I will say first, that I tip WHEN I CAN. With the recent Papa John's incident, I wanted to point out that tipping is not required. It's more so expected. I think it's unfair to get upset when you are not tipped. I do appreciate service and I understand the lower wage paid to tipped workers, BUT do not get upset with someone when you are not tipped. 

Some things to consider is that it's like paying more than once for a meal that already may be over priced. Some customers may have gone out of their way to pay for the meal alone, possibly saving up for that once a year outing with the family. Some may not be aware of the etiquette of tipping. I know some people depend on tips but if that's the case, find another profession.

My aunt has been in service business for a long time and does quite well. This has led to further opportunities in the field. She and her family afford a very comfortable living, earning tips unheard of working at a pizza delivery place or some easy going establishment. I do not look down on waiters or service people and I truly appreciate their service, but hearing someone complain or even falsely accuse someone of color of something. 

No one owes you this. It's just a sign of appreciation. It's just a common habit that not everyone has. It's not required. Just do your job and appreciate when you do receive a tip. 

I avoided jobs at restaurants because of the $2.13/hr pay. That's wrong and it should be changed. That's cheating, especially if a restaurant is dong well. 

Some establishments compute the tip into the check. I think this is fair, and it will make it more of a requirement than option. 

And I'm not trying to say people SHOULD NOT tip. I'm saying that they can when they can and it should not be expected to the point that the customer is put down for not doing so. It's a gift and it's good when you get it. Be easy on those and understanding if they don't. Not all people are jerks who don't give a few dollars in appreciation; some likely have special circumstances for why they don't. 

I remember a movie called White Chicks with Shawn and Marlon Wayans. It was funny and it was not made to offend anyone. It is only a comedy and it shows two men, in an attempt to protect two wealthy heiresses, dressing up as women of the another race and altering their attitudes to try and  match those of the heiresses. Is a movie like this culturally and racially insensitive?

I remember seeing Robert Downey, Jr. dressed as a black man and talking with this military, macho, deep voice, that I guess was supposed to be similar to a black man's. In Tropic Thunder, he's playing "the dude playing a dude, disguised as another dude." I laughed. I love Robert Downey, Jr. and in any role he plays, he can bring it to life with his talent. Did I find this role racist or insensitive? Not at all. 

Did I find Franchesca's video, "Shit White Girls say to Black Girls" offensive or racist? No. I think that stuff like this happens sometimes with any race and between two individuals with different backgrounds and a lack of knowledge of the background. A conversation where things said in the video are said between two or more people does happen. But guess what? It's not just white girl to black girl. I've seen black girls say crazy things to white girls as well. 

Her video taught a lesson that I think some people are failing to understand. Think before you speak. Sometimes some people are not sure about how to communicate with someone of a different race or that has a different background than their own.

My cousin, who grew up in a more wealthier part of town, treated me and my brother weirdly. While my cousin has a personality that matches those he grew up around, those he went to school with, and those he likely hang around, he assumed my brother and I behaved in the way blacks are stereotyped or usually seen as behaving. I was offended by that because if he talked to me more than once a year for holiday gathers, I think he'd see that I'm quite the nerd and do not match up to the stereotypes at all. (Search the world and you'll never find another me. If you do, please tell them I said hello and would like to meet them!)

My mom works with a white lady who says crazy stuff all the time to the people she work with. My mom, who is black, my mom's friend who is a Mexican woman, and another guy who is Asian (I'm not exactly sure about his nationality) who is also gay. When my mom first told me the things she say on a regular basis, I was mad. It took my mom to show me that she didn't know many people that were from a different background. The people she worked with was her real world. It happens. 

I've had friends of different races in college. More so in college than in high school. We never treated each other like in this video. Normal interactions between people of different races also happen. I think normal interactions are possible and should happen more often. (I'm not saying they don't. I'm not very social, so I don't know how everyone interacts with everyone.)

In Frachesca's video, I think she's depicting a person--take away race for a moment--who likely has not spent much time around a person of another race or from a different. In cases like this, like with my cousin, in order to relate to that them, a person will rely on stereotypes because it's the most available bit of information that they can think of when trying to relate to someone of another race. It happens. I don't find it racist, but I do consider it ignorant. I believe racism is intentional and made to hurt by suggesting that one race is superior than another. This video and the movies I mentioned before, were not made to do such a thing. The movies were made to be funny. The video was made to be funny. 

