I'm a live and let live kinda person. I'm not fond of humanity as a whole, but I like people of all ethnicities, races and religions, and I'm friendly to everyone I meet when I'm outside my home.
I've never felt prejudice or bias toward others, and I'm generally more gregarious and open to people, than they are to me. Lately though, and I'm ashamed to say this, I've found myself getting angry. I look at all the violence and destruction that's going on in our cities, and it infuriates me.
I honestly don't want to associate this mayhem with any particular race of people, but it appears that BLM groups are instigating less-than peaceful protests. Maybe they're just so fed up with feeling oppressed by now, they believe rioting and looting is the only way they can get the world's attention and effect real change.
I don't know. I'm no expert on this stuff. I still greet people of color with a smile and a "hello" when I'm out shopping for groceries and such, but "BLM" has made me hate HUMANITY even more than I always have, and that's saying a lot. Maybe it's wrong of me to believe these folks are desecrating historical monuments, and looting and burning businesses to the ground.
I don't wanna make any assumptions. I celebrate my own rage, and have great respect for anger in others~ unless they act-out their rage in ways that harm people, animals or the environment.
I'm trying real hard NOT to develop any bias right now. I'm hoping someone sets me straight about BLM, because some of my best friends are black and that isn't gonna change~ but I'd find it tough to feel trapped in ambiguity about this shit.
I bought wasp spray at my local drug store the other day. The can says it shoots up to 27 feet. I'm keeping it in my car in case I am confronted with someone who means to do me harm. I hate not feeling safe in my world right now. I think there are a lotta angry folks that are trying to show me in real time, how they've felt lifelong . . . and I really get it.
Watching the winter finale of "Station 19" last night brought it home to me in a big way. Police brutality based on bias. There are definitely some rotten apples in the police force, and they should be immediately suspended without pay and fired, if it's shown they acted with prejudice. Still, there are a lot of good cops, and many are people of color.
I'm just hoping and praying we can become circumspect enough, to resist throwing the baby out with the bathwater.