It's A Salad Bowl, Not A Melting Pot
by Jon Forsythe
I am America.
What does that mean?
It means that I represent a nation that is more than the sum of its parts.
But what do I look like?
Can't you see what I look like?
Oh, you what a specific color.
Well, I have flesh colored skin.
But you want to put me in a certain demographic, right?
Why? Does it make you feel better to give me a name?
First let me tell you about my background.
I am part Anglo Saxon, French, Italian, Germanic, Spanish, Polish, Russian, Slavic, Greek, Dutch, Scandinavian, Ukrainian, Turkish, Israeli, Palestinian, Indian, Asian, Australian, New Zealand, Polynesian, Pakistani, Afghani, African, Brazilian, Colombian, Venezuelan, Jamaican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Mexican, Canadian, Native American; get the point? No? Well...
I'm also Hispanic, Black, Yellow, Red, White, and Blue.
I have had ancestors who've believed in Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hindu, and all the rest of the religions in the world.
I am Republican, Democratic, Independent
Male, Female
Heterosexual, homosexual, bi-sexual
Poor, middle class, rich
Young, Old,
Tall, Short,
Fat, Skinny,
Healthy, Ill,
Able bodied, Disabled
Southern, Northern, Mid Western, Hawaiian, Alaskan, Western, Eastern,
Sane, Crazy, Unstable, Rational,
Good, Bad,
Helpful, Selfish,
Human.
So go ahead; put a useless label on my skin or any other part of my body.
It won't mean anything because how I act, what I say, what I do, and what I think define who I am.
Not you.
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