Always Offended
Meandering through today's local paper, an article in the Dear Abby section caught my attention. A fourteen year old girl was complaining about ageism. I thought to myself, being on this planet after only fourteen years, this youngster is already griping about ageism? Typical of our citizens to always choose to be offended.
I then reflected on my visit yesterday to our local police department. My Dutch friend who obtained records for me struck up a conversation about the Netherlands. I told her that while I am alarmed at the liberalism in the old country, the Dutch have always prided themselves on tolerance. Throughout history, other foreign citizens continue to find a haven in the Netherlands. I then spoke up and asked her, "Have you ever noticed that the only thing we are noted for are our wooden shoes?" (my wooden shoes are around here somewhere) and Dutch characters are placed on cleaning products but we never complain". She agreed. I then told her I don't make a big deal out of it and I don't have time to indulge in ethnic squabbling. The staff seemed to be relieved that I made that statement. Though I am very proud of my heritage, I just don't have time to tell the world that I'm Dutch, Native American, southern, white, female all of whom have bore the brunt of stereotyping and prejudice. Chances are the average person does not care anyhow. I am just another ordinary American citizen with plenty other things to do right now. If I leave the political overtones out of my ancestry, I find I get along with more people. I do not let organizations tell me how to interact with other ethnic peoples. I just get along as I never know a stranger.
For those who do jump on the ethnic bandwagon, they tend to cover up the fact that they do not go back to their home country. Also, they fail to listen to what their ancestors in the old country really think of them. However, my Dutch friend at the city offices is an exception. She returns to the Netherlands each year. She and I are delighted that the featured country at MidFest 2007 will be the Netherlands. I'm excited because people know so little about the Dutch. Why? The Dutch retain their humility.
Appalachian people pride themselves on hospitality more than anything within their heritage. They take it so serious that they do become sensitive to ridicule as they think you are throwing hospitality back in their face. I always warn Northerners that if they ever find themselves lost in those mountains, never, ever ridicule it's residents. They are still reeling from the 1973 movie Deliverance and are prone to shoot at you if they sense that you treat them like the characters portrayed in that sick, sick, movie. While they percieve Northeners as lacking common sense they are aware that Northerners think they are toothless, uneducated, backwards and behind the times. Gee, am I scalawag for having all of my nice white teeth and a college education? The point is that Appalachian people, proud as they are, have not jumped on the "I choose to be offended" bandwagon. The region of Appalachia I travel does not have one ethnic nor special diverse organization in existance. They also proudly display the Confederate flag and yet have never met any hostility for doing so. As a result there is no ethnic squabbling, no protests, and no hate crimes. As a matter of fact, they enjoy having Northerners come down and learn their culture. They are eager to teach but don't ever tell them how to run things as they are happy with the way things are now. They do not understand why people elsewhere squabble over discrimination. Darlings, I get offended all of the time. While I may not like it all of the time, so what? This is America. Every country in the world is represented in our population and everyone can't be pleased.
I love being exposed to other cultures because I love learning. Culture is fascinating! What I dislike is the creation of ethnic groups shoving their culture down my throat. I dislike oraganizational ideas crammed into my thinking. I will respect you and learn from you because you are a human being but I will not bend down and kiss your hindend because you feel you are a special ancestor or belong to an organization that feels it deserves special treatment. The only people that deserve special treatment are children, handicap, terminally ill, and elderly because they have a legitimite need called compassion.
Of all foreigners, I have learned more from black Africans in how Amercians are looked upon. They see us as very spoiled people and always fighting among ourselves. They also wonder why those Americans claiming African ancestry never come back home. I never knew this. The most profound observation I ever heard in my life came from a black African missionary. Thirteen years ago, he was a visiting professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Miami University under a one year contract. My church also heard that he was a missionary. We asked him to preach at our church. This man had a spectacular testimony. Me, being the question lady, I wanted to hear his view on our country. He said he was not suprised at our country in that everything he heard about us was accurate. The next thing he said blew my hat into the creek. He said "I am shocked at the godlessness in your country". Wow! As he continued his work on a campus that claims to be diverse, this man bore the brunt of ostracism, ridicule and threats because he was a Christian man. He decided to break his contract and return to Africa. Before he left, I gave him a Christmas gift of tree ornaments and shared with him the American tradition of Christmas. In return, he gave me a chart on how chairs and chickens are used in tribal traditions. I often wonder how he and his family are doing. I am just so sad that he left our country with such a first hand negative opinon of us as a nation.
