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"Naturally, I disagree, Troy. Losing weight for health issues is just one reason why women do it. Many do it to slim down their figures so they can wear fashionable clothes, something that is also an added incentive to the ones who do it for reasons of health. Braces are a cosmetic issue. You can eat with protruding crooked teeth but everybody wants that toothpaste grin because a perfect smile is an asset. And getting contacts as opposed to wearing glasses to improve your vision is comparable to straightening your "kinky" hair. If a woman thinks she looks more glamorous without the encumbrance of glasses, and with the enhancement of long silky hair and arched eyebrows, this is not a sin. That's her prerogative.. "Vanity, thy name is woman!" Self-esteem comes in many forms. Where is it written that you have to be satisfied with your natural appearance if it doesn't prove to be an asset in the sphere where you function. Ignorance is a natural state but going to college to acquire knowledge and skills so you can better navigate through life, is not a case of self hate; it's a practical decision and could even have something to do with self love. I think this applies when it comes to do-overs, too. My point is that self-hate is a label that is placed on people so they can be categorized and dismissed. If a person chooses to adjust to the social turf where they compete, then self-appointed arbitrators need to butt out. All people are exploited in every area of their life. When black men give up the extravagant consumption of things that advertise their status and polish their image, then I'll encourage sisters to do likewise. In the meantime, I say: "do your own thing, girlfriend; it's your life".

Do what??????

To me, the whole Sandra Bland situation was a perfect storm. A racist cop, and an agitated black woman cross paths and an irresistible force met an immovable object. Gray clouds gathered and lightning eventually struck. The result was inevitable. Autopsy results have been released backing up claims of suicide all of which has served to escalate matters. Unfortunately, emotion does not influence justice which is why Sandra died in vain. That's how it goes in the land of the free white person and the brave black one. Ice-T famously appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, wearing a police uniform, - an affront to the brave boys in blue, considering he rapped about killing cops. Where is he now? A member of The Establishment , co-starring on a TV show playing a character who is on the side of law enforcement. That's how it goes in the land where profit rules. Cops complain how everybody hates the police until they need them. I've never been in a situation when they weren't called when any kind of a crime was committed. That's the Catch-22 of life in "Chiraq" territory.

Aside from the fact that you are engaging in broad generalizations, all ethnic groups stereotype each other. In a perfect world things would be different but this not being the case, we will all continue to associate certain things with certain nationalities.

If people are not satisfied with how they look, then who is to say that they can't change their appearance if they so chose?? We are urged to change our personality flaws to make us better persons and if aspiring to a "be-all-you-can-be" vision of themselves motivates people to do what makes them feel better, then I say so be it. All the judgmental people who want to lecture about self-hate and low self-esteem need to chill. Should an obese person not try to lose weight? Should a person with acne not try to clear up their skin? Should a person with protruding crooked teeth not get braces? Should a extremely myopic person not wear contacts. And why is it any more of a crime for a black female to want long silly hair extensions as opposed to the coarse synthetic fiber that is woven into the dread locks so favored by other black people who are always yapping about racial pride. One is no more of an affectation than the other. If a dark person wants to lighten their skin and or a white person wants to tan theirs, then it's nobody else's business and they shouldn't have to justify why they decide to do this. We should be more interested in what's in a person mind instead of what's on their head, less critical of their complexions and more intrigued by the complexity of their individuality. Everybody is entitled to choose their way of competing and coping in a world that in spite all of its noble rhetoric condemning superficiality, is the very essence of it.

Words are weapons. But actions speak louder than words and one picture is worth a thousand words. There's a message hidden right before our eyes in these old adages. Reading between the lines and understanding the impact of what is not said is the beginning of wisdom. Your ZEN thought for the day. LOL