All in all I'd have to say it was a good weekend. I got to spend time today with great friends Tiffany and Joe, their two boys and three pit bulls. For the life of me I cannot understand why this breed of dog gets such an awful reputation. Yes, I know full well what some morons train and use them for, but I have to believe that the negative behavior is learned and not instinctual. It's kind of like children; they aren't born prejudiced or bigoted, they learn it. Tiff and Joe's dogs absolutely adore me and show nothing but unconditional love and affection. They are the sweetest dogs and would be perfectly happy just being on my lap soaking up the love. You may not think pit bulls are lap dogs but don't dare tell them that! They are such cuddle monsters and I just love having the chance to spend time with them. Of course football was involved and it was a lot of fun watching the Broncos beat Kansas City. Plans are already afoot for next weekend since Denver is playing the Seahawks in Seattle. That should make for a great game! I heard rumblings today that ribs would be on the menu for next Sunday's festivities and I can't wait. It's so great to spend time with them and reaffirm what special friends they are.
Anytime I spend time with those adorable dogs I can't help but think about stereotypes in general and what a bunch of horse shit they really are. We are all stereotyping various groups of people, animals or things at some level and I fully admit that I'm guilty of it too. All we can do is work to reprogram those incorrect assumptions and realize that categorizing an entire group just because of the behavior or actions of a few is just plain wrong. The examples are abundant and include such idiotic notions as all people who live in mobile homes are trashy, all gay people are flaming drag queens, all Muslims are terrorists, all African-Americans are on food stamps and welfare (and want to be), and, of course, all pit bulls are vicious monsters. I could go on and on but I'm sure my point is already well illustrated. One stereotype that I'm learning hits pretty close to home for me is that stigma that's attached to people who seek mental health treatment. Mental health is so misunderstood by society in general and the only public debates and discussions revolve around some person who goes on a tirade and shoots up someplace, or that we are all just plain crazy. OK, so I can be a little crazy but it's usually in a good way!
As for me, I plan to make every attempt to stop myself when I recognize that I'm making any type of assumption about a person and rethink my own perceptions. Just like racism, sexism and any other ism you can think of, it's going to take a lot of effort to deprogram those instantaneous thoughts that just pop into my head sometimes, causing rash and unfounded judgments about people or situations. I'm placing this goal along side my other priority of changing my own self-talk into self-affirmation and self-love. For me the two really go hand in hand since I have to be comfortable in my own skin and truly revere the person I am in order to recognize the uniqueness that each person brings to the table without all the baggage of preconceived ideas and ignorant stereotypes. Yes, indeed it was a good weekend and as I finish this posting I'll also challenge you to evaluate and analyze your own set of notions. Together we can learn to smash those stereotypes and start celebrating the uniqueness and diversity that this life has to offer.
Hi Thomas! I have to agree...well, I think that pitbulls are one of the most misunderstood breed of dogs. I too am an animal lover and the only time I saw pitbulls in a fit of rage was when i worked at the Humane Society. Most of the animals (mostly pitbulls) were taken from people who abused them or had voluntarily surrendered their animal for one reason or another. Usually by the time we were able to intervene, they were so bad off that the only humane thing to do was to put them down. When I read your blog about the misconceptions and stereotypes of humans and animals alike, I'd like to agree that the idiotic notions (so very well illustrated) poses me to rethink my own thoughts and assumptions that I have. If you think about it, when an animal is hurt whether physically, mentally/emotionally, and is not able to be "re-programed" into being a "good" pet (family member for a lot of us), then the choice that society has available is to kill them. (some would disagree...I'm only speaking from experience at the Humane Society.) When people are abused, abandoned, hurt, neglected and have mental health issues and are in a situation, that, if they were a dog, would be put down. Society obviously does not stand for that and have put into place "safety nets" to help those who want/need to help themselves. Unlike a dog, we have the choice and the power to change the stigma that is attached to people who seek mental health treatment. I like that you recognize that mental health is so misunderstood by society and I would venture to say that everyone could use a little "couch time" once a week.. LOL I also like that you talk about re-thinking your own perceptions . Perhaps positive self talk/self-affirmations and self love will help you along on your journey. You have helped me think about my self talk for today for the better. Celebrating the uniqueness and diversity that this life has to offer for both human and animal alike is something special. This is the first time I've read your blog. You are a very good writer. I can't wait to read more and get more insight about your thoughts. It seems we have a lot in common. And YES!...being a little crazy is ok, as long as it's in a good way! Julie from IOP
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