Angriest Year Ever

It's hard being aware.  Wait let me rephrase that...it's hard to sit in place listening to bigots speak while BEING aware.  Okay let me start by saying that I saw Angela Davis (not a bigot!!!!! amazing woman!!!!!!!) speak today about the apartheid occurring in Palestine.

Now some people were opposed to this week's events supporting Palestine...supposedly, people wore "I'm for Israel" shirts and whatnot, saying that organizations like MSA (Muslim Student Association) are discriminating against Jews, which I personally have not witnessed.  But then again I don't fully understand this issue and I didn't participate in all the week's events (they were strategically scheduled during the times I had meetings and class of cooooourse ok just kidding) so I definitely do not have the full picture.  Anyway it makes me really sad how a group of students who wanted to end the oppression of their people were accused of racism and anti-Semitism because that's really not what it is...  It's a support for human rights.  People are being killed for walking on their homeland.  Why can't these "pro-Israel" groups understand that?  You can be Israeli, Palestinian, or Chinese like me and stand in solidarity for human rights.

What's also ridiculous is the Young Americans for Freedom organization.  It's a conservative organization that obviously supports America and freedom (the myth of freedom in America, rather).  They've been writing on the Facebook event walls of the Angela Davis event and the Van Jones event...

"She is a Communist and domestic terrorist! She is poison to America!"

"Looks like Communists are running rampant at UCSD!"

Come ON, these speakers just want to do some good for society and YOU'RE BRINGING THEM DOWN.  Okay so yes, Angela Davis was affiliated with the Communist Party.  Communism and socialism get a really bad rep and my dad once made me cry when I asked him why was Communism so bad, but that's a whole other story.  I was really confused because it seemed to have all these good ideas...doing what's best for THE PEOPLE not the wealthy, right?  During the Angela Davis event, someone asked "How do we shift from capitalism to full blown socialism?" and people were going uhhhhhhhhh.... you could sense the uneasiness in the atmosphere.  And it makes me so sad that people don't listen with an open mind.  Yes I still feel extremely uneasy about these political thingies but I'm trying my best to listen.  And I have to say...it's a lot more difficult to listen with an open mind than to be ignorant and close-minded.  Duh.

I used to be against immigration reform, y'know.  I didn't understand immigration.  I think my parents still have a hostile attitude towards illegal immigrants (both came here, er, legally...I think.  My dad was a refugee and my mom was sponsored by my dad) AND they also don't support same sex marriage.  I used to say the word "gay" as if it meant "stupid" and I used to be purely pro-life, not understanding the pro-choice argument.  And coming to college it has been really difficult to sit and listen to the opposition.  But I feel like I've been educated and I can take a better stance on the issue.

So what political party am I affiliated with?  I'm "officially" a Democrat but I don't want to be on this Democrat Republican binary anymore...nor do I want to be affiliated with Communism or Socialism.  On Facebook, my political view is listed as "Lennonism".  That's John Lennon <3, of course, not Vladimir Lenin.  And what does that mean?  I coooould suggest for you to listen to "Imagine" (I think that song sums up so many of my views so well) but in my own words, it's to act in accordance of John Lennon's words.  More importantly, it's to act in accordance with my love for humankind.  No discrimination, no killing, no need to base morality on religion.  Just do good for others.