Ahh, Diversity
For the first time yesterday I listened to the Pants on the Ground song - only one listen and I can't get it out of my head. I wasn't sure of the origin of the song, but my big sister helped me figure it out, and it made me smile because I've always wondered why people would want to wear their pants low.
When I was young it would have been horrifying to have the girls in my class see either my underwear or the crack of my ass. Different times, I guess.
This morning I stopped in a convenient store in downtown Buffalo. As I filled my coffee the two Arab-looking gentlemen behind the counter were engaged in a spirited discussion that caused their voices to change pitch and tone.
I had no idea what they were talking about because they were speaking their own language, and it wasn't Spanish - which is the only other language I dabbled in (and that didn't go real well either).
I thought of the Simpsons character Apu and realized that it was exactly the stereotype the Simpsons creators were trying to get at - and I set my coffee on the counter, not expecting much in the way of conversation.
"Good morning," the man said. "How's your Friday going?"
His perfect English threw me for a loop. There wasn't even a hint of the gibberish I'd heard as he conversed with his buddy.
"I'm doing all right," I said.
"It's warming up out there," he continued. "I hope the rest of your day is good."
I paid for the coffee and hit the streets. I thought of New York City and the wide diversity of people on their city streets. I considered those two men and felt a little weird in thinking that I wouldn't like them because they were Arab.
Do you feel that way? Afraid of someone just because of what you perceive them to be? Ashamed that you thought of them as a stereotypical cartoon character?
It kind of upsets the old apple cart when you receive e-mails that say America must protect their borders and keep non-Americans out. It's a confusing issue, isn't it? I know a lot of people who hate races of people for no good reason other than they judge all as one in the same. I'm sort of guilty of it too.
Maybe those kids want their pants on the ground. Perhaps those store-owners are just hard-working Americans who deserve a place.
Then again, maybe they are sending the money back to a foreign land to support terrorism, or maybe the mean-looking dude walking your way is looking to rob you, stab you, and leave you for dead.
I don't know - I get so confused sometimes.
When I was young it would have been horrifying to have the girls in my class see either my underwear or the crack of my ass. Different times, I guess.
This morning I stopped in a convenient store in downtown Buffalo. As I filled my coffee the two Arab-looking gentlemen behind the counter were engaged in a spirited discussion that caused their voices to change pitch and tone.
I had no idea what they were talking about because they were speaking their own language, and it wasn't Spanish - which is the only other language I dabbled in (and that didn't go real well either).
I thought of the Simpsons character Apu and realized that it was exactly the stereotype the Simpsons creators were trying to get at - and I set my coffee on the counter, not expecting much in the way of conversation.
"Good morning," the man said. "How's your Friday going?"
His perfect English threw me for a loop. There wasn't even a hint of the gibberish I'd heard as he conversed with his buddy.
"I'm doing all right," I said.
"It's warming up out there," he continued. "I hope the rest of your day is good."
I paid for the coffee and hit the streets. I thought of New York City and the wide diversity of people on their city streets. I considered those two men and felt a little weird in thinking that I wouldn't like them because they were Arab.
Do you feel that way? Afraid of someone just because of what you perceive them to be? Ashamed that you thought of them as a stereotypical cartoon character?
It kind of upsets the old apple cart when you receive e-mails that say America must protect their borders and keep non-Americans out. It's a confusing issue, isn't it? I know a lot of people who hate races of people for no good reason other than they judge all as one in the same. I'm sort of guilty of it too.
Maybe those kids want their pants on the ground. Perhaps those store-owners are just hard-working Americans who deserve a place.
Then again, maybe they are sending the money back to a foreign land to support terrorism, or maybe the mean-looking dude walking your way is looking to rob you, stab you, and leave you for dead.
I don't know - I get so confused sometimes.
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