The first convo went something like this:
Friend: I need my mom to wash my clothes.
Me: Why don't you go wash them?
Friend: I don't know how... and I don't want to know how. That's my mother's job.
Me: Gasp! You are a grown ass man! Go and do it yourself!!!
Friend: Why? I don't need to.
Me: You need to know how to take care of yourself.
Friend: I do take care of myself. I work, I go to school, I pay bills.
Me: Yes, but having your mother wash your draws at 23 because you think it's her job is NOT okay.
Friend: You would do it for me.
Me: You must have me twisted.
Friend: You'd be surprised what I could get you to do.
Me: I'm not gonna wash, cook or clean 'cause you think it's my job! I would do it because I wanted to, or maybe because it was my turn to and it needed to be done. But you would need to know how to do those things for yourself and be able to do them for me too.
Friend: Well what one woman won't do, there's always another who will.
Me: Well it ain't gon' be me, and the one who will is stupid.
Now you know I was HOT and in disbelief after hearing this man spew this b.s. I'm listening to this and all I could think is that this arrogant ass thinks he is God's gift to women. And the fact this his mother has not taught him how to wash his clothes is shameful. Now I know there is no bond like that between a black mother and her son, but come on! You got this boy thinking that he can dismiss a woman just because she's not gonna do his laundry? And the crazy part about it is, he probably will find somebody dumb enough to do it. It took everything in me not to talk about that boy's mama.
The second conversation went something like this:
Friend: Have you voted yet?
Me: No, not yet. Have you?
Friend: No. I've been thinking about it and I'm not going to.
Me: What?! Why??
Friend: Well, I just don't want either one of them to be my president. There's things about both of them that I really don't like... But if Hilary Clinton was still running I'd vote for her.
Me: Why would you vote for Hilary over Obama?
Friend: I'm not a fan of a lot of his policies. I really don't like his plan to tax people who have money in order to help the poor. It really bothers me.
Me: Why?
Friend: Because I feel like poor people should just get a job!
Umm, ever heard of the working poor? Yeah, all those people who have jobs, but still can't make ends meet and provide health care for their families. I'm not about free hand outs either, but what about helping those who help themselves? Helping your fellow man?
Next, let's get real. You're not voting for him because he's black. You told me yourself you didn't like Oprah because she was too black. Now if Oprah is too black to be your most watched talk show, I know Barack is too black to be your president.
Lastly, let's talk about white male privilege. It is such a slap in the face for people to just decide not to exercise their rights as citizens in this country that allow them to participate in their own well being and future. But that species created the right to vote and they've always had it, so I imagine it's not difficult to throw that away. It would be blasphemous for me not vote; my ancestors would roll over in their graves.
I'm done with my rant... but I don't think I'm off base here. Am I? Opinions?
**If the persons who this blog is about are reading, just wanted to say I'm sorry for putting our conversations on the internet, but you know it made me mad and I had to share.
2 comments:
No Sydnie, you are not crazy. Your friends are. I remember being shocked when I got to Barnard and I met people who couldn't do laundry because they'd never done it before so you'd better believe I'm shocked (and disgusted) by this "grown" man who actually refuses to do his laundry. At this point he's gone far beyond just not knowing how to do laundry because he never got the chance. I honestly have no respect for this kid. (And I must add that's about the nicest thing I could come up to say about him..I am actually trying to be nice since you did call him your friend.) But honestly, I blame his mother more than I blame him. Had she said, "heiffer, get in there and do yo own laundry...fool...who you take me fo" he would have learned how to do his laundry with the quickness. And now that this behavior has gone on as long as it has, this kid actually feels justified in expecting someone else to wipe his behind. And yes, he will find someone. Lord knows the world is full of weak women. Just be thankful it won't be you standing at the bathroom door holding the toilet tissue.
As for your second friend, I can't think of anything more un-Democratic (as in Democracy, not the Democratic Party) or anti-patriotic than not voting. It would never even occur to me to not vote. And if your friend would have voted for HIllary, there's no way she'd be on the fence and maybe voting for McCain, so the fact that she's unwilling to vote for Obama is whack. She can't pretend she doesn't like him. Maybe it's too easy to use the race card, but I don't know what else could explain her un-Democratic, un-patriotic decision to not vote for Barack, especially since he is honestly a really good candidate. If she thinks this election is only about taxes and redistributing wealth, she's also an idiot. (Okay, I seem to have lost my ability to at least attempt to be tactful about your friends....) To be perfectly honest, I don't get how someone with as much racial bias as this girl has can be friends with you Sydnie...not in the sense that you're not a fabulous person (cause you are), but in the sense that well, you're black. And you're much more "Black" than Oprah. And if Oprah is too "Black" for her liking, and you're more "Black" than Oprah, it should follow that she shouldn't like you either....I swear Sydnie....where do you find these people? Don't tell me...it's an Iowa thing?
one word: wow.
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