Love and Hate Part 1 (standard:Editorials, 1217 words) [1/4] show all parts
Author: Lori	Updated: Feb 03 2008	Views/Reads: 3718/2382	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
When I started writing this, it was anticipated to be a small piece on these two words. But, as I continued to write it kept getting longer. So to make it time efficient to read, I’ve made it into a series.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

it's the easiest, for me, to answer. 

In a country where we should love one another, most of us have some form
of hatred. Maybe it's because of the color of our skins, or the 
religion we choose, or the fact we don't have a religion, maybe it's 
because we were taught to from our parents. I know, as a Southern 
woman, we have a background full of hatred towards a different races 
and creeds. In my opinion its both foolish and sinful the way we 
treated people because their backgrounds was different than ours. But, 
in allowing ourselves to love them my state has many different types of 
cultures that wouldn't be alive today. 

Why our most famous city is what it is because of the people who came
from foreign lands! In saying that what reason is there to hate those 
said people? NONE, in my book. Just because they weren't all like me 
doesn't make New Orleans any more than it would have been if they were. 
To tell the truth, without the mixture of races where would New Orleans 
be? There are so many culture blends where would we be? 

The Cajuns aren't pure-blooded people. They were a mixture to begin
with. Where would the native language be without them? The Haitians 
aren't pure-blooded anymore, either. Without those Haitians we wouldn't 
have Voodoo or Hoodoo, so what would New Orleans be without their air 
of mystery. We've lost just about all our Nova Scotian background. The 
Indians are still around, but their land has been taken away from them. 
I can't name one reservation in the whole state. Germans, they have 
little small town celebrations but it's made up of different types of 
people. These are just a few of the people who have made this state 
what it is today.  Where would it be without their influence? 

The biggest celebration, Mardi Gras, wasn't an American “thing.” It was
brought over by two French men who were sent to defend France's claim. 
It was started as a religious celebration that marks the beginning of 
lent. The word “Mardi Gras” means Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash 
Wednesday. This  was the last day you could eat anything you wanted 
before you began the fasting of the “Lent” season. So, without two 
foreigner the state wouldn't even have it's biggest “party time.” 

Why do we love some, and not others?. Why am I supposed to hate these
people because they are different than me? Because my ancestors did? 
Because I was raised in a family were it was required for you too? 
That's STUPID! 

Am I not supposed to think for myself? Am I not supposed to form my own
opinions? Am I supposed to follow what my grandfathers did because they 
didn't have the common sense to know right from wrong? 

Or am I supposed to break the cycle and decide things on my own? Should
I stand up for what I believe in? Should I make the decision to like 
someone because of their character? Or should I ignore it all and do 
what is expect of me? Am I supposed to be better than someone else 
because I have more of one color/creed then the next person? Am I 
superior because of where my ancestors come from? 

Those are the questions our children are going to ask in the near
future. What are their answers GOING to be? What are you going to teach 
them their answers SHOULD be? To grow as a nation we need to decide if 
we are ALL Americans or if we are something else! 

Copyright July 6, 2007


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