Over the weekend, I posted a link in a PM to another version of the following song from what has become a beloved Musical to me.. I deleted it because I am still ashamed of what I once believed. Things that are unfair and unkind. But I do a disservice to my friends, who have seen almost every bit of me and would have understood. And the message of the song is clear. What perhaps is implied is that what we have learned can be untaught through the patience and understanding of others.
You've Got to Be Carefully Taught
You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear,
You’ve got to be taught from year to year,
It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear—
You’ve got to be carefully taught!
You’ve got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a different shade—
You’ve got to be carefully taught.
You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate—
You’ve got to be carefully taught!
You’ve got to be carefully taught!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H13PQgcejqI
Harry Connick, Jr. as Lt. Cable
from the TV Movie version of the Stage Play, South Pacific
Words and Music by
Oscar Hammerstein II and
Richard Rodgers
Comments
Thank you
Thank you Andrea for reminding me of my past and incidents which jolted me. It sent me back to 1963 and the integration of my county's school system. I was a freshman and had not been taught to hate others by my parents. This was in rural east Tennessee. Instead it was osmotic absorption from others around me. I made friends with several of the new black students, one in particular. Then unthinkingly was singing something out of RAT FINK magazine that was racist. He heard me and I saw such a look of hurt and bewilderment on his face. I knew instantly the damage I had done. It was long time before he forgave and trusted me again. That was the turning point for me and I work constantly to rid myself of that hate and to confront it when necessary. It will never be fully completed as there is too much I unconsciously absorbed to be fully aware of what is inside waiting to entrap me. Thanks for reminding me to be vigilant.
Pippa NewHouse
In the end
When my mother spent almost an entire year to succumb to cancer she had come to the end forgiving and asking for forgiveness; almost like never ending checklist. She asked me if she had done enough to make amends. I could only say that she did as much as she could with the intent to do right. That in itself was enough. She died only a week later. Completely transformed in the midst of unspeakable pain , yet she passed in peace.
Love, Andrea Lena
Huggles, Drea
love you, Tante Drea
It is pervasive unfortunately
Funnily I avoided the racial thing even though it was the 60s and 70s. I made friends with some black kids in junior high school in NYC and my mom refused to let me bring them home to socialize with, made me tell them she does not want me to bring them home. She never did explain why though racism seems to be the root cause for blacks.
She was okay with whites and hispanics though as long as it was in the basement. I felt awkward enough that I never did bring many friends home, did not have a lot of toys and stuff, being poor and my mom would've hated the additional cleaning plus she did not understand English. Plus I did not realize being trans probably did not help. All in all my teen years were pretty lonely.
I learned very early on to judge people only by their actions as I found in my inner city school and my neighborhood that all races can be assholes to me be they Italian, Irish, Black, Hispanic etc so never thought much of their race. I mean, there are neighborhoods where the majority race would be the assholes to me due to my race , not to mention being bad people so if one were in a super majority part of town where a particular race dominated then be on the look out for someone of that race being likely the one to watch out for but that is not racism just common sense.
Judge people by what they do and not what they look like would've kept us out of this horrid situation our country is in right now.
South Pacific
Was a musical/movie way ahead of its time. That message resonates especially well today.