Obama

The Ignorant White Man.

Ronovan The Ignorant White Man , , , , , , , , , , ,
Man with his head in the sand.
The Ignorant White Man

The definition according to the Cambridge Dictionary of Ignorant; not having enough knowledge, understanding, or information about something.

With that in mind, let’s move on. I was an ignorant white man for most of my life. Studying history at university and then teaching to the young minds of America, I thought I had a grasp on what reality was. I wasn’t prejudiced against anyone. I didn’t consider myself racist either, nor sexist. Not a bigot, or homophobic.

Thus, I was ignorant. I was all of them.

No, I was not them intentionally, nor are the vast majority of the white men of the world, and America specifically as a subject here. We were born into it. We were born into ignorance, racism, sexism, and so forth. Why? How? Because most of our parents were. Our country has been born into it for decades if not centuries.

In the coming weeks I plan to share some specifics about certain topics I’ve been exploring as I examine who I am, but for today I want to share this; white man America either doesn’t realize or chooses not to recognize, that things have been built in this nation from day one with White Man Privilege in mind, which in just a few generations became White Man Ignorance. Our nation has oppressed first the woman, then the Native American, and then the African. This is why people say racism is Institutionalized in America, it’s part of the framework.

As generations come and go they fall further down the hole of ignorance until we reach today. Today we Ignorant White Americans say let things be equal, but we, the majority, do not actively do anything to make a change, or we say things are already equally available to all and thus we show our ignorance by thinking equality is a reality.

Many years ago, Atlanta was home to something called Freaknik. It was like the Spring Break for young Blacks. Man did they go wild, just like the young people did at the beaches around the country, but were less reported on. There were news reports of cars being stolen, other thefts, attacks, and even defecating in people’s yards. I, however, did not let this deter me from attending the Atlanta Braves baseball game that I had tickets for. This was during their dominating years. (Sigh, those were the days.)

There I was, on the bus that was returning fans from Fulton County Stadium to the MARTA train station. All of us blissfully Ignorant White Americans, and one young black man. The bus was surrounded by Freaknik partiers. But you know what? I didn’t feel afraid. Not one ounce of fear came over me, even with some of the threatening gestures made toward us and the words shouted about us. I looked at the young man and he looked afraid but at the same time he was shaking his head at what was going on outside the bus.

Thinking back on that moment now, I reversed it all. What if that was an all-white crowd going crazy and that bus was full of Black Americans? Do you think they would not have had an ounce of fear? I can’t bring myself to think that. For one thing, we’re in Atlanta and the South in America still has that reputation from all those years of slavery and then the KKK during the Civil Rights Movement. So, I get it. (More on the truth of racism in the South and the US another time.)

The first step to shaking off your ignorance, and I am looking at you White Man, and yes, you too White Woman, is to realize equality does not exist outside of being a white man. And don’t begin to talk about affirmative action. What some companies consider a token position here and there just to avoid a law suit or to look good to others does not make a change, nor does a half white/half black President without the support of his Congress.

It’s time for each person to examine their own lives as well as the society they live in, wherever they live, and come to the truth. The Ignorant White Man might then be able to understand why Black Lives Matter is such a powerful and needed movement and why the #MeToo one is as well. But there is also an opportunity for the other side to realize the Ignorant White Man does need to learn, needs to realize the truth, but has a lifetime of ignorance to overcome. It all takes time, but as long as we move forward, always, then we are moving in the right direction.

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America is Burning.

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America burns every few months, while smoldering in between. Depending on who you listen to the fault, the blame, will lay at the feet of police, government, black people, white people, poor people, gangs, the President, or the media.

Who is to blame for America burning?

The answer is very simple. Everyone. If each of us acted as Jesus, as Christ taught we wouldn’t be in this situation.

I skirt the issues at times. I don’t like to be confrontational. Beating a person over the head with something always seems rather a poor solution. Once unconscious, the fellow won’t be able to hear what you have to say.

