WINNER WINNER WINNER!!!

                           

Based on our random drawing... I am happy to announce that this contests winner is :

CASEY LEACH!

Thank you all for playing, and keep an eye out for out next GIVEAWAY!

Casey please message me an address where I can mail you your prize!

SEEKING HUMAN KINDNESS

                       

Tomorrow is a big day for me. I will spend an hour undercover holding a sign on a street corner. 

I am afraid! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. I am afraid of the humiliation I will face. I'm afraid of how strangers will view me in that moment. I'm afraid for my own safety, though I will have a phone, pepper spray and a near by spy watching for my safety. 

I am afraid of many things, Most of all I am afraid that I will be disappointed in humanity. What if someone laughs at me? What if someone is snide or hateful? How will I feel when people drive past as of I'm not there. Afraid to look at me in the eye?

I'm afraid that no one will reach out a human hand of grace.
I'm afraid! 

But with fear I also feel hope. Hope for a loving and accepting hand. Someone to look me in the eye, treat me like an equal and meet me where I am at that moment. 

I am very careful to keep my deception here at a minimum. I will not hold a sign asking for spare change or promises of work for food. I will hold a simple cardboard sign that simple reads....

"SEEKING HUMAN KINDNESS" 

And that my friends is the exact truth. 

I will promptly donate any gifts to the local shelter along with a gift of my own. I will not be abusing peoples generosity anymore than needed for the sake of this undercover project. 

I just thought I'd share my heart tonight as I plan for a big day tomorrow.

A Poem about Homelessness- Although I Wish...

Although I Wish...

December 20, 2011

All I got is this bag

Tattered and so frayed

One pair of socks to call my own

No place for my head to lay.

Beg for money to buy my food

No fork or knife, man this is crude

I wish I knew what I could do

I should slam a six of booze.

People passing in their fine business suits

Acting as if I am not here

“I am a man!” I want to shout

This life is hard to bear.

There is no job to be had

So I sit and hope for better things

Or I organize my tattered bag

Whatever it takes to not feel sad.

The sun is setting it is night

My fight has just begun

I pray I won’t freeze before it’s through

Although I wish my life was done.

GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY!!!

For a chance to win the following:

                          

Starbucks gift card worth $15 dollars.

You must. 

1. LIKE or have already liked our Facebook page 

2. Comment below with one topic of prejudice you would like to see addressed here by this blog.

3. Share this post on your own Facebook page.

Awinner will be drawn at random either Sunday night or Monday morning. And will be notified. The giftcard will them be mailed to the winner.

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Project #2 announcement

As project #1 is concluded, I would like to announce the topic for project #2. Project #2 will face homelessness in America head on. I will do what I can to authentically tell this story so that we might learn to be compassionate and less prejudiced. Walking a mile in someone else’s shoes makes judging them very difficult.

As part of this project I will be going undercover. I will sit on a street corner and hold a cardboard sign. I want to know what it feels like to be at the mercy of the generosity of others.  I will promptly give away any gifts I might receive to a homeless person in my area.

In addition to this, I will also visit a homeless shelter and speak with volunteers there and maybe someone living in the shelter if they are willing.

I hope you stay tuned this week as I will be posting meaningful articles on this subject.

Peace to all.

Char 

This video is called "Make the Homeless smile." it is very touching.

Project #1 Stay-at-Home Parenting Conclusion

Stay-At-Home Parenting: A Big Decision

Let’s be slow to judge.

For many parents who stay home with their children, the decision isn't always an easy one. You must weigh the money and the satisfaction you get from your job and figure out whether it's worth the necessary sacrifices – and there can be many – to stay home and care for your child yourself.

After reading many articles and interviewing stay-at-home parents, I have a broader view of how and why these choices are made.  For some, it is a purely economic decision.  For others, it is a lack of good childcare options.  For still others, it is the desire to be the one attending to their child's day-to-day needs.

