Child Abuse...Racism....Just a couple unrelated topics that get under my skin

It is not right to beat up or abuse a child, and those who do it are either unfit as parents or as guardians, or to be around children. They are cowards. I am a bit reticent about racism and prejudice. What is racism and prejudice hatred, and when is it being a bit uncomfortable, being a bit apprehensive or unsure of how to conduct yourself around someone of a different color or religion? Most of what we consider hatred is merely fear or other's assumption. We do not approach black people because we fear, that because of their history of former slavery, they may blow up at the slightest provocation and sue us for wrong or accuse us of things even though we are not descended from the plantation owners. I have not that problem, but I felt rather angry when we were giving an after baby shower and they wanted me to hold the baby who was black, and yet when the other babies who had been white had been at their after baby shower, no one insisted. I felt I had to pass a test. The funny thing was that the baby did not want anyone holding him except his own mother. I have a friend who is a writer who happens to be part Black and mostly Dutch, and she has two children, but until recently, because of that incident at the after baby shower, I was rather nervous about talking to her and holding the baby and playing with the little girl. (For one thing, the children have a game where they try to touch the adults, something like "You're it.) The baby looks like one of the Kalamzammar kids of that old cartoon from over fifty years ago. The little girl is half way between. As I inferred, if you want me to be especially nice to someone of a different color, you had better want me to be especially nice to someone of my own color or ethnic group. It is the same as my having to help with mentally challenged children to prove I was worthy to adopt. What I would not have happen is for me to go into a store and ask the sales person who might be Black or Muslim or East Indian and have someone embarrass me by saying something like "this lady is a true Canadian. She is all for multiculturalism" or something like that. I am nice to everybody. As for beliefs and life styles, it does not mean I approve of their actions or their choices. I hope you do not expect me to.

Yup I agree with you on both topics, and they both hit very close to home for me. 1) Child abuse: As an adult survivor of child abuse of several types, I was often told that when I had my own child I would understand the way my family acted. I don't. In fact, having my own son only made the abuse I suffered as a child boggle my mind even more. He is only 1 1/2 years old, and I look at him and see such beauty, innocence, potential. Even on the days when I am annoyed with him, I cannot imagine causing him harm. And yet I know that by his age I had been beaten, starved, locked in small spaces, and nearly killed. I cannot conceive of how any family could treat any child the way I was treated, especially now that I have my own child and feel such love and protectiveness of him. 2) Racism and prejudice. I grew up being called a "race-traitor" because many of my friends were from other races. In small-town Kentucky, white girls weren't supposed to hang out with anyone of other races, and yet I had friends from every race. It got me in a lot of trouble, but even as a child I couldn't understand hating someone just for being different. And religious discrimination has followed me all my life as well, since I am from a non-mainstream religion. I don't hate anyone else because of religion though, so I really don't understand why others would hate me over it.

I definitely agree with you, I cant understand why anyone would think it okay to hurt the helpless children, or elderly which is now a big thing in the news. I also cant abide prejudice, I want everyone to believe the way I do, dont get me wrong. But I dont want to be there judge if they do not because it is not my job. I will argue points of my religion as it deals with faith, and how it deals with historical fact but I hate to argue with those who dont believe and want to make you believe what they feel may or may not be true. And as a black female I have over the years had my share of people who have problems with my color, they have trouble with my Italian husband and my mixed children. But who cares. Only God can judge me.

Child abuse and Racism exist because a humans are rude animals and uses their violence learned in the childhood to conquer their space in the richest regions. It´s very normal and it will never be defeated.

Children are a blessing to those who want them. I'm willing to bet that there are some out there who were forced to have kids and didn't want them to begin with. That leads to abuse. Women trick men, men trick women. It's a nasty cycle. Racism happens every day to every race. It's a shame that white people can't voice the fact that racism happens to them. We'd be racists if we did.