writing

 Hello Anonymous Internet Friends,

I was writing a humorous introduction about why you should read my
entry and what sort of insights about modern life you’ll get out of it
when I realized you probably won’t get much.  My problems and
solutions are usually about Miami and most of you don’t live here…but
you can read on if you want.

The Fair is in town and I was excited about going because I had a $2
admission as a teacher.  One of the only perks of the job
:).  So I ate the Elephant Ears and wonderful fair food and I was
having a great time remembering what it was like to be a child at the
fair.  The Carnie folk were as surly as ever.  But I
realized: EVERYONE was with their “own” people.  There is very
little mixture among the groups.

The black guys would have their arms around black girls.  The
Spanish would be in their own large groups.  I was one of six
“white” people out of 6,000.  And I think it finally made me
notice enough to write about it here.  At least growing up I’d
have a few friends to be a minority with but now it’s just me and a
Venezuelan girl.  Funny.

Whatever.  It just means our fair is more fun than yours and the
police wear the “Anti-Gang Task Force” shirts on the grounds.  But
I’ve never ONCE seen a single fight at the fair, it’s all for
show.  The fair is the happiest place in Miami except when the
rides break like last year, but that’s mechanical and not malicious (I
hope). 

So the people are happy, in their own groups, and I’m happy too, in my
own little way.  Then we saw this pathetic tiger in a little cage,
which was under the guise of teaching about endangered animals. 
We were just making small talk with the handler and she felt she could
confide in us (she was one of the six). 

After we saw the tiger get startled, she said, “You know I shouldn’t
tell you this…but I will.  She is a good tiger but she has a
problem with…black people.  She goes crazy around them.”

I agreed with her.  We used to have a pit bull who would hate
black people for some reason and, not surprisingly they would fear the
dog right back.   The lady said the tiger had been raised by
“normal” white folk (not racist)…I’ve known others with the same
issue.

Is there a hidden racism the owners are transmitting, unknowingly, to the animals?  Is it something deeper?

All I know is America was founded on racism (3/5s anyone?) and it exists to this day. 

Why does the tiger get mad at black people?  Or perhaps, the
whites want to FIND the animals are angry at the black
people?  

Maybe we are all racist…

ANyways, I read a GREAT student short story at the fair about a woman
who lived in a harmonious town that heard stories about a caged
dragon.  She encountered the dragon who demanded to be released
but promised to destroy humanity.  I’m thinking- awesome story-
for a 15 year old this is genius.  I’m hoping the girl will
release the dragon and the author will make a powerful statement.

Then the story got lame.  THe girl saw the “love” deep inside the
dragon and that’s actually how people reproduce (really?  everyone
who fucks is in “love”?)  and the dragon became an angel and the
girl released the angel. 

It would’ve been better if the dragon stayed a dragon though. 
Hey, for 15, B, W, H or O- it was great writing.  Not that talent
always gets recognized.  But oh well.

Caged tigers and dragons.  Break free wild friends.  But,
here’s a hint,  it isn’t only black people which are holding you
captive, it’s all of us and you’d do the same if you could shoot a gun-
send the blame up the chain of command.