Really Real America

I love LA so much. Real live people live here. Every time I visit I feel like I'm getting a glimpse at "the REAL America." I know, I know, but stay with me here.

See, after living the past six years in Idaho, a place decidedly short on diversity, coming to LA and seeing actual diversity all around me is so beautiful. Boise likes to tout itself as a diverse city, but the vast majority of that diversity comes in the form of refugees. The refugee population absolutely adds to the culturally diverse footprint of Boise; however, I don't think it really helps actual Boiseans (or Idahoans) appreciate true diversity. Let me explain.

See, in Idaho, when you see someone who looks different from you, you get to put them in this "refugee" box, which never actually allows you to view them as Americans. This is problematic. When the only diversity you see is in the form of refugees, you get to remove yourself from the conversation - OTHER PEOPLE are diverse, whiteness is the norm. But when your community is truly diverse, whiteness becomes a PART of that diversity, not some starting point from which to judge all others. That's what perpetuates this stupid fucking idea that "Americans" are white. It's also what allows us to assume that anyone who deviates from white is foreign. Now that's not to say that I think refugee resettlement should stop in Boise or in Idaho, quite the contrary. In order for us to reach that true melting pot ideal, my community absolutely needs more people who look different from me. But it doesn't end there.

Boise (and especially Idaho ) also needs a whole bunch of people who believe different shit, too. Living in a place where the local and state government offices are dominated by white Mormon dudes is what perpetuates the  "American = White" idea. It also perpetuates that paternalistic, white savior bullshit. And that's the part that's got my panties in a twist this morning.

The election of Donald Fucking Drumpf has finally shed some light on the shitty voting habits of the so-called "Christians." For decades those "Christians" have touted themselves as the champions of families, the constitution, and most importantly, of Americans, all under the guise of caring compassion. Those "Christians" have systematically chipped away at health care, education, voting rights, women's rights, infrastructure, and immigration in the name of Christ. Those "Christians" have slammed America's door to the world's most destitute and needy at a time when the world needs us most. You want to talk about fake? Ask those "Christians." I have a feeling they know a lot more about what it means to be fake than any Angeleno.

So fuck that shit. I think I prefer the fake tans, tits, and brilliantly white teeth of LA. At least their fake shit looks good.