Ferguson

I know I talk a lot about how much of a disadvantage it is to be a girl in today's world, but today I want to make it known that I realize that I am privileged. I realize that because I am not a person of color I will never have to worry about the police brutality faced by POC across the country every day. I cannot truly understand just how awful Ferguson is, and I don't believe many white people can, because what happened to Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, John Crawford, Ezell Ford, Sean Bell, Amadour Diallo, Oscar Grant, Kendrec McDade, and countless others simply would not happen to us. I will never be shot by a police officer because of my skin color. A cop will never pull me over if he sees me driving a nice car. I will never be treated as a thief if I go into a nice store. I will never in my life be racially profiled and so while I stand by the family of Mike Brown, and the city of Ferguson, I say that while I know the facts, I do not understand and can feel nothing but disgust over the fact that there are people in this world who still have to be afraid of cops, and with good reason.

I am disgusted by the handling of this case and the fact that Darren Wilson not only has seemingly gotten away with shooting an unarmed Black teenager in the head, but that people are siding with him. People are siding with a murderer because racial prejudice has gotten in the way of them seeing that Mike Brown did nothing wrong. Let me say that one more time. It is 2014 and people still believe that a black man has the right to die simply because he is black and also that his murderer should get away with it.

Darren Wilson was sent away on paid leave, during which time he got married. He feels no remorse for what he has done. Even men who go to war feel remorse when they take a life. If the rest of the world can see how wrong this is, why can't the courts in Ferguson? Why has nothing been done so that Mike Brown's murderer is brought to justice? Why are militarized police forces being sent in to shut down riots in Ferguson, Seattle, LA, NYC, and DC? You know who issued a statement about how awful the handling of this case was and how bad it looked for the United States? North Korea. North Korea is telling us that we are bad at being a country.

Wake up, racist America! Your way is obviously not the right way for our country!

I stand by those rioting to bring about justice for Mike Brown, and I support his mother in her endeavor to get the UN to do something about this horrible situation in which human rights have been blatantly ignored.

#justiceformike

Things That Grind My Gears: This Week's Letter to the Editor

I rarely buy newspapers. Honestly, in a town as small as Omak, chances are I've already heard the news either because I saw it happening, or it's just gotten around town quickly. If I want a more factual report about any incidents, I'm probably not going to get one from the Chronicle because they run on gossip. I would rather save my weekly dollar than read stories about what someone THINKS happened. 

I would also rather not buy a paper that allows a letter to the editor that is title "Islam is the world's worst enemy" to be printed. A letter that spreads hate, a lot of lies, and and discrimination. By allowing a letter such as this to make the paper the editor, Roger Harnack, is admitting that he believes a small amount of the things printed in this letter, otherwise he wouldn't have let something so horrible go to print. 

I understand and believe in the freedoms of speech and press, but this letter isn't really a display of either of those things, it shows bad decision making in its purest form, and is an embarrassment to out-of-towners who might pick up a paper. I believe that a paper should be a representation of those who live in the area. And all this letter is showing is that we're all crazy right-wingers who believe that keeping peace with a group of people who have been labeled as dangerous in the past is a bad idea. Also, this just in: Obama and his "socialist enablers" follow the "Nazi program to destroy this nation" and "there is little time until the end of freedom". Yeah. You've been warned. 

So that you do not have to go out and purchase a paper that is not worth supporting here is the letter as it appears in the paper (Copyright The Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle 2014 and that guy who wrote it, I guess). 

Islam is the world's worst enemy

     Islam, governed by the Koran as defined by its murderous prophet Muhammed, is the largest, longest-lived cult ever established on planet earth. 

     With its 1,400-plus-years worship of death, it leads mankind with acts of cruelty, terror, torture, rape and murder. If Muslims find no 'Kaffirs' to kill, they go to war with each other, faction against faction.

     Islam's six main branches are hate filled, mostly over minutia.

     Muslims, in creating an Islamic world Caliphate ordered by their deadly prophet, kill all unbelievers in the Mesopotamian Moon god, Allah, according to the Hadiths and murderous practices commited by Muhammad and friends in the 7th Century A.D.

     Their ideal medieval religous world consists only of Muslims with all other creeds erased from memory and all Christians and Jews in the world dead.

     Liberals, socialists, and the liberal press promote dialogue with these animals, but that is an impossible pipedream. One cannot talk rationally with religious terrorists whose only goal in life is to kill you through deceit and lies. 

     There are no moderate Muslims. America, under its President and his socialist enablers follows the Muslim Caliphate agenda and the government is using the Nazi program of the 1930s to destroy this nation. 

     There is little time left for us until the end of freedom and few care enough to cry a warning.

     It may be too late already.

- J.T.*

Okanogan

I have already drafted up several versions of a letter to the editor that I will be sending as son as I get the wording correct so that I can call out the editor for being dumb enough to allow this to be printed, and the idiot who wrote this letter for being such a discriminatory asshole. But maybe that's just the liberal in me talking. 

