Human Race

I understand Affirmative Action. I just don't believe it is necessary. If we truly believe race doesn't matter, why do we have to indicate our race on everything.

I get that there are groups of people who get discriminated against. I understand that Affirmative Action was the governments way of fixing that problem. seriously though, when did the government ever come up with a good solution. Personally, I'd rather get hired based on my qualifications than the fact that my employer just needed to hire more women. Now, I can see if a company had a difficult time choosing between two candidates who are equally qualified, then I could see how affirmative action could help with that decision, but I don't think it is necessary.

Now, I know a lot of people are prepared to tell me how I am wrong and we need Affirmative Action for all of those people who are treated unjustly. Just hear me out.

If (as Michael Jackson put it) "it doesn't matter if your black or white" (or Hispanic or Asian or whatever), then it why do we put it on all of our documentations? There are only a few places where I believe it is necessary to declare your race.

1) at the doctors - it is important to know because there are some diseases that are more prevalent in some races than others
2) Birth Certificate - as a form of identification which becomes necessary for my number 1 reason
3) Driver's License - as a form of identification because your race is a part of who you are.

I can't think of any other reasons but that doesn't mean there aren't any other reasons. If we ask for that information if makes it important. We are classifying people based on their looks, not their merits.

If we stop asking for people's race (and sometimes gender), then we people will start believing it doesn't matter. It won't  happen over night, change rarely does.

Right now it matters because of Affirmative Action. But take that away and you have employers looking at applications and resumes and identifying the most qualified individuals. Then you have them interviewing based on merit, not the color of their skin or whether or not they have a Y chromosome.

When we make those distinctions you are discriminating against someone. When I was in high school, I was looking in this huge book of scholarships. I was feeling discouraged because I couldn't find anything for me. When I found a scholarship for tall black girls I knew I wouldn't find anything for me. Where were the scholarships for short white girls?

Yes, there are jerks out there, There are people who won't hire someone because of the color of their skill or lack of a Y chromosome. But you have to admit, today, in 2016, there are less of those jerks than there were in 1966. Just think, what it will be like in 2066 if we look at people based on their merits and not the color of their skin.

What is my race? The human race!

Wait, What?

So, I was reading on the CDC.gov website and I noticed something peculiar. First of all, I was reading about childhood obesity. I read about how it is more prevalent in Hispanics. Then it talked about non-Hispanic blacks and I thought, "That's funny. I've never heard of a black person who considers themselves Hispanic, 'Hispanic black.' " There probably are some, I don't know of any, though, but that doesn't mean it isn't possible. Then it talked about non-Hispanic whites. A term, with which I am very familiar. I'm used to the comparison of Hispanic vs non-Hispanic white. Though, when I first had that option placed before me I thought it was a weird distinction. Why would that wording be used to describe me, but, oh well. Then it talked about non-Hispanic Asians. Then I thought, "Wait a minute!" Come on! When did we come to the point where we are describing ourselves as whether we are Hispanic or not? This was the United States of America's Center for Disease Control and Prevention website.

Now, I know that race becomes an issue when you discuss certain diseases. I get that. So, that is important to know. But why not say white, Hispanic, black, Asian, etc. Why the distinction of Hispanic versus non-Hispanic?

Come on, if you really want to be "politically correct" the United States of America declared their independence from England so maybe we should be calling everyone English vs non-English. Okay, well the colonists didn't want to be a part of England any more so maybe American vs non-American should be better. Oh, but wait! The Native Americans were here first. Why not Native Americans vs non-Native Americans. Oh, but that brings me to my other issue. There are people who claim to be native to California or native to Arizona or native to New York (I think you get the idea) but non of those people also claim to be native to America.

When and why did we start labeling people Hispanic versus non-Hispanic?

I'd appreciate your comments on this to help me understand. Not to ridicule, but to help clarify. Stay tuned - I'll be posting more about this issue.

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Adults

I am convinced that one of the reasons why children have lost all respect for their elders is because their television shows depict adults as morons and children as the geniuses who know everything!

How many sitcoms have children doing all sorts of things and the adults (parents, teachers, store clerks, etc) are clueless about what is actually going on? How many times do children get away with things and the adults never do anything to correct the behavior?

Children need to grow up seeing strong adults leading by example. Entertainment has a strong influence on children. Young children watch those shows and movies and believe it is a reflection of reality. They don't have a firm grasp on the differences between fiction and nonfiction. . . yet. They need to see strong adults leading by example in real life as well as in the entertainment they watch.

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Men

A while back I posted my thoughts on feminism. Well, now I want to talk about men.

I find it very sad that as we try to make strong role models for women, that men are being put down. Where are the strong role models for men? Why can't we have a strong role model for girls at the same time having a strong role model for boys?

