The Truth about Thanksgiving

*** This post has been edited to included some source material since some people believed it to be inaccurate. Also this post is not intending to "slam" Thanksgiving. I have no problem with the holiday and think the modern message of togetherness and thankfulness is a positive one. I am just tired of the victors getting to write an inaccurate version of history that demeans and mocks an entire culture.***


So after a long hiatus from posting I'm back! I've been really busy with school and work and life in general so I haven't had time to sit down and come up with a concrete idea for posting. Today I finally came up with one. I'd like to talk about the holiday Thanksgiving and discuss where it really comes from and what it says about our society. First off celebrating Thanksgiving as a way to be thankful for what you have is a great thing. There is absolutely nothing  wrong with that. However, Thanksgiving is one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted holidays in America.
When we are in school our teachers often show us images of cartoonish pilgrims and Native Americans hugging it out and eating together. We are told that the first Thanksgiving was to celebrate making it through some hard times and to celebrate the unity that came from the native peoples helping the settlers survive and learn to grown their own crops on American soil. This could not be further from the truth. Thanksgiving was originally used to celebrate the successful slaughter and land theft of the Pequot tribe. What really happened was a group of pilgrims went in and committed a massive genocide on hundreds of men, women and children because they wanted their land. This was after the Native peoples did in fact help them learn to survive.
You see, there weren't any Native peoples at the table celebrating with them. Further more the depictions of Native peoples that we see in those cartoons and coloring books we pass out to children are not only racist but they are a sad attempt at culturally appropriating Native culture and trying to hide a very dark part in our history. The Native peoples that are alive today have a huge problem with the way they are depicted. The depictions make fun of their religious dress and make them look like a stereotyped vision of what white people associate them with. How would you like to be depicted as a barely clothed person with a large nose, buck teeth and incorrectly used religious garb? You wouldn't. You would be offended, as you should be.
 Native peoples have been trying for years to bring attention to the misappropriation of them in cartoons and sports teams and Thanksgiving, but it always falls on def ears. Americans today supposedly live in a color blind society with no racism, but this is a lie. With people still celebrating Thanksgiving in such a disrespectful manner this is incredibly evident. We can still take a holiday to be thankful for what we have but we need to be mindful and respectful of other cultures in the process. It is not acceptable to have this insensitive and inaccurate depiction of an entire people in our culture. America needs to wake up and realize that there is no excuse for racism and cultural appropriation, not even during a holiday.


Click to view sources: Greener, Richard. The True Story of Thanksgiving
                                  Bates, Susan. The REAL Story of Thanksgiving
                                  Tristan, Rense.com. The Dark Historical Roots Of Our "Thanksgiving"

Why I'm a Pro-Choice Christian

Recently I've enrolled in a class at my university called "Race, Gender and Class." We discuss and deal with issues ranging from racism and colonialism to abortion. At first I was very unsure about whether or not I would enjoy the class; after all we have to do one eight page paper, four three page papers and one five page paper along with discussing some fairly graphic and uncomfortable topics. I'm so glad that I have stayed in that class. It is hands down one of the most interesting classes that I have ever had the pleasure of taking. There is a lot that I have learned in just two weeks about how this countries political structure decides on matters of race, gender and class and the societal implications for people of various class systems.
Our last reading assignment was to read How I Lost Faith in the "Pro-Life" Movement. Being a woman who at one point in her life was strictly "pro-life" I identified with this article a lot. My views today are very different from when I was in high school when it comes to this issue. Personally I would not get an abortion but I don't believe in telling another woman that she couldn't have one. It is her body, her pregnancy, her choice. I have also come to the conclusion in the last few years, just as the woman writing the article has, that the pro-life movement is more about controlling a woman's potential sexual habits than actually saving babies. I have fact checked and researched the statistics and facts in the above article and I can confidently say that she is correct on all accounts. Outlawing contraceptives and abortions only increases the abortion rate. It also increases the mortality rate of fertile women and the number of still births and birth defects. Overall, banning abortion is terrible for the health of women and children. 
In addition to the health risks associated with banning abortions there is the issue of choice. A poor, single woman has the right to choose what she does with her own body, whether or not conservative men disagree with her. She should also have an equal chance to get birth control if she needs and wants it. The government and religious minded radicals shouldn't be allowed to decided how expensive contraceptives are and who can get them covered by insurance or if they are illegal all together. Women should be making the decisions associated with FEMALE contraceptives and with family planning because it is a FEMALE'S job to carry and raise children in. Until men can carry a child to term or have to face the hardships a single, non-wealthy pregnant woman does they don't have the right to decide anything for them. As stated in the article as well, birth control significantly drops the rate of abortions and it also drops the rate of natural miscarriage that occur at one week that encompasses almost 50% of pregnancies.
So today I am asking this question of the "pro-life" movement and its supporters, do you really think banning abortions will do anything for the welfare of this country? Because the answer is it won't. It will only lead us to more poverty, disability and death. Conservatives need to step up and own up to their mistakes and admit the falsehoods that they have been spewing about birth control and abortion rates to the public. They also need to step back and let a panel of elected women (voted on by women) decide on the coverage and use of birth control rather than letting a bunch of middle-aged men decide for women. It is time to change policy with the times and with the new scientific information that is now available to us. There is absolutely no excuse for ignorance on this subject anymore.