I encourage you to do the same, reader. If you live in the Okanogan county (and even if you don't!) and are as enraged by a letter like this going to print, write the editor a letter and send it to:

The Omak-Okanogan Country Chronicle

Attn: Letter to the Editor

P.O. Box 553

Omak, WA 98841

Just a quick run down of their policy: a letters must be under 250 words, include the name and hometown of the writer, and cannot contain any personal attacks or thank yous. They are also subject to editing (so don't bother saying you read about it here, they will take out that reference so that no one reads my blog instead of their paper, because apparently I'm a competing news source). Go forth, and start writing. 

*Name omitted to protect privacy.

Alexis Olmstead is a 20something diva who lives in Okanogan County. She spends her days reading, writing, neglecting her blog, and getting angry about newspapers. For more rants, opinions, and irrelevant updates on life, check back often.

Racism Related Rant

I honestly don't get racism. I mean, especially when comes from those of the Caucasian persuasion. My fellow white brethren, I hope you realize that America is quickly becoming a country full of minorities, which would technically make them the majority and us the minority. So...pick on someone your own size and all that good stuff.

As of June 1st the population of America was reported to be 316,037,000. While White Americans (including those who reported as White+Latino) still make up 72% of the population, over 50% of the infants in America are minorities and 69% of the national population growth was from the Hispanic and Latino American groups. There are so many non-white people in the United States right now that immigrants, U.S. born descendants, and minorities are expected to contribute most of the countries population growth in the coming years. Why am I spitting random facts and figures your direction, reader? Because if White racists think that they can justify their beliefs based on the fact that "there are more of us than them" then they are wrong. And I like to prove stupid people wrong. Americans hate the fact that a small group of people decides so much of what goes on in our country, yet they then turn around and try to play the majority rules card when it comes to deciding how people of colour should be treated.

Sidenote: there are 3.2 million more females in America than men. Patriarchy also doesn't make sense on the "majority rules" scale.

White racists may enjoy thinking that this is "their country" and that "they were first" but they are quick to forget who they took this country from. How can someone be so angry that non-English speaking people come into America and refuse to learn or have a hard time learning English when Europeans came to America, absolutely refused to learn any of the 500 different Native languages and then forced the Natives to give up the traditional language of their people and learn English instead? I mean, are they just upset that people are tired of having one of the hundreds of the languages on this Earth forced upon them and are happy speaking Spanish or Russian or Chinese or French?

I mean, honestly, as far as racists go, they have NO room to talk about people of colour needing to "go home". Y'all are the ones who need to go back home, to Europe, where you came from. And take your ethnocentrism with you.

In all seriousness, though, racism towards other groups doesn't make sense at all because we're all equal and human and just because you are white doesn't mean you are entitled to anything except maybe my boot up your butt if you continue behaving in your racist ways, least of all a whole country which you stole from another people, who you then WIPED ALMOST COMPLETELY OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH. But also, because when you say people like African-Americans need to go back home, you sound like an idiot. Who brought African-Americans to America? White people who were so lazy that they bought and enslaved an entirely different race so they wouldn't have to cook their own meals. Furthermore, if you don't like another human being solely based upon the colour of their  skin, you need to get your priorities straightened out.

Colour sorting is for laundry, not people. Also, if you're a racist Christian then there a few things we need to talk about. First, as a Christian, you are supposed to extend love to everybody, regardless of colour. Second, there is a widely believed theory that Jesus wasn't white, so if that turns out to be true, your spiritual life just got real awkward, real quick.

Stop colour sorting people in your life, if you're a racist and you happen to be reading this. I'm trying to be all deep and everything, but honestly, if you don't have respect for somebody because their skin colour is different than yours, then I don't have respect for you and neither do a lot of other people. And just for the record there is absolutely no excuse to be a racist, even if you are 100% native to the country in which you live. And if you are doing something racist and someone has the decency to correct you and tell you what you are doing is racist, you should definitely not get angry with them, you should thank them for being the kind, enlightening soul that they are. Because the only thing worse than being a racist is being an ignorant one.

Also, for the record, appropriating someone else's culture is indeed racism. I'm looking at you, headdress wearing hipsters, girls who wear their hair in braids and then say they are "being Pocahontas"and people who
wander around aimlessly in Hawaiian skirts. If White people took the right from people of colour to do/wear the thing you are doing/wearing then you shouldn't be do it.

Racism freaking sucks. A lot. Don't be a racist. Or I won't like you. And if you don't think that carries much weight, just remember I have a blog on the internet that people read and if I tell them not to like you, they won't. I think.

Alexis Olmstead is a part time hostess, failed poet, attempted children's book author, and a full time angry blogger. For more rants, reviews, and general words typed into a big blank box, check back often, such as every few days or so. 

An Old Cherokee Man and Some Wolves

I'd like to tell you a story and see if any of you know what I'm talking about.

"An old Cherokee man was teaching his grandson about life.  'A fight is going on inside of me,' he said to the boy. 'It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self pity...The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness...and faith. The same fight is going on inside of you - and every other person too.' The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, 'which wolf will win?' The old chief simply replied, 'The one you feed.'"

