Everybody knows the history of race relations in America. First came slavery, then jim crow and the KKK, finally the civil rights movement brought our country out of its hatred and hypocrisy and into the modern era. However the transition from racism to equality was not a smooth or particularly quick one. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 effectively made it illegal to discriminate against anyone based on their race, religion, or ethnic background. However implementation of this decision through school desegregation and the creation of fair employment and housing practices was still a long way off. However these are the issues that everyone always focuses on. What about the rest of the story?
Interestingly enough, it wasn't until 1967 in the landmark supreme court case Loving v. Virgina that it was officially unconstitutional to have laws banning interracial marriage. Racist attitudes about mixed couples continued throughout the 70's and 80's. It wasn't until arguably the 1990's that interracial marriages were looked upon favorably by a majority of Americans, as in able to be made legal through a popular vote and not a court ruling. Remember that because it is important. Although public opinion of interracial marriages has continued to improve, there are still those in 2009 who frown upon such unions.
Enter political correctness. About the time that the civil rights movement started, the term African American became popular. It certainly is much better than "darkie", "boy" or "nigga". But equality was still a long way off. After the civil rights act it was illegal to discriminate based upon race. It would soon become socially taboo and politically incorrect to refer to a person of color as a nigga, (something I wish continued to this day among members of the Black community). But if I were alive back then, would it have made much difference? Say I wanted to marry a white woman after the 1964 non-discrimination laws were passed. I would still have to wait three years depending on what state we lived in because there were still laws on the books actually telling me who I was and was not allowed to marry. Sounds ridiculous right? Keep that in mind too, it's also important.
Realistically speaking her family probably wouldn't have been too thrilled at the idea. Mine probably would have either, not like I would have cared one iota what other people think. What might my new father-in-law have said to me on our wedding night? "Well your not a nigga... but I still don't think you're good enough for my daughter." Ouch, I think I'd rather you just cut the act and call me a nigga anyway. Its obvious you want to if you are still making all the same judgments and holding all the same racist worldviews that lead you to look upon me negatively in the first place. So what good is political correctness in the face of obvious disdain and hatred? In this scenario, does being politically correct about telling me who you think I'm good enough for based upon erroneous and false stereotypes and prejudiced and archaic world views actually make your position ok? Am I supposed to leave that confrontation with warm fuzzies because I'm not a nigga, I'm just another lazy black guy who isn't good enough for your white daughter?
Fast forward to 2009 and suddenly everything is different. I am on a wonderful campus surrounded by beautiful women everywhere. I can choose freely who I associate with and who I date, without fear of violence or social disapproval and reprisal. Which is a good thing, seeing as how the campus I'm on is over 50% women and 80% White. Now I'm not the best at math but I think those numbers mean that the vast majority of women that I interact with on campus won't look like I do. I'm fine with that. Most other people are fine with that. Thank God we have come a long way since 1967. So basically I'm cool and don't have a care in the world. What a selfish view to have! Any inequality anywhere is an injustice to all. So this brings up the question, "what about the gays?"
Yesterday had the potential to be a landmark election in American history. No Barack Obama is not up for reelection already, it was something much deeper than just one man or one political office up for grabs. The state of Maine was voting on whether or not to uphold a law that was passed earlier in the year that gave gay couples the right to marry. Things looked promising at first. Early returns from the heavily Democratic cities and towns showed that the law was going to be upheld. Then the results from the Republican leaning areas of the state came in and it was all over. In a 53% to 47% vote, Maine rejected the idea of equality for all of its citizens, following in the footsteps of every other public vote and referendum on gay marriage that this country has ever had.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1934432,00.html?iid=tsmodule
Recall what I told you to remember. It wasn't until the late 1990's that interracial marriage was popular enough to win a popular vote in an election. That election never happened because of Loving v Virginia. It looks like gay marriage might not be so lucky. Again consider political correctness and the wonderful lip service it gives to minorities in this country. Recently several prominent figures, politicians, entertainers, and athletes, have gotten in serious trouble for making comments that are insensitive to gay people. Most recently a NFL player was suspended and fined after he insulted his coach by calling him a fag after a particularly upsetting loss. Its wonderful that it is socially unacceptable to use words that are offensive to gays and lesbians, as it should be. But going back to the nigga example, what does it really matter if there is no true equality?
