The Plight of you and I-where do we go from here

Sometimes its hard to ignore the plight of our society. How discriminating and predjudice we can be when it comes to people of color and the state of our economy. More than 10 years now that I have been able to vote, our economy has been rocky, in and out of recessions, near depression stages with the housing market, education, outsourcing the little business we do produce in this country and yet the world wants to hold one man accountable. I don't remember "Cracker, honkey, or any other racial slur used to define the many presidents that led this country into the trillion dollar, I can't pay my taxes deficit this country faces. This crisis we are in today didn't happen when OUR president, President Obama took office, this crisis didn't happen over night either, this crisis has been hovering over this country for many many many years yet we heard nothing. No one voiced their opinions on the state of this country more so than they ever have since President Obama took office. Now everyone wants to step up and take notice, where were all of you, ten, fifteen, twenty years ago, oh I know, you kept your mouth shut. It wasn't that bothersome because the presidents before this one, wasn't black.

President Obama has been called a monkey, a nigger, a negro and his life threatened. One woman talking to me had the nerve to say "If Obama gets elected again he's going to get shot." Seriously? What century is this? It didn't amaze me that the president would get this kind of response. It was inevitable. I remember growing up and being affected by racial slurs, since being in the 3rd grade I remember my mother had me watch the movie "Roots". A part of me became weak, I was overwhelmed with anxiety to see those that looked like me, the nappy hair and the dark skin, made to feel like they were nothing because of the color of their skin, tore me up inside. When President Obama became president just a small part of that shell surrounding my heart blossomed. I say a small part because I knew when they announced that he was president I wanted them to take it back. I wouldn't wish the future of being a black president right after the Bush administration on my worst enemy. But here we all are, it happened. The looks, after that election, one woman nearly slammed a door in my face when she knew I was coming in after her-this was the day after. Sad but true. The nerve of these people, I have been placed in many different situations where the color of my skin made me the victim of racial slurs. Thinking back on the stories my father has shared with me, I feel as though nothing has changed just a different way it all happens.

Will this way ever become better? I know we like to think it has but it hasn't. You see I don't think things will change. As people we have to change first. If we don't see there's a problem then we will continue to live this life, recycling the negativity over and over again. It will follow us through generations. Ignoring the kind of society we live in will not help. I challenge you to read the message boards on these websites, hear the threats, the anger and see that all of this stems from our president being a black man, and nothing more. And all of that hate, and frustration is ricocheting onto those at your job, at the mall, walking down the street. When you open your eyes, tell me then if you are OK with ignoring the truth. Respect is expected, we don't know each other personally, yet I can be hated on because I'm black. It's getting really old, its time for a change. Fight the political battle without racial slurs because if that's all you got, you're going to lose the battle and don't even think about going to war.