It's hard to have missed the recent spike in political news with the election. In fact, anytime I get online, that is all I see anymore. It wasn't the election that struck my interest, it was all of the riots and protests that followed. It has taken over several major cities in the US and we get it, you aren't happy. America was built on more than people throwing temper tantrums when you don't get your way. I understand the fear involved with our elected president for our LGBTQ and people of any ethnicity other than white. I understand and I am on your side. I don't know if it will be okay, and I am not in a place to make that promise but you have so many people supporting you and fighting on your behalf. Let the record show that I was in favor of neither candidate so my comments remain completely neutral.
While people might be upset, scared, and unsure of the direction of our nation. The riots have gotten out of hand. This is not what America was built on. This is not what so many people fought for our freedom for. This is not what our founding fathers had in mind for us.
Rosa Parks, 1913-2005 was a black woman of courage during the time of extreme segregation. I'm sure we all know the story of the bus. She was asked to move to the back of the bus to give up her seat for a white individual. Refusing to give up her seat was something that will go down in history. But notice, instead of setting the bus on fire and blocking traffic, she simply refused. Class act. Moral of the story?
You might not like the current direction America is headed, and that is perfectly fine. You don't have to, and while your constitutional rights provide you freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, among others, violence is not involved in that list. There is such divide in this country already, and now people are calling people of color out in public with derogatory names, etc. What have we become?
The flag is a symbol of America and the sacrifices made for us, and you are treating it like an old t-shirt? I'm not sure when this became okay. My generation was raised saying the pledge of allegiance every morning, and NEVER letting the flag touch the ground. Much less setting it on fire. Shocking.
We are America! While we might not be the greatest country in the world statistic wise, I sure am proud to live here. I respect the work of our founding fathers and those who fought for our freedoms. I respect the flag, and what is symbolizes.
I have to say America, I am disappointed in us. I thought we were better than this. Violence is inevitable, and while we can't stop everything, we have a choice. We have a choice to protest peacefully. We can be upset, we have that right. Putting innocent lives in danger is beyond far. I know I might get backlash because I don't know what it is like to be anything other than white or straight. So no, I don't understand, but that doesn't mean anyone has any less of a choice than anyone else.
America was built for more than this.