Opponents of gay marriage in Maine used the same tired line that won in California, "we're doing it for the children". They insisted that is the law was upheld that gay marriage would be taught in schools, which is false. And even if it was, what harm could that do. Republicans act like being gay is a disease like the h1n1. They see homosexuality as contagious, like being around a gay person will somehow turn the rest of us gay, also false. These hate and scare tactics are wrong. But they work. They worked for proposition 8 in California and they worked last night in what is arguably the most liberal state in the country. That is what probably hurts the most for gay rights activists. This was a golden opportunity for them to make great strides towards finally achieving equality. America once again showed it is not yet ready to live up to the lofty words in the Declaration of Independence that "all men are created equal" and that "everyone has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". Isn't the world lonely enough without restricting relationships between loving and consenting adults even further. I've been out on my own for a while now and I know that the world is a lonely place. The last thing I would tolerate is someone else telling me who and when and how I could get married. Quite frankly its none of their business!
American hypocrisy is astounding. Not only do we as a nation fail to live up to our own promises of freedom and equality, but politicians aren't helping matters either. The same "family values champions" are the same ones who illegally use tax-payer money to galavant down to Argentina to cheat on your wife with this other random woman. Oh and your two little boys are watching how you treat your wife and how humiliated she is in front of the whole country. Thats a great way to protect the sanctity of marriage Mark Sanford, former governor of South Carolina. Or how about Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards? His wife has cancer and is fighting for her life running in and out of hospitals to get chemotherapy while trying to be there for her husband and his political career. How does he repay her? Does he stay loyal and faithful to her like any man with even the slightest hint of integrity would? Nope. He cheats on his dying wife with a younger woman and then tries to make up for it by apologizing to the American public. I'm not the one he should be apologizing to, he should apologize to God and his wife. Those are the people he hurt and let down, not me.
This whole argument that legalizing gay marriage somehow weakens or cheapens the institution is bogus. America's divorce rate is through the ceiling as it is and Gay marriage is not legal. Maybe if people spent more time worrying about their own marriages and not what gay couples were doing then being a divorce lawyer wouldn't be such a lucrative business option. As a future lawyer I have already decided that I will never practice divorce law. I want no part in destroying what people swore before God and man was an eternal bond. I know the pain that comes from broken families. I won't help other people perpetuate the pain that I went through. As for the institution of marriage, its all a matter of personal choice. I'm a straight Black man that can support gay marriage with a clear conscience and still believe in the role of the traditional family. I want to be with one woman and one woman only, for life. Me supporting equality for all people in know way changes my view that marriage is a wonderful gift that should be protected and cherished for as long as both shall live. Until I meet the right woman for me I'll keep searching. But I won't settle for anything less than the one. Just like America shouldn't settle for anything less than total and complete equality.
I am sure that the vote last night in Maine was only the beginning. The fight will continue until full rights are one for gay couples. Until that day comes don't give lip service with all of this political correct bull. Remember, even if you don't call me a nigga but you still look at me and treat me like I'm one, then we really have made no progress at all.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Better off not being a woman.
Apparently I was very sheltered as a kid. I truly believed that we lived in a world where good was the overwhelmingly normal outcome and that evil was an outlier of human behavior. Maybe all of those Disney movies where good always triumphs over evil went to my head. Or maybe it is just in my nature to always try and see the positive in any situation, no matter how messed up things may be. I'm not turning into a cynic, not yet anyways, but when I come across news stories like this one, it's hard to swallow, impossible to rationalize, too horrible to comprehend.
Domestic violence has always been one of my few unforgivable sins. Whether it's the hopeless romantic in me that just can't fathom acts of violence against women or the fact that several people close to me that I love deeply have been the victims of men who talk with their fists and not their mouths, it has always been an issue that struck me at my core. Seeing the personal side from the eyes of the victim is truly heart-wrenching. Seeing from the eyes of politics or cowardly bystanders is maddening. But that is exactly what happened in these two news stories.
