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Dec 09, 2008 21:16

There's something sad about  not being with your family on your name day, especially when you're surrounded by white protestants who have no idea what a name day is, much less that today is yours, and who also think you're a heathen who believes in superstitions and like...vampires or something...I don't even know what that dude said about Orthodoxy in that modern drama class of mine. It was pretty hilarious and bigoted though. And involved vampires.

There is something kind of lonely about it being your name day though when you're away from family. I realized recently how nice it is to have the Orthodox Christian Fellowship on campus even if it is like...seven people. It's kind of nice to have people around who you share that cultural background with. Even if I'm not perhaps the most doctrinal Christian ever. Even if I probably question pretty basic tenants of Christianity down to my entire belief in God on a fairly regular basis. I still consider myself an Orthodox Christian. And nobody has any business telling me that I'm not because I don't believe in this or that. I don't believe its up to men to decide what defines Orthodox Christianity or any kind of Christianity. I'm tired of phrases like "Cafeteria Catholic." You don't get to decide what Christianity is and tell everyone else they're godless because they don't agree with you.

Also, it pisses me off when religious people make fun of other religions. Like....if you're going to make fun of Mormons, you should probably be willing to admit how stupid your own religion is when you really actually look at it. Becauseevery single religion has plenty of the ridiculous and the downright stupid about it.

At that interfaith dialogue thing I went to I felt some kind of kinship with the girl representing the Latter Day Saints Students Association. She felt like other Christian groups aren't really inclusive of her group. Even though OCF is a Christian group, we're still somewhat of a minority group in some ways. Which is hilarious since Orthodox Christianity is the second largest denomination of Christianity in the world. Like really...people should know what the hell Orthodoxy is. But in this country we're considered vaguely ethnic, and therefore backwards people who could not possibly understand our own religion. You know...kind of the same crap Catholics have gotten in this country throughout history. Only we're more scarily ethnic.

I am seriously tired of this notion that our country was somehow founded on the glorious ideals of being white and being Christian. Also I'm tired of people telling me I'm not Christian.

Anyway. Yeah. It's funny. I never knew that racism against Greeks existed when I was little. I thought and still think I'm pretty damned white, but every now and then I'm reminded by someone's surprising racism against Greece or Eastern Europe that I'm actually not quuuuiiiite white. I remember that moment when I was younger when I like.....realized that my father was actually kind of dark skinned (even though he's not really so much any more). And how surprised I was that the majority of my life I never realized that.

Speaking of things that have to do with my heritage, I really hope Greece doesn't implode on itself with these riots. Not that you'd hear much about that on the news. Like when all of Greece was on fire last summer...it's not important. Not at all.

Anyway, yeah...when I was younger I never thought I would encounter racism against Greeks. I thought that was just something from a bygone era when southern men in white linen suits said words like I-talian. But I'm surprised at the amount of it I've encountered from young and educated and supposedly liberal minded people. Wtf.

So...yeah. This post is probably overly angsty and I'm not saying there's some huge and rampant problem with racism against Greeks in this country. I'm just saying...I'm always surprised when I actually encounter it. Cause half the time society tells me I'm white and then they turn around and get all racist on me.
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