Stand back a little so as I flail a bit I won’t do any harm and you are able to hear all of what I have to say today.

America and every nation needs God. I don’t mean the structures man has put in place, the traditions, the people in power to worship. I mean the almighty Himself, in our hearts, in our lives, in our actions.

If you are new to the  blog, I am not into church traditions that have been made into facts of Jesus. There are a lot of those. And there have been a lot of them from the very beginning.

I often speak on Sundays about how if we took the teachings of Jesus and followed them, how much better things would be. Even for people not believing in God those teachings are important and very good guidance.

There is so much TALKING about the situation and less about DOING about it. We’re told we have great plans to make things better. Plans are good intentions unless enacted. As Christ is the answer to our problems, there is a road to Hell paved with dusty and cobwebbed good intentions.

One race. One people. One family. Believing that, I have a difficult time agreeing with the harming of people. I even have a hard time with the death penalty. There is no eye for an eye. God will sort out the guilty. Yes, trials. Yes, justice. Yes prison. In reality, put certain people in prison for life, they won’t last long. Some will need to remain in solitary confinement for the remainder of their body’s existence. I don’t say their life, because they don’t have one any longer. While others, well, they just won’t live very long.

Back to my original thoughts. Parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, brothers, sisters, friends, teachers, you name it, step up and be forces of positivity in each others lives. You see one drifting, snatch them back in place. Not your business? Is their ending up in prison or worse because it wasn’t your business something you can live with?

Like a mother who saw her son in the riots of Baltimore and snatched him up, snatch up those you care about.

So what do I think about the police issues? I think some have been absolute tragedies that were police issues. I think some could have been avoided if any person, regardless of skin tone, had acted properly. I think some were things that have happened and then other people have taken it and made something more of it than it was.

In other words, there is no one sided answer to it all. The President said something in a press conference on Tuesday that I agree with. This is nothing new. The new part is with so many eyes watching and able to watch, record and share, it has been put out in front of the nation more readily. Those are my words but the gist of his message.

The only ones at fault are those involved in the acts. I am not a policeman, nor have I been on the other side of a situation. I can’t say what I would do if faced with a threat in either position. Would I shoot, hit, defend myself as a police officer if I felt my life was in jeopardy? If I were a civilian, how would I react depending on what I had or had not done? Would I panic? Would I cooperate entirely?

You know, I saw a video recently where a man was being restrained by several policemen. He was a large man. News agencies reported he had been beaten with a night stick type of object, or struck with one. They showed a video and said things like “Hear that? That’s him being hit.” It made me angry. The policeman had one of those clubs that telescope when you sling your arm out and it clicks into position. It was obvious watching the video that is what had happened, and he had not struck anyone.

I didn’t see a big deal made out of this incident so much. Perhaps people saw through the attempts of the media. And yes, this was a media attempt. Not all of them are.

I don’t see race. I see humans. People. Skin tones and variances in features. People reading this are likely not to believe that, but it’s true. You see, I believe what the Bible says. Adam and Eve. Two people began us all. To me that means one human race of people. Do I get concerned when around a young black man? At times. Do I get concerned when around a young white man? At times. It all depends on the situation and if I get vibes of something not being quite right.

The Harvard or Yale graduate, I can’t remember which, that played chess with my son at church is a great guy. He was in charge of our Vacation Bible School last year. His wife is nice as well and highly educated also. He’s quite dark skinned, and she’s about as white as I am. It doesn’t matter.

I challenge everyone to begin writing messages about humans and what humans do for each other.

As there is a 1000 Voices Speaking for Compassion there should be a 1,000,000 Voices Shouting For Unity for Humanity.

I don’t think small. Although I could have said one billion. Still might change that up there.

Well, I don’t really know where or how to end this today. I simply wanted to, needed to speak and share. Like it or not it is what it is. Some will say we don’t need Christ or God, we can all just be good people. In America, as God has been pushed out of more and more areas of society, society has moved more and more into a mess.