If you ask any stay-at-home parent why he or she does it, moms and dads alike say they value the chance to share their child's developmental accomplishments, along with the security of knowing they are in charge of their child's care.

”It’s important to both of us [spouse, sic] that the kids have a parent at home.”

“They’re mine so I don’t want to pay someone else to spend the day with them. “

“I always knew I wanted to be a stay-at-home parent.”

Those were some of the answers given to me as to what motivated some of my interviewees.

What are the advantages of being a stay-at-home parent?

You will be your child's caretaker 24/7, ensuring a relaxed and nurturing environment. You will be there for all those "firsts" in your child’s life, which is sure to be incredibly satisfying.

For some families, it is actually less expensive for one parent to stay home than to pay for childcare to allow both parents to work outside the home.

If you can afford it, you may find that staying home reduces your stress levels. Many parents decide to stay home after trying – unsuccessfully - to balance work and family. One mom listed not having to dress in work clothes as a perk to staying home and another listed the freedom found in a more open schedule.

Staying home will give you more time to spend with your children, maintain your home, and help keep your family life running smoothly.

What’s not to like – So what are the disadvantages?

For some people, loneliness tops the list. When asked about the struggles faced as stay-at-home parent, one mom responded, “loneliness, and feeling of not accomplishing anything, ever.”

Stay-at-home dads may feel doubly isolated because there are so few of them and sadly, gender stereotypes persisting even today can inflict a lot of social pressure.

Changing diapers and tackling endless loads of laundry can be – will be! - boring and frustrating. You may have to look hard for a sense of accomplishment or satisfaction in repetitive and seemingly menial tasks.  

Additionally, finding time for yourself when you are home alone with an attention-seeking baby or toddler can be next-to impossible. Time management in regards to self-care, relaxation, or general everyday life was listed as the top struggle in my interviews.

And while you won't be shelling out thousands of dollars each year for childcare, choosing to stay home is a complicated economic decision. Many families with a stay-at-home parent find they have to budget carefully and devote more time to bargain hunting than before. “You might have to substitute camping trips for hotel vacations, cook at home instead of eating out regularly”, stated one stay-at-home dad.

Negative public opinions of stay-at-home parenting are not a new thing. Many stay-at-home parents feel that they are perceived as a sort of second class citizen, a lazy non-contributor to society with an abundance of free time. Some feel under-valued with their efforts going largely unrecognized.

No matter how you look at it, staying home with a child is a big decision, and one that should not be viewed negatively. It is an honorable use of time, energy, and skills. These parents sacrifice much in order to stay home.  These sacrifices should not be discredited, go unnoticed, and least of all be dismissed as being of no value.

More Good Stuff!

I found this article amazing titled 'Pride and Prejudice'. It is about stay at home dads. I am posting it as my last entry before tomorrows project finally. Enjoy and stay tuned.

