So I recently saw this linked to a FB page. I clicked it and was a lil ummm... confused I think. Click the link...watch the clip.... (Imma just finish ranting down below the video)
So, the little girl saw 'light/white' as good and 'dark/black' as bad. N0w, sure, that's how they do it in the movie world. The pretty little angel dressed in white is 'good' the bad villian is in all black.
NOW- did this little girl use that logic for her answers? OR did this lil girl exhibit what I like to think of conditioned subconscious unintentional racism?
*so, I just came up with that phrase, but it works right? LOL*
I'd like to think that little girl doesn't have a full grasp of the concept of what a 'white person' and a 'black person' and/or the negative stereotypes that accompany the color.
What I'm SURE she has seen and learned... is that traditional 'grab the purse with a 'dark skinned person' come near. Or the stereotypical, 'protect that kid when the 'dark skinned people come by'. Or 'quick- lock the door, dark people are coming by'. The mom claims they've never had the talk about 'races' but communication involves more than just verbal communication. A child soaks up information both positive and negative. They soak it up in all forms. They may NEVER say anything, but pay attention to their actions! From the mouths of babes... I tell ya.
So some people tend to think that silence is the key- that 'what they don't know won't hurt em', but clearly in a situation like this- what they don't know is wreaking havoc on society. Talk to your kids. Teach them what's right! Let them know that a person's skin color has NOTHING to do with being good or bad, dumb or smart, pretty and ugly.
Hell, if it helps, make some picture flash cards to drive home the point! How about a flash card of Michelle Obama to portray good with dark skin -vs- Amy Winehouse to show an example of bad with light/tatted/often dirty skin. How about one past president -vs- a current one for examples of dumb and smart? (OKAY OKAY OKAY- that was too much...LOL let me give another example for that one. BUT- keep in mind, this is MY blog, MY opinions). For 'Dumb -vs- Smart' use a pic of the All boys' school that just awared ALL their graduating sr the college scholarships THEY EARNED- yeah- they are all of the 'dark skinned' persuasion. Pair them with the 'dumb' of the lacrosse player who murdered his lacrosse GF recently... mmmm yeah, he's from the 'light skinned' group. (Pretty sure murder ain't smart or good). Pretty -vs- ugly (well this one is strictly opinion) BUT may I suggest using a pic of Gabrielle Union or Jada Pinkett Smith for the 'pretty brown/dark people' -vs- a pic of Courtney Love or a younger Dakota Fanning- yeah, those were tough to look at to me!
ANYWAY- consider this 'vent' over now... HOWEVER, I am going to work on another post concering a show I saw called 'What Would You Do'....ever heard of it? if not- stay tuned!
Below is a link of the Nashville Tennessee Flood 2010. With it of course are comments from viewers. Take a minute to watch this 4minute video, check a few of the comments before continuing with this blog.
Now, I don't know if any of you caught it, but there were some pretty nasty shots at the Katrina situation.
Then comments went even further left with the likes of these:
One of the comments (and I paraphrase) was along the lines of:
'Nashville flooded, we didn't stand on roofs waiting for fedearal assistance, we got out and have already started to regroup on our own.'
