Offended by Rice

Poor Uncle Ben.  He is being stripped from his cameo atop the famous orange box of rice that we all know and love.  Why?  Apparently because he's black and that's racist.  Guys, I just don't get it.  The claimed mission of the racial movement is to bring diversity and enlightenment to everyday living.  What accomplishes that more than having well-loved products that feature illustrations of black individuals in their branding?  If all food products highlighted only white chefs, homemakers, and cooks in their logos, someone would be shouting racism about that (watch your back, Chef Boyardee!).

What is offensive or racist about Uncle Ben's photo?  He is clean cut, handsome, and well dressed in a suit and bow tie.  He's not dirty, missing teeth, or promoting an air of ignorance.  So why is his image so offensive; because he's black?  I find that incredibly racist.

The same situation exists with poor Aunt Jemima.  She has donned the syrup bottle for years, and no one was offended.  Why is her illustration suddenly so offensive?  It's because people are out there searching for offense.  David Bednar said, "To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else."  If you are a person who is consistently offended, you are making the choice to be so.

Just to give you some background on the Uncle Ben's brand, it was named in the 1940s for a famous rice farmer in Texas, referred to as Uncle Ben.  The image for Uncle Ben himself was modeled after a waiter in the Chicago restaurant where the idea was born.  There is nothing degrading about his past, he does not represent slavery, and his image was not meant to be demeaning or insulting.

I think the company is making a big mistake if they remove his likeness.  If anyone is truly offended by Uncle Ben's image, they have the right to buy a different brand.  If someone wants to cause a fuss because of this smiling man in the orange circle, I think they need to check their heart instead.

The Silent Police Wife

I'll admit- one of the main reasons I returned to my blog after such a long time away is because I need a platform to manage all these emotions and a release of my new anxieties.  I've always been a very focused, calm, relaxed person in the past, but I'm starting to experience the other side for the first time in my life.

You see, I'm the silent wife of a police officer.

I can't watch the news.  I can't get on social media.  I just can't.  My stomach turns and does flip-flops; I sob and mourn for the other women in my position whose husbands have been taken from them because of these violent and despicable times in which we are living.

I'll start right off the bat by saying that racism is wrong.  The movement that law enforcement and racism go hand in hand is ridiculous.  Both my husband and I are supportive of the human race, no matter what nationality or ethnicity a person is, or what color of skin they have.  Now that I have clarified that, please consider the rest of my thoughts.

People who are judging all police officers by the horrendous actions of one (or a few) are committing the same acts as racists.  Judging an entire group of people by a stereotype is wrong.  Derek Chauvin was a creep and does not deserve to represent the entire police force of the United States.  In that same manner, a black criminal should not be the representative for the entire African-American race.  Fair enough?

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/04/opinion/
the-argument-protest-riot-violence.html

Two months ago, everyone loved the police.  My husband was called upon several times daily to lead parades through neighborhoods to celebrate kids' birthdays during the quarantine.  Everybody loved that.  In 2001, cops were the heroes of the country.  Talk about solidarity- people bought police officers meals and would give them the shirts off their backs.  Today, people are writing racial slurs on police cruisers as they bust out all the windows.  How did all of this change in such a short time?

In my opinion, most of the people who are against the police are people who have been in trouble with the law.  I have no statistics for that; it's my opinion.  A young adult who grew up close to my family has stated his disdain for law enforcement very openly.  He is a disrespectful punk who breaks into buildings to take extreme photography and to skateboard.  He gets mouthy with security when confronted about trespassing.  I'm not surprised he doesn't support the police.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/mar/30/
devonte-hart-police-information-portland

A lot of the opposition says that police are only out to catch people doing wrong.  That couldn't be further from the truth.  I have done countless ride-alongs with my husband, and I see what a day in his shoes looks like.  He does a welfare check on an elderly woman whose out-of-state daughter hasn't been able to contact her in a week.  If he finds her dead, he has to tell that daughter.  He has to persuade a mentally challenged adult that her group home is a safe place and she needs to return with her case worker.  The promise of a 5th Avenue candy bar and a Mountain Dew (that he purchases himself at the gas station) is what convinces her to go back.  My husband comforts a terrified mother who was crouched on the floor of her home because a bullet just sailed through her teenage daughter's bedroom window.  Her ex-boyfriend is in a street gang and they were making a point.  On a bitterly cold winter day, my husband noticed "David" crouched in the dugout of the ball field.  He didn't kick out the homeless man or berate him.  He opened up his trunk, pulled out a bag and took it to the man.  It had some non-perishable food, a hat, and other basic supplies.  I asked why he didn't offer the man more help, but he informed me that David refuses public assistance.  He chooses his life on the street, but will accept occasional supplies.

All of those stories are true.  I witnessed them.  And half of them involved African Americans.  Was my husband less willing to help the black people?  Absolutely not.  They're all his people, the citizens of his town. 

My hope for this country is that all hate will be eliminated- hate against people based on their skin color (red, yellow, black, or white) and hate against people because of their profession.  What good can come from hate?  We are on the verge of a civil war, and we are going to split this great nation in half if the hate doesn't stop.  Before you act, before you speak, stop and think if it will do good or stir up more anger and strife.  We need to decrease the tension and attempt to restore faith in the human race.

Stop the violence.  Stop the hate.

Royal Hype

Are you caught up in all the hype over the Royal Wedding?  Did you wake up early this morning to catch the live footage (assuming you live on this side of the world)?

