Tag: injustice

why not to call me a bigot

icaruswithwarmwingsLeave a comment

To whoever called me a bigot on instagram,

I understand where you are coming from, I must seem pretty awful to you. I am sorry you feel that way, I wish it wasn’t so. I wish I didn’t mess up too. But I really want to talk about your point because I feel like we can all benefit from thinking more deeply about what your words mean to people like me. So, I thought maybe I should propose a little thought experiment:

So, lets presume for a second that I am a bigot, that I am intolerant of other cultures, of races that arent white (although I am brown,) of gay people, of transgender folk, and of women. And I was trying to adjust my image so some college would admit me, would it be a good thing to reprimand me for trying to seem less intolerant? Presumably showing me that there is no way I can fit into a society that you live in. Maybe I would feel hurt and I would confide in communities which tell me that my bigotry is okay. Is that what you want?  Or, on the other hand, would it be better to tell me, a bigot, that I had improved and that I am a better person, to offer me acceptance and forgiveness, which would probably encourage me to continue on a path that would eventually lead me to abandon my bigoted views and instead embrace diversity and inclusion. 

Now, presume for just a moment that I am not, in fact, a bigot. That I am someone who genuinely has learned from my mistakes. I am someone who has been educated and now has an understanding of both sides of the story, I am someone who is trying to make a difference in this world, to teach other people that don’t understand the impacts of their actions the importance of forethought and understanding of other peoples. Would it be a good idea to tell this person that they are a bigot? Showing them that maybe despite their 180º that no one will ever accept them within a diverse community. Showing them that they are permanently canceled and they may never be able to rejoin your part of society. Maybe I would internalize this and come to the conclusion that no longer should I try in vain to be a good person and instead sink back into my past. Into the uneducation that led me to make my mistakes in the first place. Is this the impact you want to have with your post?

I think you intend to do good by calling me out. I really do. I think you are trying to do something to benefit communities which I hurt. To defend them in some way, by not letting me return to society easily.  But I think you need to think more deeply about the repercussions of your actions.

Luckily, I know I am not a bigot, I know that the pain I caused my peers at —— was a result of my uneducation, not of prejudice. I know I posted those things in satire. I know that the mistakes I made were not because of hatred but because of stupidity. And I also know that the people in my life who I respect and love are of the same opinion. So I won’t seep into the recesses of hatred and intolerance,  I will continue to do my best to make this world a better place. But that is luck. If I didn’t know any of that, your words could have done real harm. Real harm to communities that you think you are helping by calling me out. So, once again, in the best interest of the communities you think you are defending, don’t call me a bigot.

 I am not one. 

PC: wikimedia commons

P.S. 

I tried to frame this argument as objectively as I could, but I still feel like I need to address my feelings a little bit. You really hurt me by calling me a bigot. I feel like someone who has tried my best to not only try to learn from my mistakes but to actively try to make others not fall into the mistakes that I made. I know that the actions I have taken after ——— have done good in this world and in the communities that I am a part of. And for that to be met with your post and comment really hurts me, I know that is probably not worth much in your eyes but I still felt like my feelings needed to be acknowledged.

Respect My Existence, Expect My Resistance.

mypetlobster1Leave a comment

It’s so sad that we live in time where we have to march for facts.

 Our democracy, planet, and justice are being eroded away.

Why are women’s bodies more regulated than guns?

Women’s rights are human rights.

Why are we destroying the one and only place we have to live?

There is no planet B.

How come people are persecuted and judged by their beliefs, place of origin, and skin color?

We are all immigrants. 

Why do people who are black have to constantly fear being arrested even if they are innocent?

Black lives matter.

Why can’t people love who they want?

How come six in ten LGBT+ students report feeling unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation?

People can love who they want.

How come one out of six women are sexually assaulted in their lifetime? How come women are paid less than men?

Pay me more, touch me less.

It’s time to ditch Putin’s bitch and stand up for what’s right.

Our democracy, planet, and justice are being eroded away, and we must stop this. 

Photo credit: Zazzle.com

 

 

 

Is This Democracy?

mypetlobster1Leave a comment

In North Dakota, a voter ID law was passed that states: in order to vote one must have a street address. If the mail man does not deliver to your home, it is not considered an address. No street address=no vote.

In North Dakota, thirty-five percent of the population does not have an “acceptable” address. A large part of this thirty-five percent are the Native Americans who can trace their lineage to North Dakota dating back to the 1830’s.

Over sixty percent of the Native Americans live on reservations and use P.O. boxes to receive their mail.

Over sixty percent of the Native Americans in North Dakota are refused a right that they were born with: the right to be a part this so-called “democracy.”

In Florida, many polling places in the towns of minorities were locked and closed, despite the fact that they were supposed to be opened on voting days.

Piles of ballots were also left uncounted. In the 2000 presidential election, 179,855 ballots were “invalidated” and uncounted. 53% percent of these ballots came from black or Democratic voters.