As for the little fourteen year old girl making ageism a part of her short life; she has time to learn as she gets older. Learning is the beauty of youth. She complained that young people are stereotyped as being unfriendly and irresponsible. She is too young to know that there have been two revolutions in this country. The first revolution was fought to gain our freedom. The second revolution, the sexual revolution of the 1960's, has created more human bondage than can be imagined. Out of this revolution came, abortion, permiscuity, STD's, divorce, extended families, illegimate children, high school drop outs, co-habitation, lawlessness, godlessness and any other "ness" you can think. As the most technological advanced country in the world, we have more of our own citizens imprisoned than any other country. Our citizens consume ninety percent of the world's tranquilizers. Our citizens have the happiness of citizens in a third world country. More and more of our children are being born out of wedlock. As a result, these children have no parental upbringing that would make them the respectable youth that they once were of long ago. The very group responsible for creating the unfriendly and irresponsible youth of today are the 1960's generation. That generation has yet to acknowledge the backlash of their "love the one your with" philosophy. Her thinking is not her fault in that she aquired it from those responsible for her. Thus there is this fourteen year old little girl wondering why adults look upon today's youth as being rude and calling it ageism. Perhaps she is one of the lucky few kids that are in a home with guidance and discipline. However, you and I know that Americans are rapidly developing a reputation for being rude among it's own citizens. I hope this little girl will be able to adjust as she gets older because the times are getting worse.
Until the next dive bomb-meow!
Meandering through today's local paper, an article in the Dear Abby section caught my attention. A fourteen year old girl was complaining about ageism. I thought to myself, being on this planet after only fourteen years, this youngster is already griping about ageism? Typical of our citizens to always choose to be offended.
I then reflected on my visit yesterday to our local police department. My Dutch friend who obtained records for me struck up a conversation about the Netherlands. I told her that while I am alarmed at the liberalism in the old country, the Dutch have always prided themselves on tolerance. Throughout history, other foreign citizens continue to find a haven in the Netherlands. I then spoke up and asked her, "Have you ever noticed that the only thing we are noted for are our wooden shoes?" (my wooden shoes are around here somewhere) and Dutch characters are placed on cleaning products but we never complain". She agreed. I then told her I don't make a big deal out of it and I don't have time to indulge in ethnic squabbling. The staff seemed to be relieved that I made that statement. Though I am very proud of my heritage, I just don't have time to tell the world that I'm Dutch, Native American, southern, white, female all of whom have bore the brunt of stereotyping and prejudice. Chances are the average person does not care anyhow. I am just another ordinary American citizen with plenty other things to do right now. If I leave the political overtones out of my ancestry, I find I get along with more people. I do not let organizations tell me how to interact with other ethnic peoples. I just get along as I never know a stranger.
For those who do jump on the ethnic bandwagon, they tend to cover up the fact that they do not go back to their home country. Also, they fail to listen to what their ancestors in the old country really think of them. However, my Dutch friend at the city offices is an exception. She returns to the Netherlands each year. She and I are delighted that the featured country at MidFest 2007 will be the Netherlands. I'm excited because people know so little about the Dutch. Why? The Dutch retain their humility.
