Politically Corrected
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Don't you hate when you get one of "these" emails. This really isn't the first time I have gotten this email. Surely some redneck wrote the whole damn thing thinking he was being cute. Sometimes, however, I know that the only thing I might achieve is further alienation and no greater understanding if I respond to the person who sent it. This is such a time, trust me. Oh well, my faithful blog readers - I’ll share my response with you instead. The text of the email is in italics, my responses in bold.
Subject: AMEN ANDY ROONEY !
OH NO, not this one again!
Right on, Andy Rooney!
Andy Rooney said on "60 Minutes" a few weeks back:
Funny, I remember getting this email about a year and a half ago for the first time. Second, I seem to remember liking Andy Rooney. Were he to spout opinions like this all the time, I might disagree with him more often.
I don't think being a minority makes you a victim of anything except numbers. The only things I can think of that are truly discriminatory are things like the United Negro College Fund, Jet Magazine, Black Entertainment Television, and Miss Black America. Try to have things like the UnitedCaucasianCollege (sic) Fund, Cloud Magazine, White Entertainment Television, or Miss White America; and see what happens...Jesse Jackson will be knocking down your door.
NO! Being a minority makes you a victim of thousands of years of persecution. These actions are an attempt to make the world an even playing field. Every college fund that isn’t named for a minority IS the ‘Caucasian College Fund’ and if you haven’t been watching lately, the same is true of “Miss White America.” (I just looked and almost half of the 2007 contestants are WHITE and BLONDE, I didn’t even get into redheads and brunettes!)
Guns do not make you a killer. I think killing makes you a killer. You can kill someone with a baseball bat or a car, but no one is trying to ban you from driving to the ball game.
The problem is that “in 2005, about 68% of all murders, 42% of all robberies, and 21% of all aggravated assaults that were reported to the police were committed with a firearm.” (Bureau of Justice Statistics) I don’t know about you, but it makes me feel safer knowing that there are mandatory background checks. I’ll stand in line proudly and wait my turn to prove myself WORTHY of carrying a deadly weapon.
I believe they are called the Boy Scouts for a reason, that is why there are no girls allowed. Girls belong in the Girl Scouts! ARE YOU LISTENING MARTHA BURKE?
And what about the transgender kids that know they are different from a very young age? It does happen, but for now I guess they can hide behind their "tradition." And hey, just because something has always happened it should continue to do so, right? Just like slavery.
I think that if you feel homosexuality is wrong, it is not a phobia, it is an opinion.
Wrong again! First, if you think I care - you’re wrong. Second, it is a phobia. How do I know, I know what phobia means. Here, now you can too. A persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear of a specific thing or situation that compels one to avoid it, despite the awareness and reassurance that it is not dangerous. If you continue to maintain that there is something wrong with me just because I happen to be queer, despite the fact that the American Psychological Association, and American Medical Associations (among others) have decided that it is not ‘wrong -- YOU are Homophobic.
I have the right "NOT" to be tolerant of others because they are different, weird, or tick me off.
A list of antonyms for tolerant are: bigoted, prejudiced, narrow-minded, small-minded, and fanatical. (I hit shift F7 after typing the word ‘intolerant.’) If that is how you want to define yourself, go right ahead.
When 70% of the people who get arrested are black, in cities where 70% of the population is black, that is not racial profiling, it is the Law of Probability.
I wanted to respond, really. Unfortunately I do not know where this comes from, what cities, or how exactly this is put together. I have to assume then that it is total BS propaganda unless I see some kind of citations.
I believe that if you are selling me a milkshake, a pack of cigarettes, a newspaper or a hotel room, you must do it in English! As a matter of fact, if you want to be an American citizen, you should have to speak English!
And I believe, because apparently simply saying it makes it so, that if you are going to continue to write such bigoted statements you must do so in French. As a matter of fact, as a citizen of this planet, you should have to speak at least one language that IS NOT English!
My father and grandfather didn't die in vain so you can leave the countries you were born in to come over and disrespect ours.
Je suis desole, ce n’est pas en Francais. (sorry couldn't get the extra accents to show up) Huh? Oh sorry, let me translate: sorry - that was not in French. How about Spanish?
I think the police should have every right to shoot your sorry ass if you threaten them after they tell you to stop. If you can't understand the word "freeze" or "stop" in English, see the above lines.
¿No comprende? Really, after almost 3 years of law school, there is so much wrong with that I don’t even know where to start. Let’s just say it is probably the part that set me over the edge.
I don't think just because you were not born in this country, you are qualified for any special loan programs, government sponsored bank loans or tax breaks, etc., so you can open a hotel, coffee shop, trinket store, or any other business.
Haven’t we addressed this already? To quote you ‘see the above lines.’
We did not go to the aid of certain foreign countries and risk our lives in wars to defend their freedoms, so that decades later they could come over here and tell us our constitution is a living document; and open to their interpretations.
Oh, and here I thought it was our framers and the United States Supreme Court who said that the constitution would be a living document. By the way, which persons from war torn where are coming here and doing this, specifically?
I don't hate the rich; I don't pity the poor.
Maybe you should check into what the Boy Scouts say about poverty.
I know pro wrestling is fake, but so are movies and television. That doesn't stop you from watching them.
I make fun of NASCAR too, and it IS real! However, please don’t pretend that someone doesn't think pro wrestling is real. I came from a town where people could be convincingly sold a “jackalope license.”
I think Bill Gates has every right to keep every penny he made and continue to make more. If it ticks you off, go and invent the next operating system that's better, and put your name on the building.
