(no subject)
I am finally nearing the end of Dreams From My Father! (Yes, I am very behind.) Just a mere 50 more pages to go and I can cross one more book off my list. (Though I think a second read is inevitable in the near future.) Obama may have weak policies that's inadequate to turn this country around, but damn...What a man. What a mind!
"What is a family? Is it just a genetic chain, parents and offspring, people like me? Or is it a social construct, an economical unit, optimal for child rearing and divisions of labor? Or is it something else entirely: a store of shared memories, say? An ambit of love? A reach across the void?" [327]
Deep shit, deep shit.
On an entirely different note, this thought struck me as I was reading comfortably in my bed during this favorable drizzly Sunday afternoon. I realized that out of all the things that can be condemned of human nature, the one singular condition that gets me the most is being ignorant. I cannot stand ignorance. Every time I'm confronted by the slightest hint of ignorance I get a deep itch of frustration.
An obvious example is the homosexuality debate. I hate how ignorance is imbued on both sides...which means that if no one is going to be the "better man," we're never going to get anywhere except being foolish haters. Another is the hasty use of "retarded" in our vernacular language. It's a thoughtless way of indirectly imposing that others are inferior to you. And one that gets me the most-especially during my two years of being in New York-is the attitude some people harbor towards neighborhoods that aren't highlighted by mass media.
As much as I hated the cat calls, there are some things I miss about living in Harlem. I remember sometimes when I came up around the stairs, I would bump into an old woman who would be wearing a shower cap and a long night gown, her two feet shuffling in house slippers to take out the trash. When she saw me, she would always ask, "How are you, darling?" When I walk home, I usually go about my way as quickly and cautiously as possible. But while my face is wearing a don't-fuck-with-me look, I observe little things that secretly make me smile inside. People would stop on the street and talk to each other. So simple, yet rare to come by. Once, I've seen two men-who could easily be stereotyped as thugs-stop and embrace each other enthusiastically, "Hey, brotha!"
I feel like there's a difference between ignorance and apathy. Apathy doesn't bother me as much (for some reason) because I think apathy implies that we just don't have an interest in the matter (such as, I'm apathetic about business policies), which, in most cases is relatively harmless...We can't be passionate about everything in life. If we were, I think the world would explode. Ignorance, on the other hand, implies to me that due to a lack and apathy of knowledge, people remain attached to their own views and judgments. This condition, in the long and short run, is much more detrimental. Ignorance hinders growth. And I just refuse to live my life without growing.
This entry isn't meant to pin everyone out there as ignorant while I am this sagacious being. No-I am very much ignorant in my own ways. I mean, just yesterday, I made the casual remark of how "USC's ghetto." (In terms of neighborhood...but then again, how would I know?) Though in a way, it is what challenges me. It pokes at my curiosity no matter how much my validity is threatened.
Also what's important to note, some people cannot help but be ignorant. Some people are confined to tight limitations and lack the opportunity to seek otherwise. This is unfortunate...but forgivable. However, for those who are blessed and have the privilege, ignorance is especially irritating! But, ok, each to his own.
"What is a family? Is it just a genetic chain, parents and offspring, people like me? Or is it a social construct, an economical unit, optimal for child rearing and divisions of labor? Or is it something else entirely: a store of shared memories, say? An ambit of love? A reach across the void?" [327]
Deep shit, deep shit.
On an entirely different note, this thought struck me as I was reading comfortably in my bed during this favorable drizzly Sunday afternoon. I realized that out of all the things that can be condemned of human nature, the one singular condition that gets me the most is being ignorant. I cannot stand ignorance. Every time I'm confronted by the slightest hint of ignorance I get a deep itch of frustration.
An obvious example is the homosexuality debate. I hate how ignorance is imbued on both sides...which means that if no one is going to be the "better man," we're never going to get anywhere except being foolish haters. Another is the hasty use of "retarded" in our vernacular language. It's a thoughtless way of indirectly imposing that others are inferior to you. And one that gets me the most-especially during my two years of being in New York-is the attitude some people harbor towards neighborhoods that aren't highlighted by mass media.
As much as I hated the cat calls, there are some things I miss about living in Harlem. I remember sometimes when I came up around the stairs, I would bump into an old woman who would be wearing a shower cap and a long night gown, her two feet shuffling in house slippers to take out the trash. When she saw me, she would always ask, "How are you, darling?" When I walk home, I usually go about my way as quickly and cautiously as possible. But while my face is wearing a don't-fuck-with-me look, I observe little things that secretly make me smile inside. People would stop on the street and talk to each other. So simple, yet rare to come by. Once, I've seen two men-who could easily be stereotyped as thugs-stop and embrace each other enthusiastically, "Hey, brotha!"
I feel like there's a difference between ignorance and apathy. Apathy doesn't bother me as much (for some reason) because I think apathy implies that we just don't have an interest in the matter (such as, I'm apathetic about business policies), which, in most cases is relatively harmless...We can't be passionate about everything in life. If we were, I think the world would explode. Ignorance, on the other hand, implies to me that due to a lack and apathy of knowledge, people remain attached to their own views and judgments. This condition, in the long and short run, is much more detrimental. Ignorance hinders growth. And I just refuse to live my life without growing.
This entry isn't meant to pin everyone out there as ignorant while I am this sagacious being. No-I am very much ignorant in my own ways. I mean, just yesterday, I made the casual remark of how "USC's ghetto." (In terms of neighborhood...but then again, how would I know?) Though in a way, it is what challenges me. It pokes at my curiosity no matter how much my validity is threatened.
Also what's important to note, some people cannot help but be ignorant. Some people are confined to tight limitations and lack the opportunity to seek otherwise. This is unfortunate...but forgivable. However, for those who are blessed and have the privilege, ignorance is especially irritating! But, ok, each to his own.