Appalachian people pride themselves on hospitality more than anything within their heritage. They take it so serious that they do become sensitive to ridicule as they think you are throwing hospitality back in their face. I always warn Northerners that if they ever find themselves lost in those mountains, never, ever ridicule it's residents. They are still reeling from the 1973 movie Deliverance and are prone to shoot at you if they sense that you treat them like the characters portrayed in that sick, sick, movie. While they percieve Northeners as lacking common sense they are aware that Northerners think they are toothless, uneducated, backwards and behind the times. Gee, am I scalawag for having all of my nice white teeth and a college education? The point is that Appalachian people, proud as they are, have not jumped on the "I choose to be offended" bandwagon. The region of Appalachia I travel does not have one ethnic nor special diverse organization in existance. They also proudly display the Confederate flag and yet have never met any hostility for doing so. As a result there is no ethnic squabbling, no protests, and no hate crimes. As a matter of fact, they enjoy having Northerners come down and learn their culture. They are eager to teach but don't ever tell them how to run things as they are happy with the way things are now. They do not understand why people elsewhere squabble over discrimination. Darlings, I get offended all of the time. While I may not like it all of the time, so what? This is America. Every country in the world is represented in our population and everyone can't be pleased.
I love being exposed to other cultures because I love learning. Culture is fascinating! What I dislike is the creation of ethnic groups shoving their culture down my throat. I dislike oraganizational ideas crammed into my thinking. I will respect you and learn from you because you are a human being but I will not bend down and kiss your hindend because you feel you are a special ancestor or belong to an organization that feels it deserves special treatment. The only people that deserve special treatment are children, handicap, terminally ill, and elderly because they have a legitimite need called compassion.
Of all foreigners, I have learned more from black Africans in how Amercians are looked upon. They see us as very spoiled people and always fighting among ourselves. They also wonder why those Americans claiming African ancestry never come back home. I never knew this. The most profound observation I ever heard in my life came from a black African missionary. Thirteen years ago, he was a visiting professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Miami University under a one year contract. My church also heard that he was a missionary. We asked him to preach at our church. This man had a spectacular testimony. Me, being the question lady, I wanted to hear his view on our country. He said he was not suprised at our country in that everything he heard about us was accurate. The next thing he said blew my hat into the creek. He said "I am shocked at the godlessness in your country". Wow! As he continued his work on a campus that claims to be diverse, this man bore the brunt of ostracism, ridicule and threats because he was a Christian man. He decided to break his contract and return to Africa. Before he left, I gave him a Christmas gift of tree ornaments and shared with him the American tradition of Christmas. In return, he gave me a chart on how chairs and chickens are used in tribal traditions. I often wonder how he and his family are doing. I am just so sad that he left our country with such a first hand negative opinon of us as a nation.
As for the little fourteen year old girl making ageism a part of her short life; she has time to learn as she gets older. Learning is the beauty of youth. She complained that young people are stereotyped as being unfriendly and irresponsible. She is too young to know that there have been two revolutions in this country. The first revolution was fought to gain our freedom. The second revolution, the sexual revolution of the 1960's, has created more human bondage than can be imagined. Out of this revolution came, abortion, permiscuity, STD's, divorce, extended families, illegimate children, high school drop outs, co-habitation, lawlessness, godlessness and any other "ness" you can think. As the most technological advanced country in the world, we have more of our own citizens imprisoned than any other country. Our citizens consume ninety percent of the world's tranquilizers. Our citizens have the happiness of citizens in a third world country. More and more of our children are being born out of wedlock. As a result, these children have no parental upbringing that would make them the respectable youth that they once were of long ago. The very group responsible for creating the unfriendly and irresponsible youth of today are the 1960's generation. That generation has yet to acknowledge the backlash of their "love the one your with" philosophy. Her thinking is not her fault in that she aquired it from those responsible for her. Thus there is this fourteen year old little girl wondering why adults look upon today's youth as being rude and calling it ageism. Perhaps she is one of the lucky few kids that are in a home with guidance and discipline. However, you and I know that Americans are rapidly developing a reputation for being rude among it's own citizens. I hope this little girl will be able to adjust as she gets older because the times are getting worse.
Until the next dive bomb-meow!
posted by Divine's Dern Thawts at 9:09 AM
1 Comments:
Never have truer words been written. Well done, Adams!
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