So, I had a funny conversation/argument the other day. It went something like this...
Guy: I don't know if I want to buy tea. But I don't want to pay $1 for it, because I only want the tea bag, not the cup and the water. I want to make it myself.
Me: What's the difference if you make it or they make it for you?
Guy: I just don't know if I want to spend the dollar.
Me: ...ok. Well, I don't they're going to give it to you for free and if you can spare the dollar, what's the big deal?
Guy: A dollar is a lot of money. There are some people who make less than that in a day of hard work.
Me: Yes, but you aren't one of them.
Guy: So, you're saying that I should just forget about everyone else and just think about myself?
Me: No, I just don't see what difference it makes whether you keep the dollar or spend it. Either way you aren't giving it to the people that need it.
Guy: So I just shouldn't think about them at all? It doesn't matter if I waste money even though there are some people who would kill for a dollar? I can just throw away food while people are starving?
Me: I'm not advocating that you be wasteful. I'm just saying, if you aren't going to actually help these people that you seen so concerned about, then stop complaining. Whether you spend $1 on a teabag or save it for something else, you are benefiting yourself. Either you will get tea now that makes your throat feel better or you'll have more money to spend on something else you want later. How does either of those options affect the starving people you mentioned?
Guy: So nothing I do matters? I should just be selfish and just not care about anyone else? That's what you're saying?
Me: ......
Now...either I'm not as clear a speaker as I think I am or this guy was totally beyond the reach of logic. I mean, it'd be cool if he disagreed with me, but he didn't even understand what I was saying. How do you talk to someone like that?
In other news, I was in downtown Boston the other day and a guy called me a mulatto. I was coming back from seeing a movie: Thank You For Smoking. It's greatness can, in my opinion, be summed up in this line: "If you argue correctly, you're never wrong." But anyway, I was walking back to the T with my bf and this middle aged Black man walks up to us. He goes into this spiel about running some organization that does diversity education and needing some donations. And he randomly stops and asks what my ethnicity is. I guess that's not completely irrelevant given what he's talking about. However, it's not exactly tactful, especially for someone who does race education. So, I tell him I'm black and white and he says something to the effect of "Oh. That's ok. It's ok to be multatto."
1. Mulato literally means "little mule"
2. Mulatto in the context of the US brings to mind Jim Crow and the "One-Drop" Rule
Do you go around calling anyone "little mule" or "octoroon"? Don't think so. Plus, what hell does that mean "its ok to be mulatto"? He made it sound as if being biracial is something he expected me to feel ashmed of and something a person needs comfort and support to get through. It's not a disease. It's not a tragedy. I'm not scarred for life. Thanks though, asshole.
Um, despite the fact that I've been ranting...
Peace, love, and blessings
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1 comment:
How do you talk to someone like that? You don't if you can help it, either that or give him a buck and tell him to STFU if you don’t mind being rude.
I have to ask people their race for government monitoring purposes all the time and it's a big pain in the butt. I'm sure my clients don't like it either. Neat blog btw, you have a great writing style.
On another note regarding your previous entry, when do you get to live? This is it. Enjoy even the shitty parts of your day because your life is 1/3 shit, 1/3 sleep, 1/3 play. Two out of three and bad, the trick is to make the work part worthwhile. You may feel trapped, but the truth is you have more choice than 99.99% of all humans who ever lived. Make the most of it. As a biracial woman what could you have hoped for even a scant 40 years ago in Atlanta or Boston or today in Riyadh or Monrovia? Even with all the b.s. in the world, this is the best of all times to be alive and thinking.
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