As you may be aware, it takes me a while to comment on
happenings. But it doesn't mean I haven't thought about them. I’m a tortoise,
not a hare.
On Guiliana
and Zendaya
1. I have no problem with the beginning of Guliana's comment,
that Zendaya's locks were too thick. It was the intimation that Zendaya looked
like a pot-smoking hippie that didn't make sense. You have never seen a lock wearing pot smoking hippie who looked as
polished as Zendaya did; such a creature may not exist. It was as if Guiliana
saw a completely different person on the red carpet.
When I hear pot-smoking
hippie with dredlocks I picture a white
person, hair dyed blond with dark roots, and a hair texture seemingly incompatible with the
nature of the style. So Guiliana's comment really confused me.
2. Kelly Osborne has since left Fashion Police, because
Zendaya is her friend and Guiliana insulted her. But have you seen the clip, or
transcripts of the clip? The person who verbally makes the marijuana link is purported to be Kelly
Osborne. So if she was so offended, why did she consent to saying it in the first
place?
3. Oh, hey. Guiliana probably doesn't write her own stuff.
So as ignorant as she appeared in speaking, even more ignorant are the writers
and producers who put it in the script to begin with.
On the Justice Department's Ferguson Report
1. Now know why Michael Brown was stopped for walking in the
street. Revenue!
2. That police departments are commonly seen as municipal money
makers surprised me. Does this go way back, like how back in the day, the
candidate who bought a round (or three) at the local tavern often won the
election? Or is this one of those newfangled 20th century things? Yes, I know this is the 21st century, but I understand this practice gained traction in the 80's and 90's.
3. The report noted systematic racism exacerbated by the use of tickets and
fines as a municipal funding source. Which makes the sniper attack on the
Ferguson officers that much more uncalled for.
Yes, many officers harbor racist views which
directly conflict with the responsibility to protect all citizens. But officers
who truly have a heart to protect and serve work in a system where one is rewarded for harassing people for minor
infractions. Neither protection nor service is involved. How do we fix the
system so that those who have such a heart can more easily follow it?
The report, the actions of the ex-SAE chapter at Oklahoma U,
even Starbucks' attempts to start honest conversations remind me of something Jay
Smooth, who often blogs about racism, points out: it is possible to do racist (or sexist or other –ist)
things and not be a racist. You may be acting in way you don't realize is racist,
purely out of ignorance or lack of awareness. And that doesn't automatically make
you a bad person. It just means like everyone else, there is room for
improvement.
Now understand, this takes work. A conscious effort to see, consider,
and take corrective action. Of course, it's as simple as applying the Golden
Rule. With such application, you'll discover that simplicity is rarely synonymous with easy.
On the Indiana Religious Freedom Law and the Pizzeria in the
Eye of a Social Media Storm
Warning: I’m about to
cuss a bit.
1. If you feel the need to threaten someone simply because
they have an opposing view, stop. Don't be a dumbass. The type of person who
threatens death or rape or arson or other forms of personal harm or injury are
part of the problem. If you're so busy flaming people because they don't agree
with you, you're just as closed-minded and intolerant as you're claiming them
to be. Don't be that person.
2. On a side note, you've heard of Muslim cab drivers
refusing fares at the airport when they see people carrying alcohol? Has that
ever been resolved, and if so, how? Yes, I'm too lazy to look it up.
3. A nice post for those who want a better understanding of
the original law (it's since been revised), and its implications.
