Go Back to Where You Came From?
But...I'm from Indiana.
First, let me say this--I am mostly politically conservative. Yet, I have no problem separating my political views with my views on race, ethnicity, and general human rights.
Of course, I see what is unfolding on social media and the like. I am not bothered by it, because things people say rarely offend me. As a life-long student and teacher of communication, I am rarely driven to offense by the words of others. You have to get extremely personal to really hurt my feelings. But that mindset has been purchased with years of hard experience. I still recall being the butt of a racist chant at a high school basketball game as a cheerleader. I went to school in Wyoming where there were VERY few black people, and apparently the novelty wasn’t lost on the high school we were visiting. I still remember the pure embarrassment and complete tragedy of that moment (my stomach still drops from the thought of it). I’ve used it many times as an example to my own students of how “harmless” words can hurt--though I haven’t brought myself to repeat the words of that chant in all my years.
But I digress. This post isn’t about that racist moment in my life. It is about another one. When the elderly couple that sat behind me at a college basketball game yelled for the ref to “go back to Africa” because he made a questionable call against our home team. After the game, they asked me to congratulate my dad (the coach at the time) and his players on a great win. I mustered up all of my courage (because I was taught to respect my elders) and asked them how they could respect my dad and the players when they clearly didn’t respect the ref. They looked at me with matching confused looks, and then patted my shoulder and said, “No, we wanted the ref to go back to Africa. Not your dad or the players!”
Oh. Okay.
Guys. You can’t think it is truly okay to tell someone to go back to where you think they are "from". Black people in America famously do not know where they are from. I don’t know anyone personally who knows anything about their African heritage beyond what they learned from a 23&Me spit swab. Therefore, “Go back to Africa” is not a fitting retort. I am not from Africa--I’m from INDIANA. As in the state. As in America. I’ve never even BEEN to Africa. My parents are not from Africa. My grandparents were not from Africa. My great-grandparents were not from Africa. I'm honestly not sure where my great-great grandparents were from, but I do know some of them were white or Native American--so, probably NOT from Africa. That's why I don't really use the term African-American to describe myself, as it implies I emigrated here from Africa. I am completely American, from generation after generation of other Americans.
I recently watched a panel of Republican women from Dallas all say that to tell someone to go back to wherever is not racist if they have “unAmerican views.” So, with that qualification, would it then be racist to tell someone to “go back” if it were about a bad referee call? Where do we draw the line?
As a conservative, I don’t agree with approximately half of political views. Personally, most of the things proposed in last year’s Democratic debates sounded to my ears like pure shenanigans. But I still can watch and listen with an open mind and never even thought to yell at the screen that any candidate should pack up and ship off to a different country. That, to me, is absurd. Especially if I base this feeling off of another person expressing their personal opinion. If they have an opinion different than mine, the BEST place for them to be is America, because we enjoy the freedom to say and believe what we want.
That being said, those women in Dallas are welcome to their opinion that people who think differently than them should pack up and leave the country. That is just one more opinion I don’t agree with. I do hope, deep down, that their opinion isn’t the majority here in the Dallas area, or in our great country in general. I hope that America is too great to truly believe that kind of nonsense.
But that is my own opinion. If you don’t like it, you are welcome to stop reading and go about your business. You are completely free to go some place so far away that you can’t even hear my opposing view.
I hear Africa is nice this time of year.
About the Creator
Keep reading
More stories from Jenay Sherman and writers in The Swamp and other communities.
Black Hacks
I saw a video on Facebook the other day called Mexican Hacks. It featured a young man chronicling his experience with Mexican cultural quirks that he jokingly explained were ruining his life. It was funny, but it also made me think of all the things I do in my own home that might be labeled under the “black experience” and would be funny to share with others. So, I made my own list of black hacks--let’s call them #blahacks. Or, let’s not.
By Jenay Sherman3 years ago in Humans
Iran and Israel: Still Playing A Dangerous Game.
Hezbollah started out as a resistance movement to Israel. Since then the militia has grown steadily backed, supported, and supplied by Iran. Hezbollah and Israel fought a war in 2006, that ended in a stalemate. However, some historians believe that Hezbollah won that war. A UN- brokered ceasefire brought this conflict to an end.
