Truth fears no questions

Ah election year…breathe it in…can’t you just soak in the sweet aroma of politics in the air...cough, gag, cough, cough…yea, that’s about how I feel too. This year, it has become blatantly clear to me the massive servings of bullshit I am being fed every time I look at the TV, turn on the radio, or(God forbid) actually try to get a non-biased source of information to help me figure out what the hell is going on in this crazy world. As I flip through the channels, I get a completely different story or representation of the same event. I would certainly consider myself a liberal person based on my ideals, but I can’t even watch that shit on TV anymore because I KNOW that they are just trying to SELL ME on something…trying to sell me on an idea…THEIR idea. You would be a FOOL, a straight up liberal or conservative FOOL, to think that “your” media source isn’t doing the same thing to you. Im scared to even look for information on the internet because now, based on my recent searches, my results will be altered. So, because I was interested in looking into some conservative ideals in order to be an informed individual, all that comes up is conservative media sources…and believe me, it doesn’t get much more terrifying than that!

So, given the fact that I cant find a news/information source that I can trust to tell me real, honest, non-biased facts, this year I choose to vote based on only things that I, Lisa Summers Smoot, know and believe. I refuse to base my choice on anything that anyone has told me.  My choice is based only on things that I believe, and my vote will go to the candidate whose plan seems to be most in line with MY beliefs. I refuse to be fooled on behalf of anyone else’s agenda.

I believe in the core of my heart that the most important thing that our country can do to help the economy, to decrease crime, to decrease healthcare costs, and to maximize our great potential is to provide EQUAL OPPORTUNITY to ALL of our citizens. Equal opportunity to good education, equal opportunity to preventative health care, equal opportunity to employment, and equal opportunity to pursue our own happiness. If we are honest with ourselves, we know that this just isn’t happening right now. Where you are born and who you are born to will either make or break you. You cant possibly drive through any inner city of our country without being acutely aware that there is a group of people who simply do not have access to these basic opportunities. There is not one person who has succeeded in this country completely on their own. Yes you need to work hard, yes you need to make sacrifices, yes you need to make good choices for yourself; but without these basic opportunities, you will not be able to succeed. One also MUST consider the psychological effect that being born into poverty, violence, and or addiction would have on ANY human being. These situations ultimately lead to desperation and despair (and often time come full circle right back to poverty, violence, and addiction), unless one is provided with an opportunity to succeed. I don’t believe that anyone needs saving, or needs a handout. I believe that if we were all actually treated as equals, we would all succeed, and our country would flourish by capitalizing on the talents of all of our cultures combined. One culture should not have to conform to another in order to “make it” in America. We each have something incredible to offer…if only we all had the great opportunity to be able to see what it is we each have to offer.

I do not expect, nor am I even trying to change anyone’s opinion with this blog. This is just an outlet for me to express my opinions. Please don’t be fooled by the garbage they are trying to sell you on TV. Open your eyes and form your OWN opinion based on REALITY, not on contradicting independent studies, contradicting statistics, and contradicting politicians. Seriously, if each “side” is claiming completely opposite things to be the truth, SOMEONE IS LYING TO YOU! There cannot be two interpretations of truth and fact. Time to step back and figure out what YOU really think is happening here. Time to think larger than your community, your job, your race, your gender, your party, your candidate…look around and be honest with yourself about what is happening around you and how we can make it better. Turn off MSNBC. Please, for the love of God turn off FOX News. What do YOU think?? Do you really think that people choose to be poor, that people choose to be addicts? Do you think that, if given another viable and lucrative choice and opportunity, people would really choose to be drug dealers and criminals? Come on now… Do you think that maybe lower income populations might have a lower incidence of diabetes and heart disease, and be less of a “drain” on our healthcare system, if they actually had access to healthy and affordable food? Think about the last time you saw an organic store in the poor part of town. Matter of fact, think about the last time you’ve actually been in the poor part of town…maybe its time to turn off the TV and see for your own eyes what’s happening. Who do you trust more, the douchebag on TV trying to sell you a candidate, or yourself? Everybody claims that they’re not racist…okay…then go have a conversation about the state of this nation with someone who is not of your race, not of your socioeconomic status, not of your gender, not of your party, and out of your comfort zone. I challenge you to do this. Matter of fact, I dare you too…I double dog dare you. Stop worring about your husband’s political views, your wife’s opinion, the stuff you hear your parents talking about all the time…what do YOU THINK??

Our parents grew up in different times than we did. Do you really think that in this day and age it is possible to “pull yourself up by your boot straps” without a college degree? Do you really think that just “getting a job at McDonalds” is going to get somebody out of poverty? Come on now… how much is YOUR rent, cause we all know that McDonalds salary just isn’t going to cut it anymore. Really try to put yourself in someone else’s situation, THEN make form your opinion. And if you feel like the troubles of the other folks in this country aren’t your problem, hey, that’s you…let me know how that works out for ya…but trust and know that you would NOT be where you are now unless someone helped you get there. Do you deserve to enjoy the money you worked hard for? Hell yes! Just like you deserved to opportunity to have that job that you get to work at! Everyone should be so lucky! Anyone who knows me knows that I work my ASS off for the money I get, and I deserve to be able to spend every cent of it, but I would be MORE than willing to shave some dollars off my paycheck so that I don’t have to witness the devastation of young black people in Baltimore City every day. Yea, I said it…what, you don’t think race has something to do with it? Okay, keep telling yourself that…

I sincerely appreciate anyone who made it all the way through this blog. Thank you for respecting my opinion enough to read this. I remain hopeful for a better country for my children and I believe that it begins with honest conversation. I have faith in the ideals of compassion and love… Thank you.