Unfortunately without the threat of Clayton Antitrust Act litigation, Bill Gates (Ok, I don't know him specifically, but so let me just say major industry)wouldn’t give me a chance. Andrew Carnegee proved that.
It doesn't take a whole village to raise a child right, but it does take a parent to stand up to the kid; and smack their little behinds when necessary, and say "NO!"
Smack? What exactly does smack mean? Does it involve a switch or your hand? Will you make your child cut that switch from the tree? Do you know what that does psychologically to a child? These people do. Further, if our society would stand up and hold itself responsible for the acts of our children, maybe we would have fewer juveniles in trouble. Yet as interested as I am in the results, I have yet to see a community try.
I think tattoos and piercing are fine if you want them, but please don't pretend they are a political statement. And, please, stay home until that new lip ring heals. I don't want to look at your ugly infected mouth as you serve me French fries!
Maybe you don’t see it as a political statement, but I do. Especially when my individualism, my voice, and my right to exist as an “equal” human being with “equal” rights is a political statement.
I am sick of "Political Correctness." I know a lot of black people, and not a single one of them was born in Africa; so how can they be "African-Americans"? Besides, Africa is a continent. I don't go around saying I am a European-American because my great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather was from Europe. I am proud to be from America and nowhere else (sic)
I am sad for you. I lived in Wyoming my whole life and I know at least 5 (five) black people who were themselves, or their parents, born in Africa. Further, maybe more of them would have been had it not been for SLAVERY! There is nothing wrong with honoring their heritage, you did the same thing above when you appealed to your heritage saying that “my father and grandfather didn't die in vain.” Don’t deny others the same right.
And if you don't like my point of view, tough...
Tough? I had to become tough, because I grew up around the views of people like you, even though I consider myself a minority as someone who is a person of integrity, who values equality, and just happens to be gay.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG, OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC, FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL!
That is the beauty of this country, I pledge my allegiance to the same flag.
I was asked to send this on if I agree or delete if I don't. It is said that 86% of Americans believe in God. Therefore I have a very hard time understanding why there is such a problem in having "In God We Trust" on our money and having "God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. Why don't we just tell the 14% to Shut Up and BE QUIET!!! Or move out of America.
The problem is that the 14% who don’t should not have to, just because 86% of us do. Yet, somehow, in my America, there is room for all of us.
Sorry.. I may have gotten a little carried away. As a debater, utter lack of logic bothers me.
posted by ZEUS @ 9:57 PM, No comment,
Friends when you need 'em
Friday, November 17, 2006
This week I learned that as a future attorney, I will not get by without two very important tools - friends and patience. Last Wednesday, I felt like my life long dream of being an attorney was no longer worth the trouble, heartache and pain. I was ready to quit LS and start raising gerbils. But, my friends picked me up. My friends reminded me that to someone, I really do matter. Through patience, I have managed to work through this crisis like the many others of my life - one moment at a time with careful thought and painful diligence. And my friends were there to lean on the whole time without judging. Nobody asked me to reveal confidential information, nobody told me to quit, they just helped me keep going and reminded me that they were there for me. Through my friends and their love I was able to return to work each day, combat the evils, and remain strong. By today, Friday, I left work with a cheery disposition and a renewed belief that I too can make a difference.
I am posting this for two reasons. First, because I want my friends, the people who have listened to my story and said "we're here for you," to know that I truly love them and appreciate the help they were for me. They have kept me sane for a very long time now.
I am also posting this as a bit of advice for future overwhelmed law students. Make friends outside of law school. Yes, the contacts you make today in your LS will last a lifetime, no question! But friends from outside the LS don't have to know what you do every day in order to appreciate you, and they will always be impressed by having a friend who's "a lawyer" even if you really aren't. I am not saying you should get a big head over the whole thing, but knowing teachers, veterinarians, bankers and retail clerks is what really puts your world in perspective.
posted by ZEUS @ 11:48 PM, No comment,
When you are not used to thinking like that
Sunday, November 12, 2006
In a great bid for diversity (both in thought and in fact), I spent some rare one-on-one time with a friend of mine this weekend. It was nothing short of an eye opening experience. I was reminded that no religion is the enemy of the GLBT cause - only people - despite the acts others perpetrate in the name of their religion. I was reminded that getting to know people, despite who they seem to be, is itself a rewarding experience. And I was reminded, perhaps most importantly, that the most important gift you can give a friend is some time to listen. Unfortunately, we get set in our ways and we forget about our humanity. I'm glad someone reminded me of mine.
posted by ZEUS @ 9:27 PM, No comment,
Election Results
Thursday, November 09, 2006
While everyone can be happy about the democrats winning control of both houses of congress (made official today), I am not. This election reinforced one thing to me, as a gay man, and that is that I am still feared for being myself in most of the country. Last Tuesday the states of this nation still managed to pass a slew more marriage amendments designed to remind me that I AM A SECOND CLASS CITIZEN WHO DOES NOT DESERVE THE BASIC RIGHT TO LOVE. And yet we as a country wonder why GLBT peoples have such a hard time figuring out how to make our lives work. One thing and one thing only fills me with hope: for the first time since states started passing marriage denial amendments, one was defeated - in Arizona.
As for who these democrats are who control the power in Congress now, I am happy that the first woman to be the speaker of the House of Representatives will take the gavel in January. I am happy that the party line is to be somewhat supportive. But considering it was a Democrat who sold my interests out, after trying to help them, by passing DOMA and "Don't Ask Don't Tell," I am yet to be excited by the change in power. Does it matter who holds the power if neither will afford me basic respect?
posted by ZEUS @ 4:30 PM, No comment,