The first article is about the changing role of women in Saudi Arabia. Thankfully the majority of the article is positive. It details the progress that Saudi Arabia has made in incorporating women into the workplace. Much of this progress is thanks to the ruler of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah, and his decision to replace conservative Islamic hardliners with clerics who will emphasize the tolerance of Islam, something that radicals like the Taliban in other countries conveniently choose to ignore. Women are finally attending univeristies and gaining employment as educated professionals, working alongside men in important fields like government, law and medicine.
Many Saudi men are unused to these changes. Saudi culture is still very misogynistic despite all of the wonderful gains they have made towards equality in the last couple of years. It is still against the law for women to drive cars, or to even leave the house without the permission of a male member of the family. Those that do could face harsh punishment. King Abdullah appointed his daughter, Princess Adelah, to spearhead the effort against domestic violence. They succeeded in passing legislation that made it illegal for husbands to beat their children and wives. My question is, what kind of society needs to have these kinds of laws passed in the 21st century? The royal family actually sponsored PR campaigns encouraging husbands to "satisfy their wives emotionally and to protect their marriage". Isn't that common sense? I honestly didn't think that people had to be told to cherish the one that they pledge to spend the rest of their life with. But this is a culture that for the longest time has had absolutely archaic views towards women, placing them on the level of human property if not worse. It was normal for Saudi husbands to beat their wives for any kind of offence, real or imaginary. Even something as simple as spending too much money at the market could lead to a socially sanctioned one sided boxing match. The American equivalent would be Jimmy giving his wife Karen a black eye because she just couldn't say no to the 30% off sale at Kohls. Up until recently no one would have batted an eye had such events transpired in the Kingdom. Fortunately all of that is changing and domestic violence is becoming socially unacceptable, like it should have been all along. Women in Saudi Arabia have a long way to go, but it is promising that the country is taking steps in the right direction.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20091010/wl_time/09171192915200
Before we as Americans get on our high moral horse and proclaim that inequality and abuse are problems in other cultures but not our own, we should take a look at another story from California. Very rarely do I find myself at a loss for words, but this time I really didn't know what to say. All I know is that before I read the news article I was having a good day, afterwards, I was sad, angry, and questioning the very nature of humanity itself. We all remember high school. For some it was good, for some it was bad. But the bad very rarely get this bad. Like nearly everyone else in America I went to homecoming and prom. My worst fears were embarassing myself in front of my date on the dance floor or spilling something on myself at dinner. I'm notorius among my friends for being clumsy. For my parents, their worst fear was that I would miss curfew and be too tired for church the next mroning, (or maybe that us kids might sneak off to a party or somewhere else for some extra fun, they never really told me). But no teenager or parent would expect what happened recently at California's Richmond High School.
Saturday night, while a homecoming dance was taking place at the school, a fifteen year old girl was gang raped and beaten by as many as ten guys. For over two hours she was molested in the school courtyard, while police officers and school faculty were watching over the rest of the students at the dance that was taking place in the school gym.
Details are fuzzy as to how the incident started. Thankfully the girl is now out of the hospital and is at home making a full recovery. Or at least as much of a recovery as is possible from such a traumatic event. This raises three questions, the first two of which are obvious, how did this happen and what steps were taken to prevent it? Apparently the student was for some reason separated from the rest and attacked by this group of guys, who range in age from 16 on up. So far only 6 of the suspected ten have been arrested. I can only hope that the rest are caught as well and sentenced to the maximum prison sentence that the law allows for that crime. As far as preventive measures, the school knew that only 7 of their 16 security cameras actually worked. They had lobbied for years to get additional lighting, cameras and security fences. Some of this equipment was supposed to have been installed over last summer. It was not, and now an innocent girl has paid the price for the district's cost cutting measures.
