A friend of mine posted this earlier. I typed out what I thought was going to only be a response, but it turned into something that I thought others should see. My friend’s points are true. Even the quote by Obama is true. Which, you will see below. I started to respond inline to a conversation we were having and I couldnt stop. He inspired me to make a point I have been trying to make for a long time, but I could never find the words. Here is my friend’s post (my response is follows the POTUS quote): Via ~ Hercules C: Great Rhetoric POTUS Obama! Still looks bleak for those of us out here living with boots on the ground every day. The plan sounds good though! What I love about this administration is; although RACISM is far from over, it makes Racism harder to hide....now you know exactly who you are standing next to at work. If you actually get into a political debate it’s much more difficult to straddle the fence on your views. After the 2nd term began it seems to me that it became less about being Black or White and more about being Rich or Poor. Im no political analyst by far but you can feel it in the air....Change. It has been said that if you want to make money...Make other people Money. Instead of looking for Jobs....try your hand at creating some. It’s a little more work, but a much GREATER return on your investment. Time is VITAL and in my opinion it is the most important element of success. 80 sometimes 120 hours a pay period. At least put an equal amount of time into building your own empire! “If you work hard and take responsibility you can get ahead in America.” ~POTUS Barack Obama My response to this is that he is correct. Even the Obama quote is correct. However, more people need to get out there and hold themselves, our media, our activists that we follow, and our officials accountable. People like the POTUS, those in the house and senate, and lobbyists are working against us. Not for us. They are power hungry and driven by profits and attention. Many more Americans would get ahead or would already be ahead if we didnt rely so heavily on government for everything. We are taught to rely on government. It is almost an indoctrination to believe that they are responsible to take care of our every need. Those that ignore that and go out and achieve, end up better off. Those that do not, those that accept it, those that expect it, are stuck in the constant rut that is poverty and oppression. These poor souls are the ones that tend (not all of them) to blame the rich and the better off, and sometimes, other races for their misfortunes. And race-baiting by some news organizations and certain activists (Sharpton and J. Jackson to name a few) do not help these people. It is the same thing with the religious right when it comes to their beliefs versus anyone that disagrees, but that is for another discussion. We live in a country where anyone can get a head. With focus, drive, personal and social accountability, hard work, a willingness to learn, and a positive, no one is going to stop me attitude everyone has a chance. It is my personal opinion that, some people use race as an excuse to not try as hard. It is hard to explain in this, because some may see it and immediately jump to conclusions, but it really isnt like people are out there performing racists acts everyday on the scale it was prior to the civil rights movement anymore. Bill Cosbys statements about how people talk and wear their pants, etc...is a good example. When I managed a retail store and someone came in, white, black, asian, hispanic, or anyone and their pants were three sizes too big, had a hat on, no resume or references, and a blue tooth in their ear, I would not even give them the opportunity to apply to represent the company. Professionalism and preparation says a lot. I understand culture and the differences between cultures, but employers want presentable people. If someone cannot dress up in the slightest and remove their phones from their head while filling out an app or during an interview, what are they going to do while working? It isnt so much about racism anymore. It is about the stigmas of the past. The race-baiting of the present. The Im entitled to it now, hand-out and not earn it and blame everyone else because I dont have it mentality. Until people start being responsible for their actions and start holding themselves and their officials accountable, and pick better heroes, role models, and stop listening to pundits and the guys on the pulpits, we will never reach the real change that people expect. People have to want and work for a different life and stop expecting it to land in their laps or be handed to them. Obama, democrats, republicans, Sharpton, Jackson, O’Reilly, Maddow, Beck, Hannity, our preachers, popes, and priests are not living your life. They are telling you how to live it. What to fear, what to fight, who to fight, who to blame. Do they know you personally? Do they really understand YOU? The answer is no. You have to go out and earn your future. Work for the things you want. Stop looking at and listening to those that claim to be like you and find yourself. Be happy with yourself. Find others that want the same things and are willing to work, fight, and even die for those things. Find equals. Not based on pigment, but on principals and respect. Not just respect for those that think like you. Respect for the rights we are all granted by living and being alive. You do not have to respect what they believe or what they are saying, but you must respect their right to say and believe it. No one should be discriminated against. If you are not where you need to be, find a way to get there. Take a stand against the status quo. Stop trying to be like the people around you that have struggled their whole life and end up in the same place or worse than they started. Make a life for yourself that you can be proud of. Something others would be proud of. Not for power. Not to be better than anyone else, but to be better than whom you are now. Then, and only then, will you know what is like to be a success.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 05:32:17 +0000
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