a woman at my job said (paraphrasing starts here) "she's not a fan of hilary clinton because she's arrogant. she doesn't like obama because he's muslim. well, she likes him as a person but she doesn't think a muslim should be running the country given all the stuff that happened on 9/11. who knows... he could have been planted here by them years ago to run for president."
first off:
is obama muslim? or is it that his father was so, inherently, he is? like... "my dad's a jew and my mom's catholic so i'm both" typa thing? imma go google this 'cause now i wanna know.
for two:
who says that out loud?!!? and at work (for that matter)?!?! how does she know i'm not muslim or the person next to me or the person next to her? in the 5 years i've been here, never once have i claimed a religious affiliation. not once! y'all know my sentiments on religion and such so i tend to not have those discussions with folks. only thing i can figure is that she actually IS that ignorant and oblivious to say that without a second thought.
thirdly:
uh... did blatant racial/ethinc/culture/religious profiling come back in style and someone forgot to send me the memo? these days it's usually more covert, right? is it the 1960s again? you can't assume that every muslim on the planet is a terrorist.
sidebar: the more i write the more i just can't believe what i've witnessed.
this goes to show that you can't put anything past "folks." even the ones you think you know and are your friends. i've been to this woman's daughter's wedding... happy hours... strolls to the cafeteria. we even text each other when we're not at work on ocassion to make sure one another is okay or to warn one another about traffic detours in the morning.
how many other people in my daily life think this way? what's to stop them from not wanting me as a coworker or boss because i'm black, or female, or gay? i'm so mad and so sad at the same time.
it's like the time when another co-worker commented that "the gay problem in rehoboth beach really isn't that bad anymore. they just come right up to you and start talking like anyone else would." as if "the gays" (shout out to hashi tashi) are part of a zoo exhibit and they should bark like orangutan-princess in coming to america! wtf?
3 comments:
First off, lots of people are now starting to trip over the fact that Obama had anything to do with Muslim life or culture. Who is to say that those early years had a major effect on his thoughts now? If they do, then he must also have abandonment, identity, and emotional issues as well. He's probably more well-versed than any of his critics because of his diversity. Yet who cares? (They're scared. He is a threat.)
Secondly, my roommate freshman year at Hopkins had a Jewish and Catholic parent. I can't remember the rules, but there is definitely conflict in who one follows. She tried to tell me that her people were oppressed (like my people) and I had to remind her that her OTHER people were the ones doing the oppression. All my people was on the same stinkin boat!
If Barack had a Muslim daddy, and that makes him a terrorist, then those of them who were hippies and flower children most certainly have children who are crackheads and looters. That's about equal logic, right?
Does your friend also know that parts of the Vietnam and Korean war are results of Catholic leadership and politics?
It has always been the case that some people could afford to let things slip out of their bubble without any repercussions. You don't have to burst her bubble, but you could remind her that maintenance of friendships or acquaintances is sometimes predicated by keeping your BS to yourself, or at least predicating it with courteous disclaimers. Transparency for some relationships is a danger.
Be sad, be mad, and be grateful that you know some of your friends a whole lot more. But don't be silent.
Well who is this lady!? People routinely offer there opinions on things w/o thinking first...might be guilty of that myself (of course I am). Like how the two 60+ women I work with routinely mock the "Philadelphia Gay Times"...What are you gonna do?
Dayum, D.P. was always like that, but your eyes were not open at the time...Welcome to the real-life baby girl! Don't be surprised, be wise......
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