Pride and Prejudice

Since I’m hanging up the diaper bag as a SAHD (at least for now), I though it would be a good time to write about the prejudices that SAHDs face every day.  People have gross assumptions about men and how they take care of kids.  This by no means has been helped by the film industry with movies like “Mr. Mom“.  Recently there was also an article published by Time Healthland that disparaged SAHDs by concluding that the divorce rate was much higher in this group, when actually it was unemployed (not by choice) SAHDs that had a higher divorce rate.  I think people, and I hate to say it but especially women, need to understand that men can do as good a job at raising children as women do.  In fact, in some cases SAHDs may be better (Just ask Vicki. She’d be the first to tell you that she’d go crazy doing what I do on a daily basis.)
I think that one the most common comments I get when I am out with the kids is “You have your hands full!”, or “Dad’s day out, eh?”.  When I hear these comments I want to turn and tell the person, “look, I work full time from home and take care of 2 kids, and they are thriving, so keep it to yourself bub!”, but I usually just say something like “every day is dad’s day out!”  The other day, one woman put me over the top.  We were at the zoo, where most of these things seem to happen, and we were walking across the brand new bridge to a new exhibit.  I was pushing the stroller which was acting as a very convenient diaper bag holder since it is 90+ degrees out, and as always I was wearing Maisie while Cecilia was walking close behind me.  Now this bridge is about 30 or so feet above a creek bed that is filled with foliage, and this grandma said “I hope she does not fall through, someone should watch her more carefully!”  The lady was there with her kids and grandkids, and I was fed up.  I said, “Look, this bridge is brand new, built to code, and is in a place where kids are expected to run freely around.  THEY CAN’T FALL THROUGH!”, and just walked off.  She looked a bit dumbfounded, and she should for making such an asinine comment.  I bet she never would have commented if I was a women with my two kids!
I think the biggest problem with our society today regarding dads as primary care giver is that people assume that we are doing it because we have lost a job.  The article mentioned above in Time Healthland displays this perfectly.  The study that the author referenced only refers to men who have lost a job and are forced into a position where they are taking care of the kids when they would prefer to be working and providing for their family.  Needless to say, the men who did not choose the role of SAHD are likely to be dissatisfied with their position.  The article uses this study and erroneously concludes that all SAHDs are dissatisfied. However, I and many others have chosen to take the position of stay at home dad.  I know this is just speculation, but if a women lost her job and was forced into the role of a stay at home parent, I would wager that the findings would be similar with respect to dissatisfaction and divorce.  All this study tells me is that an unhappy parent is not a good parent (or a good spouse for that matter).
I also feel that when dads are alone with their kids, people treat our kids differently then they would if a mother was present.  Just last week I was at the zoo (again with the zoo!) with the kids.  As usual Maisie was sleeping on me in the wrap.  As we were walking, an elderly woman noticed Cecilia and mentioned that she was adorable.  Then she noticed that I also had a baby in the wrap on my chest.  What did she do with this new found sensory data?  She walked up to me, said “Ohhh and you have another one here!”, and proceeded to try to pull the wrap from the baby’s face to see her!  I stepped back and said very sternly “She is sleeping”.  At this point most people might apologize or just walk away, but she actually stepped forward again and tried to pull on the wrap again!  At this point I warded off her hand and said with a strong hint of anger, “No, She is sleeping!”  She still did not get it, so I just started walking away.  People do not do things like this to mothers with their kids, at least not as much.  Yet it happens to me all the time.  But really, why would someone think this is totally appropriate, especially to do this to a complete stranger!  Mom may be a mama bear protecting her cubs, but I am a freaking sleeping giant…. Don’t mess with me. I tend to ignore most things like this but something are going too far and one can only stand so much.
So as I hang up my diaper bag and retire from the SAHD world, I’m a little bit sad that I’m not continuing to break down barriers and stereotypes about fathers as primary caregivers.  I do promise, however, continue to fight the battle as a weekend warrior!



http://piratesandpears.com/2012/07/04/pride-prejudice/

What to watch for here: Good things are coming!

Stay tuned!

-I will be posting my project #1 conclusion article on Friday. Watch for it!

-I will be announcing the theme for project #2 soon, and it's a doozy! I am really excited about this project!

-A nifty give away is in the works! Keep your eyes peeled people! 

Good News: We are all screwing up our kids!

BECAUSE NO ONE EVER SAID PARENTING REALLY 

OUGHT TO BE HARDER

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2013

I want to tell you all something: you are fucking up your kids. I mean it. Just like I'm fucking up my own, and my parents and your parents built all those flaws into you and your siblings, you are doing it right now. And I want to tell you something else: the kids are going to be fine. Great, even. It's all going to be okay.

