when I do, I'll put the link up here.
As you may or may not know, I am not a religious person. It’s not that I don’t believe in God, I just really don’t believe in religion in general, I think it just breeds corruption. That being said, there are a lot of aspects of religion that I really admire. I really do think that it does a lot of good, there are a lot of good ideas going there, and I think people can learn a lot from the teachings.
So while I was in New York, we visited this really beautiful cathedral as I talked about before. They were selling charm looking things of saints. Well, while I am familiar with most of the biblical sermons, I was only ever a practicing Presbyterian, so I never learned the individual saints. I asked the lady there to tell me which one her favorite was, figuring that since she sold them, she could give me a good one. She named off a few, but the one that really hit me was St. Pio. Most people have never heard of him, but he was the saint of the sick and the poor. I immediately felt the connection with this saint and decided on him.
I now wear the necklace pretty often. It helps me remember what my ultimate goal in life is, to help people who need it, the sick and the poor. I was wearing the necklace today and Dr. P asked me about it and I told him the story. When i got home, I wanted to look up more about him, to better understand the guy I’m sporting around my neck. It gave me some history on his saint hood, it’s pretty neat. But what I found most interesting was this:
"Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry"
This is the quote he has been known for. Ironically, this is the same philosophy I live my life by. Pray for the things you can’t control, hope for the best, and don’t worry if it isn’t. I’m not a religious person, but some may call it a sign.
I first thought about becoming a vegetarian in eighth grade. I remember sitting in the lunchroom with Deena and Emma and I told them this. But I didn’t want to rush into things, so I waited. Then, my freshman year, I was almost sure I was going to become one, but I found out I was going to China that summer, and I wanted to be able to try everything there, so I decided to wait. When I got back, however, I still put it off. Well the previous year I had made a resolution to become a vegetarian by the end of that year. So a week before the next new years I decided that I would follow through with it. I officially pledged my vegetarianism on December 31, 2007, just in time. I have been a vegetarian for one and a half years now, and it is seriously one of the best choices I have made.
Since then, I have reflected on my choice. I rethink why I did it, and if I still believe in those ideals that I did when I made the decision. I first decided to mainly because I didn’t think that eating animals was right. If there are other ways to get nutrients, why should we have to kill an animal to do so.
Sometime during my sophomore year I decided that that was stupid. Humans are animals, animals feed on others to survive. It’s natural, the circle of life crap, you know. But I still had a problem with the way in which we produced the animals, like they’re just a commodity, not a living, breathing thing that feels pain. I saw those horrid videos of the cows throat being sliced only to have to walk around for the last five minutes of it’s life, tripping on its own blood. That’s not natural, that’s cruel. We mass produce livestock, forgetting that they are living beings. And so although I no longer thought that eating meat was wrong, I didn’t agree with how we did it.
Earlier this year I was talking with one of my favorite teachers, Dr. P. Every time I talk with this guy we always have a really insightful convo, both of us sharing our views and analyzing each others’. He’s a very open minded guy. He isn’t set on any issue really which allows him to present both sides mostly objectively. We somehow got on the topic of vegetarianism and he asked me why I chose to become one. I told him that I had a problem with how we treat our livestock. We talked about this for a while and then he brought up the point about how other animals kill their prey.
Injecting chemicals into them so they die a slow painful death was the one that hit me the most. I guess I had never seen things this way. Animals use what they’re given, they are not concerned with the means in which they gain their sustenance. If we are animals, then is it really so bad for us to be producing our meat the way we do? I had never once before seriously considered stopping being a vegetarian.
But I have taken A.P. environmental science this year and I learned that being a vegetarian is one way to live more sustainably. This year I have gotten crazy serious about going green. Running around recycling bottles in the trash, taking used poster boards to Garlock, just whatever. The small things count. So now I think that my prime reason for continuing my vegetarianism is because I care about our planet. It’s something small I can do quite easily.
But anyway, I was in french class today and my friend was talking about this skit Carlos Mencia did about vegetarians. He pretty much says that being a vegetarian is bad for our earth. He believes that the carbon dioxide and methane produced from cattle is used by the plants. The people eating all of these plants are hurting the environment because the reduced amount of plant life is unable to absorb the harmful greenhouse gasses of methane and carbon dioxide.
My friend told me this, and this really pissed me off. First of all, cows produce way more methane than carbon dioxide. Methane is way more of a harmful greenhouse gas. Secondly, plants don’t absorb methane anyway. Third, most of the plants grown are grown to feed livestock. Fourth, each trophic level you go up, you lose 90% of the energy, meaning that the cows that eat the plants only are getting 10% of that energy, and when we eat the cows, we gets .1% of the original energy. So technically, if you turn grazing land into farming land, you would have much more energy and would be able to feed much more people, plus there would be no livestock to produce carbon dioxide and methane.
Now, all of that might be a bit confusing, but what it come down to is that he’s wrong. But what really makes me mad is that people think was he's saying is true. In the video, people are cheering for him while he says this, acting like this is true. They believe him, my friend believes him. People will use Carlos Mencia, a comedian, not a scientist, to justify their meat eating and to condemn vegetarians. And that really pisses me off.
