i've enjoyed trauma call before. it's fun, in a not-fun-for-the-patients sort of way. you're running around in the ER, ordering and analyzing X-rays and splinting and casting and dodging cops and paramedics, all the while in blue-green pajamas, and it's quite exciting. (i can totally understand why someone would want to go into ER medicine; wish i was smart enough for it) but today's been a snore. i won't complain just yet though. i've been here since 7, right now it's almost 11, and i haven't done a thing. apparently there's "nothing going on" (i always find that a bit hard to believe, but hey, it's a bit early on a saturday to be breaking bones i guess), so the resident will just page me if something comes up. so i've been reading, blogging, internet-ting, and talking on the phone since then.
nate made a thought-provoking post to his blog the other day, and i dropped in a little comment, half-jokingly. however, these semi-humorous nuances tend to go unnoticed when translated into type, and of course, there are those that choose to not give the benefit of the doubt and simply march right through to full-blown righteous pomposity. i received a rather fiery response from some girl i don't know (and who, by convention, does not know me), and i spent more than a few minutes this morning composing a response that, hopefully, will encourage her to curtail her enthusiasm to jump up and point fingers. i never claimed to be innocent of her accusations, and i sincerely doubt that she herself can claim that she is completely innocent (although, if she is, then she should be elevated to the ranks of MLK, Gandhi, and Jesus Christ). whatever.
growing up a minority gives you a different point of view than others, specifically those in the majority. for some, this may be a radically different point of view (see Black Panther Party), for others, this may be minimal (such as myself). but it's still different nonetheless. and not to devolve too much into a "reverse racism" mindset, but i feel that unless you too have lived those experiences, you can do no more than empathize, and you certainly can never "know what i mean." i know my non-minority friends empathize with me, i know they support me and i know their anger is just as valid as mine when ugly situations present themselves. hell, in certain cases i've seen their anger outpace mine if they had the misfortune to accompany me when one of these situations occurred. and i love that about my friends.
but i mean no disrespect when i say that unless they've lived through it, they'll never truly know it. that doesn't discount their empathy or anger at all. i'm just saying that there's more to it than getting mad or sad about it. there's a certain, deep pain that comes with racism or discrimination, and it leaves marks like notches on a bedpost - names and places may be a fuzzy memory, but you will never forget those words. i can recount almost word-for-word some of these encounters. if i thought hard enough, i can probably put a date and a place to them as well. these are situations that i'll carry with me forever, not as some sort of emotional chip-on-my-shoulder baggage, but as a reminder of what people are capable of.
in an effort to not be as emotionally heavy as this post has become, i find it rather relieving to make light of certain situations, and i'm confident that my friends have a fairly sharp knowledge of when i'm joking and when i'm not. so it's bothersome when a comment is made in jest (well, partial jest - cynical pessimism, at least), and a stranger shoudlers the responsibility of pointing out its lack of political correct-ness or, *gasp*, its integrity.
ok. enough with this business. time for some shout-outs. i'd like to give a big CONGRATULATION to: Doc "George Clooney" Dayne, who has now officially completed his medical education and is ready to sail into positive-income territory; Chas U-Baz, who has achieved his primary goal of gainful employment in the Big Smoke; P-dubs, whom i believe is tackling another one of his countless law school final exams; Mayor May Not, finally finishing the work on their staggering 4-disc retrospective, May Or May Not: Ass, Grass, Gas, & Class; and to any and all of you who are wrapping up your undergraduate studies, i salute you. here's to the rest of your life. i'm going to go back and wait for pages.
this educational lesson brought to you by dr. j around 11:40 AM |
« back to the crib | i can't find my copy of "dots and loops" » //-->
Thx for the shout out. I hope you got some procedures in last night.
I heard the Mayor May Not (LOL) album, as Zaid gave me a copy, and it's really impressive. It marks the 2nd time (1st being Ponyoak) that I'm left in disbelief that friends of mine can make music so good.
dropped by 
The Metaphysician on 08 May, 2005 13:10 [*]
~$$$~
THANKS BRO, "Class" is the best disc of the album, it's mostly songs about Zaid and I growing up as Koreans. ALso shout out to Dan Millah, HI DAN MD
dropped by stv slv on 09 May, 2005 13:22 [*]
~$$$~
THANK YOU FOR THE SHOUT OUT MY LITTLE PIECE OF MAY OR MAY NOT...
and I liked your response to that chick on Nates blog!
dropped by ye ole vinegar soaked manacles of doom! on 09 May, 2005 14:00 [*]
~$$$~
STEVE AND DAN, I WANT TO TOTALLY THANK YOU GUYS FOR HELPING ME MAKE JASON'S COMMENT PAGE TOTALLY WORTH SHOUTHING OUT ABOUT....
SO...
THIS SHOUT OUT TOTALLY GOES TO US.
WAY TO GO TEAM. LETS KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!
dropped by ye ole vinegar soaked manacles of doom! on 10 May, 2005 18:14 [*]
~$$$~
drop some science: