I Hate Everyone

   Someone shared an article on Facebook. I knew looking from the title that I was going to get angry reading it. I scrolled past it to see if there were other things to look at. When I was done, I scrolled back up. I was still there. Against my better judgment, I clicked on it. Sure enough, I had only read through about half of it when I felt my blood pressure go up. I'm fairly certain that a small tendril of steam escaped from my ear. It was another article about how whites are racist. This had a different spin on it though. Not only are whites racist, but we refuse to acknowledge our racism because we don't realize that we are in this glorious protective bubble called "white privilege". We aren't affected by racism therefore it doesn't exist. Oh..I forgot...others cannot point out our obvious racism because it hurts our feelings and causes us to get defensive.
  I'm getting tired of being told that I'm racist because I happen to have light skin, that I'm bigoted because I'm a Christian , that I'm anti children because I don't have any and that I think all men are exploiting women because I'm female. I'm surprised that no one has pointed out  that I hate dogs because I'm a cat lover, that I hate southerners because I live in the north, I hate east coast people because I was raised in the Midwest and I hate vegetarians because I grew up on a dairy farm. Did I forget anything? Yes, I hate muscle therapists, herbalists, chiropractors, homeopaths, acupuncturists  and those who against vaccines because I am a pharmacist. I also hate immigrants because I'm a citizen.
  Ok, I hate everyone. There,I've admitted it. Do you feel better now?
   I'm getting tired of the constant stream of articles announcing that one group is against another group. The whites are all racist and police officers are out to kill as many black people as possible. The Christians are all homophobic and determined to deny rights to anyone that isn't a part of their group. Wealthy people are trying to hide their money and take their businesses over seas to avoid having to pay high wages and taxes. Male politicians are fighting to limit women's rights to reproductive services, equal wages and protection. I'm starting to lose track of who is hating who.
  Let's get back to the original premise. I'm white therefore I must be racist. When I look up racism in the dictionary (American Heritage), this is what I see. "1. The notion that one's own ethnic stock is superior. 2. Discrimination or prejudice based on racism." If you use that definition then it means that if you think your ethnic background is superior to someone else's then you are a racist. I don't believe that. I don't think any race is better than another. I've never thought that way. I can also say that I have never knowingly discriminated against anyone based on the color of their skin. I give every customer the same level of care. It truly doesn't matter to me what ethnic background they are. All I see is someone who comes to me for medical care. If I spend more time with the elderly customers, it isn't because I am discriminating against younger people. The older people need more care.
  I grew up in small towns in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The only minority I saw was a few Asian families who lived in the area. I doubt that was because the people in town were actively trying to make it a "whites only" area. I didn't look at the statistics on the ethnic background of students at North Dakota State University to make sure that most of the students where white. I went there because it was a smaller school, far away from where I grew up and had a good pharmacy program. Once I graduated I worked in smaller towns near where my parents lived. I  worked in those towns to be close to my grandfather who was living with my parents and because that was where the work was. I wasn't trying to avoid having to deal with those of other ethnic groups.
  I got loans to help pay for my education. The only money I didn't have to pay back was one small grant that I received. I had to work hard for my degree. It wasn't just handed to me. In fact I failed to get the minimum required grade and had to take a few classes over. I earned my degree. I was not handed to me because I happened to be white. I took the same Board of Pharmacy exam that everyone takes. I passed each of the four parts of the test. I was not handed my license because of my ethnic background.
  Now, I will freely admit that I had opportunities that some people don't have. There are minorities that don't have the opportunities that I had and there are white people that don't have the opportunities that I had. There are people in all kinds of ethnic groups that have opportunities that I did not have. I don't believe that I got where I am not because I have special privileges as a white person. I got where I am because I had opportunities.
  I don't believe that it is constructive to constantly remind white people that we think we are a special, entitled group. Time spent bloviating and finger pointing could be better spent working on how all people can have the same opportunities for education, jobs, housing and health care.
  I'd also like to take issue with the notion that I have never experienced discrimination or poor treatment because I'm white. I live in this special protective bubble of "white privilege" and have no idea of what it's like to be judged and discriminated against. In the town where my grandparents lived, there were two Roman Catholic Churches. The town really isn't big enough for two. The reason why there are two churches is because the people that founded the town didn't want the newly arrived Italian immigrants, some of which were my great-grandparents, to worship with them in the same church. The immigrants were given permission to build another church on the outside of town. (It is the only Catholic parish in town now. The other one was closed many years ago.) From about third grade to fifth grade I was in special education classes. From fourth grade to twelfth grade I was bullied by students because I was a "retard". I was also bullied by a couple of teachers as well. When I started working as a pharmacist I had customers and doctors who refused to deal with me becaue I was a woman and women can't be pharmacists. I have been spit at, had things thrown at me and been cussed out. I've been yelled at and threatened. Can you really say that I have no idea what it is like to be treated differently and poorly?
  Instead of focusing on how one group is discriminating against another, why don't we each look at our own private behavior? Have we ever treated someone badly based on how they look? Be honest. Perhaps if each of us were honest with ourselves and tried harder to treat everyone no matter who they are like we would want to be treated it could make more of a difference. Again finger pointing isn't constructive.
  I've said this before,we are becoming a nation of little cliques. What is common behavior in junior high is not becoming in a nation such as ours. Let's try and act as adults and work together. Let's thwart whatever force is trying to break us apart and weaken us as a nation. Lets start working on a better life for ALL who live here.