Monday, March 23, 2009

crossing bridges, finding poison

There is a reddish dot near the center of the picture above. It was taken by my wife, and the reddish dot would be my shirt... I was lagging behind, looking for 'gator tracks.

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This was one spot I just HAD to see before we returned from our Florida trip. That was the park near my parents' home that had the alligator signage. It had the coolest bridge that went from a playground to the lake. I wouldn't have minded purchasing a one-day fishing license if I had my tackle with me, because once we got past 'gator-ville, the lake looked great for fishing! As I said in a previous post, we did not spot any alligators, but instead, the most dangerous thing we came across was poison ivy. No, I didn't touch it. How do you get rid of this stuff? Did you know that if you burn it, you can get that nasty rash inside your lungs, just from inhaling it?!

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Hey, have you heard about Disney courting controversy in their newest feature? The new movie will pair a black princess and a white prince. The negative criticism I was reading, suggested that "it was about time they had a black princess, but what's wrong with giving her a black prince?" That person complains too much. It is good to show children (and everyone else) that black and white can live happily ever after. I'm curious to see how big of a reaction they stir up with this movie. You'd think today's world would have healed this rift by now, or at least that we would have more progress than this. Racism is a nasty poison, and I can't stand even the smell of it. How are we going to stop the bleeding, if people keep inflicting fresh wounds?!

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I left a comment, saying how I applaud the positive image Disney is creating with that movie. Ethnic diversity is a beautiful thing, and I feel I must speak up whenever I catch any talk of racism. What about you?

7 comments:

Unknown said...

One of my best friends is black :)

imac said...

Just had to be in the shot - eh my friend.lol.
Great post.

mommanator said...

Where in FLA is thise bridge located, in NJ at their zoo in Cape MAy, there is a bridge quite similiar. Looks like a place I can take dau#1 with the wheelchair.
Racism is pervasive!, but one day hopefully(in the not too distant future) we will be together as the lion and the lamb!

Craver Vii said...

Eve, have you ever seen unfair treatment while you were with your friend?

Imac, I only found that I was in the shot yesterday. I had not seen anything more than a thumbnail image until then, and assumed it was just like one of the other bridge pictures we took.

Mommanator, Palatlakaha Park near 50 & 12th (561) in Clermont. That's about half-an-hour West of Orlando. If I remember correctly, you'd have to go through a little bit of sand just before getting on the bridge. But it's wide enough to take a wheelchair, and the view at the end was nice especially as it approaches dusk.

lime said...

eeesh, i am terribly allergic to poison ivy and have been around when it was burning, VERY bad experience as a kid.

as for the racism bit, i am with you. i have a low tolerance for nasty remarks. when we moved to trinidad and one aunt was fairly mortified (we figured we'd be there long term and the kids would grow up there) because "what if my daughter grew up and married 'one of them?'" (meaning a non-white) i looked at her and said i'd be thrilled to know i'd succeeded in raising color blind children. i truly mean that.

lime said...

...ok, so i also said i'd get adorable caramel grandbabies out of the deal too...that was just because i wanted to push my aunt's buttons and see her almost faint. she had been having fits about us living in a racially integrated neighborhood and i was sick of her obnoxious comments. inducing apoplexy was the only way to shut her up. why yes, i do have an evil side.

Craver Vii said...

I'll tell you what-- caramel cuties are more and more common these days, and they are beautiful people. There is a biracial couple at my church who's daughters have the most amazing complexion and features. I would expect that people with sinful preconceived notions would eventually observe enough to see that it ain't so bad as they thought. When this movie comes out, we should expect to see more positive testimonials from influential people.