"Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilized by education; they grow there, firm as weeds among rocks." - Charlotte Bronte
It is certainly no secret that I am a supporter of Senator Barack Obama for President. Yes, race is a reason for me. We need a black president. He will be the "crumbler" of the white man's club. Where he stands on issues for "the people" is also a reason I will vote for him. He knows what it is like to be poor, to struggle, to do without health care, the sanctity of one marriage, to raise young children, is well versed on American and foreign policy, knows the necessity to get us the hell out of Iraq and is young and energetic. Mr. Obama is for change - change is what America is crying for. I believe with all my heart that if McCain wins, America will self-destruct and all of the non-allied foreign countries will be waiting in the wings to snatch up some prime real estate.
My fourteen year old daughter recently asked me why women are considered a minority in America if there are two women to every man in this country. Honestly, that fact had not crossed my mind before! In the least prejudicial way I could explain to her, the only response I could give to the best of my ability was to say because our country is white male dominated by design. This is true and I dare anyone to try to prove me wrong.
I don't believe originally there was deceit in the minds of the white men writing our Constitution/Declaration of Independence. This is the way it was. Women had no rights at all, certainly not children, and well, sadly, we all know what black rights were at that time. Immigrants came later.
Nicely put, there is simply no excuse for this today, and by today, I mean at least since the 1960's. I don't wonder why - I know why. Simply put, our government has been an exclusive club that does careful screening for admission, i.e., limited race and limited women. Little by little, however, I believe this elite club is finally crumbling.
The Future Is Bright
I had always been a "watch it if nothing better is on" Olympics watcher. Sure, I love gymnastics and swimming, but was never a big follower of the Olympics. Until this year. I was glued to the television day after day; I recorded it and I had it on in the background as I worked. First, and admittedly so, I wanted to see if anything would "go down" in China. Secondly, of course, I was hoping Phelps would get his eight medals. However, and quite a surprise to me, I was mesmerized by how the U.S. stuck out above all others like a rainbow in its diversity. All of the other Olympic teams from all of the other countries looked like one another. I actually felt tingly all over looking at our cornucopia of ethnicity. America is the only country that is overtly unique. For the first time in a very long time, for myself, it felt great to be an American.
Racism truly befuddles me. I walk down the street and rarely see just white people. I see whites, blacks, Indians, Asians and mixtures of all, not to mention a bunch of different ethnic groups that I cannot name. Yet, still in America people segregate themselves. Groups of whites get together to talk about how much they hate blacks, how the Hispanics are infiltrating our country. Blacks hang together to talk about oppression and white dominance. Hispanics converge to discuss the gringo and how he cannot be trusted. Then we have those who demand change and an end to racism in America, all the while those high up in the media, our government and celebrities slipping in their secret racist ways. What a mess!
If you really think about what I am saying, I believe a light-bulb will arise above your head. Americans are brainwashed into being racists. We are brainwashed through our media and through our history books. The pages that dominate our news are about black or other ethnic crimes. White crime is further back in the paper, smaller type and smaller headlines. After reading this day after day and year after year, which race will look worse? When we watch the news, we are bombarded by ethnic stories, but stories about whites are not hyped up as much. Do you think your brain does not process this information and not form an opinion? Then, your opinion is fed regularly to your children, who in turn become prejudice/racists. We read in our history books that Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin (the tool used to process cotton more quickly). Actually, a black man invented this machine (do you think a white man actually cared how long it took to process cotton when he did none of the work?). This is just one of many discrepancies in our books that have never been changed. The message this puts out is the white man is special, blacks and other ethnic groups not so much. This is the 21st century for god sakes - fix it!
Thankfully, and little by little, children are being taught to be more tolerant. They are learning more about different ethnic groups then we ever did. Less prejudice is being taught at home. The vicious circles are being opened and the toxins inside being set free to dissipate into the air. Whites will be a minority by 2045. I do not believe there will be a majority.
I hope I live to see the day when we are truly one.