Cyndee,I felt quite emotional writing all that bec...

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8010473.post-83277650399811110222008-03-07T05:18:00.000-08:002008-03-07T05:18:00.000-08:002008-03-07T05:18:00.000-08:00Cyndee,I felt quite emotional writing all that bec...Cyndee, I felt quite emotional writing all that because I know how much we've all been psychologically, spiritually and emotionally impacted by racism, regardless of color. It keeps all of us from achieving out true greatness. I wish you didn't have to fight the way you do for people to see how brilliant and honest you are, to see how genuinely kind you are and what a good heart you have. Racism truly makes folks blind to these things and it's their loss. Chani, There's a real connection between the two. Capitalism is a corrupt and bankrupt system of doing things but we cling to it so desperately. It encourages viewing people as commodities and negates our intrinsic worth. Just a girl from L.A., Racism will end but it's going to take all of us working together to overcome it. On the one hand it takes both love and forgiveness but on the other hand it takes an end to a sense of superiority and a willingness to exact justice and right the wrongs that have taken place. And "white she-devil"? Goodness, that's some drama right there. Ex girlfriends will be ex girlfriends but family is tough. I hope your husband is checking that madness. As for me, I got called names by both black and white folks. I guess you could say there was equal opportunity name calling going on. :) NYC/CR, I have a feeling the dad may have been incarcerated. Anthony's mom never quite said and I never wanted to ask too much. That dad driving his girls to the Boys and Girls club is true dedication. That's definitely not easy and those parents like that never get enough credit for their efforts. Yeah, no trust fund for most kids means the pitfalls of our world are even more serious for them. Gyamfua, That is very true that even parents that have done all they could will end up seeing their child getting caught up. Such a good point about dealing with your own demons. Because if not, they always come back and deal with you. I've seen Intervention and that mess is crazy. You're so right though about how the families are portrayed on that show. They do have resources that many other families don't have. Even with health insurance, paying for rehab is so expensive. Unless you have the $$, no rehab. Hammer, I'm so glad your dad got that G.I. bill and was able to go to college. I'm sure that made a huge difference for your dad and therefore for you. As far as rap goes, most of it is not actually purchased by a black consumer, interestingly enough. It's good to question why it is that record companies promote/finance certain images over others. You can write protest letters to BET and MTV. Write complaints to advertisers that buy airtime on TV and radio stations. Write directly to the record companies that are making the bulk of the money off of it. Let them know you're not purchasing music with such negative images of black people. There's a whole movement within the black community to challenge these racist stereotypes and the more people who say that what they hear or see sucks, the better. Dena, It's easy to look away when you're part of the group that benefits from the status quo remaining the same. Oh, and say I'm an amazing parent after you see the boys this weekend! LOL! :) The madonna auditions -- I didn't even walk down there to check it out but she was holding auditions for dancers at a studio on Sunset right up the street from me. It might have been cool but I didn't feel like camping out with "T". He just complains too much. Jameil, See, when I tell people about my guidance counselor, folks try to act like that was some sort of exception to the rule type of situation. And it isn't, unfortunately. How does someone keep their job like that and not know about someplace like Hampton? And then to try to talk you out of going to Hampton??? Ridiculous. I'll bet she would've preferred you go to trade school. Ugh, I'm mad for you! Let's go back to your high school together, okay!!! Symphony, These guidance counselors... I know they probably have too much on their plates but I see how they don't actually have to do their jobs and they still get paid. I'm glad your friend's aunt stepped in to help you all. Lower-income single parents get too blame and condemnation even when they're working as hard as they can to hold things together. More people should try to help instead of just offering scathing critiques. Citizen of the World, Can you imagine what would happen if that 3 trillion went to education and programs to help get people out of poverty? Gosh, this would be a whole different country. But as long as people think folks who go to low performing schools need to make the best of it and pull themselves up by their bootstraps, we won't have that change. Miriam, Yes, I have blogged about both. I haven't done a "history of the Baha'i Faith" sort of post because there's so many good books that I don't need rehash. But I do write about how it relates to things going on in my life. Last year I blogged about fasting at the end of it because I was sooo happy it was over. You just made me realize that the "search" function on my blog is gone now that I have a new template. I'll have to see if I can add a new search box! :)Los Angelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794296990587989214noreply@blogger.com