Obviously there is something wrong and evil about the men who attacked her. There is no question there. I hope they get everything they deserve and more for such a heinous and cowardly crime. But the saddest part of this ordeal hasn't even been mentioned yet. Not only was the girl attacked by the gang, but there were several bystanders who watched the attack. They made no move to help or intervene in any way. No 911 calls were reported for this incident. She was found naked from the waist down and barely conscious sometime the next day. The police estimate that as many as 20 unknown people stood by while this girl fought for her life against a bunch of thugs and criminals. How do they know there were bystanders? Because these perverts took pictures of the rape with their cell phone cameras. Nice to know that we as Americans don't call for help when someone is in trouble, we sit by and watch and use technology to document the event for future recollection. There really isn't much left to say. Everything is just as bad as it sounds, no exaggerations or emotional pitches needed. Whoever watched this brutal attack and did nothing to stop it are just as guilty as the thugs who actively participated. My heart and prayers go out to the girl and her family.
http://www.usatoday.com/NEWS/usaedition/2009-11-03-column03_ST1_U.htm?csp=34
All of this leaves me thinking that this world is messed up beyond repair. If we live in a place where such atrocities are possible then what else is left to say? My sister turns eleven in less than a week. As she matures into a young woman is this the kind of thing I have to worry about happening to her. After all the girl at that homecoming dance was only four years older than her. Still a child, yet these guys, (I refuse to call such cowards men) used her for their own sick pleasures and fantasies. What if it had been their daughter or signifigant other that was attacked? Would they even care? Apprently not if they are willing to treat someone else's loved one so cruelly. I know if I had gotten the phone call and she was related to me then someone would have hell to pay. At what point is enough truly enough? What does one do when the world seems to have lost its mind and there is nothing you can do about it accept read about it and slowly become more and more depressed and angry? I know one thing is for sure, it is time for all the real men to stand up and put a stop to this nonsense. Until that happens, you're probably better off not being a woman.
Domestic violence has always been one of my few unforgivable sins. Whether it's the hopeless romantic in me that just can't fathom acts of violence against women or the fact that several people close to me that I love deeply have been the victims of men who talk with their fists and not their mouths, it has always been an issue that struck me at my core. Seeing the personal side from the eyes of the victim is truly heart-wrenching. Seeing from the eyes of politics or cowardly bystanders is maddening. But that is exactly what happened in these two news stories.
The first article is about the changing role of women in Saudi Arabia. Thankfully the majority of the article is positive. It details the progress that Saudi Arabia has made in incorporating women into the workplace. Much of this progress is thanks to the ruler of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah, and his decision to replace conservative Islamic hardliners with clerics who will emphasize the tolerance of Islam, something that radicals like the Taliban in other countries conveniently choose to ignore. Women are finally attending univeristies and gaining employment as educated professionals, working alongside men in important fields like government, law and medicine.
Many Saudi men are unused to these changes. Saudi culture is still very misogynistic despite all of the wonderful gains they have made towards equality in the last couple of years. It is still against the law for women to drive cars, or to even leave the house without the permission of a male member of the family. Those that do could face harsh punishment. King Abdullah appointed his daughter, Princess Adelah, to spearhead the effort against domestic violence. They succeeded in passing legislation that made it illegal for husbands to beat their children and wives. My question is, what kind of society needs to have these kinds of laws passed in the 21st century? The royal family actually sponsored PR campaigns encouraging husbands to "satisfy their wives emotionally and to protect their marriage". Isn't that common sense? I honestly didn't think that people had to be told to cherish the one that they pledge to spend the rest of their life with. But this is a culture that for the longest time has had absolutely archaic views towards women, placing them on the level of human property if not worse. It was normal for Saudi husbands to beat their wives for any kind of offence, real or imaginary. Even something as simple as spending too much money at the market could lead to a socially sanctioned one sided boxing match. The American equivalent would be Jimmy giving his wife Karen a black eye because she just couldn't say no to the 30% off sale at Kohls. Up until recently no one would have batted an eye had such events transpired in the Kingdom. Fortunately all of that is changing and domestic violence is becoming socially unacceptable, like it should have been all along. Women in Saudi Arabia have a long way to go, but it is promising that the country is taking steps in the right direction.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20091010/wl_time/09171192915200
Before we as Americans get on our high moral horse and proclaim that inequality and abuse are problems in other cultures but not our own, we should take a look at another story from California. Very rarely do I find myself at a loss for words, but this time I really didn't know what to say. All I know is that before I read the news article I was having a good day, afterwards, I was sad, angry, and questioning the very nature of humanity itself. We all remember high school. For some it was good, for some it was bad. But the bad very rarely get this bad. Like nearly everyone else in America I went to homecoming and prom. My worst fears were embarassing myself in front of my date on the dance floor or spilling something on myself at dinner. I'm notorius among my friends for being clumsy. For my parents, their worst fear was that I would miss curfew and be too tired for church the next mroning, (or maybe that us kids might sneak off to a party or somewhere else for some extra fun, they never really told me). But no teenager or parent would expect what happened recently at California's Richmond High School.
