Unpainted and Unmatched

A co-worker jokingly told me something that her husband said that she scolded him for. "Football is a third-world sport", which she explained why he's not into it.

I don't get the joke. Nor thus my funny-bone.

Was it too funny that I might have forgotten to laugh?

I am not entirely a stoic person. I can appreciate funny moments, laugh at most of my stupidities and blunders. I find watching comedy relaxing (specially from a long bout of criminal/forensic series or anime). And yet I don't get the bloody freaking joke.

It does not take a genius to tell that I am not a fan of discrimination, especially of race, religion, gender and economic status. Although I try to understand those that do.
Maybe understand is not the right word...tolerate? Like a filter in my mind...that I cannot breathe underwater...is in the same frequency as my tolerance of discrimination. I know it happens. Every day. I too have fallen under that cardinal sin, which is the reason why I am harsher with myself whenever I direct my self importance in a generalized direction...Pride is a set up for one hell of a fall.

I believe that discrimination is a choice. Of course there's always factors to consider why one is biased (so tame a word...deceptive as ever). However I see it as a choice. Like love, like fear, like anger...hate can be a  choice.

Yes. At some point, as I have chosen love, fear, anger, misery, happiness...as I have made choices upon choices, I too have chosen Hate.

I don't need to describe how it feels. How it too pulses through your veins. So in a way, I can see his choice.
In many ways I have criticized our country, it's political circus, it's poverty, it's social awareness, it's frequent clashes of religion, its domestic squabble. And yet I'm sure I am not the only one who feels pissed off hearing or knowing someone else took an aim at it...even when we know that a lot of foreigners find our country quite the cosmic joke.

I don't want to speak with the voice of Hate...so I give my gift. It is not Hate that moves me to say:

I don't need to change the color of my skin to be a racist, I don't need to be a man of faith to to be a bigot, I don't need the riches of the world to feel superior. I can be all of the above because I would choose to...it just happens, that I chose not to be.

I give you my pride...I am a woman with the blood of traitors and heroes running through my veins...I give you my Anger.I choose to be better than hate.