Wetbacks. Wops. Micks. Guineas. Japs. Towelheads. Greaseballs. Chinks. Should I continue? I can. I mean the list goes on, and on, and on, but I don't want to. Did you know there's actually an entire wikipedia page that lists ethnic slurs? I didn't, until I googled it. When I visited the site, I was happy to learn that I had not heard of most of them, but that's about all I felt happy about. And I was so uncomfortable typing the ones above, I made sure to include more of the ones my own ethnicity would have been called. Correction, would be called. Present tense. Because we are in a new time. It appears that we no longer only hear these words said by our old racist uncle during Thanksgiving, but they are now rampant on social media, and at political rallies, in our schools, and in our neighborhoods. The floodgates have been opened, my friends. Welcome to America, 2016. Land of the Free, Home of the Brave, and the Divided.
I really don't want to get into politics here. I think we've had just about enough. Full disclosure, I'm a registered Independent that leans left, pretty far left. As an 18 year old, I didn't want to register with one party because I wholeheartedly believed in voting for the best man (or woman) for the job. I also think I didn't want to freak out my conservative family. But I knew then, just as I know it now, I'm a liberal. I've actually voted for a Republican (though I regretted it), but I would do it again if I felt he (or she) was the best person for the job.
And I'm not here to alienate my conservative friends, quite the opposite, because all sides have been guilty of the name calling (and that's putting it nicely). I know politics is a dirty game, but we have forgotten how to be neighbors, because we've forgotten we are neighbors. We have forgotten that ALL of us have been created EQUAL, not just the people that we agree with, not only the people that share our skin color, or our sexual orientation, or our religion. And I'm not here to sit on my high horse, because this election has brought out the worst in me as well. But the one positive thing it has brought out is the knowledge that we have a real problem in this country. And it's a positive because you can't find a cure, if you don't know you're sick. We're sick. We are better than this, we can change this, there's still hope. But the time is now to start looking for a cure.
On November 8th, we'll have elected a new President, but regardless of who that is, the one thing that won't change on November 9th is the fact that we are a divided people. I know so many people are angry that we have become a politically correct society. Well, this election has all but killed that concept. I have an awful feeling the slur words above (and more from that Wikipedia page) as well as misogynistic terms that are so easily thrown around (and dismissed as 'locker room talk') will continue, and used even more freely. What has happened to the word KINDNESS? What has happened to the word EQUALITY? What has happened to LOVE?
So why am I writing this? Well, I like to believe I have a few talents (though some of you might disagree, and I know who some of you are). And I'd like to use them to make this world a better place, if I can. I know some will call me a bleeding heart, an idealist, and they'll mean it as an insult. Sorry, I take it as a compliment. Because if I learned anything from all those years of Catholic school, it's that we should "love one another". That means EVERYONE. Especially the people that we want to punch in the face (it's fucking HARD, I know). Don't like it? Take it up with Jesus. So, I wrote a song as response to the hateful words I've been hearing. I wrote this song as a response to the way we are treating one another. And I wrote this song to spread some joy. Warning, it contains some words that I can actually get behind, expletives. I hope it makes you laugh. I hope it spreads some light. And I hope it makes one person think before they use their words to injure. Because words matter.
30% of proceeds from iTunes sales will be donated to Human Rights Watch.