Remember that, because I am exhausted by the constant, well-meaning barrage of parenting essays by people who have stopped yelling, stopped using their devices, stopped hurrying their kids out the door, stopped eating animal protein, thrown out their televisions, gone free-range, homeschool, charter school, unschool, moved into yurts, quit their jobs, and how all of it has made them better people raising better people. I know it sounds really good — who doesn't want to love their kids more? Who doesn't want to be more awesome? — but it's one more to-do on the ever-growing list of modern parenting requirements.

It's all so much more noise than we need to deal with. You're doing fine, and just the fact that you read those things all the way through says that you're trying to be better. Don't overthink it, you already have enough on your mind.

I try to imagine my mom; when I was little she'd drop my sister and me off at our warm, loving, and deeply alcoholic grandparents' house (apostrophe not a typo). We'd spend the day watching television or swimming and eating Jax, hoping Gramps would stay in a good mood, and come home reeking of my grandmother's Parliaments. I once watched my mom chase my sister from the driveway and up the stairs into our split ranch after my sister—who was on crutches at the time—mouthed off. I remember Mom locking her door and crying because the house was never, ever, ever clean. Not even for company. Sometimes she'd call us "little animals," and I don't doubt my sisters and I inspired the phrase, "This is why we can't have nice things."

I'm sure my mom wondered if she was doing a good enough job for us, but I don't think she had time to consult pediatric journals about how exactly one raises happy, precious, unique children into functional, compassionate adults. She probably locked herself in the bathroom to talk to my aunt or my nana, cried out her frustration, made some coffee and went back to work. I might be biased, but I think Mom did a goddamned bang-up job with the three of us.

One of her well-worn parenting tenets is, "You'll live," (though I've yet to hear her use this one on the grandkids). I was reminded of those words a few weeks ago when I texted a friend a photo of Anna having a complete breakdown after she'd been fresh and I revoked her time at the park. I was feeling terribly guilty, and she was deep in the throes of actual sadness. He wrote back, "I think Anna will live."

I thought, Of course. He's right. Why do I forget that? It's okay. I don't have to please her all the time. She can hurt. She can feel slighted, ignored, even betrayed by me sometimes, and she will live because I love her and I am sure she knows it.

She'll live whether or not I use my phone to connect with friends instead of playing dollhouse. She'll live when I have to work too long, when I pack her a crappy, last-minute lunch, when Steve and I argue in front of her over money or dishes, she'll live if I have to yell at her and if I tell her to hurry up because we're late, she'll live when it's hard for her to make a friend, or when she's the last to learn to tie her shoes. She will survive my flaws.

And because her life is already rich and intricate, she'll be flawed too. Steve and I are screwing her up, her teachers are too, and her cousins, television and the Internet will have their turn, strangers will leave their mark on her. Because this is how we all gather our complexity. This is how we all grow to be human.

Stay at home dad: hero, economics or neither?

Stay-at-Home Dads: Hero's, Economics, or Neither???

At the zoo, my 3-year-old daughter whines about wanting hot cocoa. On my lap, my 9-month-old infant shrieks, too tired to eat and too hungry to sleep. I feel for her. Actually, I’m right there with her.

I glance up in exhaustion and see an old man grinning at me from his place in line at the zoo’s coffee shop. Now, I’m 6-foot-2, 250 pounds, and have a shaved head. My brow owes more than a little to the Cro-Magnon, and I don’t shave very often. I look, in short, like a burly Serbian nightclub bouncer. The old man is grinning at my wailing offspring and me anyway.

Then he says, “Daddy’s day with the kids. Enjoy it!”
And I want to throw the half-empty carton of chocolate milk at his head.
It so happens I’m alone with one or both of my kids—9-month-old Sadie and 3-year-old Anna—at least 50 hours a week
.
It so happens every day is Daddy’s day with the kids.

People are still talking about “mommy wars,” 25 years after Child magazine first coined the term to describe the clash between working and stay-at-home mothers. “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All” was probably the Atlantic’s most controversial cover story last year. And earlier this week, the New York Times ran a lengthy profile of a working mother fighting not for the corner office but for more flex time, with barely a mention of her husband/child-rearing partner. No matter how many dads you might see at the late-morning singalong, the default thinking remains: Moms are the primary caregivers, whether they work outside of the home or they don’t.

