Way to kick Martin Luther King Day in the balls, Grandma
This is basically a rant against people who think they're not racist, but in such subtle ways they don't recognize it. Especially around my kids, who thankfully are grown enough to give people who are racist a big eye roll, even if it's their grandmother.
Yes, sadly, my husband's mother is a racist, and she was raised in the South around racist attitudes when young...she tries, but occasionally says something that makes me want to punch her back to the antebellum age where she'd no doubt be happier.
She used to be terribly homophobic too until her son came out to her and she decided not to be, although she still makes a comment about it that makes us all cringe occasionally...she is a product of a certain age and time when all men were supposed to be MANLY with a capital M and extremely HETEROSEXUAL and can't seem to get past it.
I don't write that to excuse it, it's inexcusable...plenty of other people her age have dropped some of the more subtle deeply ingrained racist attitudes.
She's simply not interested, it's easier to believe she's nicer than that, in spite of saying totally stupid things like this that betray the fact that she's still clinging to childhood indoctrination.
But, I got to hear this this morning as we watched the news..."We'll I don't know why THEY are always bitching, THEY got a holiday too."
Yes, it's always THEM and US in the minds of some people. That is the very mindset that creates racism, sexism, homophobia, nationalism, jingoism...you name it, this "they ain't us" attitude creates it.
I have a personal rule about telling off people in their own house, so my tongue is well-bitten, naturally, but speaking for myself, Martin Luther King did what he did for all of us. He did what he did because it was necessary for us to move forward, ALL of us, as a nation. We could no longer exist divided by race.
We can't exist divided by sexual, social and class discrimination either and as we recently all too tragically learned, political frustration, hate and acrimony.
Of course it was that nutball's fault he did what he did, no sane person shoots into a crowd. But, we've become the nutrient dish of negative emotions, division that grows that kind of confusion and hate. Our divisiveness is feeding it, giving it strength.
As long as it's "them" and "us" we're going to see this sort of thing; we can't forget how easily we've been broken apart on an issue or politics or attitudes in the past. I hate to think that all those ideals about unity and brotherhood Martin Luther King had were just talk. Those must be some scary words to some, they're willing to kill you to shut you up.
I started thinking how far we've come in some ways since his death, and how little we've come in some other ways.
Because I've never thought of Martin Luther King Jr. as one of "THEM". He's one of me, I would only hope.
Yes, sadly, my husband's mother is a racist, and she was raised in the South around racist attitudes when young...she tries, but occasionally says something that makes me want to punch her back to the antebellum age where she'd no doubt be happier.
She used to be terribly homophobic too until her son came out to her and she decided not to be, although she still makes a comment about it that makes us all cringe occasionally...she is a product of a certain age and time when all men were supposed to be MANLY with a capital M and extremely HETEROSEXUAL and can't seem to get past it.
I don't write that to excuse it, it's inexcusable...plenty of other people her age have dropped some of the more subtle deeply ingrained racist attitudes.
She's simply not interested, it's easier to believe she's nicer than that, in spite of saying totally stupid things like this that betray the fact that she's still clinging to childhood indoctrination.
But, I got to hear this this morning as we watched the news..."We'll I don't know why THEY are always bitching, THEY got a holiday too."
Yes, it's always THEM and US in the minds of some people. That is the very mindset that creates racism, sexism, homophobia, nationalism, jingoism...you name it, this "they ain't us" attitude creates it.
I have a personal rule about telling off people in their own house, so my tongue is well-bitten, naturally, but speaking for myself, Martin Luther King did what he did for all of us. He did what he did because it was necessary for us to move forward, ALL of us, as a nation. We could no longer exist divided by race.
We can't exist divided by sexual, social and class discrimination either and as we recently all too tragically learned, political frustration, hate and acrimony.
Of course it was that nutball's fault he did what he did, no sane person shoots into a crowd. But, we've become the nutrient dish of negative emotions, division that grows that kind of confusion and hate. Our divisiveness is feeding it, giving it strength.
As long as it's "them" and "us" we're going to see this sort of thing; we can't forget how easily we've been broken apart on an issue or politics or attitudes in the past. I hate to think that all those ideals about unity and brotherhood Martin Luther King had were just talk. Those must be some scary words to some, they're willing to kill you to shut you up.
I started thinking how far we've come in some ways since his death, and how little we've come in some other ways.
Because I've never thought of Martin Luther King Jr. as one of "THEM". He's one of me, I would only hope.