You might think that I am going out on a limb here, but stay with me.  Hopefully I will make it clear to you.  With all the talk about banning the Confederate Flag and ceasing all sales and depictions of it, banning the classic movie, “Gone With The Wind” because of the Confederate flag and also because it depicts a time in our history as a nation that is a “not-so-proud point”, and now canceling reruns of the TV show, “Dukes of Hazard”, banning the Confederate flag at Nascar Racing events (a time honored tradition for many who like Nascar), tearing down historic statues and monuments…the list goes on and on; why don’t we ban shows like Lassie or Hazel?

Think about it.  Those shows portrayed women as “less than” their husbands?  That is offensive to me as a woman.  How about banning “All in the Family” for its racism against black people or “Sanford & Son for its racism against white people, or MASH for racism against Koreans, or “Momma’s Family which depicted a dumb southern “hick” family?  Yes this sounds absurd, but this whole thing has gotten out of control and become beyond absurd to me.  That is how silly all of this “banning” and “tearing down” of statues and such really is.

Our country has baggage.  We, as people and individuals, have baggage.  You cannot rewrite history and you cannot remove it.  You cannot change history.  It is called history because it happened.  It is a part of who we are as people and as a nation.  It shows current society how far we have come and the obstacles we have overcome.  There’s nothing you can do to change that, so stop trying.  However, we CAN learn from it and make changes to improve it.  Our country has DONE that.  Is it perfect?  No.  With all of the individuals living in our universe, it never will be “perfect”.  But in America, we have the most humane society; at least I like to think we do – yes we still have a LONG way to go, but we have made progress as a nation that is accepting of all people.  In other countries they behead women for having an opinion or some other silly thing.  And in other countries, more craziness and punishment for small infractions.  Here in America, you get to rape repeatedly (you do your time and get released only to repeat your crime) or steal many times without so much as a slap on the wrist.  It is a crime to deface our nation’s flag, yet people are doing it and posting the videos on YouTube.  We have become so politically correct that we forget to protect.

It’s time we put things into perspective.  Stop behaving like spoiled children throwing temper tantrums.  That is what y’all look like.  Be peaceful in your protesting.  Stop burning innocent businesses.  Make smart suggestions; ones that don’t hurt or offend others.  If you are offended by something, then WHY would you suggest a ‘solution’ that offends others or offends the history of our country?  Retaliation?  Vengeance?  I just don’t understand.

I don’t care if you are black, white, green, polka-dotted, and/or do everything thru your day while walking on your hands.  I don’t care if you’re Jewish, Catholic, Muslim or Atheist.  People are people.  We all matter.  To me, God didn’t make junk.  We have to find a way to come together to discuss our differences and find solutions that work for everyone…at least for the mass majority of society.  As long as there is a vote, even if “my side” doesn’t win – at least I had a voice.  Not everything will appease everyone; it doesn’t work that way.  We are not the “Stepford Wives”.  We all are individuals with individual ideas, likes, dislikes, pains, and hurts.

If you are kind, compassionate, and treat people with the respect that you want, then you’re OK in my book.  That’s what society needs more of:  respect for others, kindness toward all, compassion for people we don’t even know.  Life is hard.  It is harder on some than on others.  Be compassionate.  Show compassion.  You do NOT know what other people are going thru or have gone thru to get where they are today.

I am white.  I am heterosexual.  I was born and raised in the south.  My parents divorced when I was twelve so I was raised in a single parent home.  Believe it or not, that made me easier prey for molesters and the such.  My father was a lifer Marine who lived in a different state.  I have not searched my ancestry on any website but I know that my heritage is a combo of English, Irish, Scottish, and German.  I am a “mutt”; a “Heinz-57”.  Because I have German heritage, does that link me to Nazi-Germany?  I say NO!  Neither does my Caucasian skin color link me to slave owners and bigots and racists!  I am 100% American and know that my God loves me.

I have been bullied, teased, embarrassed, humiliated, hurt, molested and even date-raped.  I could go on and on.  When I was hurt, I talked to my Mom or a friend.  I talked to God and figured out how to proceed.  I didn’t spread lies about others or burn buildings or trash national flags or belief-flags or bash other people’s belief systems.  I figured out how to work thru it without causing or bringing more harm to the situation.

Once when I was nine, a black neighbor living right next door in a townhouse community in Maryland sweet talked me and got me to put my head thru the wrought iron railing slats of the small railing on the top stoop of the backyard.  Remember, I was NINE years old.  She then proceeded to slap my face back & forth, back & forth, over and over again and again.  Yeah, the visual is kinda funny – like something from a silly sitcom or comedy show.  But at age nine, I had no idea what was happening and struggled like crazy to get my head freed.  If you’ve ever had your head stuck somewhere…your ears make it very difficult to get free.  But finally I was able to.  The whole time this BITCH was slapping my face – left cheek, right cheek, left cheek…she was laughing at me, saying various anti-white people things and other black people in her backyard were cheering her on and laughing at me.  HOW is THAT being loving?  Especially for someone probably 25 or so abusing a child?

The point I am attempting to make above is that we ALL have crappy things that have happened to us; crappy experiences and more.  These things have made us the strong, loving individuals we are today.  In some cases, these experiences have formed people into the hard-hearted bigots they are today.  Your choices on HOW you use your personal experiences will determine what kind of life you lead and share with others.

Do you want to be someone who is harsh and hard-hearted toward others or someone who is compassionate and is doing their best to be the change they want to see in the world; leading by example?

I choose to be the change I want to see in the world.  My views may not be the same as yours.  My opinions can be different.  My passions are different as well.  That’s what makes this all worth it.  We can watch, see, and learn SO MUCH from our different aspects.  Learn from others.  Stop trying to squash the individuality of our society – unless people are causing harm, then you need to defend.

I welcome your comments.