Why is it that in sitcoms the dad is the "dumb" one and the mom is the "intelligent" one. Mom is the one who can balance a check book, but don't ask dad to do it! That's a role reversal right there! If you need help with homework, go to mom 'cuz dad doesn't know what he is doing! Another role reversal.

Why aren't boys doing well in school? Why should they? Entertainment media (movies and shows) are telling boys that they aren't smart. Men just aren't that smart. Well, that just isn't true, now is it? Of course it isn't!

Okay, so that isn't the only reason why boys aren't doing well in school, but don't tell me it isn't a contributing factor. . . 'cuz it is.

Let's create strong role models for girls without taking away the role models for boys.

Sure boys have their superhero role models and though they can get some great character building skills from those characters, they need to see real life role models. Men that they can grow up to be. As much as they would like to, the will not grow up to be Iron Man or Batman.

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Feminists

I am a feminist, but not a feminist in the way you might think. Dictionary.com states that feminism means "advocating social, political, legal, and economic rights for women equal to those of men." Although I believe women should have the same opportunities as men (for the most part) and should get paid fairly for their work. I don't believe women should be treated the same as men.

I am a feminist in the fact I believe in women. I believe women should be all they can be. I believe women are special and should be treated as princesses. When I was younger I believed women were superior to men. Now I know that women are special in their own way just as men are special in their own way.

I am a feminist because I believe that their femininity should be celebrated. Motherhood is a marvelous gift. Breastfeeding should not be a taboo. Women shouldn't be afraid to talk about their menstrual cycles, miscarriages, labor, postpartum experiences, and menopause. Girls should grow up knowing how wonderful they are to be a woman. The should grow up defending their rights as a woman.

I am a feminist because I don't think women are equal to men. I don't think we should spend our time trying to erase the divide between men and women. As the kindergarten student so eloquently stated in the movie, Kindergarten cop, "Boys have a penis. Girls have a vagina." Adding to his statement, men have a Y chromosome, women do not. Women have estrogen and men have testosterone. These are the fundamental building blocks for what makes us different to begin with. Instead of trying to take the gender definition away, let's clearly define it! If girls grew up celebrating their womanhood instead of being told they need to be equal to men, perhaps there wouldn't be as many rapes or battered women.

Now, I know this goes into the gender debate and I already have a post on that subject.

What I am try to say is we are all unique in our own way. I believe everyone, male and female, should have equal opportunities for school and work. That doesn't mean that I want my rights as a female to be taken away. I want to celebrate everyone for who and what they are. Everyone should be given a chance based on their merits not their gender. That doesn't mean that their gender doesn't mean anything at all. Don't take away my rights as a women just to make men and women equal, 'cuz let's face it. We are not equal. Men are naturally stronger. Women have the capability of bearing children. The differences in men and women are not meant to be a competition. It is meant for us to work together as a team.

I am a feminist because I love being a woman.

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Gender Dysphoria

I read an article about Gender Dysphoria from an online magazine, Public Discourse by the Witherspoon Institute. I know that by stating my opinion about this article I am opening myself to everyone telling me how I am wrong. Not that they believe that I am wrong. No, that I am wrong. Well, I still believe in the Bill of Rights and I have the right to express my opinion, just like everyone else.

I really liked this article. I thought he brought up some very valid points. One of my thoughts was the argument I have had for almost 20 years now. You either have a Y chromosome or you don't! Your gender is determined by your genes. . . your chromosomes.

I recently had a baby. Due to my age I had the opportunity to have my blood tested for birth defects in the baby's genes. In this test I was also able to find out the gender of the baby. This test was taken when I was 11 or 12 weeks along. Amazing, right? I found out I was having a boy! Then people would ask, "Wouldn't it be funny if when he was born it was a girl?" I said, "No, he has a Y chromosome. I don't. He is a boy." Other people wanted to wait until about 30 weeks when I had the ultrasound. They needed to see it to believe it. Sure enough, my son aimed to please and we got a wonderful shot of his manly organs to prove he indeed had a Y chromosome.

I read an article a while back (please forgive me for not remembering where I read the article) that talked about the legitimate, biological situations where someone might have two X chromosomes AND a Y chromosome. In such cases the gender dysphoria would make a lot of sense. He sited other chromosome situations but that was the only one I remember. Now, the opinions I am about to express do not include those people who legitimately have gender dysphoria due to their genes.

We live in a society where we try to be politically correct all the time but we are far from it. If we were truly "politically correct" then we wouldn't care if a boy liked the color pink and a girl liked to play with trucks. But society does care about that. "Oh, he likes pink, he must be homosexual."  "Oh, she plays with trucks, she must be homosexual." Now you are putting labels on colors and toys. "Only girls like to play with dolls." "Only boys like to play with trucks." When you put those labels on things then you are confusing children.

