Closing out Diversity Awareness Month

Seleana and Timbre discuss their feelings on diversity, and its importance in society.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Hello everybody, and welcome to Disco Diversity of Observation. I am your host, Timber, and with me as always is my fellow host.

SPEAKER_01 0:18

Hello everyone. It's me, Selena. Welcome. Welcome back, or welcome here for the first time, whichever one.

SPEAKER_00 0:24

We're glad you're here. Right. You know, it's we are celebrating and acknowledging the last Tuesday because we record Tuesdays of the month for uh Diversity Awareness Month.

unknown 0:39

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 0:39

And it's also Volunteer Awareness Month, and we did a recording on that for last week that you can check out. But this month, uh the this last week now, excuse me, it is for diversity. And which is the nature of our podcast anyway.

SPEAKER_01 0:58

It pretty much is, yeah. And so we just thought we'd just kind of wrap it up, generalize, and just having a quick chat kind of about it. Um when I thought about it, my first thing is like, why is it, why do I think that diversity is important? What's the value that I believe that it comes with? Um and I'd like to, you know, when I thought about that, there's so many different things. There's so many value, so much value in two people and multiple people and learning and in and seeing it's like a you know, the variety pack of uh of whatever of gum or of, you know. Fruit stripes to get to get all those different flavors, you know, some you might like, some you might not like, but it's still a bonus to be able to get them all together. And you can actually get to taste different flavors by doing variety packs and you get to learn different things from new people by that are you know outside of your norm or your realm. I think that just diversity is so important and we live, especially here in Minneapolis, in a very diverse community. But there's also their side of this, you know, as you know as well, that we have. But I I still value it. I still think it's very important, and I I see why it is important to me.

SPEAKER_00 2:20

Yeah, I I unfortunately live in a very sparsely diverse community. Um there are people of color here and different races and dis different nationalities, but that's very, very few and far between. I I go to other cities and um other parts of the country, and and it's there's a bit of a culture shock when I start to when I when I get there, and like I have to remind myself, well, wait a minute, Timber, you grew up someplace else, you know better, you know.

SPEAKER_01 2:58

Um you kind of fall into a little norm for a second there.

SPEAKER_00 3:02

Very much a norm. And even complacency. Uh, and even getting blinders on, that's all I you know, what with what I see, and I get brainwashed by the media too. I get brainwashed by entertainment media of what cultures are repr represented as, and I and I have to remember myself, no, that's fantasy, that's fiction.

SPEAKER_01 3:33

Um like what are you that's interesting. I that's good to hear that, because you know, I know you used to live here in Minneapolis as well, in the diverse communities like what you're saying. You know, that's not where I came from that you um become accustomed to the area of where you're at when it's not as quite diverse that when you come into diversity it kind of gives you a little shock.

SPEAKER_00 3:57

It does. It does. You know, especially I'm I'm planning a trip to San Francisco in a couple weeks and have been there a lot. But there that's a very different city.

SPEAKER_01 4:10

So being a person, you know, you're from the diversity and having that experience, what would you say would be a good way for a person who is coming into diversity for the first time? So you imagine their shock, like you came from it. You just you kinda had to remind yourself what you know what would you say would be, you know, something that would benefit that person?

SPEAKER_00 4:35

Uh do not make any assumptions about anything. You let let up the let somebody that they meet um represent themselves um and just as a person too. You know, don't meet I mean there's everything that makes makes us up, um, not only our gender, but also our race and how we look and even our physical ability. And um we don't leave aside all your preconceived notions and what you've been told and what you've been what you think about a certain group or type. Um, and and leave all assumptions aside because you know um the the adage uh what happens when you assume? You make an ass out of you and me. Well the thing is that you're making an ass of yourself. Because I mean you're now in in a sense when I'm making a an making an ass of you, that's in my that's it, that's representative in my head that you're not fitting the stereotype that I'm guessing or assuming that you're gonna be. But no, it's uh that it's yeah, that might be true, but you're making an ass of yourself by assuming because you're embarrassing yourself and embarrassing the person that you're s making an assumption assumption of.

SPEAKER_01 6:04

Possibly embarrassing them, you know.

