Today's post is fueled by something I saw while on my run today. Okay, well, it ended up being more of a walk because I tried to run on a full stomach, but that's beside the point. Also, I just want to preface this post with a warning. I want to be open on this blog and say how I feel. My goal is not to offend anyone, but just to make people aware of how their actions and words have an effect on others...
As I was coming up to my halfway point of the run, I saw the infamous flag of the Confederacy flying in the backyard at a house. At first, I was thinking that this isn't at all a surprise, considering I live in the south. But then, I started feeling offended. Although the flag represents an important time in history and also family history for many, it also makes me think of racism and discrimination. While I realize that EVERYONE who owns and/or flies a Confederate flag may not have the beliefs that once fueled the Civil War, there are still so many who believe that white people are superior, and I'm so sick of it. It's disgusting how many people hate on our President solely because he is black. If you want to hate on the President for his policies or his speeches or his decisions, go ahead...that's your right. And I suppose that you're allowed to dislike or hate anyone that you choose, but don't count on me being your friend for much longer. I'm also really tired of racist people in general. Sorry, but the color of your skin does not make you any better than the person next to you. And I'm not just saying this to white people, I'm saying it to everyone. STOP making it a race issue. Just stop. I don't want to see your posts about "Black is Beautiful" or you constantly proclaiming your pride for being black on social media. I don't join groups on facebook called "I love being white" or wear shirts that say "White and beautiful"...No. Yes, we can see that you're black, and yes, you're pretty without proclaiming your race on a tshirt. Maybe it's hard for me to understand because I'm not black...and don't get me wrong, I realize that there is a culture and history that I can't begin to understand. But, instead of making it about the color of your skin, make it about your family origin and where you came from and what your family has done to get to where they are today. Be prideful about where you came from, not that your skin color is different from mine.
I'm also tired of people stereotyping the African American race as the ones who are abusing the government "handouts" and not contributing to society. NEWSFLASH! There are people of EVERY race taking advantage of welfare, EBT, etc...HOWEVER, I think that all of these people abusing the system need to be figured out. If we could stop people from abusing the system, maybe people would stop bitching about the amount of money our country is spending to help people. The answer is not cutting the funding for these programs because there are actually people who NEED the help. The solution is in making it more difficult to get the help in terms of qualifications...but more restrictions means more money to enforce the restrictions, and God knows our country is strapped for cash.
I'm not sure if it's just more evident that racism is real now that I live in the south or if I was just a little more oblivious to it before, but I don't know why some people can't look past the color of another person's skin. You might think that it's cool to be a southern "gentleman" and have similar beliefs to your Confederate ancestors, but really, you just come off as an ignorant asshole, and you know what? A lot of your ancestors died fighting because they felt that they were superior to another race(obviously not why all of them were fighting, but...) Maybe you should learn from their mistakes...just sayin'.....
Annnnd, end rant. Sorry, it was random, but just a few things that make my blood boil. Maybe it didn't make sense, and maybe I seem ignorant here, too, but I don't really think what I've said is too crazy...
Oh, and the idiots in Washington finally came to a temporary agreement and the government is back open...in case you hadn't heard.
Have a good one!
-Ashley
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