I was born in the south, central Texas to be exact. I've seen confederate flags flown throughout my life. I always just considered it a symbol of southern pride, after all, it is included on several state flags. It seemed harmless to me.
Let's look back at the civil war. Some may argue that it was caused by state versus federal rights. No matter how you look at it, slavery was centrally the cause of the war. Confederates did not want to give up owning their laborers. Forced labor on other humans is just wrong.
150 years later, we still have people proudly flying the confederate flag. It's time to bury the symbol for slavery. It does represent hatred, just like flying a Nazi swastika. It's the 21st century and we still haven't gotten over hating an entire race or religion. We're all humans. Hating another human based on religion, skin color or political affiliation, seems like we would be beyond that by 2015. I'm disappointed to know that we haven't moved forward and gotten over prejudice yet. I wrote a paper in junior high about prejudice and unfortunately it still seems just as true today.
Personally, I don't hate a certain group. I enjoy exchanging ideas and knowledge with other cultures. I'm not perfect either, I've laughed at racial jokes but I like our differences. We're individuals! All white people are not like Hitler or even Reagan. Accordingly, all black people are not like Mandela or Al Sharpton.
My point is this: Symbols of hatred should not be accepted. Watch babies, they don't hate each other because they haven't learned to hate yet.
6/24/15
6/21/15
Not More, Just Differently
Mom is under the impression that I loved Dad more than her. That isn't true, I love her just as much! It's like comparing apples to oranges, they are just completely different.
Pops was mild mannered, Mom is temperamental. He didn't relish confrontation whereas Mom does. Dad was a logical thinker, Mom is an emotional thinker. She wears her heart on her sleeve and Dad didn't. They weren't polar opposites.
I inherited more traits from her, we're similar in many ways. She gets angry almost instantly, holds a grudge indefinitely. She'll intentionally cause grief for a person or purposely hurt their feelings for no apparent reason. She's hard headed and likes to have things her way. You cannot win an argument with her because she will not listen to your views. She can be ruthless whenever she takes the notion. I think she's incapable of having a discussion because she's already made up her mind. If you've seen me stubborn and aggressive, now you know where I got it.
Yes, she has faults. She's not always right but she always thinks she is! I may not like her all the time but I do always love her. She's my mother, the only one I'll ever have. Even when we're fighting about something....I still love that old bat!
Pops was mild mannered, Mom is temperamental. He didn't relish confrontation whereas Mom does. Dad was a logical thinker, Mom is an emotional thinker. She wears her heart on her sleeve and Dad didn't. They weren't polar opposites.
I inherited more traits from her, we're similar in many ways. She gets angry almost instantly, holds a grudge indefinitely. She'll intentionally cause grief for a person or purposely hurt their feelings for no apparent reason. She's hard headed and likes to have things her way. You cannot win an argument with her because she will not listen to your views. She can be ruthless whenever she takes the notion. I think she's incapable of having a discussion because she's already made up her mind. If you've seen me stubborn and aggressive, now you know where I got it.
Yes, she has faults. She's not always right but she always thinks she is! I may not like her all the time but I do always love her. She's my mother, the only one I'll ever have. Even when we're fighting about something....I still love that old bat!
6/17/15
You Won't Be Young Forever
A good friend of mine has a daughter. I'll call her "Amy," who is a cute high school graduate (2014) that was popular in school. Amy is bright, funny, shy, kinda quiet and pleasant to be around. She didn't date much, stuck to the books, but she didn't get accepted into the college she wanted to attend. Amy was an average student and didn't win any scholarships so she had to find a job. She worked for a while at a florist shop, until her eighteenth birthday. She expected to be earning $50k a year as soon as she graduated high school. Amy got her chance.
Amy answered an ad on Craigslist to be a model. The ad promised a free one week trip to Florida posing for sports apparel. She sent a few pictures and got a response immediately. Amy packed her stuff and hopped on a free flight to Miami.
Upon arrival, there were a dozen girls staying in a house all trying for the same modeling job. It was a big fancy house with six bedrooms and a pool. The male "talent agent" occupied one room but the girls shared the rest of the house. Some of the girls had been there for a few weeks and they all seemed happy. Amy was informed that there were lots of modeling jobs by the other girls. After her first tryout for the sports apparel job, she was told that the gig paid $200, but if she was open to being topless, there was another job that paid $400. One of the girls told her that she was being paid $500 because she wasn't modest and would take nude photos.
After hearing how great they were treated and seeing models getting cash...She talked more with the talent agent. Her free week in Florida was almost over and someone else already filled the spot for the ports apparel gig. After 5 days, she had agreed to do a topless photo shoot.
They filled her head with compliments and told her that she could make big money doing porn movies. Amy decided that she liked the money and didn't mind the nudity. They moved her to another house that wasn't as elegant, less girls and the beds were mattresses on the floor. Being paid in cash, she suddenly had a few thousand dollars in her pockets all the time. Amy started off being treated like a princess on the set. Jobs quickly escalated into rougher and more degrading spots.
After just a few months she had made about $25,000 but she only had a few thousand left after clothing, rent and food costs. After just 3 months, she wasn't being offered jobs anymore because she wasn't a fresh face anymore. Amy decided to go back home.
Her parents were not happy about her decisions. They were glad that she returned and gave up trying to be a porn star. Her Dad was devastated when he learned what happened. Amy is starting over with a new normal job, dealing with people constantly who recognize her from her past mistakes. She didn't return covered in tattoos but she's still marked for the rest of her life. Hopefully, she can live a happy life.
I'm passing Amy's story along because she's a good kid with good parents that love her, but young people don't consider the consequences of their actions affecting them later in life. Avoid the heartache and talk with young people.
Amy answered an ad on Craigslist to be a model. The ad promised a free one week trip to Florida posing for sports apparel. She sent a few pictures and got a response immediately. Amy packed her stuff and hopped on a free flight to Miami.
Upon arrival, there were a dozen girls staying in a house all trying for the same modeling job. It was a big fancy house with six bedrooms and a pool. The male "talent agent" occupied one room but the girls shared the rest of the house. Some of the girls had been there for a few weeks and they all seemed happy. Amy was informed that there were lots of modeling jobs by the other girls. After her first tryout for the sports apparel job, she was told that the gig paid $200, but if she was open to being topless, there was another job that paid $400. One of the girls told her that she was being paid $500 because she wasn't modest and would take nude photos.
After hearing how great they were treated and seeing models getting cash...She talked more with the talent agent. Her free week in Florida was almost over and someone else already filled the spot for the ports apparel gig. After 5 days, she had agreed to do a topless photo shoot.
They filled her head with compliments and told her that she could make big money doing porn movies. Amy decided that she liked the money and didn't mind the nudity. They moved her to another house that wasn't as elegant, less girls and the beds were mattresses on the floor. Being paid in cash, she suddenly had a few thousand dollars in her pockets all the time. Amy started off being treated like a princess on the set. Jobs quickly escalated into rougher and more degrading spots.
After just a few months she had made about $25,000 but she only had a few thousand left after clothing, rent and food costs. After just 3 months, she wasn't being offered jobs anymore because she wasn't a fresh face anymore. Amy decided to go back home.
Her parents were not happy about her decisions. They were glad that she returned and gave up trying to be a porn star. Her Dad was devastated when he learned what happened. Amy is starting over with a new normal job, dealing with people constantly who recognize her from her past mistakes. She didn't return covered in tattoos but she's still marked for the rest of her life. Hopefully, she can live a happy life.
I'm passing Amy's story along because she's a good kid with good parents that love her, but young people don't consider the consequences of their actions affecting them later in life. Avoid the heartache and talk with young people.
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