Before I update about how great the last few days have been, I'm gonna rant. I just read the last page of this week's
Rolling Out of which D-Roc and Kaine are on the cover. Interestingly, my mood picture is exactly what I'm actually doing. In the TruthBeTold article called 'Free Radical' by a guy named Big Rube: "Every one knows that July 4 is Independence Day and that is supposed to commemorate our independence from England. There have been many great things said about this day and about this country, but if you read my column regularly," [I've never read it before]"you know that I usually state the fact that black Americans didn't gain their independence as the same time as whites." [Unfortunately, yes.] "You've got to think that if it was self-evident that all men were created equal, then the forefathers were either idiots or gigantic hypocrites. I bet the latter." [Okay, I'll give that to you.] "Ask the Native Americans, the Chinese, and the Mexicans if they believe that whites really believe that bull, and I'll bet that they'll tell you in their respective languages a resounding, "h*ll no." [?!?!] I'm not sure that anyone in this world is truly independent, including Americans, because it's not in our nature to be independent." [Agreed.] Humans are social animals that yearn to have structure and instruction, as well as the company of others. Every industry, luxury, or what we consider as necessities are dependent upon something else. This impolied dependence on one another. Interdependency may mean it is impossible to be completely 100 percent free in any capacity." [Agreed, agreed, agreed].
"Physically, you can't truly be free because the government can inhibit your travel, and what you do to or take into your own body. Mentally it is not truly possible to be free because your freedom of choice is limited by the number of choices available, and prejudiced by whatever you have been taught your life and how you have perceived, processed, and interpreted that information. Spiritually, you aren't free because you are constantly being bombarded by other people's spiritual message, which inhibits discovery of your own spiritual identity. The fact is that we think of freedom as something that we can grab and sit on the mantle, but it is as elusive as the wind, and just as visible. Maybe we should realize that everything in this universe or even this world is not bent to our epectations or conceptions," [This article is obviously a great example of that for me.] "and that life is not about liberation," [DISAGREE] "but struggle and sacrifice." [Why the struggle and the sacrifice if nothing is to come of it?] "Everyone seems to experience struggle, yet no one experiences true freedom, until they die. The only true freedom is not in this life, dimension or plane, but in the next. I think that loosing the energy and spirit fromt he body into the universe is the only way to be totally free, and not bound by anything that we can fathom at this point in time and space, but of course my mind isn't truly free, therefore, I could be wrong.
TRUTH BE TOLD
Multiple choice is not freedom of choice.
The very nature of an ordered society goes against the idea of even being almost free, because to be truly free on a physical level would mean chaos. Fin
goes on to say that we're not really free, "multiple choice is not a freedom of choice. The very nature of an ordered society goes against the ideas of even being almost free, because to be truly free on a physical level would mean chaos." I agree with all of that. However, what really irritated me was the part about "whites really [believing] that bull (about all men being created equal)." For starters, that doesn't really seem relevant to the rest of the article. Secondly, that doesn't really seem to agree with the mission statement of a magazine who says, "rolling out is not just African American, we are urban-from the great swell of the Latino expression to the cool urban white perspective-and working to live harmoniously in a place where humanity is the main execution. Our mission is to uplift." Obviously, the writer doesn't seem to think that whites are too 'cool'. I'm not disagreeing with thinking that many white people are racist, sexist, etcetera. And I'm certainly not saying that Native Americans, the Chinese, and the Mexicans and many other races haven't been given reasons by whites to believe that way in the past, because it is most assuredly not true. However, to classify all white people in the present as not believing that all people are equal is wrong. It's not true (I'm living proof, as you know if you've ever spent any sort of time with me), and statements like that only seem to increase against-whites racism, something that's already pretty abundant in Atlanta. I'm not seeing how that's "working to live harmoniously in a place where humanity is the main execution." I'm all for that. In fact, out of everything, that's really what I stand up for the most and believe in. You really don't know how much that means to me, working towards equality. Furthmore, who is that article really uplifting? Obviously not whites, not even the ones who've never been racist, have always fought for equality, and have fought against racism their whole lives. It's certainly not recognizing that times have changed and in fact, a lot of whites (dare I say the majority?) have changed. Unless you know me, you probably don't understand why I'm so heated about this. And no, it's not because I'm a "wigger" or think I'm black, either. That's not me. I've just always felt so strongly against racism and people that have thought they were better than others because of race, social status, sexual orientation, etcetera that I have gone so far to disown friends and members of my own family that are racist or whatnot. You really do not understand . . . That's just one thing I don't ever let slide. And I don't care who you are, but if you make racist comments in front or around me, I will embarass you, please believe it. I don't put up with that whatsoever.
On that note, let me explain that I've been the target of anti-white racism. It's irritating to me mostly because I'm so pro-equality, and so when someone, espcially someone African-American is straight up rude to me because they assume I'm racist or just because I'm a white female, it really hurts me. It's also really discouraging to me to think that no matter what I do, I'm just going to lumped into a group with the rest of the white folks, even/especially the ones that are really racist. It surprised me to be treated like that, since I work and live in a historically black part of a city that has the largest amount of African Americans in America. I don't know why, I just thought that all African Americans would be eager for equality. That's one of the main reasons I was so excited to move to Atlanta - I thought I wouldn't have to deal with racism anymore. Over time, I've just learned to understand that all racist people, not just the white ones, are ignorant, and to move on and let it go. However, to read in a local lifestyle publication a comment that seems to not just acknowledge, but to encourage anti-white racism really heats me up. It seems to say, "They're doing it, so why can't we?" First of all, we're not all doing it. Secondly, I would think that even if all white people were racist (which they're not!), it would be wiser and more positive and uplifting to say, "Even if they are doing that, we're not going to stoop to that level. Instead, we're going to accept that they are ignorant, give them some knowledge, and set a positive example for them to learn from. We're going to prove to them that even if they don't think all men are created equal, we do, and that's a value we live by." It seems to me now that at least one part of society is going forward, another part is going backward. It's not a positive re-enforcer for whites who have learned from their race's past and are trying to correct things. It seems that at this rate, racial equality will never be fully realized, and that makes me sad. Let's try to work together, not against each other!
I'll update later about all the great things I had to say before I read that. Now I'm going to bed because I have to get up early to work. Peace! (No, really.)