SPEAKER_00 6:06

Sure, possibly. I mean, uh but uh but even insulting you're it could be insulting them.

SPEAKER_01 6:10

Right. In this type of context, uh sadly, it's probably pretty norm for the person that you're talking with if you're uh saying those discussions in a diverse area where the people are used to it. It's probably something that they're used to hearing, sadly. Um, but you still end up making an ass out of yourself. I I heard somebody uh one I can't remember where the famous saying came from, forgive me, but I heard somebody say Um don't be judgmental, be curious.

SPEAKER_00 6:39

Ted Lasso.

SPEAKER_01 6:41

There it is.

SPEAKER_00 6:42

Yes, I love that line.

SPEAKER_01 6:44

Yes, it's great. It is a great line. And it's so true. You know? Um that movie. I love that. So I love that line too, and it just sticks with me as you were talking. That's exactly what I thought about. Like, don't be judgmental, be curious. Lean into it, learn something from people, ask something, you know? You know, ask, but don't ask. Ask genuinely, but also don't ask like there can I touch your hair?

SPEAKER_00 7:11

Yeah, oh god no. God no can I feel your skin. There's a social grace to asking and being curious.

SPEAKER_01 7:17

You know, how does that feel? Wow. I can't believe I've I I've had that where people wanted to touch like my skin feels different. Um which actually I guess it felt really soft, which they surprised like the um I had a I had somebody touch my hair once. I bet you have, because you have coarser hair.

SPEAKER_00 7:37

Yeah, and just big red afro. I mean I have a hair very similar to very similar to yours if I don't have my headphones on. I mean, look at like Yeah. But I was working work earlier. I was working too. I was um I was filming a band on stage for for an event because we were gonna we're gonna do a sort of a documentary on them, and also I heard Phil behind me. And I turned around, just glared at her, but I mean I couldn't couldn't stop what I was doing because it's all filming in sequence. But I mean she was very clearly high. I think she was on MBA or something like that, some psychotropic. Yeah, and so I can't really blame her, but I've heard that a lot about women of color. And there's a Facebook post years ago now. It is very the person said it's very clearly it's not okay to touch a person of color's hair. No, it's pretty it's been particularly women because it we talked about this before in another podcast, the care goes into your hair and and just the mess it up can be it's our crown.

SPEAKER_01 8:54

I mean and I don't they don't white woman wouldn't like it if we went around petting them.

SPEAKER_00 8:59

Or touching touching any part.

SPEAKER_01 9:01

Can I feel it? Can I you you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 9:04

Any body part.

SPEAKER_01 9:06

Right. They wouldn't like that. No. Like, so what makes you think that we would, you know? I don't know. It's yeah, and like I said, it's our crown. Yeah. It's like, you know, our hair is our crown. There's a lot, and there's a lot of cultures that hair means a lot, and like Native American or indigenous people hair is very you know, very deep into their culture and roots and and hair is part of our culture as well and our identities. Um it goes far. There's a lot to our hair. So yeah, don't do that. Don't do that. But be curious though, lean into it, lean into the things, like lean into the food, tasting different foods, seeing how they come, lean into the different cultures of how they do, like and and but don't necessarily also believe that because like like let's say dinner, let's say going to have dinner at a at a a house that is a different ethnicity of yours than what you're used to being around. Don't assume that all the ethnicities that are that ethnicity have dinner the same way. If they sit up the table, sit down and have it, and you know that everybody must do it that way. Or if they are one of the buffet types and just go sit in the living room and you know, um, or everybody just grab and eat and go. Don't assume that everybody, there's no ethnicity that has dinner all the same way.

SPEAKER_00 10:29

You know, one of the first things I do when I enter somebody's house, I I look at the floor and look for shoes. And I look at their feet to see if they have their shoes off. Or I just instinctively take my shoes off anyway, till they say to see if they not to see if they say something, but unless they say, Oh Timber, you can leave them on, that's fine. But still I I do it, I'll just say I'll do it out of respect. But if there's shoes there on the floor, right there by the door, take your shoes off.