Well, it’s not the default in my house. My wife, Jen, spent six months with the kids while I was working full time, and now I’m spending six months with the kids while she works full time. For a number of boring logistical reasons, this was the best decision for us financially. We’re just trying to allocate our resources in the smartest way possible.

Wanting to make babies and take care of them is fairly standard to the biological blueprint of both men and women. Trying to do a good job raising your kids is also not wildly uncommon. That one partner might need to remain with the kids while the other forages for money or berries or mastodon meat—this, too, is standard biological stuff. Especially in lean times. And, as it happens, we live in lean times.

I’d love to put my kids in day care five days a week, but we don’t have the extra $30,000 a year that such care would cost us here in Seattle.

I mentioned that Atlantic cover story about women not being able to have it all to Jen a while back, and she said, “Imagine what would have happened if the cover had been about men and work—a picture of a man in a suit and the image had otherwise been the same. Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue if people started asking the same kinds of questions about men?”

The following month, as if on cue, Esquire ran an endlessly long story called “Why Men Still Can’t Have It All.” Instead of posing difficult questions, Esquireseemed eager to complain about women complaining so much. The author, Richard Dorment, wrote that “among those who traffic in gender studies, it is something of a truth universally acknowledged: Men are to blame for pretty much everything.” The other take-home was that men have it really, really hard. Dorment cites studies that show that in dual-income households, men spend more time working outside the house, and the same number of hours as women at household tasks. Yes, apparently men are being exploited.

Reading his plea for the besieged male, I was reminded of that Louis C.K. jokeabout the joys of being a white man: “God, I love being white. I really do. Seriously, if you're not white, you're missing out. … Let me be clear, by the way: I’m not saying that white people are better. I’m saying that being white is clearlybetter. Who could even argue? If it was an option, I would re-up every year: ‘Oh yeah, I’ll take white again, absolutely. I’ve been enjoying that, I’m gonna stick with the white, thank you.’ ... And I'm a man! How many advantages could one person have? I'm a white man! You can't even hurt my feelings!”

Later, at the grocery store, Sadie’s in her car seat asleep in the cart and I’m carrying Anna, who is rubbing my jaw and saying, “Scratchy!” and then rubbing my head and saying, “Soft!” It’s a game.

Last year my debut novel won the Washington State Book Award, and my second book will be out next year. I teach writing at night. But this is what my days look like now. I spend a lot of time thinking about diapers, nap schedules. I spend a lot of time trying to put clothing onto the bodies of very small human beings who are thrashing around and screaming.

At the grocery store, I look up and a woman who’s lurking by the dried pasta is smiling at Anna and me. “She clearly adores you,” she says with her Mother Teresa eyes squinting benevolently.
I nod. I want to say that whether or not she likes me, my daughter spends a lot of time howling in sorrow at how infrequently she gets to eat cake. I want to tell her that this little angel—who was completely potty-trained a couple months ago—recently started peeing on the bed my wife and I share when she’s upset, like a dog marking its territory. But of course this person doesn’t want to hear about that. This person is cultivating a narrative about my child and me, and she wants me to participate.

“You’re a hero,” she says.

I muster a halfhearted smile and walk away.

“Who was that?” my daughter whispers, still rubbing the side of my head.
“I’m not sure,” I mutter, scanning for canned tomatoes, one of the two items on my list. In Seattle, where the rain pummels us daily for 10 months of the year, these cavernous grocery stores are an OK place to get the kids to walk miles. I’m not the only parent who spends hours here only to leave, at last, with one jar of olives.

“I want a donut,” Anna says.
“Yeah, me too, but that’s not going to happen.”

