Feeling Left Out…
I am nearly finished with my degree program at the University of Florida (just two more months!) and one thing that has really impacted me the entire time I’ve been here is how different I seem to be.
Our school has championed minorities all of the last four years that I’ve been here, and probably more. I think that is cool, but it sucks too because the general rule seems to be “As long as you’re not “white AND male” — YOU’RE A MINORITY! Welcome, we embrace you with open arms.” (and, well, I am both of those things.) The university is even willing to bend a bit on the white AND male policy if you slip in through gender identity or sexual preference exemptions. My girlfriend has made it all too clear to me that she’ll stop dating me if I try any of that, so I am at a huge loss. I can’t fit in with all this great and exciting minority fun. I have to struggle that much harder to find something to complain about, and I’ve noticed that I still need to be careful, because there are some things that can come straight back at me due to the actions and positions of previous generations of “white AND male”s.
Sometimes I feel like all these activities are kind of biased directly against my ethnic/gender group. I’ve even mentioned this to some friends of mine — most of whom are not members of my ethnic/gender group, and it seems to fall upon deaf or hostile ears. I think to myself… I was just born this way! I didn’t do any of those things that everyone is so upset about. I am not hating on any people-groups. In fact, it could be said that my ethnic-gender group of this generation is pretty opened minded about all this, because of all the recent change.
This is all frustrating and stuff. I guess I should just take Joy’s advice and not let it bother me, but… I think it would be cool if I had a month or a week or something like that too.
Posted by David under Uncategorized |
Lol - aww - you want a month or a week or something like that too? We can do that. We can have a “David week” where we celebrate all the great and diverse aspects of you. Let’s try it!
Comment by Joy — March 15, 2004 @ 4:20 pm