For long time readers of my blog, or if you just...know me at all, this shouldn't come as a surprise: I'm a bit of a misanthrope. Let me tell you a random story to illustrate why. I told this to some one on Facebook earlier & I thought, well, I don't have anything else to do truthfully.
To give MY story some context, this was 10th grade. I was in geometry class. I had just walked in & the news was on, something about fires in California? It was something about California. Strangely I don't remember that detail. Anyway, as I walk in, I hear a 9th grader spout off something about Mexicans taking over. This...was my reaction:
Paul, you said "I always thought it was mean to name a state New Mexico."
Speaking of how horrible US history is and how we don't bother to teach it right I have a funny story. Basically some girl way back in 10th grade told me she thought the Mexicans were trying to take over. I told her that a good portion of the land they were trying to "take over" was theirs to begin with anyway and she said they could have it. I got a US map & ripped it in half to demonstrate how much of the United States there would be left if that happened, pointing out the suspiciously Spanish sounding names of the midwest like...California, Montana, AND NEW MEXICO. She...didn't get it.
Speaking of how horrible US history is and how we don't bother to teach it right I have a funny story. Basically some girl way back in 10th grade told me she thought the Mexicans were trying to take over. I told her that a good portion of the land they were trying to "take over" was theirs to begin with anyway and she said they could have it. I got a US map & ripped it in half to demonstrate how much of the United States there would be left if that happened, pointing out the suspiciously Spanish sounding names of the midwest like...California, Montana, AND NEW MEXICO. She...didn't get it.
Granted, it's more complex than just "Mexicans owned some of this land!" considering who ELSE was here before any of us right now (and the fact that Spain owned some land too and...shit, get me a history book) but at that current moment I was trying to make a point in the moment, a dramatic one at that. And by "don't get it" I mean she scoffed off my point and said they could have all that & she didn't care. I couldn't tell if she didn't believe me, didn't previously know these facts, or was just being an idiot. Honestly I've known and still know too many people who take this lax view of history, such as "____ is taking over hide the wimmen!" when they see more than 3 people of color or, "They want the land back? Give it to them! We don't need it, right Chad?" without realizing just how much land "Americans" don't actually own, so I kinda took the latter choice and thus I decided I hate people. At first we just had a casual love/hate relationship, humanity & I. But we are fucking done professionally as of current. What? It's just true.
Edit: Wow, Blogger's being a bit of a dick to me right now so excuse that fucked up blockquote.
