Hmmmm…
by Cindy Naranjo, posted on 2009-06-22 20:29:03
Being an L.A girl to the fullest, I LOVE the Lakers and have been anticipating their wins with bated breath. I was ecstatic when they won and knew the rest of L.A. would be proud as hell of our team and would represent as well as the Kobe, Fish and the boys in purple and gold did. Therefore, I was deeply saddened when I turned on the T.V. and watched the chaos the erupted all over the streets, as the beautiful city of angels turned into a city of unbelievable destruction. Ok, the Lakers win so people decide to deface buses, loot innocent businesses and set various, random items on fire?! How does that even remotely make sense? Hey, my team won, let’s break stuff! YEAH! WTF?!?! Do you think is what the Lakers worked so damn hard for? You’re basically spitting on their effort.
The worst part of it all is that we, as Latinos, get lumped into the debacle of idiotic mistakes. Think about people in other states or other countries watching the ruckus unfold in California, as Latinos run rampant in the streets, trying to knock over cars. We wonder why we get a bad rap. Yes, I know it wasn’t only the Latin community looting in the streets, but they sure as hell made up a large portion. Think of all the poor migrant workers, the hornaleros, the hard-working guys outside Home Depot, every one that struggles every single day just to survive, now is just viewed as a hoodlum with no respect of regard for anyone else. This is how you want people to view your culture? This is how you want people to think this is what our people are good for?
Whether one would admit it or not, the things that people watch on the news and read about in the paper make is enough fodder to perpetuate the stereotypes that we have worked so hard to overcome. It took us so long to get the right to vote and even the rights to be treated like decent human beings, yet when our people act like this, what’s the point? These types of occurrences are the reasons it’s so difficult for nuestra gente to be able to become citizens or have other nations (or even the Unites States!) take us seriously. All of our struggles and strife get hurled out the window thanks to the stupidity of others.
Mahatma Gandhi said: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Ladies and gentlemen, I urge you to heed those words and be a hero in your own right. Let’s make a proactive effort to prove we are people that deserve respect by proving we know how to give it. Please don’t encourage idiotic behavior or reward ridiculous actions. Help open the eyes of the people of the community and let’s prove that not all Latinos are gang banging hoodlums that set precious merchandise (that is the livelihood of business of independent business owners!) on fire just because their team won. So next time you’re out at the sports bar at you hear some ass bragging about how helped flip over a car in honor of the Lakers, please thank him for ruining it for all of us, pissing on all our hard work and putting the future of our Latino children in jeopardy. Yeah, way to go, ese!
You have the opportunity to either do better or do worse; especially with the time and crisis we are currently enduring. Let’s make a difference and let’s be revered rather than feared. Feel me?
Photo courtesy of images.paraorkut.com
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