i made a grown man cry today

[entitled]

and nearly forgot about it. Shame on me!

The kids didn't have school today because there was a whole half inch of snow on the ground so they went with me to the store. While we were there we saw this elderly black gentleman pushing his cart along, minding his own business, and being avoided by everybody else there.

Now you have to understand that where we live, it's considered a point of honor to run off any people that aren't white. There's a small community of Mexicans a couple of miles from here, but they've learned not to do so much as get groceries until the wee hours of the morning, due to the way people treat them.

My kids have never seen a black person before. Ever.

They see him and it starts.

"Mommy, he looks funny."

"Who?"

"That guy." They point him out.

"Why does he look funny? Looks like he was put together right to me."

"NOOOOOO, Moooooom! He looks FUNNY!"

"No he doesn't."

"Uh huh."

"No, he doesn't. He just looks a little different."

"Yeah, and I don't like it."

"i do."

They start giggling. "Why?"

"Because he's just different enough to make him interesting and beautiful."

"That's silly, Mommy."

"Why is that silly?"

"Because Brother Mike (the preacher at the church they go to) says that we're all supposed to be the same, that God made us that way."

So we go on for a little bit pointing out differences between the kids and i - eye color, girl/boy, age, missing teeth, things of that sort. They pipe up again.

"But he's more different than that."

"So? Doesn't matter. He's just different. Different doesn't make you a good person or a bad person. It just makes you different."

"Oh."

"What's his name?"

By this point i'm getting tired of the conversation, which has gone on through the past 3 or 4 grocery aisles. We and the black man had been passing each other in each aisle, so... "i don't know. Why don't you ask him next time we pass him?"

Insert another kiddo giggle fit. But they did, and we had a very brief conversation. When we went our separate ways down the aisle, the oldest looks up at me and says, "You were right. He is just different, and that's pretty cool."

When we saw the old man the next aisle over, he had tears in his eyes.

 

[human_male]

I wish I hadn't read that.

Coz now I'm all choked up.

 

[Penelope Street]

Thank you.

 

[Liar]

and nearly forgot about it. Shame on me!

The kids didn't have school today because there was a whole half inch of snow on the ground so they went with me to the store. While we were there we saw this elderly black gentleman pushing his cart along, minding his own business, and being avoided by everybody else there.

Now you have to understand that where we live, it's considered a point of honor to run off any people that aren't white. There's a small community of Mexicans a couple of miles from here, but they've learned not to do so much as get groceries until the wee hours of the morning, due to the way people treat them.

Pardon me, but what the fuck? Where in the blazes do you live?!

My kids have never seen a black person before. Ever.

Not even on TV? I mean, almost no kids here have for instance never seen an eskimo. But they know from movies, books and other sources how inuits look and that they are just people, and wouldn't blink if one came walking down the street.

As for the rest of the story, kudos to you. That's top notch parenting.

 

[rgraham666]

Nicely done ent. *HUGS*

 

[impressive]

Raising our children to respect and appreciate differences is probably the only way we'll make any progress toward ending bigotry and intolerance.

Good on ya, ent!

 

[Louise Brown]

Nicely done, ent! Your kids are more likely to be able to think for themselves than those of lesser-minded parents in your community. You sound like a great mom!

 

[Salvor-Hardon]

You remind me of my mom. She would tell me of growing up in Little Rock in the early 50's and black men would have to get off teh sidewalk when her and her sister walked by because black's and whites weren't supposed to walk on eth same pavement. She went to great lengths to make sure us kids not only knew differences were good but to seek them out, to ask questions, to think the best of people before the worst.

very very well done ent.

 

[rikaaim]

Ent, thank you. You've just changed the world for the better. You've left your mark.

 

[Blackie Malone]

Kudos Ent, all parents should follow that example.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Thank you for your parenting, that was awesome.
But Where on earth do you live?????
I think I'd die of boredom in a place where everyone looked white.

Do your kids ever see contemporary TV?
I HATE TV, but in your case, I'd recommend that you let your kids watch, just so that they can have a little window to the outside world. Every show- from the kiddie cartoons to the prime-time sitcoms- has at least one token non-white in at least a supporting role (my eyes are rolling so far the smiley doesn't begin to express it)

((hugs))

 

[entitled]

i live in Arkansas. Explains a lot right there, doesn't it?

*ahem*
Anyway.

They have seen actors in movies, in TV, etc. that are different colored, and dressed differently, talk differently, etc. BUT they've been taught that most of what's on TV and what in the the movies isn't real. It's a pretend world. They believe that.