Much Respect

Ronovan

Romans 1:16

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8 Uplifting Things from the List of THE LATEST on CNN.com.

Ronovan Life , , , , , , , ,

I’ve been told by several people now that I write too much about the L word here on my site. (Waving to all of you and you know who you are.) I would have included a smiley but it would have looked odd with the parenthesis. Okay. I shall talk about other things today.

ron_ballpark - Copy

 

What pray tell might those things be?

 

I decided to go with the list of . . .

 

8 Uplifting  Things from the List of THE LATEST on CNN.com.

 

TRAVEL

Hawaii is a beautiful place, obviously. Reminds me of Elvis and all those old movies of his. Hawaii is getting ready to be hit by two cyclones. I have a friend there I care about a great deal that has been driving everywhere to find water and get the other things she needs before they hit. I hope no one dies. She’s a good friend and we share a lot of similar problems. I don’t want to lose her. I had put the thought of the cyclones out of my mind enough to be okay. Thanks for the reminder of the death possibilities.

 

ENTERTAINMENT

The Doors and Jim Morrison, who can forget that voice? You wonder what he would have done if he had lived. Marianne Faithful said her ex killed Jim Morrison. Too much heroine. My half-brother died of a drug induced heart attack around the age of twenty. He had been doing hard drugs for years. That and my bio father’s alcoholism are two of the reasons I don’t drink or even smoke. Thanks for the reminder.

 

RELIGION

Peace in Gaza for the moment, a wonderful thing. Jews used to use the blood of non Jews in their holy matzos or so says a spokesman for Hamas. He says it’s true according to the Jews own books and things. I say “Show me the books, undoctored, or shut up”. Even then if it were true of the old it doesn’t mean it is true of the today. Of course they mention the myth of the Jews killing Jesus. Perhaps I am just too aware of the Bible to fathom this myth. More attempts to sway things one way or the other and both sides do it, but CNN happened to put this one up. As I said in a poem over the weekend, God made the peace and we destroyed it. But this isn’t a place time for Bible speak. Racism and the killing and deaths because of stupid things, at least this didn’t remind me of a death this time, just the near death of my cousin as the KKK whipped him and his black friend as they were tied to a tree. Thanks for the reminder.

 

 HEALTH

Ebola-People dying. 2 people arrived in Atlanta. It was on the news, which I can’t watch but see as I pass by the TV. I know it is happening. People are dying. Children are dying. People here in Atlanta are worried the suits will tear. I have a deep reason for not wanting to hear about children dying, that I recently found out about but had lost a memory of due to my amnesia. I am doing everything I can to forget it again. Yeah, the one memory I never wanted to be reminded of, thanks for the reminder.

 

POLITICS

Obama wants to plug a tax loophole. May I have something new please? How stop spending what we don’t have? It’s like a household budget, what can you control in your house budget? You can control what you spend. But I don’t want to get into politics. Both parties have good and bad about them. There is no one perfect party. Everyone, in truth does not vote for the best candidate, but the least awful one. At least there are no death reminders other than those that were dying in the veterans who were on waiting lists and all because of bureaucratic garbage. Glad my 82 year old step-father doesn’t have to rely on the VA although he’s veteran. You can see his picture from a father’s day post if you want to.

 

WORLD EVENTS

A Chinese city band beards? Well it also bans certain types of Islamic clothing along with the traditional beards by those riding buses during an upcoming event. One side says it is part of the anti terror policy of the year in China, the other says it is racism and a discrimination. I was the head of a small department for several years. I had Muslims working for me. I must have been very concerned for my safety? Perhaps it was from the Jews, Christians, Agnostics, and Atheists who all worked together harmoniously with each other along with the Muslims as good friends that I feared. Hmm. Thanks for the reminder of the bigot world, news world. Do I really need to say why this reminds me of death?

 

LIFE

A 9 year old was stabbed on a playground. I didn’t go into the story itself. My son is 10. You’ve seen his help work in some photography. Thank you for putting that thought into my mind as he goes back to school tomorrow.

