I'm Studying You

My Philosophy

Here's the soundtrack to today's entry...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfrNF9GOMUs

I tell people I'm from Buffalo, which isn't a total lie. I was born in the city, and it gets more name-recognition than Depew (and if I tell people I live in New York, they usually assume New York City, which is at the opposite end of the state). I grew up in Cheektowaga, a first-ring suburb on the city border, and live in the village of Depew now, which actually lies within the towns of Cheektowaga and Lancaster (I know Kåre Enga in Montana knows where I'm coming from).

Cheektowaga has probably the area's largest mall, and it occured to me yesterday, the mall serves as an unofficial border, or more appropriately, a barrier.

I live on the #6 bus route. It covers Broadway Ave. from the village of Lancaster (yes, Lancaster has both a town and a village), through Cheektowaga, straight to downtown Buffalo with a detour to the train station and the mall.

It pains me to say this and I'm pretty sure I've touched on this before, so smack me if you've heard this before. Segregation is alive and well in Western New York (and if it's happening here, it's gotta be happening in a lot of other places too).

The biggest example here has got to be the #6 bus to the mall. Outbound (coming from the city), all the black kids get off at the mall and all the white folk get on to go to Depew and Lancaster. And inbound, the whites get off at the mall and the black kids board the bus to go back to the city. I see this every time I go to the mall. Why is that?

Is living in the city so deplorable for white people? Is the economy so bad that black people can't or won't get out of the city? The area is so stagnant, the divides so deep. It's a terrible reality.

I have to reiterate, I am not racist. I don't look at people and think "black" or "Korean" or "Jewish" or "illiterate" or "lesbian" or "fat" or "depressed". I look at you and say "human".

That said, what is the black mayor of Buffalo, the black governor of New York, or the white president of the United States doing to promote racial unity? I see no proof. It's sad to think that while yes, it was a whole lot worse in the '50's and '60's, my potential children are basically going to grow up in the same world I grew up in. White leaders don't see the problem, and black leaders don't get the support they need. Changes need to be made, but no one knows how. I read the other day in chicochica 's blog about how technology has changed and developed since we were kids and what neat things are going to be around when her kids get older. Perhaps they'll invent a way to ensure that the world is 100% racially and religiously harmonius, and there's a cease in all forms of bigotry across the board (in regards to race, gender, religion, sexual preference, etc).

I know...if you're going to dream, dream big.

One for the road...the video looks like it was transferred from an old VHS-C camera, but the song is phenomenal...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJW_Vq-SE_0