I'm not a fanatic, yet I'm very interested in watching the wedding.  I haven't caught it yet but it's recorded waiting to be viewed at a proper hour.  I wish I had a group of friends coming over tonight, wearing large brimmed hats, to watch the event of the year together.  I would brew some Earl Grey tea and make scones.  Maybe I would try to duplicate one of the appetizers rumored to be served at the wedding reception.  But alas, I have no such friends who wish to spend their Friday evening donning a silly hat.  Maybe Hubby....never mind, I won't even finish that sentence.

I was far too young to have been involved in the frenzy associated with the last Royal Wedding.  But I seem to remember people talking about it's significance.  My own daughter is 6 1/2, possibly old enough to enjoy this storybook wedding.  She truly believes she is a real princess so she might actually take an interest after all.  Boy, would she sure love to have been a flower girl in that wedding!

So, if you're watching, have a fabulous time.  And if you're celebrating with a proper tea party, please share!  (Or better yet, invite me!  I'll bring my own teacup!)

The Blame Game

I am really getting tired of people who constantly blame others for their own bad choices.  It started off with my children who didn't want to be held responsible for their messy rooms, lost possessions or incomplete chores.  I regularly heard excuses like "That isn't my mess all over the floor...it's my brother's."  or "The baby took my iPod out of my room and lost it!"  or "I was going to do my chore but Dad wanted me to see something on the computer."  I am tired of excuses and I am tired of blaming others for your own shortcomings. 

Then I began to realize that the problem is much deeper than the menial problems in my little family.  On a recent audition episode of "American Idol," a horribly tone-deaf woman questioned the judges' decision by asking if they said no because she wasn't skinny enough.  What?!  Are you kidding me???  Instead of coming to grips with the fact that she couldn't sing, she tried to place the blame somewhere else.

And then there are those who (I almost hate to say this) attribute every problem in their life to race discrimination.  This is a hot topic button for me right now.  It seems that everywhere you look, every news story you read, someone is saying that they were treated unfairly due to their race.  I am not in any way denying that racism exists.  Because it most definitely does.  Let me also state that I am, in no way, a racist.  I don't say that I'm colorblind either.  I see the various races in the world around me and I accept and appreciate that variety.  That said, I think something has to be done about the growing problem of people "playing the race card" in every situation in their lives.  This trend is being passed on to innocent children who are learning that when life gives you lemons, tell everyone you were mistreated due to your race.

I have been following a news story about a woman who illegally enrolled her children in a neighboring school district because she wanted to give them a better life.  I understand her concern.  And like her, I would try to enroll my children in a different district if I felt that it would provide them with a better education.  But this woman broke the rules.  She lied about her children's residence, stating that they lived with their grandfather.  She lied about her income to receive free and reduced meals.  She swore that all the information she provided was legitimate. 

When her dishonesty was discovered, the school district sent her a letter stating that she needed to leave the school and pay back tuition.  She ignored the letter.  For two years, she kept her children in the school and threw away all tuition bills.  So action was finally taken.  The school district took her to court to sue for back tuition and fraud for misrepresenting sworn documents.  So, she played the race card.  She said she was being singled out because of her race.  But she wasn't being singled out at all.  She was only 1 of 48 families who were confronted by the school district for illegally attending its schools.  47 of the families complied by withdrawing from the school, paying back tuition, or legally moving into the district.  One did not.  So she was punished legally for her actions.

It just makes me so mad that she is now saying that she was discriminated against because of her race.  She was found guilty by a jury that included four people of her race.  Lady, you were wrong.  You lied and you falsified documents.  You were warned but you continued on with your behavior.  Quit blaming others for what YOU did.  Instead of blowing up your story into a national media frenzy, just close your mouth and try to make amends for your actions.  Grow up and take some responsibility.

Ultimate Pathetic Parenting

This news story blew my mind when I read it. A 10-year-old boy fatally shot his mother after an argument last week. The mother simply asked her son to carry some firewood into the house. His uncle was quoted as saying, "He had anger issues, and she overlooked those anger issues." But here's the kicker: the 10-year-old had a gun rack mounted in his room! Why would any parent allow their young, hostile child to keep guns in his room?

The boy had various discipline problems at the schools he attended. At the age of 7, he was being taken to the school gym for a timeout due to unruly behavior. He grabbed a dustpan in the gym and hit the principal in the face with it. The boy was then transferred to a behavior disorder school. This is a boy you're going to allow to have four guns in his room?

Unfortunately, this mother paid the price for her own bad parenting. The equation is not difficult - a disciplinary problem child has guns in his room, he argues with his mother, he shoots her dead. Sad story, even sadder ending.

Now his family is asking for his release so he can stay with relatives. Yeah, that's a boy I would just love to find out is in my kid's class! What is he capable of next?

I guess the moral of this story is that pathetic parenting can be highly dangerous. Hmm...quite an understatement.

Dirty Dishes

How clean have your dishes been looking lately? Are you mad at your dishwasher because its performance is not up to par? Maybe it's not your dishwasher that isn't doing its job. Many of my friends have been complaining that their dishes have come out of the dishwasher dirty or covered in a white film. And that's exactly the experience I've had recently. My plastics (baby bottles, cups, and plastic utensils) have suffered the most noticeable change. Then I read in the newspaper that the government created a law that reduces phosphates in dishwasher detergent. Phosphates, which help your dishes come out clean has been reduced to 0.5 percent from as high as 8.7 percent. So that's why your dishes are coming out dirty. Read this article to better understand the issue.

I'm not a tree-hugger but I try to do my part to eliminate waste for the environment. I take quick showers, I don't let the water run while brushing my teeth, I unplug my cell phone charger when not in use, and I turn off lights when I leave a room. But I have to draw a line somewhere. What is the point of having an expensive dishwasher and buying costly detergent when it's not doing the job properly? As the head of a household of six people, I really don't want to resort to washing dishes by hand. I'll never get out of the kitchen! Thoughts?