Not Much

not much going on this week. Just a few things that I'd like to post... first of all, moma is quite the Spanish speaker. Dora and Diego are to thank for that one. She's constantly saying something that i don't understand because I'm trying to think of an English word that sounds similar to what she is saying, but when i realize that it isn't English at all but is actually Spanish, i just laugh. she is just like a sponge right now soaking up everything that comes her way. even the bad. i really have to watch my language. I'm famous for saying "stupid" or "idiot". so i have to watch what i say. she did say "crap" a few weeks ago and it was because i said it first. i felt like the worst parent alive. I've gotten better but then the other day i burned myself on my griddle and i cussed (a real cuss word too!). dadi got mad at me but i told him that if i get hurt, i have a free pass to cuss. i used to have a serious potty mouth so considering that now they only slip out when i hurt myself is a step in the right direction.
the other thing i wanted to share was a show that i watched on TV this week. it was called "what would you do?" from the news show primetime. they set up hidden cameras and then had actors act out scenes. like a girl backs into another car and then just walks away. so it secretly taped the people witnessing the scene and what their responses were. the one that was the most shocking, sad and touching at the same time was one where they set up cameras in a bakery in Texas. a girl (actor) comes in to order something and she is obviously Muslim and is wearing the traditional attire for Muslim women with a head scarf. the guy at the counter (actor) tells her that he doesn't serve "her kind" in his store and he says things like "go get back on your camel and get out of here" and really mean hurtful things. he says that she isn't an American and she tells him "i was born and raised in America" and this goes back and forth for awhile. the saddest part was that people just stood there and didn't defend her or say anything to the guy. they just went about their business and got what they ordered and left. 22 people that come in just stood there and didn't say anything. 6 people actually sided with the clerk and said things like "way to go" and "she ain't dressed right" and one guy actually gave him a thumbs up sign. i was so shocked. i guess i shouldn't be since i know people are stupid, but i just couldn't believe it. 13 people stood up for the girl. some of them by walking out of the store and not giving them their business and some did say stuff to the clerk. one man went up to the counter and told the clerk that he was disgusted by his behavior and that he was going to let everyone he knew not to come to that store. he also said that his son just returned from Iraq in the army and that the Muslim girl was just as American as he was. it was very touching. another couple of girls came in and one of them was also Muslim, but did not dress in the tradition Muslim attire so they really stood their ground and told the clerk exactly what they thought. it was so touching that they stood up for this person that was being treated so unfairly. it made me cry.
i have always been the type of person to stand up and say something when i feel that it is wrong. i remember arguing with teachers when i felt they were treating some one (or myself) unfairly or with my parents or whoever. i never had much respect for adults growing up because i felt like they could be just as stupid as the next guy. I'm not saying you shouldn't respect your elders, but I've always been vocal about my opinions no matter how old or how much authority they had over me. i remember being very little sitting around the table with my grandparents arguing with them about people of different races. they would use racial slurs just talking in their normal conversations. i thought they were crazy for the way they thought. now i know that most of it has to do with the way they were raised and their generation, but at the same time, it doesn't make it right. my grandma is a full blooded Russian and she has experienced discrimination many times in her life. her mother dressed differently than everyone else and didn't speak any English. then when she met my grandpa and wanted to marry him, her family tried to forbid it since he was just a "white man" and wasn't Russian like the rest of them. so after experiencing all of this you would think that she would want equality and not be racist, but she's probably the most racist of the bunch. i just don't get it. how could some one that has faced discrimination herself think that way? it makes no sense to me.
the last few years, i have calmed down a lot with my vocalization of my opinions. and i have to admit it's been because of fear that i have. you always hear about some one on TV getting beat up or killed because of an argument or whatever. so i have become afraid of people i guess. that's pretty sad. after watching that show and seeing how many people just stood there and didn't do anything to defend that girl or their own rights as an American, I'm going to try harder to be more like my old self again. i would hate to be one of those people that just stood there and didn't do or say anything. that would be so embarrassing to me. also, lately i have been more relaxed when my family makes a racist comment. i just let it go so that i don't waste my energy getting into an argument again. it bothers me when i just let it go. i don't want to fight with my family, but more importantly, if i don't say anything to them about my disapproval of what they are saying, they are just going to keep doing it around me and more importantly, they may think i now feel the same way. i sure don't want that. by the way, this is my side of the family that i'm talking about, not dadi's. just wanted to clarify for any readers that weren't sure.
anyways, i just went off a bit there, but that show really made me think. i think it's going to be on again next week. it will have different scenarios but I'm sure it will be interesting to see how people react to them. I'm going to watch it again. if they have another episode like this weeks, be ready for another long-opinion-filled-blog-post!!!