When So Much Changes We Cannot Stay the Same
Posted: Tuesday, February 03, 2009
by Michael Gaffley
flatlinetochange
People of color are often ridiculed because they have to make excuses. I agree that some of the excuses are lame to say the least. However, they can play the race card, the health card, the poverty card, or the overcrowding card. The fact is that some of the excuses are legitimate. Excuses like, my mom had lung cancer and my dad died of a heart attack, can be momentarily overwhelming. Excuses like, I could not do it because our electricity was cut and we had no money for food can be embarrassing. I am sorry for the inconvenience caused by my lateness but I had to take three buses to get here. I was absent yesterday because my brother-in-law in a drunken stupor beat the crap out of my sister the night before and I had to nurse and protect her. I am exhausted, overwhelmed, mentally and physically drained and I just cannot handle this stress anymore because life has just become too much.
May I respectfully remind the reader that these negative connotations originated in a time when racism was rife? It comes from a world order that had to prove that people were inferior and superior based on their skin color. We are now entering a time period when society is being forced by world events and movements to have real expectations for all people and not to lower their expectations just because of the color of a person's skin.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)I really didn't understand the purpose of our article? Is the underlining theme about President Obama?This is an exceprt from my soon to be published book about my childhood in apartheid South Africa where I was a member of an oppressed group.Oh I see. Well I am glad you are now doing well and not suffering from oppression and racism.I think that it is important to get my book published so that our story gets a voice
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