My five year old daughter is a girly girl. She likes to dress up like a princess. She likes to play house. She likes to paint her nails. She loves to wear dresses. But oh my goodness, she can hold her own when she's playing with her boy cousins. She's tougher than they are. They fall and go crying their mother. My daughter falls, stands up, says, "I'm okay" and continues playing. She'll play their games and do all the things they like to do. That is acceptable in our society. The minute she suggests to play a "girl" activity they scoff at her and say that is for girls and refuse to play with her (well, the younger boys will still play with her). If it is okay for a girl to play with the boys doing "boy" activities, why isn't it okay for a boy to play "girl" activities with the girls?

Maybe we should stop labeling and just let kids be kids. My brother played with dolls growing up. Why? Because he had 3 older sisters who played dolls. Guess what? He is a great dad now. Perhaps playing house with his sisters helped him learn the skills he needed to be a great father. Who knows? Perhaps he just wanted to play with his siblings and his baby brother was just too young to play. (By the way he and his wife are happily married.)

When I was a little girl I didn't like boys. They had cooties. I only wanted to play with girls. Did that make me homosexual? No. First, puberty had not kicked in yet. Second, I wanted to play with other kids who had the same interests as me. I did not like playing sports. I liked to sit and talk or play Chinese jump rope. To say a pre-pubescent child is homosexual or transgender or whatever is denying him/her of a carefree childhood. Children should be free to experiment. Let the girls play with blocks, let the boys play with Barbies. Let them decide what they like and what they don't like. Don't label them or their activies. I believe a lot of this gender dysphoria has to do with the nurture side of the debate versus the nature side.

Now, as far as the bathroom situation goes - I go with the literal biological state of things. If you are female you use the female bathroom. If you are male, you use the male bathroom. It is a simple as that. How you feel about your gender has nothing to do with what your gender actually is. If you have penis and inside you feel like you are a woman, that does not change the fact that you have a penis. If you are a woman and you feel like internally you are a man, that does not change the fact you still have to pee sitting down. Whether or not you like to wear dresses or whether or not you like to kiss a man or a woman has absolutely nothing to do with how you go to the bathroom.

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Freedom of Speech

I believe in the Constitution. I believe in the Bill of Rights. I believe in the 1st Amendment.

I believe everyone has the right to say what ever they want to say. Oh, but wait a minute. I also believe in domestic tranquility - that everyone has the right to feel safe and secure. Therefore, so long as I respectfully state my opinion while respecting your opinion we should be okay.

Why is it that when I state my opinion on how I feel about something I am automatically accused of not being tolerant. Why is it okay for me to accept you for who you are and what you believe but you can't accept me and my beliefs? (I am not referring to everyone who disagrees with me, just those who say I am wrong because I think differently than they do.)

So, why am I talking about freedom of speech? Well, this month, I'll be posting some things that are controversial. I want everyone who reads my posts to know that I am not attacking anyone. I am merely stating my opinion. If you want me to respect you and your opinion and beliefs, please respect mine.

Recently, on Facebook, I posted something I was thought was funny. Someone (of a different faith than mine) posted something about how the trinity doesn't make any sense. I liked it. I re-posted it onto my timeline. Someone then made a comment about how I shouldn't be making fun of other people's beliefs because I wouldn't like it if anyone made fun on my beliefs. To be honest, I just thought it was funny. Can't something just be funny? Perhaps I thought it was funny because being someone who believes the Godhead is made up of 3 individuals I can't comprehend the Trinity. I wasn't attacking anyone. I've actually had a conversation with someone before trying to have her explain it to me in a way that I could understand. She couldn't. She told me that it was like an egg. There is the shell, the white, and the yolk. I told her that they are still 3 separate parts: the shell, the white, and the yolk and all together they make up an egg. She got frustrated that I used her analogy to explain my belief of the godhead. Fortunately there was another person listening to our discussion; she stated that I wasn't attacking my friend, I was trying to have a conversation and yet she was attacking me.

Here is another example. I am not a huge Obama fan. I did not vote for him. He is not my favorite president. However, I do not say mean or hurtful things about the man. Nor do I insult anyone who voted for him or continue to support him. I respect the office of the President of the United States. I respect the rights of other people to like and support him as our president. I don't have the right to be mean and hurtful just because I don't agree with him. He has the right to domestic tranquility. His supporters have the right to domestic tranquility. We all do.

My point is, I don't attack. At least not intentionally. My freedoms are dear to me and I treasure them. I do not deny anyone else those freedoms. Let me say what I think and believe and you can say what you believe. I apologize if anything seems like I was attacking you, it was purely unintentional.

Bill of Rights

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Preamble

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

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Confessions of a Wanna Be Stay At Home Mom: My Narrative

Confessions of a Wanna Be Stay At Home Mom: My Narrative: My last post was almost 2 years ago. My, my, how my life has changed a lot since then. Once again, I find myself wishing I could find a wa...

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