So that you don't wind up treating others like this, if this is you and you being of any race, I just say adopt a new way of thinking. Everyone is human. Humans are complex and diverse. The color of their skin does not influence their behavior. Stereotypical behavior towards those of that race are not true for the entire race. Making assumptions hurt because you are not acknowledging the possiblity that this person is an individual and not a part of one massive group that think, speak, and act the same way.

There are differences from person to person in every race. Some try to act a certain way to fit in with those around them. Then there are some, like me, who don't fit in at all because they have a mother that taught them differently.

And just in case you are, stop acting like this is the initiation of some sort of race war because it's not. Watch the video and think about it. Do you know of some people, no matter the race, that say things related more to stereotypes when you are conversing with a person of a different race? Do you do this? You may not do it with the accent, but we all know of stereotypes because we see them in the media all of the time. It's time to put that away and to start treating everyone like they are a person, no matter their differences. 

Did the video hurt you in anyway? Did it make you feel uncomfortable? If yes to either or both questions, why? 

Type in the title of the video on Youtube and see what comes up. There are more parodies. They are making a point and not attacking or labeling anyone specific or a group of people. 

*Pictures are not mine but taken from two other blogs and I'm not sure of the source.*

This country is made up of many different races, ethnicities and religions. What comes with this is an opposition and/or a different approach to Christianity, which makes some feel threatened. And, really, it's not an threat but a true lesson on religion itself. Some of the idiots who see it as a threat tend to also put this on those from different countries or backgrounds. Their feeling of threat compels them to treat those that differ from them with hate and violence.

Sarah Palin is the one of many. She ruined my Christmas with talks about Obama's Christmas card. So what if it lacked certain things that pertained to Christians. It doesn't have to be one way. The man is a Christian. And to Maddow, yes he's Kenyan and so are many more people in this country!

Comments like those scare me. I have a Facebook friend that was attacked because a Christian coworker found out she is a Muslim. The assumptions about some Muslims are wrong, and the same can be said about some Christians. We have A LOT of different people here and just because they do not have the same religious beliefs as you do does not mean that they are any less of a person, or that they are wrong for having those beliefs. The way in which people like Sarah Palin and friends persecute others because of their background feels scary and dangerous.

They have only one definition of American and sometimes, not even I as a black Christian, am not included in that definition. Why is that? I am the descendant of farmers and a landowners, the men in my family were in the military, some where up the line I have European ties. I believe I am very American. And I happen to love Obama and have been witness to some of the changes he has made. Small as they may be.

I don't think he is to blame for why things are how they are. Being a president has to be one of the toughest jobs. Solving the issues with this country is a collaborative process and doesn't always ends with the president. His goals were clear, but who are the people interfering with that? No one points out agendas of the opposing party members and how they interfere with the progress of this country. Show me a republican that can do a better job, with policies that differ from those of Bush, and I will give them consideration over Obama. But in the end, my stance is that no one has a solution to it all, and everyone is simply trying their best, except those who have only the wealthy's interest at heart and pocket.

Sarah Palin is such an idiot. I like her as a motherly figure who loves her kids and wants what's best for them. But mother does not always KNOW what's best. Like everyone else, she has an opinion. I can respect that until it gets to the point of ignorance and hatred. Her ideas are never based on facts, just mere observations. She's very disconnected from the real problems of this country, especially concerning those who may have grandparents and parents from other countries. Politics is not her strong suit.

Why is she so gung ho on making Obama seem like someone that is so evil and terrible? He came to her defense once, and of course, like any ignorant person, this was soon forgotten. He has a family and I wonder how does she appear attacking someone's father? He is also our president. Is it because of his race and background? Is it because he won the election? Is because of his political beliefs and policies? I don't get how someone could be so hateful. It is seriously frightening.

Someone that I can compare her to is John Wilkes Booth. Before his assassination of President Lincoln, he was just as adamant on his hate for the president and the change that would soon be implemented. I mean, he hated Lincoln, and that hate drove him to do something horrific. Taking someone's life, or even hating them for that matter, because of political disagreements is not very Christian like.

But showing care and love for country as a leader, to me, is. With the strong opposition, President Obama and his family has fared through with dignity and grace. I have not seen them once act out of character; something that can not be said about some GOP candidates.