 

INSPIRATION

An 88 year old woman was buried alive in an earthquake for 50 hours. She was rescued. Thanks again for the reminder of my 91 year old grandmother recently out of the hospital. My parents traveled to see her and take care of her as part of my family went to their ‘meeting’. Turns out she hadn’t been being fed and had wasted down to nothing. My 82 year old step-father, more like 65, cooked for her every meal. She ate like crazy and gained 10 lbs in a week. They said she couldn’t eat solid foods. I guess that roast she ate was not solid? All three helpings? She used to cook and feed all of us on hardly any money. You can see her and read about her if you like. I know I have to very old people in my life that won’t be here much longer. Thank you for the reminder about the possibility of death there and loss.

 

Well, I hope you have enjoyed the no L word post. Perhaps this will give you a look into what future posts may look like. I’ve written other things than the L word but I do suppose I talk about it often. It’s my life. But as one person told me recently you can’t chase the L word you get it by trickery and some other thing I can’t remember. I don’t do trickery so I guess I will just stick to writing about world events.

 

Is that what we want to read about? Is that what I want to write about? In all honesty I can write about anything, as you may know if you’ve read enough of my blog, I just happen to write about certain things more than other. Perhaps I should move away from one subject so often.

 

Perhaps I will put out a poll asking what you most enjoy reading here on RonovanWrites. I’ve been wanting to do a poll so now maybe I have my topic.

 

Much Appreciation to all of You

Ronovan

 

 

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Big Brother? Small brain!

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Big Brother? Small brain!

by: Ronovan

ISIS Control
ISIS control January 2014

What’s Wrong With Iraq? Big brother let ‘em down.

 

The US let Iraq down. Yes, the US is the big brother in that we like to act like it.

 

 

People are seemingly amazed at ISIS and the advances it is making in Iraq. Really? Seriously? Wow.

 

This is RonovanWritesRanting time.

 

Hey, enemies of the new Iraq government, you guys just wait and plan because we’re going to pull out our troops by this date! Is that cool with you guys? Yeah? Okay, stock up.

 

Okay and before I go on, I am ticked off. I am mad. I am angry. Yes, RonovanWrites is angry. Think of all the troops, US, Iraqi and all the other countries involved that lost their lives just for this to happen. Yeah, ticked off is my polite way of putting it.

 

Oh, and before people start blaming Obama for pulling the troops out, Bush actually signed the order with the date on it for the troops to be removed before he left office. And no, this does not mean I am an Obama supporter or a Democrat, it means I like facts, I guess it’s the Historian in me. But does that mean I am a Bush supporter or a Republican? No, it means I like facts.

 

You cannot set a date for something like what happened in Iraq. You stay until they ask you to leave or the situation is well in hand. Now the US is storming to the area with a warship. I hope no more lives are lost.

 

I read a book a while back, took some notes on it, and it said that the reason terrorists from that area of the world are turning their attention to the US is because we keep stomping around in their yards. If a country asks for help, sure, go for it. Was there a legit reason to go into Iraq in the first place? I’ll never know.

 

But this I do know; once you are there you stay there without an expiration date until the job is done. One president caved to the pressure to set a date, and another caved to the pressure to follow through with it. Both were wrong.

 

I don’t understand everything going on in Iraq. We get the news here in the US with a western take on things. I try to look at a lot of sides. Regardless of what’s going on ISIS has been wrong so far. And really the whole idea of ISIS from my understanding is wrong, especially there methods.

 

I think the US needs to change their foreign policy in the future about how to deal with things. Don’t mess in other people’s muck. Take care of number 1, US, and each country would call themselves number 1 so don’t start with me on calling US number 1.

 

And here is my biggest Foreign Policy change. Whoever the president is consider this; if we cannot get it right in this country why are we going elsewhere to think we can fix it there?

 

Much Regards

Ronovan

 

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