She grunts in disapproval.
More or less every week, a stranger informs me that I’m a “hero” for taking care of my kids while their mother, my wife, is at work making the money that we require to continue living in the manner to which we are accustomed.

Never in my life has anyone put the word “hero” anywhere near my name, and at first I was delighted that all these people were so impressed with me. Then I noticed that a lot of people also often referred to me baby-sitting my kids, too. The implication was that it was baby-sitting when I had the kids, but when Jen had them she was merely being a mother.

It goes without saying that when Jen was with the kids for her six months, no one ever stopped her in the grocery store to tell her she was a hero.
“Not once?” I asked her recently. She just gave me a look that said that if I even had to ask that question, I was hopelessly naive. Of course not.

Whereas I can barely leave the house without someone levitating toward me bearing that grin. They often shake their heads slowly and stare at the baby for a weirdly long time, wincing as if she were both painful and pleasurable to behold. If the baby is in a calm zone because we’re far enough from her next nap or feeding or bowel movement, I’ll sometimes fork her over, at which point the stranger raises her up like a holy chalice.

My toddler and I then usually exchange a look that goes something like: Ugh, when can get back to sprinting laps and playing hide-and-seek in the mostly abandoned garden section of this grocery store?

Yes, taking care of kids is difficult and it is underappreciated work, especially if you’re also nurturing a career. But it’s not heroic. Because, if it’s heroic to forgo working so that you can take care of kids, then what if you have to work to provide for those kids? Is my wife un-heroic—maybe even a coward—for passing the kids to me so that she can return to work full time? What about me? Was I lacking in heroism before, when I was working long hours and she was with the kids?



I’d like to humbly suggest that I’m not a bad or good person based on my position with regard to this particular question. I don’t feel guilty or proud of how much time I spend with my kids now, and I didn’t feel guilty or proud when Jen was on maternity leave. I wish that Jen also didn’t feel guilty or proud about this issue, but I know that as a woman she is inundated with judgments.


I get judgment, too, I suppose: I’m accosted by strangers who want to praise me because I’m with my kids at noon on Tuesday. But when I was working around the clock and Jen was with the kids, people applauded my ambition. I’m a hero either way, which is nice for me.

I suppose this is preferable to being a wimp. Certainly, especially to older generations, there’s an emasculating connotation to a man taking a break from his career to raise children. The dreaded implication—which is accurate in our case—is that his wife has more earning potential than he does. The novelty of that scenario is quickly becoming unremarkable. The New Republic even thinks the “daddy wars” are coming.

Maybe it’s because of this shift, or maybe it’s because I look like such a brute, or maybe it’s because I remain moderately active as a writer—I earn two-thirds of what Jen makes as a high school English teacher, but just surviving in this beleaguered profession is now widely viewed as a coup—but no matter what I do, I can’t seem to get this thing wrong. Meanwhile, Jen is always wrong. At home with the kids, she’s an anachronistic housewife; at work, she’s ditching her kids to nurture selfish professional ambitions. Somewhere, lurking at the root of this all, is the tenacious idea that men should have a career, whereas women must choose between a career and being at home.

The reality is that no parent I know—regardless of gender—has the luxury of making a choice about how he or she will balance the demands of work and childcare. The decision isn’t heroic or cowardly. It isn’t even a decision. No, this here—this is economics.

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2013/07/life_as_a_stay_at_home_dad_everyone_i_meet_calls_me_a_hero_for_taking_care.html

Working vs. Stay at Home Moms Can’t we all just get along?

                                     Working vs. Stay at Home Moms Can’t we all just get along?

The 2001 census survey reported that among all mothers with children under six, 68 percent of women with college degrees and 75 percent of those with post-graduate degrees are in the labor force, compared with 65 percent of women with high school diplomas.

A recent Census report that employment had declined among mothers with infants received widespread attention. But a closer look reveals a different trend. The proportion of employed mothers aged 15 to 44 with children under the age of one declined from a peak of 59 percent in 1998 to 55 percent in 2002. That figure, however, remains vastly larger than the 31 percent who were in the labor force in 1976.

