Jordon Moment~ Color of Friendship plus a little more

Last week Jordon and Abby stayed the night at my MIL's house. And without fail every time they go over my in laws buy them a new movie,or toy or something. This time it seems to have been a movie, or at least I'm guessing since I never heard of this movie on TV.

As we were all buckled into the car after picking up the kids and on our way to my parents house Jordon spoke up from the back seat.

Jordon~ "I watched a new movie at grandmoms."
Me~ "Oh yeah, baby? What was it called?"
Jordon~ "Color of Friendship."
Me and Josh just gave each other a look...Me~ "Oh? Well what was it about?"
Jordon~ "A white kid that wanted to be friends with the black kids but they didn't want to be."
Me~ (wondering what the hell my MIL showed him) "Well that's not right now is it?"
Jordon~ "No but in the end they were all friends, cause color doesn't matter."
Me~ "Your right, it doesn't. Just like you have all different friends at school."

Then he went on and on listing all his friends from his class that were Puerto Rican, Black, Chinese and more. But that was basically the end of it.

Till we got to my parents house. I over hear my dad talking with Jordon and Jordon is telling him about the movie. They basically have the same conversation until I hear Jordon say this:

Jordon~ "But there really aren't any black people"
Poppi (my dad)~ "There aren't?"
Jordon~ "No they are brown"
My dad just laughed at him, but I just had to comment...
Me~ "Jordon, what about Jazzy's daddy?" (my niece's father is African, and just about as black as can be)
Jordon~ "Oh he's black"
Me~ "So there are black people?"
Jordon~ "No he's the only one."

LMAO! I was rolling. I told Mike (Jazzy's dad) and Sarah (my sister) and they thought it was hysterical.

So do you think that this is an issue we should bring up to children with these type of movies? Cause I mean Jordon really seems to have learned some things from it. But at the same time, I never really thought of it and would have just let him live and go on with life as is. I mean he's got lots of different friends and I had never before felt the need to point out that there are different colors and why and to be nice and not judge. He never did so it wasn't an issue. Not that I care that my mother in law showed him the movie. But what is your take on it?

Growing up color just was never an issue for me. I lived in Trenton, NJ. The city, but not the worst of it. In my neighborhood there were just as many Black, White, Puerto Rican, and Italian people. And we all hung out. I mean granted there were the gangs...The Pit Bulls were the guys from the burg and were mostly Italian and the Latin Kings which oveously were Hispanic. But you see that in any city. My point being that it didn't phase me.


I was always attracted to Puerto Rican and Black guys, and it was never an issue in my house. My sister's baby's daddy (that sounds so funny) and current boyfriend (same guy) is black. He's from the Ivory Coast in Africa. And it is funny how much color never phases us.

I remember showing some pictures around at work a few years ago when Mike and Sarah first got together. He was a senior and she was in 10th grade. So when this older white woman I worked with got to a picture of the two of them and said "Oh what do your parents think about that?" I automatically thought she meant that Sarah was dating in general. So I was all "Oh you know, they're getting used to it. She had to start dating sometime." But when she looked at me like I was crazy I realized that she didn't mean that Sarah was dating but that Mike was Black. And you know what? It offended me. It offended me that anyone would think that my family is like that, cause I think it is so wrong.

I come from a large family with lots of mix in it. My dad is Puerto Rican, my mom is 1/2 Italian and the rest German and Irish. I mean I've got it all. Then I have a niece that is half African (in the real sense of the word since Mike isn't even a citizen here yet). It just doesn't matter.

But what does matter to me and bothers me is when people make it a big deal for themselves. I work with a woman that is about the same age as my mom (46ish) and every time a person walks into the store and doesn't want help it's cause she's black. Ummm, couldn't it be just the simple fact that they are rude and don't want anyone's help?

Anyone that's been around for awhile and has read my IRK's knows that one of them is BET. I cannot stand the fact that there is a BLACK entertainment television channel. What an uproar there would be if there was a White ET. And yeah, I've got the argument from the woman I work with that there are Latin channels. And what do I say? It's cause they speak a different Language! I mean go and watch it, there are many different people on the channel they just all speak Spanish.

So when this big to do has been being made over the African American books I just had to roll my eyes and say here we go again. Why are romance books written by Black women not sectioned with all the romance books? Why are the suspense books written by Black people not sectioned with the suspense books? Why are they on a big old separate place for just AA?

Honestly at first I thought that it was all the authors choosing. But the more this stuff is floating around the more I'm learning. I still don't' know facts on it but I from what I hear it may be the publishing companies that are making this separation.

Either way I don't like it. When I pick up a book to read I read it cause it is well written and I like the plot. Half the time I have no idea what the author looks like, let alone her color, till I'm done the book and see the picture on the inside of the back cover. That is if there even is a picture put there.

I actually worked with a woman that told me her husband read a lot. When I asked her what he read she said Black authors. ???? Am I missing something here? So I asked again, "No what type of books does he like?" and she repeated Black Authors. Since when is that a type of book? I mean there are black authors that write romance, non-fiction, suspense, every damn thing. How can "black authors" be the type of book you read? Isn't that a bit racist?

But there it is, I could go on forever. But I'm gonna stop here. These are just a small window into my thoughts on these topics. Go on now, grill me. Give me hell. lol.

What do you all think???


~ Nicole