Always... in all ways...

Lisa

Words from a reformed hater

Words from a reformed Hater:

I was not one of the “pretty girls” growing up. For those of you who know me well, you know that I am a person who covers my insecurities with humor or rebellion. So, since I wasn’t “pretty,” I made a point to go out of my way to be exactly the opposite of what “pretty” was supposed to be. Some of you may recall Lisa as a teenager… pink, blue, purple, and/or green hair; plaid pants with striped t-shirts; ears pierced from top to bottom… my own personal protest against what I felt like the world was telling me I was supposed to be…something I just…well…wasn’t. I, of course, rebelled in many other ways as well, but my mom is going to be reading this and I’ve put the poor woman through enough. As I grew older, nature assisted me in fitting the mold a little better…but I found my resentment growing. It was in my college years, I believe, that I became a full blown hater. And I was good at it. I could hang with the best of them… show me a “pretty” girl and I could rip her apart in seconds and have you rolling on the floor laughing your ass off. I could find a fault in a woman like nobody else…the ”prettier”  they were, the harder they fell. I’m ashamed to say that this carried on into my adult life too. They say that the first step in solving a problem is to admit that you have one, but there was nobody in the world that would be able to convince me I was a hater. Some of you reading this might still be in this place. I have no right to judge you. I’ve been there. Here are just a few warning signs:

You do not have any “pretty” friends…or if you do, you hate to go out with them because they get hit on all the time…to which you respond by getting upset at them for not participating in “girl time.”

You find yourself so very annoyed by the smart chick at work who always has to put in her two cents…with her no-style, and no-man having ass…

Whenever anyone comments that another woman is beautiful, you quickly respond with one of the following statements: “Well if I didn’t have a job and could work out all day long, I would look like that too,” or “I’m sure she’s not that pretty under all that makeup,” or “yea, but she’s probably an idiot/slut/bitch,” etc.

You hate Beyonce and think she has no talent.

If you can relate, don’t be ashamed…its not your fault. We live in a society that almost forces us to feel this way. We are all very well aware of what we are supposed to look like and what we are supposed to act like…the thing is, having that jammed down our throat every damn second is exactly what makes us hate eachother. It is difficult for us “not-so-pretty” girls to have any sympathy at all for the “pretty” girls…but guess what…the “pretty” girls never fit the mold either. As women, we are the only people who really understand what it feels like to be us…to feel like we have to be this perfect woman who is beautiful, in shape, smart, witty, spiritual, maternal, and a lady in the street but a freak in the bed. ALL OF US feel this pressure.

Now, I’m going to pause for a second because I know that, inevitably, someone will comment that men are under an extreme amount of pressure too. You’re right…but guess what…we’re not talking about your asses right now…is that okay?!?! We are talking about what it feels like to be a WOMAN… and we are having a conversation about being women that has nothing to do with men…for once.

Now, I personally feel like I want to vomit every time some commercial makes me think for a moment that I LIKE vacuuming, cleaning, and doing laundry.  I also HATE the fact that there was a long period in my life where I could not appreciate the beauty and success of another woman because I was too busy hating on her…but it happened…and I am officially over it.

 Wouldn’t it be nice if all of us women could truly support and appreciate ourselves and each other, instead of focusing on our flaws. We could learn so much from each other. Maybe we could even learn to trust each other. Maybe we could also learn to be honest with each other, instead of pretending to be something we are not…even to ourselves. There is something amazing about a woman who is beautiful. There is something beautiful about a woman who is amazing. All of us have wonderful things to offer our friends, families, and communities…some of us are artists, some of us are works of art. I have met women who exude beauty in their kindness, humbleness, confidence, humor, honesty, in their ability to love, listen, and to heal with their words. I know women who are wise. I know women who are fierce. I know women who are astounding and selfless mothers and wives. I know women who have no idea how beautiful they are. I know women who have stayed true to their character, their history, their families, and their soul through incredible trials. I imagine that I could find something beautiful in almost every woman I actually take the time to get to know.

I have never written a blog in my life but I was inspired by the following quote from a book I am reading:

“Women are sometimes discussed as though only a certain temperament, only a certain restrained appetite, is acceptable. And too often added to that is an attribution of moral goodness or badness according to whether a woman’s size, height, gait, and shape conform to a singular or exclusionary ideal. When women are relegated to moods, mannerisms, and contours that conform to a single ideal of beauty and behavior, they are captured in both body and soul, and are no longer free.”

Let’s enjoy and appreciate the true beauty of what it is to be a woman…in all aspects of womanhood. We are the only ones who really understand what it feels like to be a woman, and what we all are going through (both struggles and triumphs).Let’s stop lying to each other about the struggles we face in our careers, relationships, and the personal battles within our soul…and most of all, let’s stop judging each other for those struggles which we all face.  We can’t change society, but we CAN change ourselves, and we CAN make it easier on all of us by truly and sincerely supporting each other. I call an end to all hating, are you up for the challenge?

Always, in all ways,

Lisa