Politically Incorrect
I liked the show. I even understood his off color comment after 9-11-01. But thats not what this is about.
First culprit, race specifically the great white/black divide in this country.
I was shocked and appalled at the New York Times journalist that lied and plagiarized to an obscene extent.
Another personal case. I used to manage at a McDonald’s. We had a new black employee whom we shall call Cuprick. When he first started working there he was an excellent new employee, and I "took him under my wing" and pushed him and made sure things were good for him.
One night his uncle came by and said his mom was sick with breast cancer and they needed to leave to visit her. I forget the specific incidents but he used his sick, then dead mother excuses to get off work for many days over the next month and a half. This culminated in one day his mother walking in and wanting to know where Cuprick was. We told her he wasn’t scheduled, and then began to inquire if perhaps Cuprick has another family member who he might consider his mother. She said no. We asked if she was dead, but she looked alive also.
My store manager didn’t fire him for this. although he eventually got fired after stealing money from customers.
One more personal case. Another black employee at my current job has apparently successfully lied to and/or sweet talked the manager into getting a fixed schedule which pushed me out of hours that I had wanted to work.
There is an obvious thread here. African American males deceiving to get ahead. But one more story to add is in order.
My insurance plan through work covers a $350 pair of glasses every two years. Somehow I picked out a $494.88 pair of glasses. So I had to pay 144.88. (a $10 copay) for reasons beyond the scope of this eJournal, the insurance company denied the claim. So I got a voicemail about it and low and behold the glasses dropped in price to $289. So me and my insurance company got overcharged $205.88.
Yeah I know what your thinking I have a young black male optometrist.
No. He’s a middle aged white man who advertises to operate his business on "Christian Principles."
So the way to work through this is to simultaneously apply and not apply stereotypes. Of course this leads to schizophrenia and other mental illnesses so I don’t recommend following it.
So what am I stuck with? Lets not over glorify stereotypes. They’re useful that why they still exist, but we’d get closer to an idea "utopia" if we could judge people on who they really are and not how they look.
I think this is part of why having blue hair is so interesting; you get interesting responses from people. Its also why I found Black Like Me was so interesting because we got to read an outsider’s response to being black.
This is part of why being out for some is a conundrum. I have the option to be out and possibly be discriminated against or to be closeted and not be discriminated against.
But, to me it is irresponsible and cowardly to be closeted. First of all it dimishes visibility but it also is being untrue. A black person (or pick many other protected classes) has no option to be closeted.
If we GLBT people as a community allow ourselves to be in and out when it is convenient for us it creates false stereotypes but also deprives us in taking responsibility and pride in who we are.
Black people cannot look white (okay, Michael Jackson excepted) if we want to be taken seriously should we ever allow ourselves to step back in the closet?