They also didn't really believe that black people exist.

Now people wearing funny clothes and talking differently? They're SCAdian kids. Neither one of those bothers them a bit.

 

[Guest]

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[Andreina]

do they know or will be they be taught the evolution theory according to darwin or only the religious one? (just curious)

 

[Guest]

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[entitled]

do they know or will be they be taught the evolution theory according to darwin or only the religious one? (just curious)

They're taught as much (if not more) at home by me than they are at school. They're going to learn a lot of things, then be allowed to decide which one they think is right.

 

[Tom Collins]

Now you have to understand that where we live, it's considered a point of honor to run off any people that aren't white. There's a small community of Mexicans a couple of miles from here, but they've learned not to do so much as get groceries until the wee hours of the morning, due to the way people treat them..

I'm just glad I left Arkansas. I saw black people all the time when I lived there, course, I lived rather centrally located, and had to go to Jackson, or LR to do any kind of real shopping. Went for groceries in Cabot.

Edit: OMG! I just reread my post and realized that it sounded totally wrong! I ment that I'm glad I got away from the heavy racism. Please, take it that way, not the way it COULD BE taken.

 

[entitled]

I'm just glad I left Arkansas. I saw black people all the time when I lived there, course, I lived rather centrally located, and had to go to Jackson, or LR to do any kind of real shopping. Went for groceries in Cabot.

Edit: OMG! I just reread my post and realized that it sounded totally wrong! I ment that I'm glad I got away from the heavy racism. Please, take it that way, not the way it COULD BE taken.

hehe... No worries, i wish i were elsewhere, too. It's been no secret that i've absolutely loathed this place since the day we moved down here. i was promised that we would move in 6 months if i didn't like it. 6 YEARS later....

Actually, you might know where i live, if i told ya. But i won't.

 

[Tom Collins]

hehe... No worries, i wish i were elsewhere, too. It's been no secret that i've absolutely loathed this place since the day we moved down here. i was promised that we would move in 6 months if i didn't like it. 6 YEARS later....

Actually, you might know where i live, if i told ya. But i won't.

Don't feel bad. I lived there for 10 years. So, I prolly would know where you are. I could stalk you. Tee hee

 

[SeaCat]

entitiled,




Good on you.

Cat

 

[cloudy]

reminds me of the story I told a few weeks ago...

My best friend here in town is white, but her husband is black. I adore them both.

She has two boys close in age to my youngest, so of course, the three have played together for years.

One day, I had my friend, Chasity, and her two boys plus mine in the car, and I forget what she and I were talking about, but at a stoplight, she leans into the back seat, and asks mine, "C., what color are J. and K.?"

He looked at her for a sec, confused, then said, "You don't make any sense, Chat-Chat." and went back to playing with her boys.

Gotta love him.

 

[Svenskaflicka]

A few years ago, when I was dating an African guy, kids in the subways would stare at us and giggle nervously, and sometimes ask questions about where he came from and why his skin was so dark; because
a) they weren't used to seeing black men up close, they'd only seen them from a distance as their parents dragged them over to the other side of the street (or on TV, ofcourse), and
b) they had never seen an interracial couple before.
My boyfriend was cool about it, though, and just laughed and chuckled "they've never seen a black man!".

I hope and pray that we atleast made a few of them think "well, why the heck not?".

 

[Stella_Omega]

A few years ago, when I was dating an African guy, kids in the subways would stare at us and giggle nervously, and sometimes ask questions about where he came from and why his skin was so dark; because
a) they weren't used to seeing black men up close, they'd only seen them from a distance as their parents dragged them over to the other side of the street (or on TV, ofcourse), and
b) they had never seen an interracial couple before.
My boyfriend was cool about it, though, and just laughed and chuckled "they've never seen a black man!".

I hope and pray that we atleast made a few of them think "well, why the heck not?".

... because Africans weren't forcibly moved to Sweden in enormous numbers?
When I lived in Zurich Switzerland fo rsix months, I rented a room from Chrissie Bretscher, a black woman from Detroit, who had married a Swiss banker!
She was utterly naturlised, spoke Scweitzer-deutch like a native (And that's tough to do!)swept her sidewalk every morning...
She said she would show her ID for writing a check, and store keepers would say, verypolitely; "How interesting, you don't... look... Swiss!"

 

[MichelleLovesTo]

You sound like you meant well, Entitled, but part of me wonders if the guy felt like an animal in a zoo as he was openly discussed by you and your family. I can't help but think I'd feel mortified in his place.

 

[Guest]

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