Racism oh racism....

      I intended on writing about this at some point, just not this soon.  But with the elections over it's everywhere so why not!  Being the only black chick growing up from state to state and sometimes one of few, (except Alaska where there were plenty of black kids, go figure), I was always unconsciously conscience of the racial divide around me.  So as I grew older and my personality evolved, I knew that I had to overcome that issue and make it a non issue by just being me and not worrying about the small things so they don't turn into big things. With that being said I've always known that racism still existed but luckily growing up I didn't have to deal with it face to face... until I moved to Georgia in my early twenties.  From the shirtless skinhead with swastikas tattooed on his chest to the irritate customer that called me a stupid nigger under his breath... signs of what was to come.  When I moved to Florida I began to hear a term I wasn't familiar with, in abundance: cracker.   I couldn't understand the anger my people had towards white people until I began to see the injustices myself.  When I started seeing the news stories and seeing how people acted and treated us I was blown away and disgusted.  The horrible looks and comments and all around attitude from people I didn't even know. At one point it became suffocating to see how people of color were treated so differently.

    It is disappointing and upsetting to see so much hatred and ignorance that is built up in people!  How can you not be sadden by so much anger and then to know that there is no quick fix for this.  People will believe what they want to believe to make them feel comfortable, this will always be true to form....but on the other side of that, we cannot underplay the damage that we are doing to ourselves.  I look around at people and I shake my head at what I see... So needless to say I shake my head a lot!  We cannot expect other people of other cultures and races to respect us, when we obviously do not respect ourselves.  Obviously that doesn't go for the entire black race and obviously that doesn't exclude other races.  I cannot speak for other races, but I will speak about black people.  We have just got to do better.  I am sick of seeing men, young AND old with their pants around the calves, then their basketball shorts around their knees, just to have their boxers be the final layer of ridiculousness..... I am sick of seeing women young AND old with outrageous pink, purple, and yellow hairstyles walking around following these sloppy men.  I just don't understand... why  is this okay with us?  Why are we not holding ourselves to a higher standard?  Why is it okay to let men walk around looking sloppy and gross?  Why are women going after these men?  I just don't understand the fascination with "less than."  Young girls purposely fighting to be videotaped because of facebook or some other social network is funny?

    When do we say enough is enough?  When do we decide that we want the world to know that we are capable of so much more.  That even though how we dress and how we do our hair does not define us, it does represent the respect we have for ourselves.  When do we start to instill in our children real values that should carry them through life so that they do not look up to rappers and actors and quasi-celebrities?  When do we stand up and say that it is not okay to kill each other!  There is a line from a movie with skinheads (can't think of the exact movie right now :/) that says something to the effect of: there's no need to kill black people, because they're doing it themselves.  Can't argue with logic..... Racism is a terrible thing, of course, but what's even worse is that we're almost racist towards ourselves...not even giving ourselves a chance anymore.