Yoo, I'm Kianna. So, I've really been inspired to write this book because of all the things going on it the Black/POC community. I've seen a lot of books but I wanted to start my own and give my own perspective. I will give opinions as well as facts...
(FORGIVE, I'M WRITING THIS DURING TRAFFIC-- I'M NOT DRIVING-- AND I HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO DO AND I'M AGGRAVATED AS HELL RIGHT NOW!)
I was watching a couple videos on YouTube (I'll plug him at the bottom). The videos are kinda on point of what I'm about. In one video (that I can't remember what it was but I'll try and find it before publishing this) is about patriotism.
I'm sure you all know about Colin Kaepernick and what he did. If you don't know and even if you don't like in America, during a football game, even is supposed to stand with their right hand on the left side of their chest (their heart). So what is so controversial is that Colin Karpernick did NOT do that.
Honestly, when I heard I wasn't that mad at all but I did think it was strange. I've always done that and even both my parents, a lot of my aunts, uncles and cousins were/are ALL in the military at some point. I always thought I was being respectful to them by standing up and doing that.
I went to this seminar once at an FBLA convention where this woman (who used to be in the Army --I think--) was talking about how the school called her about her son did not stand up doing the Pledge of Allegiance that happens everyday in class. She proceeded to tell us that she chastised him and told him the whole bit on how she risked her life for this country and that's a sign of respect.
Now I get it, TRUST ME, and I think God my mom didn't have to suffer in war and that my dad made it out ALIVE. I'm not 100% sure if that's the reason for the Pledge but I don't know it's just so embedded in America I really just do it to fit it without thinking.
At my school one of my classmates said how in his other class his teacher yelled at him for not standing up and I think someone had to tell her he could sit down if he wanted. Other kids started doing it and I did for a while until of course the seminar when I stood up again. Then around the end of the year one of my friends decided to sit down everything for the Pledge and I thought she was crazy. Even one girl in my home room says it is disrespectful to her father --who I think currently or when she told me-- served in the military and I understood too.
So, over the summer, I have started to become woke, and I truly thought I was before but when you are ... YOU KNOW. And especially watching that man's video, I have definitely come to realize some things and I will definitely watch some over tonight before school tomorrow.
So I want to talk about patriotism today. The definition of patriotic is having or expressing devotion to and vigorous support for one's country. Others words for it would be, nationalistic, loyalist, and DEFINITELY chauvinistic.
Basically, in a sense, is loving your country. You know, it having strong feelings that your country is superior to another (FALSE), and absolutely, feeling exaggerated/aggressive patriotism, and expressing PREJUDICED support for the country in this cause.
Now, what does that sound like? To me, I think Southerners, I think GOP (Grand Old Party), and I think BIGOTS, all in the "great old country", AMERICA. YES I AM AMERICAN by the way 🙄...🙂.
So, to that first part, I would say, I'm probably not patriotic except on the fact of when it comes to our military, I OBVIOUSLY want us to come out on top, especially when people I know are there fighting.
I don't support what the country does on almost every aspect in the book. I also don't know if I could say I love this country in the way the American English word describes it but maybe in another way. I care enough to where I don't want my friends and family to be bombed on invaded on, I don't want America to be in danger.
HOWEVER, what this country did/does is SUCKY, the situations we are in know are usually our fault (maybe not in all cases) but if usually starts off on our end. Also the fact how troops and just everyday people but their lives on the line cause the big men are a little upset, WHY?! I still appreciate all the troops do but they shouldn't have to fight the government's battles.
LASTLY, I cannot support a country that oppresses, still to this day. YES, slavery-- chattel slavery, is over, SEGREGATION, is over but oppression of the black human, even other POC in many Many MANY cases, is completely embedded in our culture.
And it's not a quick fix, AT ALL, cause it was a quick start, especially when it has to do with lively hoods, WHITE PEOPLE HAVE PRIVILEGE, even if you aren't racist, it has nothing to do with that, in a way, it's just how it is. GENERATIONAL wealth. Off of my ancestors, SHAMEFUL, but oh well we can't change the past.
All of saying is I 'love' this country to the point where I want it to be safe for our sake. This country had some good ideas, even though I don't one hundred percent think it was it good spirit for EVERYONE. I think they wanted whatever for themselves honestly cause CLEARLY freedom for all is all the things happening to POC, ok anyways.
Being patriotic, in my eyes is being blind to the truth. You're so caught up in what they tell you. I'm honestly happen for the internet in the fact that we can quickly find the truth, even though there is still HELLA lies around.
Okay, that's IT. That's all I have to say, how do y'all feel about it.
And I will end with a question ..
Would you guys have responded to this situation differently? What would you have done?
