You should use the word in the title of this post as your inspiration as either a theme of the Sijo or in the poem itself.
There are:
Three Lines
14-16 syllables per line
A total of 44-46 syllables for the entire poem.
The word is “play”.
It IS discriminatory when you play favorites. That clearly means you have standards beyond all that is mediocre, so good for you, my friend. Sift through the debris to find the gold.
Yes, I am angry. I am also disgusted. I’d mind my own business but there’s a concerted effort to ‘infect’ our children with bad ideas. My granddaughters are going to be exposed to them too. They simply can’t go unchallenged any longer. If I hear about “equity” anymore, I may explode. LOL Below is a picture meant to express the ‘marvelous nature’ of “equity”. Let’s examine the messages.
Well, there are three children of different races and sexes in this diagram and an imaginary dotted line. What’s the line mean? I would guess it has something to do with reaching ‘success’. Everything presented in this diagram has a purpose. The white male child is the tallest, the female child is shorter, and the black child is too short to reach the ‘success’ line in the first picture. Oh, I see diplomas in the hands of the “successful”. Could it be the getting of a diploma is a perfect goal? Seems odd that the taller boy can more easily reach the goal when more women are graduating with college degrees these days. Seems repulsively racist that the diagram depicts the black child as needing help to achieve the same goal. I hope they aren’t suggesting black children are not as smart as white kids! Somebody ought to tell Dr. Ben Carson or Barrack Obama about that a.s.a.p. The black child not only seems to need ‘help’, but he’s also depicted as needing the most help. That’s a sorry message, I hope it was not intentional. [wink] So, when it comes to “equality” it seems giving everyone a fair “equal” chance isn’t enough but giving ‘selected people’ according to their ‘appearance’ better unequaled advantages is shown as a ‘good’ thing. Don’t forget…that ‘good’ thing is a diploma. They don’t regard (in this diagram) success as being achievable any other way. That’s okay. They can’t cram all the possible ways we achieve in only one diagram because we know they are endless, right?
Now, let’s look at the heading. “Apply Equity to Women’s Advancement”. I’ve established many reasons that “equity” is condescending and unfair. How might the application of it advance women? What possible measurement does the artist use for “advancement”? I already said more women are getting degrees than men. I can tell you, the women I know without degrees are advancing in there “life goals” nicely too. All motivated people strive to advance themselves toward goals. I surely hope being a devoted mother and/or caregiver or an excellent free-lance writer meets that undefined (but subliminally suggestive) advancement criteria.
I could go on… But I’ll just ask, “What in the world is going on?” WHO are polluting our children’s minds and WHY are they doing this?
Depicting white males as already ‘advanced’ when I’ve seen so many work tirelessly to achieve their goals. Depicting women and blacks as “less-than”. Wow! That’s a stupid and racist message. Depicting ‘advancement’ narrowly as the “buying of a degree” (That’s all it amounts to in most cases.) Depicting that our needs for assistance should be measured by our immutable traits not by our individual situations.
Why don’t we think for a change? Let’s consider who benefits from such messages. Not white males… they’re ‘privileged’, so “you’re on your own guys”. We’ll even let people cut in line before you for jobs. Not females…if they embrace the nonsense in the diagram, they may resent men especially ‘white men’ for having some made-up advantages. Oh yes, and ‘educated’ women resoundingly consider black people as so disadvantaged without them, that they are empowered to “tell them just what they need” because they know better. How condescendingly ‘kind’ are those ‘educated women? Not black children… they’re harmed the most. They can’t (and told they shouldn’t) believe in their own potential when it’s clear they’re going to need a lot of help. Some may not even try with those ‘oppressive’ odds.
The only people who benefit are those who want to expand government and control outcomes. They don’t even use their own money but thinking up ‘equity’ programs while using taxpayer funds (and hiring family members) is their favorite pastime. It makes people appreciate the NEED for them, you know. They (government bureaucrats and Marxist activists) purposefully disrupt our constitutional order of an “equal chance” to “pursue happiness” and sell a divisive message ending with “You need our help. We’re here to help.” because we’re the ‘nice’ guys.
That’s the best description of “authoritarian” control I’ve ever heard. Please “wake-up”. We’re not each other’s adversaries but those suggesting we are, aren’t looking out for you. Beware of the term “equity”, it’s a trick.
I took the image and suggested prompt below and turned it on its head. As my blog’s primary purpose is to offer my views to my granddaughters, my interest is in their futures as truly strong women who believe in themselves. I would fail them if I suggested a vantage point, that I completely disagree with that suggests they should feel aggrieved or behave like entitled ‘victims’ of imaginary forces SO some may be offended. Hey… so be it.
The picture above seeks to capture your heart, On terms now used more often to split us apart. Women are special in their own beautiful design. Their different abilities from men work just fine. Equity tells us we need the same results, It’s our diversity and efforts that term truly insults. Our sizes and shapes don’t need to conform. In Nature uneven potential’s the norm. If you lift up a frog, it won’t learn to fly Because all his value is swimming, that’s why. Our potential is honored by being treated the same, Not by deciding who gets a boost in the game. Equality tries to promote sunny days For everyone hoping to shine their own ways But well-meaning people take an odd pride, Thinking working achievements require a ‘ride’. When fudging one’s gifts or in granting a perk, Equity values no claim to your own work. You’re not entitled to be all the same height. It’s your equalchance to grow that’s your right. The big no-brainer is we aren’t all the same. Embrace your own talents for winning your game. Equity enforces shortcuts chosen for some they enhance. Equality promises you’ll all get a fair chance.
Since so many other online writers have blogs dedicated to their writings, I’ve decided to jump onto the bandwagon. All posts published here will be either fiction or poetry, some new, and some previously published on various places on the Internet. Some of my works are conventional, and some are quirky. All fiction posted here, except for fan fiction, will include the letters "rose" somewhere, as a tribute to my Baba.