Sep 27, 2019
Ashlie: (00:18)
Welcome back to another episode of tactical living by Leo Warriors.
I'm your host, Ashlie Walton.
Clint: And I'm your co-host Clint Walton.
Ashlie: In today's episode, I want to talk about how I believe
that as a society it is our fault that we are creating color and
ultimately racism, so just sit back, relax and enjoy today's
content. I had a conversation with somebody yesterday who I've
looked up to for well over 12 years now. This person has said and
done a lot of things that have left me with that question mark face
time and time again. I love her. What can I say? But yesterday
something she said left me to the point of being so dumbfounded
that I had to turn away and physically end the conversation.
Ashlie: (01:25)
I was so dumbfounded and so confused by this statement and then I
started to go through some other emotions, anger being the top of
them. I immediately messaged Clint to vent to him to make sure that
the way that I perceived this comment was one that was universal
and that I wasn't perceiving it in a way that only I would. My
Analytical Mind tends to go that way. I want to see what other
people think. I usually want to see why it is that other people are
coming from a certain frame of mind. Anytime that it differs from
my own. So in saying that, I have a quote, I have a quote from that
very comment, I'm going to share it with you now. The quote was, if
you are not white, you are not considered American. That blows my
mind. It blows my mind because I do not perceive colors to be
non-American. The person who said this in case you're wondering,
her skin tone is white, she is wider than me. Had she been any
other color, I still would have been just as dumbfounded. And I say
that from a place where I don't consider somebody to be American or
non-American based on the color of their skin. And I never knew
that this was a topic of dispute for other nationalities
Ashlie: (03:22)
I don't get it. I've had time to process it, I discussed it with
several people and I'm still shaking my head at the comment. I'm
shaking my head at the comment because despite me physically
turning and walking away, this person who I'm going leave nameless
because the name doesn't matter who it was, doesn't matter. It's
the fact of what was said, that that does matter. Felt the need to
several hours later come to me to reopen the conversation as though
this person felt that they needed to further defend their comment
with the way that my emotions were. I just listened. I assessed,
I've been studying a lot of body language, so I was really just
focusing in and honing in on how things were said, what was said,
the physiological way that things were being stated, and I'm just
trying to understand it. I'm trying to understand how somebody who
also came here from another country, well over 30 years ago and who
is an American citizen could make a comment indicating the fact
that well, you're not American if you're not white. Why would
somebody believe that?
Clint: (05:02)
You know? And my mindset behind that, it's just comes from
influence, and I hate to use this word, but the propaganda that's
out there and reference to it. You know, within our own spheres of
influence, we're given this impression of who we're supposed to be,
what we're supposed to believe, what we really analyze as life
itself. And it's unfortunate that she had to get to that point of
hearing one person say something to her or hearing that statement
made to her. Cause it's definitely not anything that she would have
thought of herself gave her their impression and belief now of what
that is.
Ashlie: (05:58)
And as I sat there, I couldn't help but wonder, is this an attack
on me because I am not white American? What's underlining here?
What more could be uncovered from a statement like that? What would
lead somebody to the point of even feeling the need to express
themselves in that way? What's, what's the issue
Clint: (06:22)
And in the law enforcement aspect of that, we really notice
everyone brings race in to play. No matter what we do, whether
you're white or black, you're brown, you're yellow, whatever color
you may be, pink, purple, Fuchsia. It's kind of one of those things
that no one notices that or recognizes it unless one, you're one of
those people that really do target racial injustice [inaudible] and
it does happen and I fully believe that there are people
continually going to be and always will be out there who targeted
people for their skin color. But as a population, as a whole, most
of us, we don't even look at a tone of the skin or the accent and
their voice. We just look at them as other peoples. It's their
actions that really display who they are.
Ashlie: (07:28)
I agree with that completely and I agree with that. So much so
because I come from a family of immigrants, like my dad came from
Canada, he's an American citizen. I remember studying with him for
months to make sure that he could pass his exam to become a u s
citizen. That was a very difficult aspect of the process for him
because he was illiterate. He had a hard time reading the questions
and the thing he had to study was a lot of the, the written English
language and we studied for months. I asked him questions, I
started the answers just as much as he did to be honest with you.
The average or even many elite level Americans let's say would
never even have the ability to pass that test. It's very difficult.
And when he passed the test it and he, he was invited to go and get
his citizenship and he got to walk in it and it was this family
affair and it was so celebratory for us all him becoming American
and then essentially it was the last stitch effort to join the
family. Right. That was the only variant between him, his wife and
his kids was that he didn't have as citizenship and had so much
pride. I still have so much pride for what he did and sub
sequentially what he did there after and becoming as successful as
he's been thereafter.
Ashlie: (09:12)
But I never, I never looked at the color of him.
Ashlie: (09:17)
Clint and I live in Southern California and statistically we are
the minority, especially in the county that we live in.
Ashlie: (09:27)
We don't go around to restaurants and try to look for the other
white folk that are sitting in there. Never once has that crossed
my mind until last night. Last night, as I'm still pondering on
this, this one sentence, if you are not white, you are not
considered American. We take my dad out to dinner every Thursday
and with intention. I decided to stop while we were sitting at the
table. I had full scope of the entire restaurant and I looked at
every single person in the restaurant. There were Asians and
Hispanics. We were the only table of quote white people and Unquote
and with intention. I took stock of how I felt. Did this make me
feel inferior? Did this make me feel any different in knowing I'm
surrounded by people who are not at the same, you know, background
as me, not at all. Nothing in me made me feel any different.
Sitting in a room, being the only white person and I found myself
laughing in my mind that how stupid this is. How stupid that people
could feel the need to waste so much cognitive effort to even take
notice of something like that.
Ashlie: (10:53)
Now if someone were to stand on the chair and start singing aloud,
I would have noticed and I have paid closer attention to some of
their features, what they were wearing, making sure they were okay
in those things, but even then I wouldn't say, oh, they're doing
that because of this color. Who Cares?
Ashlie: (11:16)
The only people that care about colors are the people that are
creating a division based on color. I believe that it is these
people that are creating racial issues in our country. I believe it
is only these people who are taking notice and taking stock of the
color of their own skin versus the color of anyone else around
them. Be It in a positive situation, a normal common day situation.
These are the people that are creating this social divide based on
race. It's not else. It's not the officer who arrested you because
you were doing something illegal. It's not their fault. It's you.
As you sit there, maybe you've experienced something similar. Maybe
you've had a time where somebody starts to point out the color.
What did you say to them? How did you respond? How did you feel? I
asked this from a place of still just shaking my head around the
whole situation and finally ending up in a point to where I just
feel so bad for her. I feel so bad for her to even have that
reality to where those are her truths. She feels that she's
segregated in a way. She feels that because she wasn't born in
America, that she's not the white American. How sad, how sad is
that?
Ashlie: (13:06)
I wish that wasn't her truth. I wish she didn't feel that way. This
individual watches the news and pays attention to social media
significant amount, much more in comparison to us. Not that there
needs to be a comparison, but Clint, I have a very limited level
when it comes to that sort of thing, and I truly believe like, like
Clint said, that that has a lot to do with her social
influence.
Ashlie: (13:37)
And as you sit there, I hope that you find the importance in
defining the key characters that are more important about a human
being, be it in America or anywhere around the globe and not the
color of their skin. I believe that if you support this country, if
you abide by the laws, if you are here legally, if you support our
military, our first responders, if you do your due diligence as an
American and you understand that yes, the American dream is
possible, but that there are things that need to be done and checks
and balances and process before that could be a reality for you,
then you're really able to enjoy your Tactical Living.
Balance. Optimize. Tactics.
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