Miley Cyrus Isn't A Role Model

Everybody is ranting and raving about Miley Cyrus and her actions at the VMA awards. While I did not watch the program as it was airing I have seen the pictures and the videos and heard the song. A lot of people are saying that she is a slut, appalling, disgusting, raunchy and a horrible role model. There are also a lot of people saying that she shouldn't have performed that way because she is influencing children to behave in a promiscuous and disrespectful manner. Are you kidding me?
First off, Miley Cyrus has said repeatedly that she does not want to be a role model for children. She has also said that she is no longer Hannah Montana and that she wants a more adult and sexy image to distance herself away from her Disney Channel years. She was a child when she signed on for Hannah Montana and I'm sure that she didn't realize then that she would be labeled as a role model and a child forever because of a few years on a TV show. She isn't for anybody's child to watch anymore. She isn't trying to set an example for anyone to follow. Miley Cyrus is trying desperately to make herself into an adult only entertainer and singer. If you are so removed from your child's life that they have to look up to her then you need to reevaluate how you parent.
Further more, why is nobody upset about Robin Thicke? He was on that stage too the last time I checked. He was letting her grind and twerk on him. He was also the one singing a song that is far more disgusting and raunchy than anything that Miley Cyrus did. The whole song is about the "blurred lines" between a woman wanting sex and a man being too pushy with her. Here is a sample of the lyrics:
You're a good girl
Can't let it get past me
You're far from plastic
Talk about getting blasted
I hate these blurred lines
I know you want it
...
But you're a good girl
The way you grab me
Must wanna get nasty
Go ahead, get at me
...
He don't smack that ass and pull your hair like that
So I just watch and wait for you to salute
But you didn't pick
Not many women can refuse this pimpin'
I'm a nice guy, but don't get it if you get with me
Shake the vibe, get down, get up
Do it like it hurt, like it hurt
What you don't like work?
Baby can you breathe? I got this from Jamaica
It always works for me, Dakota to Decatur, uh huh

So nobody has a problem with Robin Thicke and his lyrics and his actions? He did just as much and even more wrong than Miley Cyrus did. I think a lot of people need to look at what they're getting upset and worked up over and reevaluate. Miley Cyrus was not the only person on that stage and she was not the only one behaving sexually.
The fact is, what Miley Cyrus did was not for children. But she isn't trying to be a role model for anybody's child. She is putting herself out there as an adult and she wants to stop being looked at as a child. Everybody needs to stop trying to force that image on her and start realizing that she is now for adults only. If she wants to be sexual and explicit then let her be and ignore it if you don't like it. People need to also take a look at Robin Thicke, his song and his image if they are going to criticize her.

Minimum Wage Doesn't Mean Minimum Intelligence.

