Perception Redirection

We live in a class society. All of us. The big cheese spenders are up at the top of society and the rest of us take our places accordingly. There is also the aspect of race in that class system. Yep. I said it. Race.

I was watching the news this morning with the mister (I'm so glad to have him home with me for the next couple of days!), and saw a story on a North Carolina school board putting an end to diversity based busing. This particular school board is interesting because rather than bus the lower socioeconomic students to the higher rated schools, they bus the students from the higher rated schools to the lower socioeconomic schools.

I grew up in West Texas. The school district where I attended employs diversity based busing, sending the lower income students to the higher rated schools. I was lucky enough that my parents built their home in a good school district, but that also provided for some drawbacks as far as my real world view is concerned. Amarillo is not the most diverse when it comes to race. Currently, Amarillo is 64% White, 22% Hispanic, 11% other, and 6% African American. This demonstrates how I grew up surrounded by other white students, a few Hispanic students, and maybe 4 African American students. My world was not filled with all the colors of the race rainbow.

Moving to New Orleans has changed my perception dramatically about what is a culturally diverse society. I moved from a city that is 6% African American, 64% white, and 22% Hispanic, to a city that is 67% African American, 28% white, and 3% Hispanic.

I am OFFICIALLY ONE OF THE MINORITIES!!!!!! Yay! I kind of like this. Kev is EVEN more a minority here - being that he is part Hispanic.

This may sound offensive, but while I cherish the education and upbringing I received from my parents, I wish I could have grown up in a city that showed me that the world is not just white with some brown thrown in to appear socially acceptable. (I say showed me because I believe my parents raised me to be an open minded individual. Thanks, Mom and Dad!)

My point is this: It sounds like a step backward for this school board to change their diversity based busing system policy. The original point of their policy was to have all the schools in the district be equal, and perform equally well.

I think it would have been nice to have attended school with some kids who were from the "wrong side of the tracks", you know, like in 16 Candles? Perhaps if the rich kids had to actually play with the poor kids, they could start finding a mutual understanding and stop focusing on the color of one's skin.

This topic is interesting to me. A protester was even arrested. It's getting all heated and stuff. People are rioting. Down with the MAN! Ooops...got a little carried away there.

Why can't everything be equal? Why can't we all sit down and have a little pow wow and a coke and stop bickering so much, and why, when we have a black President, are we still dealing with this?

I don't know the challenges of having to raise a child and definitely don't have to think about educating one. I would have a hard time doing that here - the public schools aren't very good and private schools cost big cheese. So, we have cats.

But, I do know the importance of a person's education. It's time for parents to start parenting again and holding their children accountable for their education. On the same note, parents should CARE about their child's education. Instill in your kids a love of learning...I promise it will pay off for them.

Where does your food come from?

Kev and I watched Food, Inc. this weekend.

Wow.

I had to turn away when they were slaughtering the animals...good thing Kev was around to tell me when it was okay to look again!

That's not the point. It's interesting to me how our nation has become so removed from our food sources. How the fast food industries have changed the way in which our farmers and ranchers grow our food and send them to our tables.

My dad grew up on a cotton farm in Tahoka, TX. A dry land cotton farm that his family worked. They were, you know, poor. I don't think he even had a television until he was in high school.

He talks about how they raised their own chickens from baby chicks bought in the Sears catalog. He had to kill these chickens (you should ask him how he did it...it's quite terrifying) so that his mother could fry them up and they would have a meal. I'm sure they grew their own vegetables as well, but I know that they ate a lot of fried chicken. That man can pick a chicken bone like no one else! (If you are hungry enough, you can learn to do anything...)

It's interesting to me that Tyson Foods has modified how the basic chicken is raised and brought to our tables. They have shortened their growing time significantly and increased the amount of breast meat these hens produce.

Basically, they changed God's plan on how much meat is to be had on a living being. Changed it with genetics and science and basically made these birds miserable. They can't walk. Their rate of growth is so great that their organs can't keep up and they are forced to just sit there.

I know, gross. You don't want to think about where your food comes from? I don't either. But we SHOULD know about where our food comes from. For the sake of the health of our families, if anything.

Why should we eat meat at every meal? I used to be a vegetarian, you know. This movie kind of made me want to go back to being a vegetarian, but our vegetables aren't treated much differently than our meat.

Did you know that the tomatoes you buy at the grocery store are harvested when they are green and ripened with ethylene gas? I think I might try my hand at growing my own 'maters this year. Plus, homegrown tomatoes taste better!

They have even modified the seeds that grow our vegetables. CHANGED THE SEEDS. Some farmers refuse to use these modified seeds, but that doesn't mean that those modified plants don't end up in his or her planting fields, growing amongst their non-modified plants. And, if a farmer refuses to use the modified seeds, they get sued by the company that modified these seeds.

Hmm...what's a girl to eat these days? Air? Even that is contaminated.

So, I challenge you with this.

Try to cut out meat one day a week. You know, they say Meatless Mondays? Well, it's Lent right now...why not Meatless Fridays?

Also, try and shop at your local farmers' market. You might pay a little more for your food, but you can bet that those animals and vegetables aren't as processed as the foods you buy at your grocery store and are treated much nicer.

Kev and I headed to our local farmers' market this Saturday. We are lucky that our farmers' market takes place three times a week. They had beautiful produce and flowers and even meat. Trust me, fresh tastes better.

Plus, shopping at the farmers' markets keep your hard earned dollars in your local economy and ensures that your local farmer can eat something besides fried chicken 7 days a week! Ask my dad, he knows!

Just food for thought...do your part. Protect our earth and local economy and waistline. Processed food = bad (even though I like me a good Cheeto from time to time!)

Watch this movie. It WILL change how you look at your food, and probably for the better. Because, if everyone makes small changes, then we will see a HUGE change! Just you wait, y'all...

*Stepping off my soap box*

Have a great day!