Words... They're innocent, neutral, precise, standing for this, describing that, meaning the other, so if you look after them you can build bridges across incomprehension and chaos. But when they get their corners knocked off, they're no good any more... I don't think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones in the right order, you can nudge the world a little or make a poem which children will speak for you when you're dead.”
― Tom Stoppard, The Real Thing: A Play
A couple years ago .. I in my stupidity said something that was incredibly "WHITE" to my friends of diverse back grounds.. and I it slipped out from my lips .. the awareness grew but I could not even take it back..
My friend Claudius promptly summed it up.. as "Gretchen you can try to put lipstick on that pig .. but it is still a pig. " Thank God for Claudius and Andrea's love acceptance and look of she is white .. which is a look I have tried not to get.. My intent was not racism, slander, bigotry.. But my laziness in challenging myself, filters .. scripts and filters, these things I believed I had conquered .. slipped.. I can not even tell you what it was but I have the look of my friends faces burned into my memory. People I love and never want to disappoint.
I slipped .. and then I tried to put lipstick on that pig in embarrassment.
Learning moment for me.. humility.. and a note about what I represent even when I am earnest in my intent. But a truth about latent scripting which I need to continue to challenge within myself.
"According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2014 there were more than 20 million children under 5 years old living in the U.S., and 50.2 percent of them were minorities."
https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/07/06/its-official-the-us-is-becoming-a-minority-majority-nation
There are all types of data that can be sited like above.. Some use it to justify bigotry, hatred, gentrification. For me it means finally the playing field may become more equal. I hope just by the masses minority goes away .. its such a crappy term and human , culture.. dignity, worth.. comes into focus. And I hope that I continue to fight my "whiteness" to continue to become more human.. To realize that I come from German Lutheran marrying and Scotch/ Irish Methodist.. (Scandal) for my grandparent.. That I continue to teach the lesson that if we can find such silly things as "skin, religion, sexual orientation " to hate each other .. then we can also pick more silly things to Love and Like each other.... Favorite Movie, activity.. .. sports.. food, values..
i will probably have more lipstick on pig moments if I am being realistic.. I am trying not to.. I have no excuses for them .. I am trying not to let past scripts interfere with current beliefs and values.. And I am sorry.. for each moment
It is ever so important in this moment in history.. while those 5 year old.. now 8 .. are watching that those of us who are white.. admit humbly our errors and work with effort for values of true equality, worth and dignity for all .. Which means we can not tolerate the tasteless joke.. We must challenge each others scripts and attitudes.
― Tom Stoppard, The Real Thing: A Play
A couple years ago .. I in my stupidity said something that was incredibly "WHITE" to my friends of diverse back grounds.. and I it slipped out from my lips .. the awareness grew but I could not even take it back..
My friend Claudius promptly summed it up.. as "Gretchen you can try to put lipstick on that pig .. but it is still a pig. " Thank God for Claudius and Andrea's love acceptance and look of she is white .. which is a look I have tried not to get.. My intent was not racism, slander, bigotry.. But my laziness in challenging myself, filters .. scripts and filters, these things I believed I had conquered .. slipped.. I can not even tell you what it was but I have the look of my friends faces burned into my memory. People I love and never want to disappoint.
I slipped .. and then I tried to put lipstick on that pig in embarrassment.
Learning moment for me.. humility.. and a note about what I represent even when I am earnest in my intent. But a truth about latent scripting which I need to continue to challenge within myself.
"According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2014 there were more than 20 million children under 5 years old living in the U.S., and 50.2 percent of them were minorities."
https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/07/06/its-official-the-us-is-becoming-a-minority-majority-nation
There are all types of data that can be sited like above.. Some use it to justify bigotry, hatred, gentrification. For me it means finally the playing field may become more equal. I hope just by the masses minority goes away .. its such a crappy term and human , culture.. dignity, worth.. comes into focus. And I hope that I continue to fight my "whiteness" to continue to become more human.. To realize that I come from German Lutheran marrying and Scotch/ Irish Methodist.. (Scandal) for my grandparent.. That I continue to teach the lesson that if we can find such silly things as "skin, religion, sexual orientation " to hate each other .. then we can also pick more silly things to Love and Like each other.... Favorite Movie, activity.. .. sports.. food, values..
i will probably have more lipstick on pig moments if I am being realistic.. I am trying not to.. I have no excuses for them .. I am trying not to let past scripts interfere with current beliefs and values.. And I am sorry.. for each moment
It is ever so important in this moment in history.. while those 5 year old.. now 8 .. are watching that those of us who are white.. admit humbly our errors and work with effort for values of true equality, worth and dignity for all .. Which means we can not tolerate the tasteless joke.. We must challenge each others scripts and attitudes.
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