It’s people like him that say stupid shit that prevent change. I’m not saying you have to become a vegetarian, I don’t push my beliefs on anyone, but don't believe its the vegetarians killing this planet. Consider the source.
Fourth post today guys, looks like I missed it more than I thought. But...
So I’m almost sure this post will raise some questions from those who read it, but there’s really no questions to be had. I was a bit hesitant, but I feel comfortable enough with my sexuality to consider these thoughts, because they make somewhat of a good point. Anyway, on to the show.
So I was watching the movie Chasing Amy. Its about this lesbian female and this heterosexual male who fall in love and whatever. It’s not a bad film. But in the movie, there’s this seen where the girl is talking about her choice to become a lesbian. She said she decided to become a lesbian because she didn’t want to limit herself to love. Now I understand that being a lesbian would technically limit yourself, but still, that is perhaps one of the smartest things I have heard about love.
Now, I have never personally been attracted to any girl. But when I think about it, I don’t know if it’s just because I have grown up in a society that does not generally condone such thinking. We are never given that option, never allowed to consider other sources for love. And if you don’t believe in God, or at least don’t think he’ll smite two outties for getting together, then whose to say that love can’t be found in places you have never considered before.
This idea probably won’t change the people I am attracted to, I’m far too set in my ways to give up Hugh Laurie and Collin Ferrell. But it is interesting isn’t?
So when I was in government coach white talked to us about being politically correct. I have always tried to be correct in the things I say, I don’t want to offend anyone. But he read us off some terms that showed me how ridiculous things are getting. Par example, you can’t say house wife anymore, it’s domestic engineer. And those creeper old guys who hit on teenagers are now referred to as sexually focused chronologically gifted individuals. Handicap people are now known as differently abled, handi-capable. Really?
I know this guy who is of American Indian descent, 1/4 of him to be accurate. Even whisper the words Native American and he flips shit. Why? Good question. My guess would be racism. The discriminatory actions of the past and not so past are ruining conversation for everyone, Every word now is plagued with a negative connotation. If you say black, then you must be hatin’ on me, or if you say gay then you’re a homophobe.
Now I can see where people draw conclusions such as these. The word retard being my prime example. This word is now being used by our society in place of the previously popular stupid. I know I have used it, and every time I do I feel a bit guilty. Being mentally-ill or homosexual for that matter is not a bad thing, but when you use these words as an insult, that’s what they become.
And is this not so confusing to have multiple meanings for all of these words. You're always on edge, checking to make sure what you say will be okay. Just then when I typed mentally ill I had retarded in place. I don't mean it an in offensive way at all, but I changed it because I fear that someone will take it the wrong way.
But are we not taking this too far? I am a firm believer that words only have power if you let them, and the only person that is capable of giving them that power is you. We have all fell victim to an unsatisfactory comment from another. But this is a case where the immaturity of our childhood should come into play:
I am rubber and you are glue.
Whatever you say bouncers off of me and sticks to you.
Enough said.
Peace.
So Hannah and I were working on our report in U.S. and she for some reason wanted to check out the game thing on KCRG’s website. The games are real stupid, but go to that site and click on the boss button. It’s pretty classy. peace.
So I came across this and thought it very humorous. Kill whitey? Ignorance is so comical. You might want to consider the fact that race and crime are not always linked, but hey, that's just me. On the other hand, I'm probably going to snap and commit a violent crime fairly shortly. I can't help it though ya know, I'm black. Be afraid white man, oh be very afraid.
I feel like its been forever since I put the fingers to the keyboard. It seems I start writing then remember I really should be working on my homework and such and since this is no longer an assignment I can’t justify the time spent on this blog. Even now, I probably should be attempting to write my essay. But fuck it, I feel like blogging.
So I have been working on my essay for A.P. lame, and like all the other essays we have done this year, I at first struggled with a topic. I don’t just want to blindly pick a topic, I want to feel a strong connection between the things I chose to write. I was talking to Ayers though, trying to come up with an idea and we were looking through my blog to find ideas. As many of you know, I am black, and those of you who have read my blog know that I have brought this fact up once or twice before. It wasn’t until Ayers suggested it that I really thought I could write something good on this topic.
I started writing it on Saturday and was amazed at what came out. I have never really thought about what it means to me to be black, and this essay really showed some inner thoughts. I know it’s going to sound kind of dumb, but I got so into it that at one point my eyes started watering a bit. It was just an idea that I found really powerful and was surprised to uncover.
I have never been labeled as black, based on personality that it. Countless times I have had people call me the whitest black person they know. It doesn’t really bother me though, because I know they are only saying that based on stereotypical ideas of both races, but a lot of people are under the notion that because I don’t dress a certain way or speak in a certain tone, I am not connected with my roots. This is absurd though because I have had to live my life being labeled as the black one. I know where I’m from and I know what I am, at least in terms of heritage.
I must say that before this essay though, I most likely wouldn’t of been so sure of my ethnicity. I have never really considered myself black either, but my paper reassures me that I know what’s up. I don’t know I just got this feeling to post about this, I was just really excited. Anyway, hopefully I’ll be back to my regular postings soon.