SPEAKER_01 10:59

Take your shoes off, yeah. Yes, definitely. Yeah, I always yeah, for taking their shoes off, yes. Um, especially if there's shoes right there, you should be, yeah.

unknown 11:10

Right.

SPEAKER_00 11:11

Because there's there's be present. There's a number of cultures that take their shoes off and and entering a home.

unknown 11:18

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 11:19

Yes, yes, but don't think it's just the culture either.

SPEAKER_00 11:21

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_01 11:23

You know, it's just not one specific culture either. Um, you know, there's there's broad amount of cultures, but it's not necessarily always just one. But guess what? That's the beauty of diversity. Right. Um you know, is how we all we we all are the same and different at the same time. Everybody's the same and different at the same time. And that's the beauty of it. And we all have something to learn from each other. There's not one other person out here that can't teach you something. Like you can't you can always learn we can learn something from everybody.

SPEAKER_00 12:01

That's why it's important to be curious.

SPEAKER_01 12:04

That's why it's important to be curious. Yes. Definitely. And and you know, the like they say always, the most those intelligent people are those who know that they're never done learning. And they enjoy it. And oh there's so much more to learn and how to be and just with life. And it's not necessarily like you have to learn it to for career-wise. You know, it's that's not the type of learning that's like, you know, live and learn and learn to live type of learning. Yeah. Learning with life and just experience.

SPEAKER_00 12:35

You know, I was cruising Instagram this afternoon and um, you know, trying to follow different people. Um and I came across a paraplegic or quadriplegic um person, and uh, they're doing their own personal blogs on being in a wheelchair. And uh I guess this person was really, really rude to her over because she had thicker legs. Uh and because and well, the common stereotype is that people who are uh have limited mobility or in wheelchairs um do not have much body mass in their legs. And uh they accuse pretty much accuse her of not being paralyzed, even for the fact that she could even have slight movement with in her legs. But even though a person a person can even be quadruplegic, um their muscles can still twitch and move. And it's involuntarily. Um and and I'm like, you know, thinking about it, it's like, well, maybe maybe this person was recently paralyzed. Maybe that it maybe the time hasn't elapsed where another person who is paralyzed would lose their body mass in the or mass or tone in their legs, and they're maybe they're doing uh exercises to maintain mass or to grow mass, that is automatic. Well, that too, but generally you can and and I'm not gonna make any assumptions here, but there are exercises that people with um mobility limitations can do for exercises. But this person was paralyzed from at least the waist down. They had to physically go pick up their legs to move them. Yeah, but but they were much thicker legs than I would than I would have guessed. But yeah, that but that but assuming that that she was either faking it is not only rude, but making that assumption that that um in an be be curious about it. Ask because you know what? I don't know that many people. May I ask a couple personal questions?

SPEAKER_01 15:02

Man, I yeah, or you like you notice how do they notice her leg mass? Are they just looking at it? Is that how it's probably about or probably I mean just just by looking at it? Okay, well, that is just rude and for you to go ahead and create that whole assumption and so forth. I was thinking maybe, you know, like in the medical type of setting, I'd have been like, or anywhere else like um seeing like the legs, like if I had to touch them, because you how do you know, you know what I'm saying? Still without having to touch them what kind of mass it is, uh, it'd be easily be like so many people don't have legs like that that are unable to move. How do you maintain that? That is great, right?

SPEAKER_00 15:39

You know, but but but but but there's there's a certain way of what I've found that Minnesotans will talk. You can say that how do you maintain that? That is great. That can actually be insulting to somebody else in another culture, another part of the country. That is how we talk in Minnesota.

SPEAKER_01 15:59

Um, yeah, I'm sure, yes, yeah. And along with this way, and I you know what? I get frustrated because no matter what you say, it's gonna be offensive in another culture.

SPEAKER_00 16:09

Now now it is, it is, yes. But but you ask permission to ask you you ask, hey, can I may ask you something personal? Generally they're probably gonna they're probably gonna say no.

SPEAKER_01 16:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:20

Especially today.

SPEAKER_01 16:23

Right. Right, yeah, they probably well. Well, and nobody's gonna think that you're gonna talk about their legs mass or something.

SPEAKER_00 16:28

Well then you then you follow it up.