Saturday night, while a homecoming dance was taking place at the school, a fifteen year old girl was gang raped and beaten by as many as ten guys. For over two hours she was molested in the school courtyard, while police officers and school faculty were watching over the rest of the students at the dance that was taking place in the school gym.
Details are fuzzy as to how the incident started. Thankfully the girl is now out of the hospital and is at home making a full recovery. Or at least as much of a recovery as is possible from such a traumatic event. This raises three questions, the first two of which are obvious, how did this happen and what steps were taken to prevent it? Apparently the student was for some reason separated from the rest and attacked by this group of guys, who range in age from 16 on up. So far only 6 of the suspected ten have been arrested. I can only hope that the rest are caught as well and sentenced to the maximum prison sentence that the law allows for that crime. As far as preventive measures, the school knew that only 7 of their 16 security cameras actually worked. They had lobbied for years to get additional lighting, cameras and security fences. Some of this equipment was supposed to have been installed over last summer. It was not, and now an innocent girl has paid the price for the district's cost cutting measures.
Obviously there is something wrong and evil about the men who attacked her. There is no question there. I hope they get everything they deserve and more for such a heinous and cowardly crime. But the saddest part of this ordeal hasn't even been mentioned yet. Not only was the girl attacked by the gang, but there were several bystanders who watched the attack. They made no move to help or intervene in any way. No 911 calls were reported for this incident. She was found naked from the waist down and barely conscious sometime the next day. The police estimate that as many as 20 unknown people stood by while this girl fought for her life against a bunch of thugs and criminals. How do they know there were bystanders? Because these perverts took pictures of the rape with their cell phone cameras. Nice to know that we as Americans don't call for help when someone is in trouble, we sit by and watch and use technology to document the event for future recollection. There really isn't much left to say. Everything is just as bad as it sounds, no exaggerations or emotional pitches needed. Whoever watched this brutal attack and did nothing to stop it are just as guilty as the thugs who actively participated. My heart and prayers go out to the girl and her family.
http://www.usatoday.com/NEWS/usaedition/2009-11-03-column03_ST1_U.htm?csp=34
All of this leaves me thinking that this world is messed up beyond repair. If we live in a place where such atrocities are possible then what else is left to say? My sister turns eleven in less than a week. As she matures into a young woman is this the kind of thing I have to worry about happening to her. After all the girl at that homecoming dance was only four years older than her. Still a child, yet these guys, (I refuse to call such cowards men) used her for their own sick pleasures and fantasies. What if it had been their daughter or signifigant other that was attacked? Would they even care? Apprently not if they are willing to treat someone else's loved one so cruelly. I know if I had gotten the phone call and she was related to me then someone would have hell to pay. At what point is enough truly enough? What does one do when the world seems to have lost its mind and there is nothing you can do about it accept read about it and slowly become more and more depressed and angry? I know one thing is for sure, it is time for all the real men to stand up and put a stop to this nonsense. Until that happens, you're probably better off not being a woman.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
