Twisted Musings

I would like to wish a Merry Christmas to all and to thank everyone for their visits to my blog this past year. I have had fun doing it and I hope I can keep posting articles that people are interested in.

I know its been a rough few years but I hope things are improving, and I believe 2011 is going to be a great year!

Good luck to all and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Today I was driving home from work, listening to the Hannity show. As he often does, he had a couple of non celebrity guests on his show, pitted against each other. One of the was Fernando Mateo, president of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers. By his own statements he is mixed race with a Hispanic mother and a black father. I only bring this up because it is relevant to the story.

He was quoted as saying “I don’t care about racial profiling. You know sometimes it‘s good that we are racially profiled because the God’s-honest truth is that 99 percent of the people that are robbing, stealing, killing these drivers are blacks and Hispanics. So if you see suspicious activity, you know what, don’t pick the person up.” This had come about after a driver had been shot seven times in a robbery that netted the shooter about 12 bucks. After listening to what he had to say, I don’t think he truly meant racial profiling, but rather character profiling within certain races. He was basically saying that if a driver doesn’t like the way someone is dressed or is acting, such as gang colors or face covered up with hoodies and glasses, then bypass them and look for someone else. He acknowledged that a large percentage of their customers are black and Hispanic, but that the drivers should use their judgment on who to pickup or not pickup.

Now of course Al Sharpton and others have jumped all over this because Mr. Mateo  used the word racial profiling, but if we are to be honest, many if not all of us has done similar things. When I say this I am referring to blacks and whites, because that is where my associated experiences come from, but I am sure it applies to most, if not all groups.

Have you ever avoided a certain section of town because you assumed, probably correctly, that you weren’t welcome there? That’s profiling. Have you changed the sides of a street you were walking on because a group of youth, acting rowdy, looking you way, were between you and where you had to go? I have and that is profiling. Prejudice is simply pre judging and many times we do that based on experience and knowledge. Is it always right? Probably not. Has it saved people from harm or danger? No doubt it has!

I will be the first to admit at times I use forms of prejudice and profiling and I will continue to do so in the future. Do you?

Ahh yes it’s that wonderful time of the year again. The time of the year when I can decorate outdoors with seasonal lights and greenery. Indoors I can put up my winter tree with its brightly colored lights and ornaments. All the kids will be out of school for winter holidays and eagerly waiting winter solstice day when they get to wake up and receive all the toys and games their parents were instructed to purchase for them. Shopping is fun as well with all the merchants cheering us with “Happy Holidays” and other generic greetings. We get to see displays of snowmen and reindeer, and we can bake wonderful treats like gingerbread men. Of course what’s missing in all this, is that it’s the Christmas season. Not the Winter Solstice season or Winter Holidays, but Christmas.

I wonder if anyone even remembers what it used to be like when you could say Merry Christmas and not wonder if someone was being offended by it. In the first place, why in the world should anyone be offended? Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus, the son of God. If you are Christian then it certainly will not offend you. If you are not Christian, then take it in a spirit of someone being nice and greeting you. It’s not like someone is wishing you a “Happy Hope You Get Run Over By A Bus” day.

Now we have all kinds of nonsense with some schools even telling kids they can’t wear red and green this time of the year because they are Christmas colors and someone might be offended.  By colors???

For many years I have watched the Charlie Brown Christmas show. I heard that network executives were leery about broadcasting it because of Linus reading passages from the Bible. When Linus recites Luke 2:8-14 and tells Charlie Brown “That’s what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown”, he truly was doing so. We would all do well to remember that spirit, both believers and non believers.