I realize it has been two months since I last posted and for that I am dearly sorry for those reading often! I have been touring with the University of Michigan Men's Glee Club and have recently been training to be an intern teacher with the Breakthrough Collaborative in New York City. Both have been great experiences, feel free to check them out in the links. I actually taught my first class today and it was amazing!
So! To why I am writing today. As you know I try to be impartial and logical in my stance on controversial issues. In that battle, I have been fortunate to meet others who can share that mindset at times and one of my good friends made a post today about the Paula Deen controversy I thought really captured what I try to when thinking about these issues.
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| Paula Deen |
Her post was:
"The world we live in..... So this whole Paula Dean thing
With the minimal information that we as a society have been fed about this cooking ladies personality it has definitely stirred the pot. Regardless of whether or not her view of blacks was articulated correctly I do not fully know, with everyone doing he said she said.In times like these it is SO easy to be critical. It is, to an extent necessary. But instead of breaking down, destroying during these moments they should be critical periods for each to teach and learn about each other. Nothing, especially not social justice, is truly learned over night and we can no longer afford to be complacent in our ignorance, both of individuals and of cultures. It takes years of trying and conversations to learn and understand. And after all that work, you become even wiser to just how much you are still ignorant of and that is the beauty of learning. It never ends, and it never has to!
I believe sometimes the democratic state of mind that we all live in sometimes removes our compassion and realistic factor, and our mouths get disconnected from our brain.
Everyone is quick to defend themselves and say what they won't tolerate and yet there are more important issues not being addressed at this current time.
What is still happening with the IRS? where is Charles Pugh?
It is clear that sometimes the black society can be like little cats, waive a ball of yarn in front of our eyes and we'll forget whats really going on.
I feel deeply for Ms. Dean and no not because i'm trying to take her side and say whether or not her comment was or was not right, but because she is little being dragged through media fire.
It is not our job to crucify but rather identify recognize and spread truth!
Take the big picture away from this moment, Yes there are still people who do not know how to correctly interact across cultures, how do we as people address this? Social justice isn't learned over night.
We are all humans that still have emotions whether or not we are right or wrong... Let her acquire the help she needs in her own time not push her wrong doings in her face. I pray peace in her life"
Lets not be distracted by the "ball and yarn" (which I would say applies to numerous identities of people, not just blacks) and instead really learn to work out our issues.
Let's take moments like this to talk about the fact that race is still a major issue in this world and how we can go about breaking down the barriers we have been taught to build around ourselves. After all, no one can teach anyone else about you but you.
Let's claim and master our own experiences and share them with the world; teach your understanding.
Paula Deen still has work to do. But as a society, will we teach her the errs of her ways or solely break her down for them? I would hope we can be wise enough to know that nothing will come f that that will better us. Remember, we all make mistakes, just as we all struggle.
I'm Michael Chrzan and...
This is Where I Stand.
As always, if you want to discuss or debate my stance, email me at mlchrzan@outlook.com
