Let that phrase sink in it bit. We have been conditioned and categorized our entire lives like a damn canned food item at our local food market. Labels – such as disabled, black, white, muslim, buddhist, liberal, conservative….all of which has divided this world completely over the last…150 years? Maybe?
Let’s say you came out the womb today, what would you be? What name would you have? Everything has been given to us from our baby years, to our adult years.
In Thailand, I’m just a “black man.” Therefore, the stereotypes that come with “black men” are: pimp, drug-dealer, thief, convict, hooligan, among so many other names. However, if I was white, I would be deemed as a holy being that is rich and lovely.
I love what Muhammad Ali said during an interview four decades ago back in England.
“Momma, how come Jesus is white? Blonde hair and blue eyes? Angels are white? How come everyone in the last supper is white?”
“Momma, when we die, we will go to heaven, right?”
Mother answers, “naturally we will.”
Muhammad Ali, “well are there any black angels up there?”
“Oh, I know. The white angels are up in heaven, too. So, the black angels are in the kitchen preparing the milk and honey.”
-Tarzan was the king of the jungle in Africa – he was white.
-Miss America was always white.
-The angel fruitcake was the white cake and the devil fruitcake was the chocolate cake.
-The president lives in the white house.
-Snow White was white.
On The Other Hand
-The ugly duckling was a black duck.
-The black cat was bad luck.
-If I’m going to threaten you I’m going to blackmail you.
At the end of the conversation, he told his story about winning an olympic gold medal and went back home standing tall – hoping to get something to eat in a restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky where things weren’t integrated back then. He sat down, ordered….and the woman said, “we don’t serve negroes.”
He replied, “well I don’t eat them either! Go back there and fix me my food!”
*Laughter*
He was thrown out…but the point I’m trying to make is this has been imbedded in our subconscious minds since the picture was invented. How come every love story revolves around a white character? Honestly, sit down and think about it. The Jetsons, the Flintstones, the Rugrats, Doug Funny, Salute Your Shorts, Are You Afraid of The Dark, Nickelodeon was an extremely white network. However, the only somewhat “black” cartoon I saw while I was young was Bebe’s Kids. A bunch of bad a$$ African Americans.
I wish I was making this up, but unfortunately….it’s true.
This labelling has to be abolished in humanity wants to move forward. Is it going to be overnight – NO! It’s going to take an individual sticking up for other individuals. If you see someone being mistreated anywhere for their gender, creed, color, it’s up to you to butt in and do what’s right. When these things start to happen, the influences that are left behind on passerbys will stick with them forever.
One person at a time.
Do the right thing.
Arsenio's ESL Podcast 
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