When you think of the United States of America, what do you think of? Do you think of the land of the free? Do you think of the land of opportunity? Do you think of the land with a beacon to shine as an example for other nations? Do you think of good healthcare or gainful employment opportunities? Do you think America is a country of tolerance? Do you think of freedom? Do you think of honesty and truth?
Allow me to tell you a very short story. I have a friend, and I will call her Stephanie to protect her real identity. She was offered a job interview for a very prestigious company through Manpower, a temporary service. This was a direct hire assignment. Stephanie passed the interview questionnaire for Manpower. Manpower set up the interview with the direct hiring company. She completed that interview. This company was due to hire within one week of the interview process. Manpower told Stephanie they will call her regarding the outcome, regardless if she received the position or not. Forty-eight hours went past and no phone call from Manpower. She decided to call Manpower on the third day and they said they will let her know the outcome. Twenty-four hours later, Manpower did not call her. The next day, Stephanie called Manpower and left a voicemail message. According to the hiring company, they were to let Manpower know one way or another within forty-eight hours of the interview. Here it is seventy-two hours later and Manpower still had not called her back regarding the outcome. I told Stephanie to cheer up and it may not be for you to have it. Besides, if Manpower did not have the decency of keeping their word regarding a phone call, why would you want to work for them anyway? The majority of Americans refuse to return a call or a text message because they are afraid of confrontation, or they are afraid of hurting the other person. I thought Americans were supposed to be honest and fair?
I remember a situation in northern Illinois where an unarmed man was shot in the back three times by police officers in a church in front of children. Can you imagine what went thought those kids mind? Regardless if the suspect was black or white, it should not have been done. There are other documented cases of people getting away with murder for killing unarmed citizens, as well as the police getting away with murder for killing unarmed citizens. These are citizens of the United States of America and they are treated like their lives mean nothing. People who have special needs are killed by police because they cannot comply with their instructions as fast as the police want them to comply. It is a known fact by a study conducted on or around November 27, 2017, twenty-one percent of adults read below a fifth grade level and nineteen percent of high school graduates cannot read at all. Thirty-two million people in the United States cannot read at all and the police expect EVERYONE to follow their instructions? I thought America was a land of tolerance?
Many people talk about pulling the race card. Unless you lived or walked in the shoes of those less fortunate for employment, credit, or other things that are guaranteed by those of European descent, you cannot say someone is pulling a race card. When Obama, a man of mixed race, was running for president, lots of people of European descent said “I want my country back.” Really? I thought America gives opportunities to all citizens? After all, look at Arnold Schwarzenegger. He is an Austrian-born citizen who gain American citizenship and became the Governor of California. It is known that his father was a member of Hitler’s army. If America can forgive the Nazis and elect a person of Austrian descent without saying they want their country back, why was it so hard to understand an American citizen of mixed race to be in office?
A lot of people want to say we came a long way. In some areas, we did and in other areas we have not. Sure, we have Wi-Fi, cellular phones, and many other useful gadgets, but when it comes to race, we can never get over that hump. There are news anchors that have gotten fired for racial comments. There are athletes who have said racial comments. There are owners of professional baseball and basketball teams that had said racial comments. People profile other people as black thugs. Wendy Bell, a Pittsburgh newscaster, said “You needn’t be a criminal profiler to draw a mental sketch of the killers who broke so many hearts. They are young black men, likely teens or in their early 20s. They have multiple siblings from multiple fathers and their mothers work multiple jobs. These boys have been in the system before. They’ve grown up there. They know police. They’ve been arrested.” My main question to her would be what about the shootings in Columbine, the killings of church members by Dylann Roof, the Las Vegas massacre by Stephen Paddock; and the many hearts they have broken? What about Dylann Roof who was taken alive and received food from Burger King after his church shootings? Yet, the police had the nerve to make Dylann wear a bullet-proof vest.
It is very sad that citizens of the United States cannot get along with each other, yet we are considered the greatest country on earth? I think my above paragraphs prove my disagreement.
~Boston Brian
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