I want to address the common misconceptions about people who work for minimum wage today. As many of you know, I work at a movie theater. This is a minimum wage job and since being there I have seen more of what people think about low paying jobs than I would have ever known before I worked a minimum wage  job. A lot of people assume that anyone who is in a minimum wage position such as cashier, fast food, concessions worker, etc. are stupid, worthless, a burnout and in some cases far beneath them. A lot of this comes from the fact that most of these jobs aren't high paid and the people working their are often young. Since working at the theater I have been called an idiot, a ticket nazi, stupid and I have been told that I lack ambition; This has all been said in the three months that I have been there and most of it has been said more than once.
What the people saying this don't realize is that I'm the opposite of everything they call me. I'm in college because I want to be a movie director. I had a 3.7 GPA in high school and currently have only A's and B's in every college course I have taken. I'm in one of the top all women's schools in the country and I absolutely hate having to card people for movies. So in essence, I have a lot of ambition, I'm highly intelligent and I only card people because if I don't I could get fined for it, not because I'm a "ticket nazi." I'm a person and it does sting every time a customer insults me because of where I work. Every person that I work with is in college or has been to college as well. None of them deserve to be yelled at or called names and quite frankly I get sick of seeing it happen.
People don't realize that someone has to do the job that we do or they couldn't go to the movies. We work hard and put up with a lot and usually manage to do it with a smile. When somebody comes in angry about not being able to get their underage kids into an R rated movie or how much concessions and tickets cost they don't stop and think that that isn't our fault or that we don't control the rules or prices. We are just doing our job, the same as anyone else who wants to get a paycheck would. They also don't stop to think how they would feel if they were us or if their child was getting treated with disrespect for doing his or her job. So the next time you go in somewhere with minimum wage employees be courteous and show them respect; even if they are slow or they make a mistake. They are human and they have feelings and ambitions just like everyone else and they most likely aren't the stereotype of a minimum wage employee.

The Zimmerman Trial

So I'm sure we've all heard about the "not guilty" verdict that was handed down to George Zimmerman on the Trayvon Martin case. There has been a lot of people on both sides speaking out, both happy and unhappy with the verdict. Personally I am not only unhappy with the verdict and I am angry at the justice system and American media over this case. The fact is that George Zimmerman followed around a teenage boy, who was unarmed, and instigated a fight until that teenage boy ended up shot and dead. The police told him NOT to follow Trayvon Martin and he ignored them. He not only blatantly went against what the police said but he killed someone because he was an overly zealous neighborhood watchman.
First off, I would like to address people saying Zimmerman was not told to stand down. There is audio evidence provided by 911 and the police where it is clearly stated that he did not need to follow Trayvon Martin and that he needed to wait for the police. Instead Zimmerman continued to follow him and instigate a fight. Secondly, Zimmerman started the conflict so it wasn't self defense. Yes, there is evidence that Zimmerman was beaten by Trayvon BUT (and this is a big but) Zimmerman followed Martin down the street and confronted him for essentially walking and wearing a hoodie. Zimmerman was the one who began following and threatening Trayvon Martin and Trayvon defended himself against Zimmerman and was shot for it. The fact is, Zimmerman committed the most wrongs in the scenario and is not being held accountable for any of the things he did. Now I would like to discuss the matter of race that has been brought up time and time again during this trial.
A lot of people are saying that this case was about racial profiling, but honestly, I think Zimmerman was found not guilty because of so many people screaming "racial profiling." What he did was clearly wrong, as long as he is convicted for his crime why should we worry about whether or not he's a racist? The answer is the issue of race should have been dealt with after the trial was over. I think that because people became so caught up on the subject of racial profiling that they forgot they were judging the crime and not the morals of the accused. In this country, like it or not, you cannot get into trouble for being a racist because it is a matter of personal opinion which is protected in the US (even if it is a huge problem and a bad thing). Zimmerman may or may not have been racially profiling Trayvon and decided to confront him based on his race but we will never know. Zimmerman himself was biracial so it is up for debate as to whether or not he stopped Trayvon because of his race. The fact is the court, media and the jury should have focused on only what took place and not whether or not Zimmerman did any of this because of racial prejudice. As for me, I believe that Zimmerman is guilty and that because of the way the media covered the case, a killer is walking free.

