In This Day & Age????

Is there some planetary alignment that I'm unaware of or have been people been regressing at the speed of light lately?

Case in point: An old friend of mine who I've know since childhood, had a prospective client storm out of his office today when he found out that my friend is black. Even more ludicrous, this potential client was also black. Everybody say it with me...WTF????? In this day and age, does a person's race still mean anything to anyone other than that person?

I've known, befriended, been romantically involved with and worked with people of all races in my 45 years and you know what I've learned from that? People are people. I've been fortunate enough to have traveled around the globe and once again, people are just people. But this doesn't end here.

Another friend, who is also black (or African American or Negro or Person of Color or whatever the politically correct term is this week), has been dealing with a similar issue. My friend, while discussing something with a colleague, had to hear this colleague (a white guy from Idaho) use the word "nigger". My friend was mature enough to not slap the stupid off of this guy's face but in discussing it with my friend last night, I know that it deeply effected my friend.

Now at this point I'm sure many of you are feeling riled up and you should be. But allow me to paint the picture more. My friend in the previous paragraph is also gay. A drag queen by trade. Transgendered if you will. The colleague in question is also gay and a drag queen. I'm sure some of you are now concentrating more on these bits of information than the heart of the problem. Trust me, it's nothing I haven't heard before. "Metzger...why are you hanging out with drag queens? or gay folks? or...or..."

I'm blessed to have the type of mindset that doesn't see color. Nor do I see sexual orientation nor religion nor societal status. I see people. Males & females. I see some people who feel they are one but born another. I don't see this as "odd". I just see them as people. And as such, they are worthy of civility and a modicum of respect. But the bottom line is, people are people.

What is it in the human makeup that makes us think that any one group is superior to another? Sure, there may be aesthetic differences such as skin, hair and eye color...but so what? We may pray differently (if at all) but God is God. You may call him by a different name than I do but it doesn't change the fact that God is God.

A person may be attracted to different people than you are. This world has heterosexuals, bisexuals and homosexuals. Again...big deal! I think it's fair to say that all of us, at some time or another in our lives will want the same things: love, romance, intimacy, companionship...and who's to say whether we should or should not want it with whom we want it with? I'd be willing to bet that there are more freaky normal people anyone suspects. If I were to ask each of you your deepest fantasies, I bet most would fall outside of the so-called norm.

This world is made up of an endless myriad of different types of people...and for that we should be thankful. Rather than looking for the differences, why not look at the similarities. There are tall people. There are short people. Fat..skinny...beautiful...ugly...a lot of these are relative terms. Why not take a moment now and then and try to see the world through the eyes of another. View yourself through other's eyes. I think it might make you think a bit harder about how you react to things.

Remember, your opinion is important only to you. If someone shares it, fine. If someone doesn't, that should be fine too. But why discriminate against a person because they are merely who they are? Doing so limits your own experience in life and you end up missing out on a lot that way.

I'm lucky to know all of the people that I know. Of all colors, religions, genders, sexual orientations, etc. Each one makes my world that much more interesting and for that, I am thankful to know each and every person I know. Like my mother used to say, if everyone was the same...just think how boring this world would be.

Racism, in this day and age??? Really??????