SPEAKER_01 16:34

Yeah, maybe. Maybe, I don't know. I wouldn't think to ask about it that way, but yeah, you definitely could think about it doing it that way.

SPEAKER_00 16:41

That that's how I've learned. Um a very very valued person that I know is from the East Coast. And I stuck my foot foot in my mouth over how I talk and even make those directed questions and and assumptions. Um I got a huge trouble um over the assumptions I made. But those are all from from there's something that I have always learned to be true from directly from the source of the subject. It wasn't just I read it in a book or saw it in a movie. This is dirt, this is from sources, from personal sources. Um, and I was incredibly wrong about it. And it completely changed uh changed our relationship and improved my relationship with with them. And so and correcting my behavior and how I talk has improved my relationship and my communication with others as well.

SPEAKER_01 17:55

Yes, I can see that. Yes, and that is right there, boom, value of diversity of with being around that different population. And also, um that's how we grow. A lot of times you're gonna screw up. Hopefully it's not a big screw up, hopefully it's a little screw up, but if you do recognize it, accept it, you know, and learn from it. And if you don't know how to learn from ask even even to ask, like you did, what would be a proper way for me to approach that situation? You know, how would be a better way for me to ask this in your opinion? Uh and that's how you you learn how to do it. Like I I apologize. I thought that I was asking the best way. Um, and but what would be the better way for me to do that? How would you recommend that I actually ask that opinion without being offensive to anybody?

SPEAKER_00 18:47

And they would probably respect you for that too.

SPEAKER_01 18:51

Yes, yes, yes, definitely. And I how do you not respect somebody who's trying to figure out the best way to respect you?

SPEAKER_00 19:00

I mean Well well, that could be trauma on that person. Um, you know, from for and the and and if you engagement, it's I I ri I really want to genuinely want to know. I want to be a better I want to grow, I want to be a better better person, I want to respect you. I don't mean to insult you. Mm-hmm. Uh um, please help me become a better person.

SPEAKER_01 19:23

Yes. Yes. That's odd that you just uh mentioned how you watched that Instagram video. I watched uh I got caught up watching this other video actually on LinkedIn. Um gentleman posted who was in a wheelchair at uh airport overseas. I don't remember the name of the airport. Um it's I I reposted it, it's on the LinkedIn page. Um but the airport over there, um he was at a disability area for you know, supposed disability area for parking or for pickup to get picked up by his mom. And the gentleman at the airport told him his mother could not come and pick him up right there unless she had a handicap sticker herself. And he was like, But she's just coming to pick me up. And they went back and he was like, No, this is for parking only. So they she can't come and pick you up, and basically told him he needed to go to the main area, and there's people out there that would be more than happy to help. But he's like, That's not safe. That's why this area was created. Because he was like, You can go out into the street and then get on. He was like, That's not safe. He was like, Well, there's people that will help help you. He's like, I don't want help, I just want to get picked up.

SPEAKER_00 20:29

You're you're talking about, or this person was talking about going to the main drag where you know the people are all lined up fighting over to get right, where there's chaos, like you're stating.

SPEAKER_01 20:41

No, that's not what big chaos. You're gonna you're gonna old literally a handicapped area. And the guy told his mom that if she stops the car, he was gonna give her a ticket of four hundred dollars. I would have took it and fought it. I would have took it and fought that ticket.

SPEAKER_00 20:57

Um and it and it forced him to show up in court too for that.

SPEAKER_01 21:02

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:02

I mean, what are you gonna do? Had the lift chair? Had the lift of the chair go out into traffic. I mean, generally, generally it's on the passenger side, it'll be on the curb side, but still you don't know.

SPEAKER_01 21:13

You don't know. But I mean, having respect for people right there with the disabilities and giving some respect. And you know, how rude of that gentleman. I said he better hope and pray that he is never that guy in the wheelchair. Because just because you're not there today doesn't mean you won't be there tomorrow.

SPEAKER_02 21:28

Right.

SPEAKER_01 21:28

So, like, you know, hope and pray and give some respect and leeway for that for the people who are with these disabilities. If anything, you should have been offering to help more than anything else in that area. And it was dead. There was no cars, nothing at all. Like, and these are the areas so that's why like a lot of people want to pin diversity on race. Diversity is well beyond race. It's among the disabilities and the ability. I mean, especially those people with um significant physical disabilities uh are really affected.

