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Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Culture-Ism

You can classify this under rant. I am wholly offended.

I have been working on this job for Power and 1/2 years. I have been righteous a little over Wisdom years. Since I'm female there were a few adjustments to be made in my external appearance to properly reflect my Refinement. That's a given. As I have previously posted (ad nauseaum) I stopped wearing pants about Power years ago because most women's pants fit the body exact and the thought that people could know what I look like without clothes on creeped me out. The attention a woman receives when she is wearing something form fitting is not complementary. (Don't comment on what someone is wearing but to say it looks nice. Not I like how your ass is jumping in them jeans!) Also I have tomboy tendencies that pop out at the oddest times and I wanted to keep them in check. Wearing a skirt/dress forces you to behave lady-like. Forces you to walk like a lady because most dresses look bad with sneakers; thereby, forcing you to wear shoes. Heels keep you from taking large mannish steps. Also sitting in a dress/skirt will force you to sit with your knees closed. So there is the reasoning behind me not wearing pants. Never once did I mention that I didn't like wearing pants. Just that I don't like the attention I get when I wear them.

Back to my Build... The only thing that changed really about me when I became righteous was that I stopped wearing make up and covered my head. That's it. Now, I knew my boss would notice, but he couldn't say anything about it. In this country we still have freedom of religion. And where as this Culture is really not a religion, my boss doesn't have to be privy to all the minor details. He assumes I had a religious conversion and I left it at that. He hears me reciting lessons under my breath and assumes that I am chanting. OK. I see nothing wrong with how this is progressing. But the clients are a different story.

This is the Bible belt. People here are a little to attached to their Jesus. I ain't knocking religion, but I feel these folks here are too fanatical and they don't get or honor boundaries. When I was a Christian, I was a devout Christian. I didn't always rest in Allah's Garden. I used to rest in New Jerusalem. There, I was a devout Christian for many years, but I didn't wear it on my sleeve nor did I slap people upside the head with it. I allowed people to do their thing and if they needed me to provide some information or help, I would do my part. Did I ever bring anyone to Jesus? I'm not sure. No one 'brought' me to Jesus so I assumed other folks could find him like I did. And if in fact I was required to pay it forward, I would do so with my children, the way my mother did with me. But these folks here... They are of a different breed on some different bullshit. They feel perfectly vindicated to judge and discriminate based on religious affiliations. They discriminate against people that aren?t southern too, but that is a different Build.

We have clients in this office that come in all the time and ask me, "Are you a Mooz-lim?" and I love this one, "Are you A-Rab?" SMH. I just laugh at them and say politely, "No" and leave it right there. I don't explain my self to older people or older southern people because I know in all likelihood they have never heard of Allah's Nation, or 5%ers or the Nation of Gods and Earths. (Although this one dude knew of us because he had been in jail but he didn't know women were a part of Allah's Nation! LOL!!!) A younger person that asks will get a different response designed for them to ask me questions rather than me trying to hook them. But most of the folk that come through these doors are older. A woman last week looked me dead in my eye and asked me if I was a Christian. Folks don't usually phrase the question that pointedly. But 11:14, so I said "No." She said, "So you're a heathen." I said, "Yes." And that was the end of our dialogue. When I got back in here this week, there is a message on the voicemail. "I wish to cancel all further appointments in your office. I don't do business with non-Christians. click" WTF?

Now why she single me out? Is she sure that everyone she deals with is a Christian? I think not. Firstly, my boss is an atheist. I asked him if she asked him about his beliefs and he said no. I asked all the other employees here and they all said no. Hmmmm.... Now I could go on and assume that she meant me, on face value, without any other proof other than the circumstantial evidence. Y?all know me. She has already released us from any responsibility by terminating her relationship with this office. So I call the 85'er and asked her what she meant by her message. Was she referring to me? She was surprised that I called, yet she remained bold. She did not want to do business with the office because of me. That's all I wanted to know so I thanked her for her confirmation and prepared to end the call. She then did a dummy move and got smart with me. 31:36? By the time she hung up, her feelings were hurt. And it would not have happened if she hadn't gotten smart with me. All I asked was if I was the non-Christian to which she was referring.

I told my boss what happened and he did the most surprising thing. He called her a blind idiot and said that he was relieved she bounced because he would prefer not to be in the company of fools like that. I was flabbergasted. Even devils surprise you from time to time.

So this is my point... in addition to venting... Is this something that is going to continue to happen? Can I expect more of this in the future? Being Original comes with expected institutionalized racism that Black folks have been exposed to from birth. But this is 'Culture-ism.' I ain't used to it yet. I suppose if a white person said they didn't want to do business with an office that employed Black folks I wouldn't be so offended. Maybe shock is a better word. Why am I so pissed at this moment? I suppose because it was new and unexpected. I feel a little better now that I got it out of my system.

Breathe deeply, Serenity....



Peace.

1 comments:

Precise said...

Peace,

The science is people notice something different about you that goes beyond attire. Perhaps it's the confidence? Maybe it's the fact that you don't do the okie doke? Having your head wrapped is certainly a statement towards the "believers." Regardless of whom or what, just keep being the piece with the magnetic.

Peace
Precise