Wave that flag.

With the Spread the Word to End the Word Official Pledge Day being tomorrow, March 5... I found it really interesting that the lecture we had in my American Studies class oddly related.  We have been talking about the "Melting Pot" and how different races, religions, etc. were isolated, treated unequally, etc. when America was first settled in.  We always talk about how America is made of immigrants -- then why is there all this prejudice? discrimination? Not just then, but ever.

Who is an American? Who is normal? When did we decide that Americans were superior than all others? I'm proud of my country, I'm proud of being an American, I support my troops -- but does that mean I don't respect those who are not from here? that I don't want to understand other cultures? No. Is that what America is about though? I don't have to agree or practice what everyone else believes in or participate in how they live their lives -- but who am I to try and take that away from them? Who am I to say that they are wrong? Just because I am American?

This goes hand in hand with the way we treat those "different" than us today.  We call it the "minority." Why is that? Just because theres a few less of them than there are whites? How do we know that we aren't the minorities? Who came along and said we could make the rules? Now, please, don't get me wrong -- when I say these things, I am strictly referring the disrespecting people who are "different" from yourself.  We call non citizens, "illegal aliens" -- isn't an alien from another world? Isn't that calling the person less than human? These are what these words mean.  They make people feel less than human.  Whether its the "n-word" or the "r-word," we are humans. Not labels.

Why do we need to make everyone the same? I know that we have all grown up with the lesson of "be yourself." So, why are we so pushy to make others like us? Why are we so judgmental of those who do not assimilate -- who do things differently? My brother wakes up every morning with a smile on his face and treats everyone equally.  Some days I wake up with hate in my heart, feel worthless, or maybe I'm happy -- what makes me better than him? I'm not, in that case -- he's better than me! Maybe we should all try to be like those around us, that we consider "different or weird" -- would it be THAT bad if we tried to see their point of view?  Sammy goes through a million more things that I do in the first hour that he's awake than I'll probably experience in an entire week.  Yet, I still think that I have the right to not respect liars and cheaters -- or feel depressed or give in to despair.  But then again am I contradicting myself? Sammy may struggle, but that's his life.  Who am I to say that it is anything easier or harder than mine or anyone else's? That is his normal.  What is normal though? There isn't one.

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