So, if you know me at all... you know how much close minded people make me mad. Here are grand examples of the idiots that are living among us.
Example 1
Now at the school that my mom works there is a beautiful white woman who volunteers her time to help students at an after school reading program and does things for PTA. Now her son, Spencer, a student at the school, happens to be black. Now the principal of Spencer’s school is, so ignorant. He walks up to this mother and looks at her and says with all seriousness "Now, what color is Spencer's father?" The woman looked at him, turned around and left the building. She went to the S.I. and now that principal is on the verge of losing his job. (this was Dec 06)
Example 2
I happen to have a lot of black friends here and the majority of them are males. Some have been to jail some are college students. Regardless of what these men are up to it mattered not to this police officer. This happened to be on MY side of town, no we were not in the "ghetto" but this cop saw me pick up my friend from a "not-so-nice" area. Not more then 3 mins later I was pulled over for a broken plate light. The cop asked me for my license and insurance like normal. Then he asked me to step out of the car. All of a sudden I realized that there were two more cop cars and I was being asked if I knew my friend's real name. Now I admit that this kid wasn't exactly the best example of a good man. BUT JUST because he was black I was pulled over and my intentions were questioned. Then my friend was asked to get out of the car, my car was searched, and me and my friend were also searched. NOW I am completely convinced that if my friend were white this would never have happened. (this was July 06)
Example 3
I was in Chicago with my friend, we've been friends since I was 14 (I'm almost 20 now). We were walking around downtown and it was really crowded, so we were holding hands so he wouldn't loose me. Well during all the hustle and bustle SOMEONE managed to see that he was holding my hand and they didn't like that so they made it known by walking up to my friend and say "So, you think it's cool to date white women huh? You like taking good white women and making them look bad for dating black men." So I decided to intervene and say, HEY! Although we are not dating this man, by NO means is he making ME look bad. This man is educated and is doing well for himself. Judging him makes you look stupid. This made me so mad. This guy wouldn’t stop, he was really convinced that my friend was using me to better his image. (this was Nov 06)
Example 4
I was talking to a teacher that I had in high school and he asked me a really deep question. (this is the same teacher that for our final in high school asked us What is the meaning of life? and we had to write at least 5 pages on what we considered the meaning of life to be. Needless to say I pulled an A on the final and an A over all in his class) Well he asked me, "are you accomplishing your dreams?". I said well since I was seventeen and you had me in class first semester my senior year, my dream has changed a little. And then he said no… I bet it hasn’t. He said your dream was to make a difference. Then he continued on to say that no matter what I did it was to my own beat. Whether it was dating outside my race ect. Well I stopped him there and asked him why he said that. He said that I was one of the only girls in high school that wasn’t afraid to admit that was attracted to a black man and I wasn’t afraid of what the “black girls” were going to say about me. I said, now why would I care what they said, if I wanted to do something it’s my prerogative to do so. Then he said something that changed my perception of him form that day fourth. He said, “Ashley, you don’t see the big picture do you? You don’t see what your life will be like if you fall in love with a black man.” I swear to God, I lost so much respect for that man that day. I looked up to him for 4 years in high school I thought he was amazing. I looked at him and said, “what is the big picture?? What did everyone worry about so much?? Was it that out in public people would see that happiness is available to all people? NOT just Caucasian, white collar, middle class families?? That it is not unacceptable for a white woman to fall in love with a black man (and vice versa) raise a perfectly normal family and be happy?! That for once someone didn’t give in to social stereotypes? Is it about how I look on the outside? Or it is how I feel on the inside that matters most? Does it matter that I dated the typical “ALL AMERICAN” white boy, football star, wrestler, blonde haired, blue eyed, boy and on the outside I looked pretty happy. We looked like the class couple on the outside, but on the inside I was dying. This “good old American boy” the one that everyone thought was perfect for Ashley was beating the shit out of her behind closed doors. Yeah… then the boyfriend I had after him, yes, a black man never laid a hand on me… treated me like a goddess. There’s something for you to think about Mr. Big Picture.”
Anyway, I guess my point after all this is… live and let live. Is it really that big of a deal? Yes I know that some people have no exactly taken to the idea of interracial dating. But unless it directly affects you personally do you really need to make it your business?? Was it any of the principal's business what color Spencer's father was? Would we have looked that suspicious to those cops if my friend wasn't black? Was it really that man's right to tell my friend he was bringing me down simply because he's black and I'm white? And finally is happiness unacceptable when it breaks social norms? Please someone enlighten me, What am I missing??