If you take a moment to think about it- you can't help but consider the financial difference in the two areas. New Orleans (at least the portions most affected by the flood) is not as 'affluent' as most of Nashville. When the warning about Katrina came to NOLA, the residents braced for the potential flood. (I mean, NOLA sits between the lake and the river... it will flood if somebody spit in one of the bodies of water!). So the residents knew there was potential 'bad weather' with 'potential flood', but OMG- over the hears how many bouts of 'bad weather' and 'floods' have these people survived. No doubt in my mind, they braced and prepared the best way they knew how. They prepared THEIR 'hurricane/flood' survial plans/kits. NOBODY knew Katrina's water would do what it did. So, when the leeves did break, and pumps did fail, their USUAL flood plans weren't enough... THAT's when the cries for help started. I'm sure if the NOLA residents KNEW they would have
5-20+ ft of water in and around them and homes), that they would have stayed. Do you? Then there is the issue of 'affording to leave'. Sadly, people in NOLA don't have that 'extra' money to just up and go. (MIND YOU- I'm not saying they don't have the money because they can't or don't work or because they gamble/drink it away... the point I'm trying to make is that... THERE ISN'T A LOT OF MONEY for the MAJORITY of the families that live here). Anyway- so, some of the people stranded here probably WANTED to leave, but didn't have the car. They didn't have the bus/plane/train fare. The didn't have the money for a hotel stay for God knows how long. So they opted to stay and 'wait out another NOLA flood'. Nashville on the other hand, GENERALLY SPEAKING, the population seems to be a bit better off in the financial department. THEN, how often is there a HUGE FLOOD in Nashville? SO the mention of 'flood' probably strikes the image of Katrina's flood, which prompted several to evacuate early. The city doesn't typically 'deal with' floods on the regular like NOLA- again, prompting Nashvillians to leave earlier. (I kinda equate that with people in California... tell them an earthquake is coming, they'll brace for it but won't leave...they're 'used to it'. Tell ME (in New Orleans) an earthquake is going to hit, I INSTANTLY envision Haiti, and I'm packed and OUT!)
*I removed the poster's name* where is Obama? the Fed. Government? Oh, forgot, they dont care about white people 7
ARE YOU SERIOUS poster? I know this was spawned from the Kanye moment during the awards show, but serious? Obama don't like white people? LOL isn't he part white? or other? or something? LOL ignorant comments are the worst! I did not and do not agree with Kanye's comment BUT... I can kinda..a little bit.. see his 'rationale'. I mean it DID appear that Bush pretty much was like 'FUCK YA'LL NOLA... I'm going to play golf/vacay/sleep' during the whole Katrina situation. Just seems to me that it took WAY too long for somebody to say, 'hey, let's use buses and get these people outta here'.
*poster's name removed* why isnt there the media coverage? cos obama doesnt want to be blamed for it like bush got blamed for what happaned after Katrina and plus obama is racist he dont care about white people
Now- I might be crazy for this line of thinking, but if I am crazy- it's MY BLOG and I'm allowed to be! (LOL). BUT I don't think there is real blame to be placed on anybody; at least not for the WHOLE oreals. With Katrina- New Orleans didn't flood BECAUSE of Bush. Nashville didn't flood BECAUSE of Obama. New Orleans was in a bad way (in reference to the leeves) for a long time- even PRIOR to Bush's terms.. (prob even before/during his dad's term). Katrina (the natural disaster) came. The waters rose (again- natural), the leeves broke (HERE is the issue!). Now- was the pressure just so much that the leeves would have broken EVEN IF THEY had been repaired and pumps had been repaired when the first 'issues' were brough up? Who friggin knows... WHAT WE DO KNOW is that the leeves needed repair. The pumps needed revamping PRIOR to this flood... SO Katrina (the natural disaster) was quite possibly made worse by MAN's oversight/mistake/neglegence. Nashville on the other hand,was rain, and rain only (as far as I know it). I did hear talk of leeve breeches at one time, but none actually broke (I don't think- if I'm wrong, please correct me!) Not a whole lot Obama can do to stop the rains. Wasn't a think Bush coulda done to stop the hurricane. Where I think the 'difference' is, is that Bush could have organized his people better to evacuate those stranded in the flood of Katrina.
If Katrina was the biggest failure of Bush's presidency, why isn't this the biggest failure of Obama's?
While I don't blame Bush himself FOR the flood...I do fault him for not managing his teams better in order to more quickly give help to those stranded. That in deed was a FAIL! Obama on the other hand... well, I don't see Nashville's flood to be as dynamic as Katrina. A flood- yes. A horrific display of mother nature's destruction- yes, but no where NEAR as many stranded. No where near as many deaths (but any life lost is a life lost and is a sad situation though). Again, Obama couldn't stop the rain. Bush couldn't stop the hurrican. From what I've heard, there were some rescues involved in the Nashville flood, but not on the scale of those needed for Katrina. Why would there be 'blame' to be placed anyway?