Working At a Theater

I haven't posted on here in a little less than a month and to all of my active readers I apologize. I've recently been hired at a local movie theater and that's what's been taking up my time and what I'll be writing about today. More specifically I'll be talking about what it's like dealing with people, both the positive and the negative. I happen to really like my job, it makes me happy to help people, I work with really nice and interesting people and I get to see and discuss movies regularly. It's pretty much a perfect fit for me. However, just like any other job there is a downside though.
That downside would happen to be dealing with some of the people that come through. There is nothing more frustrating than a customer that decides to be rude or to say/do unkind things to the people that are trying to serve them and give them an enjoyable experience at the movies. There are people that come through and make a scene or talk down to us over something as simple as accidentally pouring a regular Coke instead of a Diet Coke. When I deal with people like this I have to constantly tell myself that maybe they've had a bad day or maybe they're in a hurry and not get angry with them. Sometimes that's more difficult than others. Especially if they act like I'm just a stupid girl in a minimum wage job that can't fix a drink right.
While my job is not stressful or particularly hard there are days when I'm a little slower than others or when we have a rush of customers that all come in five to ten minutes before their show starts and then get angry because we can't get one to two hundred people through the line in that span of time. While this makes dealing with snotty people harder it also makes dealing with the nice and polite people that much more pleasant. I am more than happy to be polite and go the extra mile for those customers because they simply remember to say please and thank you.  Personally, I love having a smile on my face and bringing people their popcorn and drinks and watching them come out of the theater talking about how great the movie was and the impact it had on them. That's the best part of my job, hearing people talk about how excited, happy, sad, afraid or angry a movie made them. This aspect reminds me of watching movies with my dad when I was little.
My dad used to sit down with my brother and I and put on Star Wars or Indiana Jones and I still remember to this day how those movies made me feel. I remember wondering what Darth Vader was without the suit and how shocked I was when I found out Vader was Luke's father. I also vividly remember being terrified that Jones was going to have his heart ripped out while fighting on the bridge. My dad started my excitement for movies and my passion for them and he will never know how much that changed my life. So when I see people leave a movie at the theater talking about its impact, that's what I remember and that makes dealing with all of the rude customers worth it for me.

Why Americans Are Dumb

So today I was watching the news and I became increasingly irritated by the information I saw. The first thing they talked about (and the longest lasting segment) had to do with Kim and Kanye's relationship and Tiger Woods playing golf. That's exactly why American's are falling behind in the world. Instead of talking about whats going on in our government, legislation or our courts we are busy stuffing our brains with the relationships and lives of celebrities. Think about it, what part about Kim and Kanye's life is important? Why do people even care?
I bet if someone went out and asked questions to the American public more people would know about the latest celebrity drama and have no idea about current issues involving the government, like you know, people being spied on if they use Verizon and that the man who exposed this is now being faced with either an espionage charge or treason. They probably have no idea the gravity of what's happening in the Middle East or in North Korea. Instead they know when Kim Kardashian will have her baby or that Kanye cheated on her.
As I said before, why do we care? It would benefit the American public so much more if we stayed informed about our military, leaders and politics. We would actually be able to make informed decisions when voting, pick better leaders and maybe, God willing, start improving our education system. If you read or watch foreign news you will see that their most important news has to do with politics and world governments. They don't invest as much in celebrities and sports stars. Celebrities and sports needs to be relegated back into tabloids and talk shows and kicked out of our news.
News shouldn't be about the personal lives people that we don't even know. It needs to be about whats happening in our country and what will effect Americans. It should be about the problems we are facing in the Middle East, the threats from North Korea, the drone strikes that our government has launched on other countries. America needs to start caring more about the things that actually matter instead of when the last time that Lady Gaga decided to go to the bathroom or when Justin Bieber ate a burger. Like I said, there's more important things that we should focus on.