With 55% of new moms in the workforce, that leaves 45% of us as stay at home moms. We are almost equally divided in our choice of to work or not to work. To be fair, some of us do not have a choice, especially single moms. For those of us that do have a choice, there seems to be strong feelings in either direction.

If one were to walk around the playground, one might hear stay at home moms criticizing their working mom peers for “choosing career over their children”, while the working moms are criticizing the stay at home moms for “giving up their ambitions and income for an apron and a vacuum”. Both of these criticisms can’t be further from the truth.

In order for stay at home moms and working moms to get along, we must first understand each other and have empathy. Just because a mom is working doesn’t mean she has chosen her career over her kids, and just because a mom stays at home doesn’t mean she has abandoned her ambitions and dreams. The truth is many working moms wish they could make the change to stay at home, and many stay at home moms wish they could go to work.

So next time you are on the playground and one of your peers makes a snide remark about the mom down the street, stand up for her. Nobody knows a family’s situation but the family themselves; and what’s right for you is not necessarily right for someone else. When we criticize other women for their choice, we criticize ourselves as women.

http://smartmomma.com/work_career/can't_we_get_along.htm

In Tha Muthahood

I find it very important to laugh. and to be able to see the humor in small things.
Being that this weeks project theme is stay-at-home parenting, I found this video appropriately humorous.

Enjoy!

What is a stay-at-home parent worth?

Stay-at- home parents and the biases and prejudices they face is our theme for week and project #1. 

I will be posting information, links, videos and photos that are relevant to this issue while I wait for and compile my interviews and write an article. Look for that Friday! 

Though I might argue this to be an exaggeration, it's a good enough example to the monetary value of a stay-at- home parent. 

Follow link for the article:

http://www.businessinsider.com/value-of-stay-at-home-moms-2013-5

Topic # 1 idea and subject request

I am looking for some stay at home moms and or dads that might be willing to answer some simple questions about biases and prejudices they face in this role.

I can keep your name anonymous if desired.

This will be the main topic for project #1.

Please let me know if you would like to contribute. Feel free to share this page!

Introduction

Pride and Prejudiced- Challenging today's prejudice’s one stereotype at a time.

I've been noodling this idea around in my head for some time now.  Finally it is finding its way into action.

I am creating a blog as a platform to promote this endeavor. Depending on where this leads, it may become a video blog, documentary or a book somewhere in the future.

The goal of the project is to challenge today’s stereotypes one at a time. Taking time to walk in another’s shoes can open the door to a broader acceptance of a generally easily biased issue.

I am planning on using many resources as tools to keep this project authentic and unbiased. These include: costuming, props, theme specific locations, honest reporting, character role acting, and recruitment of both assistant actors, and real life interviewees. 

These tools will be used to gain a real everyday understanding of the life lived as a minority or commonly stereotyped individual or groups of peoples. The greater goal is to gain understanding and a greater compassion towards the people who live in these situations daily.

   

Some of the general categories of commonly prejudiced stereotypes I would like to start with include:

Ethnic minorities

Social Economic classes

Sexual identity and orientation

Spiritual/religious beliefs and practices

Age related biases

Health and wellness

Education/Career stereotypes

This is a simplified list to my longer more specific list. I would like to invite you to join this project. It is meant to be a positive experience, not a place for conflict, or bigotry. I very much welcome ideas, comments, thoughts, suggestions, volunteers, etc…BE NICE!!!

The blog title is: Pride and Prejudiced- Challenging today’s prejudices one stereotype at a time. You can find it at:

http://prideandprejudiced.blogspot.com/

Also like and follow the blog on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pride-and-Prejudiced/551370108251119 I have high hopes for this project and would love for you to join me. Expect to see my first topic and project idea very soon.