My Little Soap Box

I'm watching You've Got Mail whilst I write this post. I do love that movie, Meg Ryan is on my top ten list of actresses. French Kiss wins over You've Got Mail though, I think Kevin Kline is just wonderful.
Work today was incredibly busy and I'm certain tomorrow will be the same, for some reason Mothers Day is always crazy. Father's Day, not so much! lol! Wonder why?!

On the way to work two young girls stopped me and asked me to sign a petition they were sending to the Prime Minister. There were a group of kids outside the police station holding a protest with the goal of stopping racism. Their complaint being that the local police are racist. Now, I didn't get to have much of a conversation with them because I was waiting on my bus to work but I did ask them why they feel the police are racist. The problem she had experienced was that a caretaker at a Church wouldn't allow her to use the bathroom and when she complained to the police they wouldn't do anything. Of course, a Church isn't a public building. And in my neighbourhood most Churches stay closed except for when services are held, no longer can you claim "sancutary" at one in the morning.

Perhaps I should start by saying, I didn't sign their petition. To assume that because I'm black I'll be happy to jump on any bandwagon about racism is in itself a prejudice. Do I think that racism doesn't exist, of course not. I've experienced it myself, most notably a little something that people call "reverse racism". Because it's a black person being racist to a white person. That is ridiculous, racism is racism. There is no forwards or reverse or sideways or upside downs about it. Of couse, I do believe there is a difference between an ignorant individual and institionalised racism which is slowly on the decline. Being in London with Adam we've had plenty of comments from ignorant individuals who don't believe in mixing races, I mean REALLY! But there is a difference between those people and laws saying that we can't be together.

In regard to young people in my area, they are little sh*ts! I know you can't tar everyone with the same brush, my brother is only 16. The difference is, my mum would beat his butt if he was hanging around on the street at 10pm. They have these areas throughout my neighbourhood where they disperse groups of kids under 16 after 8pm. Most shops have signs where they only allow 2 kids inside at a time. Maybe there is a new form of discrimination where people tar all kids with the same brush, the good and the bad. Kids aren't trusted these days because they're the first ones to rob you. Knife crime is ridiculous in London. Most people won't step in when someone is being attacked, simply because you don't know. It's the "cool" thing to be a little punk and I just don't understand why. I don't understand why parents aren't more concerned about where their kids are in the evenings. Why they don't care how they're doing in school. Why they don't care to know how their friends are. I do 100% blame the parents because a child can only be the person you raise them to be. What you expose them to determines who they become.

I suppose I should get off my soap box, I'm starting to sound like my FIL. His Facebook page is all about how Obama is ruining America, I receive daily emails about his discontentment. Though at the moment his main rant is all about the UN. Adam calls me a communist and my FIL calls me a socialist.

Tomorrow is Mothers Day in the UK, so I'm getting ready to spoil my mum. Hopefully it'll be a nice family affair tomorrow. I've purchased a book she wanted from Amazon and a Bobble Off. Might not be traditional but there are four other kids who I'm sure shall be buying some flowers.

So I shall end by saying HAPPY UK MOTHERs DAY to all the mommas out there!