What do I look like?

Some things never change. Some people never change. I think prejudice will always exist. In my 30 years of life I have heard every racial slur known to man directed towards me and others. As a mulit-ethnic mutt, I am usually not offended and am often amused because you may have only offended 1/16 of me. I've heard stories of black or hispanic firefighters who arrive on scene to help a white medical patient only to be told they want a white firefighter to care for them. Pretty silly when you think about it, but hey we still live in the south and people will always be imperfect. Recently I have been the target of or I have been witness to the crossfire of this silly judging a person by the color of their skin business. It's true, in 2009, with Barrack as President.



Two such incidents happened in the same day at the same retirement community. In both incidents my partner was assessing the patient and the other EMT's were getting vitals. So I decided to be the person who finds the medications, driver's licenses, social security cards, and insurance cards to complete our records. In both situations as I asked the patients where there walletts were so I could get the information. A look of horror and disgust came on their faces. I know huh, a dark skinned bald headed guy, who you called for help, wants access to your money, credit cards and identity. One of them responded, not thinking I could hear her, for one of the white firefighters to "keep an eye on him" and the other told me outright in a stern voice "don't steal anything." They both wanted to look in their walletts when I was done.

One thing I've never been is a thief. I am human and have many a flaw. I'm a sinner with the best of them. Not all dark skinned people are thieves, murderers, rapists, gangsters, lazy unemployed, and illiterate. Some of us do have college degrees and have graduated with honors ahead of most students in predominiantly white schools. Some of us on scene finished number one in their paramedic classes. That's the guy I'd want taking care of me and I'd be willing to trust....



The third incident happened this weekend. We were talking to an older gentleman and trying to figure out his baseline mental status. He had a stroke before and it was exremely hard for us to understand him. His wife interpreted for him, like a mother does for her two or three year old. We asked him the normal questions, what's your name, where are you, what day of the week is it? He missed the day of the week-which I do a lot of the time, so I asked him another common question. I asked him who the president was. Without missing a beat and in the most understandable articulate words he spoke since we got there he answered, "the ni--er." I looked around the room and jaws were dropped to the floor. There was absolute silence and a quick look to the only black guy in the room to make sure he was okay. The man's wife broke the silence by asking, " Did he just say ni--er?" Then she apologized for his words. She became the black guys best friend the rest of our time there.

It's true that these incidents happened with the elderly, It's not just the elderly who have prejudices. Membership in "hate groups" has risen dramatically since the recent election, and increase in hate crimes has occurred as a result.

Regardless of how people treat me or my co-workers, we do the job required of us with professionalism and compassion. It's our job. We have a rule, the Holder Rule, to treat all people as if they were our own family. The Bible tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves, Jesus expounded on that by teaching that everyone is your neighbor. The Bible also says not to "judge by mere appearances" and that there is "neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free." We are in fact all humans, all God's creation. We bleed the same blood, breathe the same oxygen, die the same deaths, and will have to answer to the same creator. When people show their prejudice and racism, we joke about it and laugh at their ignorance. We don't retaliate, because then their sterotypes and preconceived notions become justified and true for them. I live for the opportunity to prove them wrong, by loving the snot out of them.