I've been away for a while--life happens. But I am going to make a better effort to post at least once a week. Some of the matters that have happened recently caused me to want to speak up and offer a few thoughts.
I don't know that I could say I am smiling about this, nor am I feeling cavalier about what I am thinking. But I just wonder why everybody is so shocked and so seemingly surprised about this matter with Paula Deen? She is a white, 60-year old, Southern (Belle) woman, and it is not at ALL unlikely that she has made some kind of racists statements over the course of her lifetime. She has said it herself. Why is everyone so shocked?
I keep saying that I intend to write about a few things, a few matters on which I have contemplated and thought about and simply want to share with other thinkers and readers. We seem to be living in such a voyeuristic and unforgiving time in the world. Social media and technology makes it so much easier to blast our feelings, good, bad, and indifferent, and it really is interesting, for lack of a better term, how folk can be so mean. While it may be true that some things are just not pleasant, it certainly seems that far too many people have an uncaring, even hostile attitude, even making rash and harsh statements about things before they even know all that is going on. I would dare say that a rash statement and a harsh attitude is just as bad or worse. Seems like people have forgotten how to show restraint.
I think we need to lay off of Paul Deen. I don't even know why everyone is so surprised. Until people of different ethnic groups and different cultures and races sit down and talk about difference, similarities, and sameness, nothing is going to change. These are not new attitudes. And the reason people are still stuck in their narrow mindedness is because we don't want to deal with the pain--YES PAIN--of facing the reality of being wrong and admitting some very painful yet realistic truths.
Can't say that this is a matter to smile about, but we can get to the smile, if we are willing to face a few realities.
Peace!
