Heritage

39. Your Heritage 

I AM SO BORING! I’m white and I am mostly English, first generation Australian but my great great grandparents on my Grandmother/mothers side are Irish…On the surface my Heritage is probably what people would call a “basic b*@ch”.

Then we have to ask ourselves, what is Heritage? Is it skin based, is it where you are born, is it traditions set by your family…or is it all of the above? My family on both sides have had amazing people that you will have never have heard of, but make me feel extremely proud.

Even when things were “proper” in England my family never really did follow the rules. Take my Mothers Grand mother (who I wish I had met). Lost part of her leg to polio, never stopped her. She had the operation and a week later she was hopping everywhere. My mum said that she was constantly falling over, but it didn’t bother her. She was gentle and kind, but made of ‘tough stuff’. Her oldest son was born out of wedlock (there was a rumour it was the preacher’s son) and she claimed him as her own, something completely unheard of at the time.

My Great Grandfather (who I wish was still around) was just so wise, although had an Irishman’s temper, but not with me and not with my Mum…We’re special *nods head* We found this notebook full of all of his thoughts and I would love to share them with you all. However I feel like I need to ask permission to see if I can share them. I have wanted to Greece and visit the ancient sites and we recently found a notebook with all his thoughts and he was writing about visiting Greece. Visiting the ancient sites. It’s amazing, even from beyond how he still influences me.

Then there was a Great Uncle of my Grandmother…He was found murdered and dressed in a dress, which apparently he used to do a lot (Is my brother a reincarnation?)

At a time when people didn’t do the things they weren’t supposed to be doing my family were doing, they were doing them. I like to carry that around with me. A lot of people from my family were very far ahead of their times.

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It’s in your DNA

I have always called myself a mutt. I was born in Australia, both my parents are English, great grandparents, and we suspect that there is either Spanish or Indian. When I saw this video a light-bulb went off in my head. Everything that’s been going on lately, has really disturbed me.

I feel like we are trying to put ourselves and others into boxes than other before, while yet, telling others to keep an open mind? It is very much a us against them mentality. I don’t believe us vs them is helpful and it all feels very toxic. Like we are trying to segregate each other again. and Too me it’s a lot about our backgrounds and where we all come from. Except I strongly believe none of us know our TRUE backgrounds, what our cultures are. Which is why I believe each culture needs to be respected, but that it’s okay to share it with others. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m sure that I’m not the only one ~.^

I read recently that  1 in 4 kids are not even their “fathers” child…One in 4! God knows how often that sort of thing was going on years ago as well, and we all know about the English Kings and Queens, and their affairs. Who knows where we truly come from?

My personal favourite was the English guy who said that he was 100% English and he hates Germans.

Dictionary Meaning

*Now I have putting this post off for a very long time, been debating whether to post or not…But I felt like it needed to be said. I genuinely see a worrying trend starting to happen*

The dictionary term of racism is as follows:

racism

ˈreɪsɪz(ə)m/

noun

 

1. the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.

   “theories of racism”

   • prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior.

     “a programme to combat racism”

     I read this and not in one single term or meaning of racism ANYWHERE in the whole entire world does it say anywhere that racism only occurs in one group of colour of people? It does not matter what you “think” this is the facts of the case. There is no mention that racism occurs in only one colour of people. So why do everywhere do I read, it’s not racist if one colour is racist towards another because that person has experienced more racism than the other person? Bad English?

     No if you’re racist, you’re racist. What else is it?

     I know this is not my usual happy-go-lucky post. I am just starting to find it really disturbing though how someone can say they are not racist because the other person doesn’t “understand” but the comments and the hatred, while spewing hatred towards another colour, it feels very segregated. It disturbs me on a level I can’t explain.

     Racism is Racism and Hatred is Hatred, it knows no colour.

   I get that I don’t get what it’s like to be of another colour, but I do get fear and I get hatred. I don’t get going backwards and turning into something you hate and doing the exact same things as something you hate. I guess it’s like the situation with a bully, a lot of the times a bully is a bully because they themselves, have been bullied. I just want to understand I guess.

   I do get how putting people into boxes can lead to bloodshed and something much worse than opening up to communication and trying to understand. Let me in, let me understand what it’s like. I love people of all backgrounds, I know lot’s of people from different backgrounds. I’ve grown up with a lot of different backgrounds and I don’t understand racist people. Understanding our differences, it’s the only way we can understand what makes this world tick, what makes it wonderful.

   When has putting ourselves into boxes and categories and “they’re not us” mentality…EVER…worked?