A Wasp

Folks I was raised a WASP. White Anglo Saxton Protestant. I was raised where there were no people of color. No one spoke a different language or had customs vastly different than my family. I attended a Wasp school, church and the athletic contests were Wasp also. I attended a Wasp college and never dated a girl of a different color, race or religion. However I heard all kinds of stories, from other wasps, concerning those who were different. Some were classed as lazy, hard headed, stupid, dirty, and would steal anything of value, etc.

Some have said I led a sheltered life. Perhaps that is true. However I prefer to call it a life deprived of the benefits I could have received if I had been associated with folks that were different from me!

My first friendship with a person of color did not occur until I was in graduate school. A young man my age (oh yes I used to be young) who sat in the seat beside me. As we talked and our friendship grew I got a different perspective of the discrimination that he and his race faced at that time.

"Joe," he said to me. "I can stand it myself, but when I cannot find a decent place for my wife and children to eat and sleep, I get angry."

Folks, that hit me right between the eyes. I also had a wife and two young children and if someone had refused to let me and my family eat or sleep because of the color of my skin, I not only would have been angry I would have been mad as the Devil’s home.

Since that time I have been fortunate to travel to many countries in this world. I have found wonderful people everywhere I traveled. Of course there were some that were not so wonderful. Be that as it may. I also found some of those not so wonderful people years ago in my Wasp community.

God created people in all shapes and sizes and of different colors. If what I read is correct, He loves us all! I strongly suspect He expects us to do the same!

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