Friday, July 27, 2012

On the down low

There are many that are part of the LGBT community but keep it secret for a variety of reasons.

In this time of tolerance, companies and their employees publicly state that they support "Diversity" which includes sexual preference but find other execuses to refuse to hire, refuse to promote, and to fire people. It is difficult to prove otherwise.

The same holds true for parental rights. Whether you are trying to keep your children, share parental custody, or adopt, the courts are even more open about considering your sexual prefence as a strike against you.

Religion is often at the root of these moral issues. I personally have found my spirituality to be very important to me. I know it takes a strong person to find their own path when everyone wants to show you their way but I am happy I chose to walk that path instead of giving up entirely.

I have had to struggle recently with the loss of a dear friend, their secrets, and the way I have been treated because I don't keep my sexuality a secret. My emotions run the full spectrum from annoyance to anger to pity and depression. I am exhausted.

But I am also surprised and thankful for where the support sometimes comes. So I keep on going and remain hopeful for the future. I try to be an example of a kind and loving person in the hopes that others will realize that I am no better or worse than most and should have the same rights as everyone in this country.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

All Praise the Mighty d'Allah!

It seems many today have truly sold their soul to the Mighty dollar.

We see jobs disappearing and turn a blind eye as if the work all of a sudden is no longer needed. In reality, these jobs are being quietly oursourced to other countries and even the people losing their jobs still support the policies that allow this.

When I worked for one of the Fortune 500 companies as it became more obsessed with the value of its stock and less concerned with the needs of its employees, I saw the writing on the wall.

My group trialed outsourcing and before you knew it, the company had sold a large portion of its employees to an outsourcing firm as if we were just a commodity. The next step was for that company to then shift the jobs overseas. A one-two punch that I suspect is at the root of the mystery of much of our job losses. The work is still there. The workers that contribute to our economy are not.

Just that one Fortune 500 company went from around 105,000 employees to around 35,000. Do the math to see what just the Fortune 500 companies may have outsourced.

Yet it seems so many still support large corporations being able to have a voice through their money. The individual has lost much of its power and yet so many still support the political views that are taking the individual freedoms away and listening (and often profiting) from the corporations.

I will not address the folks profitiing from this worship of money because they don't care and it is unlikely any words will change that. It's like gold fever. More, MORE, MORE!!!

I understand that people should try to contribute to a society. If they can't, I don't believe that should be treated like dirt. Finding that balance isn't easy. Many will try to take advantage of the system and this gives the other side an example of why we should not provide any help. Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water.

If we are to err, let's err on the side of helping people instead of making profits. Just because you are fortunate does not mean everyone has had the same opportunities. Put yourself in someone else's shoes and try to understand things from their point of view. And if you do worship money over people, do you really think that's right?