Let me see if I have this straight. Steve Jobs, may he rest in peace, created overpriced toys for adults who have a cornucopia of everything, and his untimely death is greeted by banner headlines, breaking news updates, a massive amount of media attention, social media websites filled with expressions of grief, and mourning usually set aside for an elder statesman or revered religious leader.
Meanwhile, Rev. Fred J. Shuttlesworth, a civil rights icon, who was bombed, beaten, repeatedly arrested, and hailed by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., passed away Wednesday, and his death barely registers a blip in the media, on the Internet, or in the blogospere.
Rev. Shuttlesworth Biography
What does that say about who we in America consider to be heroes? What does this say about our priorities in this country? While I agree that Mr. Jobs was a brilliant, innovated, upstanding, and passionate man; does he warrant more accolades than a man who put his life on the line on a day to day, hour to hour, basis to fight for African American equality? I think not, and I think it speaks volumes about how shallow, historically ignorant, self-centered, and self-absorbed American society really is.
RIP, Rev. Shuttlesworth. You are in a far better place now, and your legacy will live on forever.
Peace and love, my brothers and sisters.
Showing posts with label Shallowness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shallowness. Show all posts
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Why Are People So Shallow?
You know what I don't understand? I don't understand why people, specifically Americans, seem to be so very shallow. One person has a meltdown because her shampoo pump doesn't function to her liking. Another because the cost a meal in a fast food establishment was higher than she thought was acceptable. Another just can't seem to pull himself out of the doldrums after his favorite college sports team lost a game, not a championship.......................a game. Another seems incapable of posting anything on social media or talking about anything beyond nonstop bragging about their children. Yet another lives and dies by the latest happenings on "American Idol".
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Japanese remain displaced and/or homeless. (Remember the tsunami?) Meanwhile, thousands of Americans in the Southern US struggle to recover and rebuild. (Remember the tornados earlier this spring?) Meanwhile, thousands of Americans in Joplin, MO, and elsewhere also struggle to recover and rebuild. (Remember the tornados earlier this week?) Meanwhile, wars slog on in the Middle East. (Remember Iraq and Afghanistan?) Meanwhile, children and adults go to bed hungry in our own communities. Meanwhile, the economic recovery continues at a snail's pace. Meanwhile, minorities and women continue to be repressed. Meanwhile, citizens are forced into bankruptcy due to a lack of access to quality healthcare. Meanwhile, millions of children grow up without fathers. Meanwhile, the rich get richer while the poor struggle to survive day to day and week to week.
But I guess all that pales in comparison to washing your hair, your burger and fries, your favorite basketball team losing, your kids’ latest embellished activities, and sodding American Idol, huh? Do you see yourself in any of these examples? Are you angry with me for calling you out? Well, after you get done being angry with me, get angry with yourself for being so bloody shortsighted and self-centered.
While there is nothing wrong with enjoying a particular show on the telly, being proud of your children, following sports teams, and even occasionally harping about the high price of junk food, I am continuously flabbergasted at how clueless and/or uncaring the average America seems to be about the world around them. Ladies and gentlemen, a world, sometimes a very ugly and unpleasant world, exists beyond the end of your nose. If you don't see it, you can't do anything to make it better. If it doesn't get better, we, as a people, will continue to face difficult and trying times.
Peace and love, my brothers and sisters.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Japanese remain displaced and/or homeless. (Remember the tsunami?) Meanwhile, thousands of Americans in the Southern US struggle to recover and rebuild. (Remember the tornados earlier this spring?) Meanwhile, thousands of Americans in Joplin, MO, and elsewhere also struggle to recover and rebuild. (Remember the tornados earlier this week?) Meanwhile, wars slog on in the Middle East. (Remember Iraq and Afghanistan?) Meanwhile, children and adults go to bed hungry in our own communities. Meanwhile, the economic recovery continues at a snail's pace. Meanwhile, minorities and women continue to be repressed. Meanwhile, citizens are forced into bankruptcy due to a lack of access to quality healthcare. Meanwhile, millions of children grow up without fathers. Meanwhile, the rich get richer while the poor struggle to survive day to day and week to week.
But I guess all that pales in comparison to washing your hair, your burger and fries, your favorite basketball team losing, your kids’ latest embellished activities, and sodding American Idol, huh? Do you see yourself in any of these examples? Are you angry with me for calling you out? Well, after you get done being angry with me, get angry with yourself for being so bloody shortsighted and self-centered.
While there is nothing wrong with enjoying a particular show on the telly, being proud of your children, following sports teams, and even occasionally harping about the high price of junk food, I am continuously flabbergasted at how clueless and/or uncaring the average America seems to be about the world around them. Ladies and gentlemen, a world, sometimes a very ugly and unpleasant world, exists beyond the end of your nose. If you don't see it, you can't do anything to make it better. If it doesn't get better, we, as a people, will continue to face difficult and trying times.
Peace and love, my brothers and sisters.
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