In Alabama, a law was passed that, in order to vote, one must have a photo ID taken at the D.M.V. Alabama has closed 31 of 67 D.M.V. locations. Almost all of these of these 31 closings are in counties that are home to poor and black people.

There are 250,000 registered voters who are now unable to vote due to the ID law. The majority of these 250,000 are impoverished, African-Americans, or both.

Selma took place over fifty years ago, but it seems like some things in Alabama will never change.

These are few of the many injustices taking place in our country today. The list of minorities being targeted and denied the right to vote goes on and on…

Ask yourself: Is this democracy?

Photo from worldatlas.com

 

Don’t believe me or want to read more? Check the cold, hard facts:

https://www.aclu.org/blog/voting-rights/voting-rights-act/alabamas-dmv-shutdown-has-everything-do-race

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/07/black-voter-suppression-rights-america-trump

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/north-dakotas-native-americans-law-blocks-populations-vote/story?id=58912062

A comparison of two ages

frog3Leave a comment

frfrfrfrf

The Americas were discovered in 1492,a little over five hundred years ago, much has changed since then. Living in the United States and looking around it is hard to imagine that the journey to the Americas was once a voyage filled with hardship guaranteeing nothing but hardship and possible death. However the periods between 1492 and 1750 were one of the most explorative periods in human history. Humanity still has at least one more massive exploration opportunity ahead in the foreseeable future. That opportunity is the settling of Mars.

O Swell

frog3Leave a comment

fefe

O gee willikers mister. Today on the magic yellow dragon with wheels I had the privilege of traveling to lower. It was so nar. As I jumped in the clean pool the water greeted me with a warm embrace. It was swell. After mingling and speaking to my fellow OVS students I went on the greatest walk I’ve ever been on. A magic bear appeared before me, it said “ if you could have one wish would it be.” I simply replied “ I wish I wish I was a fish.” After that I wish came to true I turned into a great black fish whom was able to swim the seven seas.

HAHahA

frog3Leave a comment

dede

Do you like the outdoors and having fun on the weekend? Well that is just to %$^#& bad. Carl Cooper, Headmaster of Ojai Valley School Upper Campus, recently turned what had been a swell hike with myself and several friends into an irrational annoying ordeal. The story is simple as all tragic tales are.

Saturday, mid afternoon, we hiked technically off” campus by following the riverbed that begins at the Barn. The hike was fun a simple excursion filled with such wonders as cool soothing water and delicious mini waterfalls. Alas upon our return whom was waiting there? Mr. Cooper.

So he appeared quite angry, with me in particular, he had “caught” me returning from a hike before, this “crime” was the second such indiscretion. Mr. Cooper for the second time told me no one was allowed to hike upon that river bottom without express permission from the property owner. Now looking back that is simply not true.

Mr. Cooper’s anger with me (and the people I was with) stemmed from the fact that we did not ask him if we could go on the hike. He had once even said that I could take people on hikes as long as I asked him. The reason of not having permission from said property owners makes no sense to my feeble, young, mind. I ask simply for what I consider a rational explanation.

Clipped Wing

frog3Leave a comment

vfvrv

Walking down to the field.
Will such pride be brought o heel.

Prison a room, prison a sky.
Whom is the man whom wonders why?

It is not him, he forces the chain.
Whom causes a free bird such pain?

Clip wings, back lashed.
I suppose we should have walked back.

The bird was free, or so it thought.
Wings broken, a bird rot.

The Snake’s Defiance

frog3Leave a comment

veve

The snake slithers quietly rattling a warning to all.

The snake does not care about the other animals but wishes to instill fear.

For a while the other animals do not heed the snakes  warning.

It is not until the snake strikes, impaling a rabbit with its fang do the animals heed its warning.

The snake is not finished, its venom is a poison that spreads through the hearts of other creatures.

The animals decide something must be done.

They exclude the snake from the jungle forcing it to find its own food and comfort.

Many of the snakes’ eggs die, the snake vows to never forget this injustice.

One day the snakes descendent will bite and engulf the hope of others.

A Double Standard

venturatrekerLeave a comment

BREAKING NEWS: A family in Texas was massacred in their sleep. A bomb hits bus #74 outside D.C. convention center injuring dozens and killing at least one. More than  50 rockets and missiles continue falling in Fairfax, Virginia.

If this were what you read in the newspaper today, you would panic.  You would demand those responsible be brought to swift justice. And when the “bad guys” are killed and airplanes are flying bombing runs, you will say it is deserved and right.

Now what if I told you all these things happened in Israel?  Your response most likely would be along the lines of “it doesn’t concern me, its not my problem.”

But when Israel responds with airplanes and tanks, the world cries out injustice.  How can a world that claims to be democratic and fair hold Israel to a double standard.  the world calls Israel’s actions unjust.  The true injustice is that a world that condemns terrorism and the killing of innocence will so quickly jump to the defense of those they have vowed to stop.  Since the creation of the State, Israel has fought for recognition. Israel is recognized by the United Nations, therefore giving it equal standing and rights in the World Court. Yet still Israel is held to a double standard.