i'm not afraid of colour

my closet door is totally messed up, and my landlord and i were on the phone, determining the details of when the handyperson could come over and fix it.

"his name is alex, and i have to warn you of something: cher, he's black."

i pause. and????

"i don't care--"

"no, it's just -- you might be afraid. but he's a very nice man."

"isaac, i'm not afraid! i'm not racist. i don't care what color his skin is--"

"it's just -- you live alone, a single woman. and-- sometimes--people get scared when they see him. and he's worked for me for years, for six years, and he's a good man, he's a very good--"

"as long as he fixes my closet, i don't care if he's purple."

i hate hate crimes

this story has made me absolutely sick. this is how many long island boys are, and it disturbs me greatly. these boys murdered a man just because he was latino, and for sport, would go around, beating up and hurting latino men.

this quote disturbs me greatly:

They found a Hispanic man that day whom Mr. Pacheco admitted to punching and knocking out cold, Mr. Spota said. That victim has not stepped forward. Mr. Pacheco later told the police, “I don’t go out and do this very often, maybe once a week,” Mr. Spota said.

why does it disturb me? because he said, “I don’t go out and do this very often, maybe once a week."

Once a week to beat the crap out of someone is not very often?

still carrying that white privilege knapsack?

more to think about white privilege, in relation to the u.s. presidential 2008 elections. this is a must read.

song in my head

i've been listening to a lot of bob dylan lately, and "the lonesome death of hattie carroll" is one of my latest favorites. i just read this article about that song, and became even more profoundly depressed.