Discrimination @ MindSay

At some point during the past year or so, I have lost all 3 of the sports bras I owned.  I am still unsure how this happened.  My FIRST thought  would be that they disappeared somehow during my move back to NY/dorm room ... but I didn't do that this year.  I came home in May of 2008, and I stayed in the same location, so they clearly did not get lost in the shuffle (I'm gonna go apply to be a detective after I finish writing this :)). They were also not in my mom's drawer, so either they combusted, the laundry monster ate them, or they're IN my drawer, and I'm blind.  Three crappy scenarios.

I went to Target today to remedy this, as it has not been fun running around camp without "support".

I found sports bras easily, and then started to browse regular bras.  I'm going to rant for a minute.  How come there are no cute bras for people bigger than a B cup?  What is the rationale behind that?  Why is the assumption, "oh, you've got boobs, you couldn't POSSIBLY want cute little polka dots or bright colors.  Oh no! You want beige. And white.  Lots of white".  GRANTED, 99.99% of the population is not going to get to see my bra, but that isn't the point.  Is there a shortage of appealing-looking fabric?  It's not just Target, either; even Victoria's Secret, the place my aunt refers to as "Bra Land", seems to think that once you hit a certain size, you instantly become bland.  What a strange assumption.

Did I really just bitch about lack of exciting bras?  Come on...you've come to count on me for incredibly VAPID posts, but this is officially my 'Paris Hilton' entry.  That level of worthlessness.

In other news ... job interview tomorrow (today) at 10am.  Why the hell am I still up and typing?  This is seriously stupid.

My friends and fellow citizens;
Know that someone hears your voice , who listens and understands.
Someone who does not judge you but supports your right to love whom you please.
Know that someone cries for you and hates the discrimination shown to you.
Take comfort that there are those of us willing to fight for your rights as citizen and a human being.
Those willing to stand and say "No , we will not tolerate intolerance!"

In my life I have seen hate and bigotry towards blacks and other minorities. I have seen women treated as slaves, sex objects and trash to be discarded. I have seen the poor shunned  , I have seen the mentally impaired or retarded
locked away and I have seen the elderly deserted and forgotten.
If I stand not against these things, then I stand not at all but fail miserably as a decent human being. For those that sit by and watch,  it is if they have partaken in the hate by their silence , neglecting to cry out to defend those being discriminated against!

Each night as I kiss my husband goodnight I am so thankful that the world allows me to love and be with this man I love so much! When I see your plight I realize how each time I hold his hand and walk down the street without judgment or stares from strangers that you do not receive this courtesy. I can not imagine the pain and loneliness you must sometimes feel!

But know that you can count on my support till the fight is over! I will march, vote, sign petitions and do what ever it takes to help you obtain the right that other humans have to marry the person you love and to adopt children!

I hope that I will live to see the day that "We wouldn't be judged for who we loved but whether we loved at all".

Sitting here thinking about myself, my neighbors, and all the wonderful people I have met online got me wondering - how shallow are we? Does this flaw make our lives less magical, as we tend to veer away from the less than perfect, and are we missing out on a chance to know amazing people?

 

Here's a few examples, see what you come up with :

 

There's an amazing, creative artist who's work is wonderous, and childlike in imagination but executed in style like a master. You chat, talk, and think he's awesome...and then you find out this "young creator" who's "so friggin cool" is in his mid-50's. What's your opinion now? Is it changed?

 

There's a pretty girl who seems like she's in her mid-late 20's, and is warm and very fun. She's attractive, but as she speaks, you realize she either is wearing dentures or has no teeth. Is she any less of what she was before, or did your mind form a new interpretation?

 

There's a very cool guy who's always open to things. He offers to help you move, he is there when you need to talk, and he's the all-around guy's guy, sports and all. One night you and a few buddies are watching the game, each flopped in chair with beer happy as can be. You're watching the halftime show, and it's noticed that while the others are cheering for the cheerleader's upskirt moves, your friend is only interested in the men waiting to take back the field. Now, he's not hitting on you, isn't vocal about anything, and has been the perfect friend...does your level of comfort and trust shift, do you worry, will you treat him different, or do you see no change at all - it doesn't matter?

 

Maybe the artist would be your best friend, family, a mental version of a soulmate, drawing or painting what you see and feel in your sleeping dreams. Maybe he's the next Picasso -

 

Maybe the girl had a bone disease and never did drugs and was a contributing citizen, an upstanding girl, and her teeth became so deteriorated that she suffered chronic illness and had to get them removed. Maybe her dentures are noticable, or are just uncomfortable.

 

Maybe the gay friend liked you for your treatment of him, as an equal, and no different from any other guy. Maybe he'd be the EMT who'd save your life one day, or who would be the only non-judgemental person left when you make a major mistake.

 

When you choose, alienate, and discriminate, you not only deprive those you shun from having the chance to be accepted by a warm soul, but you lose the hope of maybe finding unconditional love - whether in the sense of a mentor, friend, lover, family, or just a shoulder or a beer buddy after a long day. How shallow , how loveless are you? Lilli

I know everyone can't agree all the time- it's unrealistic and frankly, it would make life much less interesting.  But I am so sick racism, sexism, bigotry, and discrimination. Can't we all just be people and be okay with that? Can't we stop judging others by the color of their skin, their sexual preference, their religious beliefs, or which genitals they posses? SERIOUSLY. It's two-thousand-and-fucking-eight. This is the United States of America. Why are these things still an issue?

I'm not saying you should just forget your heritage or your gender or your religion or your sexual preference.  These are all things that make you who you are, and I hope they are things each of us can be proud of. But why are these aspects of life focused on so intensely? Can't we pick our friends based on their personalities? Can't we hire workers based on their skill and intellect? Can't we teach our children to accept others as they are? Can't we get along with people who are different from ourselves?

I am so worn down and discouraged by the bullshit I've been surrounded by lately. I don't understand how anyone can think that two people who love each other and want to be married shouldn't be allowed to. I don't understand how women can still make less money than men for the same work or minorities can make less money than whites for the same work. I don't understand how it anyone can consider all Muslims "terrorists". I really, really do not understand how anyone who claims to be a Christian can have anything but love and acceptance for people of all races, genders, religions, and preferences. That's a big part of what turned me away from Christianity. So many people claim to follow the ways of Christ, yet they're so full of judgment and hate.  I just can't be apart of that.

Close mindedness should be a thing of the past. But it isn't. And honestly, I'm starting to wonder if it ever will be.

I had totally forgotten that Mike Peters does/did Mother Goose and Grimm.  They stopped that cartoon in my local papers, but I always loved Grimmy...however, I love his editorial cartoons even more.