Originally Posted by Guest

Now on to you, Don....you have said a lot in your post and I have more to say about it than I can post on here. Probably a lot of it will surprise you because there are many points on which I agree.

Your first few sentences, I totally agree with. I think the thing that really threw my son for a loop was when one of the happiest, most successful, most committed couple we knew (or so we thought) ended up getting divorced right before their 25th wedding anniversary and she raked him over the coals. My son was just as close to this couple as my husband and I were, and my son was at a very impressionable age at the time in regards to marriage. I can see to this day how profoundly that affected him.

Regarding, men and women, I also agree with you. There is no doubt there are more differences between the 2 than meets the eye. From a biological/scientific perspective, take into consideration the hormone differences alone and how much a woman's fluctuates versus a man's in a lifetime. Then there's the biblical perspective which may not be relevant to you but it is to some, and that is that God made woman to be a companion to man not a competitor. I'm not saying women can not have successful careers, and may be even better than some men in their respective fields, but the idea of women taking over the world is as unsettling to me as I'm quite sure it is to you.

As far as your views on races, etc, all I can say is what others have said - I might not agree with some of your views in that regard, but I cannot argue your facts either. Having grown up in a very lily white small town and then moving on to 2 major cities from there, I have experienced quite a lot. Living where I do currently, in the suburbs of a large city, there are 2 smaller cities close by. One is 75% black and rated as one of the top 10 highest crime cities in the US. The other is also in the top 10 and is 56% black. I do not dislike blacks/African Americans. I have friends, co-workers, and even cousins who are black - you and I went around about that before. But there is a culture in some neighborhoods that seems to breed contempt. It is palpable in cities such as the first one I mentioned, so much so that I would not even go there in broad daylight. It is sad in a way because I think it stems from people not knowing any better and crowd mentality thinking. I know good people who live there as well, but they tend to live on the outskirts and keep their children close, sending them to private schools and keeping them busy in productive activities. I have seen some great kids come out of areas like that, but not without a lot of hard work from attentive parents.

I could go on and on with personal experiences, etc, but I don't want to belabor the point on here. I think the real issue is that many people have little to no experience in dealing with different races and cultures. Being in the medical profession and working near or in a city, you get a lot of exposure. I can only speak of what I know. If that makes me a racist to some, so be it. I know in my heart I am not, as do my friends, co-workers and family, and that's all that matters to me. I try to treat everyone with the same amount of respect, no matter their race, religion, socio-economic status, etc. To me everyone has value.