SPEAKER_00 22:00

affected by um by people not recognizing and having the accessibility for them for their needs you know that's why facilities need to have handicapped parking spots that's why they make came up with laws you have to have so many and they need to be so close and it's a the the ramps are certain and the doors and the door opening mechanisms are all structured a certain way correct you know a really good movie based on that is the music within part of that one it's it's about the f the two individuals or at least the two in primary individuals involved with the with the ADA American Disabilities Act and um they I think one of them at least was a Vietnam war vet um and uh and they fought they wanted to go eat eat at this restaurant but they couldn't enter it or at least his friend couldn't because he had uh a physical disability and because of the stairs or the ramp or the walk into the restaurant wasn't um adequate for him to enter the building um it took the the premise of the entire movie which was I think years um and then the final scene is it I hate to ruin it I mean we all know the ADA is be be became a thing but then in the movie is they're finally able to go eat at this restaurant that they've always wanted to eat at wow that's good yeah yeah it's a r it's a really really beautiful it's a really what sorry what's that called again The Music Within The Music Within I'm gonna have to check that out uh really really beautiful film and um it's even where they fought biases for uh um for their own disabilities even though they've overcome them in their own ways and uh what their employers or potential employers would need to do for them to accommodate them was very very my minor minor accommodation so that wouldn't um interrupt or prevent them from doing their own business if that makes sense. Yeah um but yeah but you're you're right it and and and there's I think a new lawsuit coming up um from the from the federal government over diversity and um and and it isn't about race or not it's it's about like going with our DEI classes and and things it's it's all up from it's to be sure that all abilities and and um character you could even call it come in to help a business become a better business. You know um it's not about how many white people you have working there how many black people you have working there that's under the microscope right now under or under the spotlight but the diversity of it is about having as much talent and diverse talent as possible.

SPEAKER_01 25:26

Yes that open the door think about how many um you know there's those organizations that have like those who are mentally challenged or um developmentally delayed um have you know wide range of of um you know different I guess you can call them disabilities intellectual disabilities are able to go to to get jobs now and workforces that they weren't able to do before and there's a lot of programs out there that are that specialize in helping those individuals be able to succeed and get get jobs and positions and and find positions that would be ideal and meet them at their level and to be beneficial for them to soar. I mean thank goodness that though those things have been developed and and hopefully they continue to keep moving forward and pushing because that also is like I said when the level of diversity is in I so I you know as everybody knows I used to work in developmental peeds down syndrome kids are so sweet and happy they are so and they can be bright as well they can be smart and intelligent and oh yeah and curious definitely and I'm not saying anything you know negative about in regards to it but they are just the they used to just brighten up my day with the love that they can I mean if they're mad they're mad. Don't be mad but when they aren't they are just the sweetest and it would just bring joy to my heart every time when I would when I would see them. And that's what the power of diversity can do for people and and beyond is you can like I said we can learn so much from each other we can grow so much for each other. I believe like we're all here to take care of each other ultimately it's not here to one rule over another no we're all here to take care of each other. If we all learned from each other moved on from each other we would thrive as humans.

SPEAKER_00 27:32

Right well would I be wrong that um at least in media and and in the public face of workplaces that diversity is also important for having an image of fair representation that that you when you walk into a business you see somebody that looks like you um working there.

SPEAKER_01 28:00

Is that important to to somebody if whether it whether be gender orientation or race there's a yes yes it it is at least for those especially especially for those who it is rare to have happen.

SPEAKER_00 28:20

There you go right that's for sort of what I'm getting at. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:24

Yeah it's it it's very important. It's there's a comfort level isn't there there's a comfort and a trust level there just naturally that that occurs. Uh and I think that's just like I said it's natural for everybody no matter where if you do run into somebody who on the other side they're just like you look like you they you know they can understand yeah there's a comfort level there's a comfort and a level of trust that automatically is ahead of the quote unquote norm.

SPEAKER_00 28:58

Right.