Don't even pretend with me you haven't heard or read this story, reader. But I have something really crazy to tell you. That's not a Native American legend and has no Native origins whatsoever. Wanna know where it came from? All sources point to Billy Graham and his book from 1978 entitled "The Holy Spirit: Activating God's Power in Your Life". The story was originally used to show the importance of being born again, so it was obviously deeply rooted in Christianity and featured an Eskimo man. It is important to note that Eskimos are racially distinct from Native Americans.

After this it appeared in a 1997 book, again of Christian nature but featured a Native American elder.

Do I approve of this change? No. Why? Because whoever decided it should be changed, and I think that the blame falls to Eliot Rosen and Ellen Burstyn who wrote the 1997 book, did something that I qualify as racist. What did they do? They made the story teller a Native American just because there were implications of earthy type knowledge. However, they did something inconsistent with Native American storytelling. They fed the audience the moral of the story.

There are other things I disagree with about this story, like the fact that as always, black represents evil and white represents all that is good, but mostly because forcing something to be a part of a culture when it isn't is almost as bad as taking away a major part of a culture and then using it for a costume.

If you don't get anything from this post except for the fact that the "Two Wolves" story isn't a Native American legend, I will be happy.

The more you know, kids. The more you know.

That's Not Native!

Let me start out by saying that this post has been on my mind for a while, in case you guys hadn't noticed, I've been facebooking (and tumblring) a lot about cultural appropriation. I think it's because Halloween is just around the corner and it seems to me that a large majority of the population can't tell the difference between a culture and a costume. While this applies to many cultures, I'm mainly going to speak about how this particularly pertains to Native Americans, because I am one (please hold back on the "you don't look Native" comments I already know) and because I see more people dressed up as Native Americans than anything. So. First some notes, and then I'll give you a brief tutorial on how to tell whether something is Native or not, and coincidentally, whether it's racist to wear it or not. So we begin. Point A. Wearing Native American cultural items promotes stereotyping of Natives as a whole.Basically what you're saying when you wear them is "I don't realize that I'm actually perpetuating the stereotype created by Hollywood that all Native Americans wear warpaint, headdresses, and braids, and I don't really care. All Native Americans are exactly the same. It's not like there are over 500 tribes that have their own cultures. I choose to only recognize them by this one 'accessory'." Also, it creates the idea that Native Americans are in the past and don't have  a place in today's world. I mean honestly, you don't wear your church clothes everyday, why would we wander around in ceremonial attire just to be recognized as a people?Point B. Wearing Blackface is wrong. So is "Playing Indian"What people fail to realize is that pretending to be a race your not is just as bad as wearing blackface. When you do that, you collapse distinct cultures, and therefore assert your power over them. Which, considering the fact that genocide and colonialism still continue today where Native Americans are involved, is NOT okay. For Point C, which is "The items you wear as accessories are deeply rooted in Native American spirituality" I couldn't find any better way to say it than Monica, a girl who runs a blog that I deeply appreciate. "The wearing of feathers and warbonnets in Native communities is not a fashion choice. Eagle feathers are presented as symbols of honor and respect and have to be earned. Some communities give them to children when they become adults through special ceremonies, others present the feathers as a way of commemorating an act or event of deep significance. Warbonnets especially are reserved for respected figures of power. The other issue is that warbonnets are reserved for men in Native communities, and nearly all of these pictures show women sporting the headdresses. I can't read it as an act of feminism or subverting the patriarchal society, it's an act of utter disrespect for the origins of the practice. This is just as bad as running around in a pope hat and a bikini, or a Sikh turban cause it's 'cute.'"Here are some responses that I'm sure you came up with during this whole thing:

I'm just trying to honor your people! Calm down! I highly doubt very many people are honored by a girl in a bikini dancing around in a headdress. Put some clothes on, take the headdress off, and everyone will be happy. I don't think I can say it better than the cartoon on the right.

But I'm just trying to keep up with current trends!

You know what else is a trend right now? Drug use. Oh and teenage pregnancy. Are you trying to keep up with those trends as well? My culture is not a trend. It should not be treated as something that can go out of style whenever someone high up on the fashion social ladder chooses. And please stop wearing "Native American headbands" Hollywood created that whole idea/thing because the headbands helped the actors keep their wigs on when portraying Natives. Y'all just look ridiculous. 

Fetching!

But it's just a Halloween costume. RUH-LAX.  No. It's racism, and cultural appropriation. Because if you're saying you want to dress up as...oh...I don't know, Pocahontas and you end up dressed like the girl on the left, you're doing it wrong. Just FYI: Pocahontas as an adult is normally depicted in European clothing because she married a European man named John Rolfe (NOT John Smith you Disney fanatics) and toured England, where she had her portrait taken. So actually, you should probably dress up more similar to the portrait on the right. 

To recap: Wearing Native American clothing or carictures of their clothing or spiritual artifacts is wrong. It is racist and culture's are not trends for you to exploit. You wouldn't wear black face and walk around like it is normal to be painted like that, would you?

Native:

Not Native:

So this Halloween, and every other day of the year as well, please refrain from headdresses, and feathers, and trying to be Native, because I mean, your ancestors killed off all of our ancestors first of all, and ugh, and also, it's just plain offensive. You wouldn't use a word you didn't know the meaning of, why use a cultural object that way?