Expected Racism... Really?

Hi,
    I wasn't sure what I wanted to write about this week. As I was driving to get my first cup of coffee out of at least three for the day I heard something disturbing on the radio. According to the radio hosts speaking this morning, recently, a hockey play by the name of Wayne Simmonds, of the Philadelphia Flyers,  had a banana peel thrown at him in a game against the Detroit Red Wings. The fan of the opposing team was apparently making it a point to imply that Simmonds was a "monkey", which is a common derrogatory idea used against African Americans. In response to this incident Simmonds indicated that he is used to things like this because in a sport where he is the minority, he has had things like this happen to him numerous times. Simmonds said that he is not going to continue addressing the issue because it is so negative and sometimes you learn to live with "expected racism".Here is one of the articles about the incident:  http://aol.sportingnews.com/nhl/story/2011-09-22/flyers-wayne-simmonds-has-banana-thrown-at-him-during-shootout
     On the radio this morning listeners were asked to call in and share if they felt that there are times when one "expects racism" and there feelings about that. It was unnerving to me how many people from a variety of races and ethnicities called in to share their experineces with this and their thoughts. What struck me about this is that I think people feel that we are moving towards a better time where discrimination becomes a thing of the past. I know inequalities and discrimination of different kinds will never completely go away, but what I heard today got me thinking, "Are we really simply overlooking instances of racism and becoming helplessly comfortable with it?" If this is the case then we as a society are missing the point completely because as opposed to actively working against a very human issue, we may just be silently enabling it because some may be tired of fighting and some may feel helpless against.
      This really saddens me because as I relflected on the stories I heard on the radio, some of my own experineces and encounters sprang into my mind and I realized this may be more deeply embedded in our society than we think and because we may be ignorant or unaware of it, we unknowingly allow this phenomena of "expected racism" to grow and fester. I know I never thought of racism as something that one could come to expect, but I find that even for myself I sort of expect certian reactions in certain places. People of any race or ethnicity should not have to live in world where this is okay, from listening to the radio and the listeners stories this morning I realize we have a bigger "human" issue on our hands. Hopefully we can work towards true unity or at the very least an understanding of oneanother that transcends "expecting racism".

How do you Speak?

     I have been thinking about the different ways in which we speak and express ourselves. I don't always think of speaking in the traditional sense in that I feel that we all speak in our own way, that's why we are givin different gifts and talents. Mathematicians speak with numbers, some speak through instruments, some speak through movement, and the ways to speak go on. I feel that it is important for a person to embrace their way of speaking and this should be encouraged by others. When people find how they speak, they grow, feel freer, and figure out what they have to offer themselves and the world. Sometimes the need to be different is suppressed because it doesn't fit the neat categories that people are sometimes placed in, but when you don't respect someone's gift to me that is like taking away their voice. Last year  I was thinking about this and I wrote the following little poem to express my thoughts:
"If I can't speak Let Me..." (My pen=my mouth)

If I can't speak, let me write.
If  can't speak, let me dance.
If I can't speak, let me walk.
If I can't speak, let me run.
If I can't speak, let me sing.
If I can't speak, let me play.
If I can't speak, let me listen.
If I can't speak, let me in.
If I can't speak, let me see.
If I can't speak just watch me, there is a deeper story within.
 Allow me to be me and my unravelling will begin.
 If you let me speak in my soon enough you will know you see me but don't see me.
I just want to speak in my way so that I can truly let me go...

2.24.2010

I wrote this poem to use my way of speaking to encourage others to explore their way of speaking.

The Technology Take- Over!

    It is amazing how much technology has changed the world and continues to do so on a daily basis. I find that I am not very literate when it comes to technology. It is sort of scary to think how many jobs and different ways of doing things have been replaced by technology. Communication has been particulary affected by technology. It is incredibly easy to communicate with oneanother on the surface but having/ making deeper and more authentic oppurtunities to communicate with others seems to get harder everyday. In our world it's harder to have face to face coversations that are constructive and real because in some ways, some (especially younger people) have less face to face communication time or need.
      Sometimes with all the ways to get and keep in touch with oneanother it seems there is not much need for ,verbal in person, communication. This is kind of sad to me because there are things that simply cannot be communicated through texting, email, facebook messages, or a twitter update. So much of communicating is seen on the face and the body language of the other person, which to me, leads to better understanding and deeper relationships with oneanother. This is why I feel that in some ways parts of communicating are getting completely lost in what I think of as the "technology shuffle". As much as I enjoy being able to get in touch with the people in my life at the touch of a button, I sometimes wish I could take part in more traditional ways of communicating. For instance writing letters; to me there is an endearing quality to recieving or giving someone a handwritten letter. I feel as though handwritten letters bring the words and messages that people are saying to eachother to life in a beautiful way. I miss traditional means of communication because sometimes simple gives more:(