SPEAKER_01 29:00

And that right that you know that outreach is significant. Uh it's it's amazing to me also like for you know um because of myself seeing somebody as myself black woman over on the other side how I mean it it it happens often but how much it's now been taken away again. It doesn't happen as much as often anymore. Um but yet when I look and I'm like but yet we are the most educated people period.

SPEAKER_00 29:36

Com out of all like ethnicity background black women are the most educated women highest degrees highest education highest levels but yet of all of all all races and genders what was yes or are you talking about of only people of color of all races and genders okay all races and genders interesting yes yes of all races and genders um especially here in America uh black women hold the most um degrees and education levels um but yet we're not represented that way in the workforce okay or anywhere else but yeah yeah yep if you look it up yeah we are and it's crazy you know but that's also another value of diversity though too but I think beyond just for all of us we can learn and to love and hold each other so much um and build up on each other.

SPEAKER_01 30:34

Open your doors, open your minds, open our eyes diversity brings you know it's like I said, it's that variety pack which you know you get all of the flavors all the kinds some you like some you don't but you at least get a shot at trying it and learning something from it.

SPEAKER_00 30:54

You're right you know and I don't always have to go into a business or workplace and see somebody that looks like me. Do you ever go into a business workplace and see absolutely nobody that does oh that's what I was sort of getting at like a um my my favorite Mexican restaurant um but um if it's not a culturally based or ethnic based uh place of work or of or employment employment um historically speaking I want to say 99% of the time um I see somebody white the is the first person I see or 60% two out of the three people I'll see somebody let's say security at a building you go in there's a there's a desk or kiosk there'll probably be some uh generally it's um more often than not it's a male of color versus a woman of color but there'll probably be a woman of color in a uniform standing in the lobby being a secure you know it's a uniform security but um but generally speaking uh another two people there are gonna be white and then I go in the elevator 80% of those eight out of the ten people that will get in the elevator with me are gonna be white and assume it's and I'm gonna assume that's either it's gonna be people who work in the building rather than customers but but generally let look um but then when I when I get to the office that I'm going to the first person I see the receptionist the person sitting at that desk is generally going to be a white woman there's only one one place and it was a my place of employment that we had a white male working at as administrative assistant or the what's the proper term now receptionist the the person that sits at the front desk. The administrative assistant is another role names it depends on where you're at right there so many names were there um I mean he he he he had a lot of different roles there um but I digress it it is yeah there's very it is and then but everybody else in that office though were also white but this is 20 years ago 25 years ago now and I was part of what was called a a community movement called the Downtown Security Collaborative in Minneapolis. And of course this is a long time ago now I'm thinking all the way back to it most of the people there were white and I would say currently when you go into places at the front at the at the at that front desk. Yeah um the place that I volunteer at mostly white um there's a large age and gender um uh differentiate differentiation excuse me um across the board for that um but there's well I can only think of one person if I was to assume anything that they're non-white um I would say uh but let's say that like I don't want to assume anything. That's uh if you gotta come up with an assumption then that it's not the same. It's not the same but but for the for for the discussion. If you're guessing that that is for the discussion it's um if if I'm looking for somebody that doesn't look like me um one person that I know of.

SPEAKER_01 35:23

Yeah that's and and that's a it's creepy that that's the norm because I know that there is so many more diverse people in an area and qualified to do work as well. So it's like this obviously and for it to still be that way there's there's that's where people are yelling like there's something wrong. That was where the importance was because there's something wrong for that still to be the standard even though that's not the standard like prior before a lot of people who were non-white didn't have education. Like they weren't not only given the opportunity, they weren't given the education to get the opportunities. We have the education we have the knowledge we have the tools um and it's not just people of color I'm not just talking about people of color. I'm talking about everybody even the disabled and the abled like you don't see too many of those either um you know being hired and in that realm. So and you can't tell me that there's that few and far that are actually qualified to do the work because that's not true. It's just that everybody has still following suit in the same realm of hiring the norm. Instead of actually you know looking through and hiring for the the person, the quality the skills not the sex or complexion or ability but uh but an ability as to do the job. Right I mean I don't know yeah so that's where a lot of frustrations come in but that's you know what we need to change. That's why we have discussions, we have talks, we we continue to do this and we continue to grow and hopefully I'm glad to see like there's so many people still that are opening their eyes to seeing the value and diversity. It's not as bad as it used to be even with our current government stomping it some people who were for agreeing to stomping it are learning that it meant more than what they thought. It does affect them so it does matter now. Yeah basically which is sad but you know hopefully we can get to a point where it matters even if you're not affected.

