Digital Common Sense

I’m posting the graphic here because given current conversations, it delivers a very particular tongue-in-cheek message.

I debated posting the graphic in the sidebar, but someone finding it at some future point might interpret it out of context. Particularly someone from outside the US from a generation that might not recognize the gentleman in the picture.

In truth, I take pride in many things. Neither whiteness nor maleness are among them. These are two characteristics about me that I can’t change. They don’t matter in the big picture.

Just to amplify from one easy to grasp example, take the movie Dances with Wolves for instance. There’s a movie that makees me ashamed to be a white man in America. Because white men in America really did that sort of thing.

Every job is a portrait. Autograph your work with excellence.

I have that quote on a paperweight on my desk at work. Our work speaks for us. Our words speak for us. Our actions speak for us. We define ourselves many ways. Ethnicity and gender shouldn’t be among the ways us.

As for pride, speaking as a proud persons, I think there ar legitimate sources if pride.

• I take pride in the caliber of work I produce and how I conduct myself in business with others. I believe in integrity but I know sometimes my honesty is too brutal. I struggle with it, but take pride in the fact that I focus on it every day.
• I take pride in being married over 32 years, against the odds for my generation. And I give my wife the credit for that. She’s put up with me for most of our lives. and that’s no small task.
• I take a great deal of pride in seeing the men my sons havee turned out to be. I certainly can’t take the credit, but I’m very proud to be part of the livees of the meen they’ve become.

There are legitimate things to be proud of. Being white or male, fat, thin, well endowed in some regard, popular, hundreds of other reasons are……well, superficial. Being superficial isn’t something to be proud of.

*** mo:Blogged ***

Filed by Ken at 6:35 pm under General