By Nicholas Bishopabout 19 hours ago in The Swamp
Rivers of Death
Rivers bring water the element essential to all life on Earth but wherever rivers flow they also bring death surprise attacks Savage kills and brutal fights every day is a battle for survival on these rivers of [Applause] death I'm under the African Sun Staying Alive is hot thirsty work and among the ranks of animals jostling to get a drink lurk Killers waiting to strike but while Lions may be fearsome and the huge Nile crocodiles ruthless Predators one of the continent's deadliest River Killers is mostly vegetarian renowned wallowers spending up to 16 hours a day lounging in the water hippos could be mistaken for relaxed creatures and yet the river horse as their name translates from ancient Greek can be a very angry pony indeed with tusks up to a foot and a half long hippos are literally armed to the teeth and a charging bull Hipp can impact with the weight force of a pickup truck what's more hippos May brutally defend their territory an Impala has been chased into a muddy Watering Hole by a lion it's stuck but for fortunately for the stricken analou the lion is reluctant to follow it into the Meer unfortunately it finds itself in the domain of a hippo ill disposed to uninvited guests the hippo's not stealing the watching Lion's meal she's most likely just aggressively defending her calf and the Impala pays the ultimate price for crossing a doting mother hippos are thought to kill more people each year than the rest of Africa's most dangerous animals combined and during mating season their ruthless aggression is directed at other hippos two bulls square up the pod's dominant male and a Challenger at stake the Riverbanks Prime mating territory and a Herm of females the dominant male puts on an aggressive display posturing to show he will not yield but the interloper Demands a fight finally the dominant male is Victorious the Conqueror celebrates with a dung shower marking the border of the territory he has successfully defended while the vanquished suffers more than just the agony of defeat his back is carved open and by Sunset the crocodiles are watching closely they'd be unlikely to take on a bull in rude Health but now they Circle an expectation the hippo breathes his last the price of insurrection is life his Hulk will not go to waste the crocodiles move in swiftly to Feast on the corpse for these voracious Predators it's a considerable meal but one dead hippo is a mere snack compared with the annual Feast provided by a particular African river each year the serengetti vast grass Plains filled to the Horizon with grazing animals taking part in one of Nature's greatest spectacles around 1 and2 million wilder beast join 700,000 other herbivores on the Great Migration around 1 in six of these migrants will die before completing the 500 M circuit many are outrun and taken down down by Africa's formidable array of Savannah carnivores their Journey coming to a Grizzly end but one of the deadliest single obstacles the vast herds must Traverse is the mara River after 3 months on the move the wilderbeast are exhausted and emaciated all that separates them from the Fresh pastures of the msai mara is the width of the river and a whole bunch of huge ravit Nile crocodiles despite the chilling threat posed by these powerful Predators some of the herd are either oblivious to the danger or so thirsty they dare to take a drink anyway for an unlucky few it will be their last and these witless victims merely wet the Croc's appetite the true Feast begins when the first of the herd Braves the river in the crush and Chaos of the crossing the 16t Crocs grabs scores of victims when 1,600 lb of musc futile the marus Crocs survive on meager rations for most of the year so take full advantage of the great migrations time of Plenty they Gorge themselves eating up to half their body weight in one sitting and with so many different species crossing the river the banquet is as varied as it is Bountiful but not all Africa's Crocs have such an easy meal ticket on the banks of this Kenyon River a Croc has got too close to a pack of feeding Lions a move it's about to regret it's a fierce attack but the Crocs skin is covered in bony armor plating eventually the Lion's Uninvited Guest Retreats having taught the Crocs and dinner manners the big cats return to the carcass the Amazon is a giant of a river and and conceal some monstrous Predators which kill with a crush and in a bloody frenzy draining a lowland Basin of close to 3 million square miles around 1/5 of the water that runs off the earth's surface is carried by the Amazon this giant of a river is renowned for its oversized residence both prey and Predator around 4 ft long and and weighing as much as an adult human capibara are the world's largest rodent they're
By cacloaidongvatabout 24 hours ago in The Swamp
Clinging to Childhood
The playground is empty, as it should be past sundown. There is a warm breeze, and I can see everything despite the late hour. What time is it, anyway? It could very well be past midnight. I can never keep track of time, especially in the summer. A prickly piece of popcorn hides like a stowaway in the left cup of my padded training bra. I stuffed the tissue in last minute— a decision I’m beginning to regret, based on the events that are unfolding rapidly before me. To my left, laying non-chalantly on his back, is my date for the evening. He is two years older, could probably grow facial hair if he wanted to, and drives a secondhand Honda. He may as well be a Man. I, on the other hand, feel like a fraud with my too-short short-shorts, sparkly lip gloss, and makeshift push-up bra. I keep my arms pinned to my sides as I feel the dreaded circles of sweat beginning to manifest on my brand new Abercrombie top. I cup my elbows with my hands and stare down at my hint of cleavage, praying that the tissue doesn’t pop out like a white flag surrendouring my lack of womanhood.
By Marti Maley6 days ago in Fiction
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.