SPEAKER_00 37:58

I hope so yeah um you know I I've been watching this old it's I know it's maybe slightly off topic um show from the 80s from I grew up on and that I loved um hugely popular show but uh filled with really incorrect stereotypes and even white men playing different races um and it was like and I'm watching this like now there are actors if you look there's probably a great area for actors and you know producing a fantasy um no it now in the in our current culture and current climate we're allowed to and have the ability excuse me the ability to produce of an extremely diverse cast and cast for those roles of people who are supposed to be filling a certain type um but uh it wasn't the norm then and I'm watching this is like holy moly did this probably switch actually screwed me up when I was you growing up watching this and and I you know and um how it can change me just just seeing that person played a certain way by a certain person was really really uh uh rewires the brain in the wrong way yes yes yes which um we gotta start unwiring and rewiring or whatever changing that method um which we have we have we just gotta stop sliding backwards we have we have we did start we were moving in the right direction we were going and then we just got slammed back but you know what uh us as humans like come on guy we we have this we got this it's us if there's not uh a government that tells you or an authority that tells you that um you can't take care of each other and if they do they're they can't make it that way.

SPEAKER_01 40:21

We we all have the ability to help each other. You know if there's anything out there that tells you you know you cannot help the next person that is in need of help for no matter what it is you can. I mean there's a there's a way to help. Granted now don't get come back with some twisted thing and something where no there really is nothing more you can do because it's something complex. I'm talking more on simple levels of just let's help each other, you know, cup of sugar, give an egg or two, um lend a hand, keep the door open, let a car in. Right help each other. You know um if somebody's talking bad about somebody else defend them speak up say something do something right right um speak up and yeah definitely and um think if that was you that they were talking about because it might be you next um and if you do speak up and say something it probably will be you next so make sure that you give them something really good to talk about. In my opinion. But speak up and say something that we all need to be treated the same and um take care of each other. Absolutely take care of love and embrace embrace each other. Exactly with permission with permission is is the in the embrace like in the warm sense not actually not no well not physically but like you know embrace like the or and the you know like welcome each other into getting to know each other but not like that not physical that has to be yes with right with concern right right right well it's a wonderful topic to probably leave on um you know so yeah that's what we we try to like like I always end in love is love you know love one another be kind to one another and um it's free love is free doesn't cost you anything and you'll probably actually get you're probably gonna get a huge return on it too. Yes yes at least and you know being kind I mean I I hear some I can already hear people love love does cost you stuff if you know those who have had their heart broken and so forth.

SPEAKER_00 42:36

Yeah that I'm bit I'm bitter about some things about love.

SPEAKER_01 42:39

You can be kind to everybody no matter what and that costs you absolutely nothing. And what you say and what you do comes back to you. Believe it or not it does do good and good will come right in its own time. Don't think it's gonna come tomorrow the next day or right immediately it'll come right on time when it's ready.

SPEAKER_00 43:01

Right and two other people loving each other doesn't cost a person another person anything either.

SPEAKER_01 43:08

You know let them let them express their own love and and their own caring and and and embrace us in their own way you know so r respect people for that yes yes yep so that's all we ask on this month on the way to end diversity month um which is a great month you know here we are diverse and inclusive stream of conscious observation you guys just got a good steep of it of us talking about it and get taken in about diversity and the importance and the value how we do value it and we see it um and what it's great and we want to bring more of it and more to light to keep it together so we can stop falling apart.

SPEAKER_00 43:51

Absolutely well take care Selena thank you so much for your contributions. Yes Denver thanks for the chat being vulnerable here letting us know You're welcome. Thank you everybody for listening. Please like, comment, share, tell us your personal stories. And uh and let help us grow. Dig everybody. Bye now.