RAISE YOUR HAND (IN BLACK AND WHITE)

A well-known motivational speaker began his seminar by raising a crisp, brand new $20.00 bill before his audience of nearly 2,500 people. He openly asked, "Who wants this crisp, brand new $20 bill?" Hands shot-up immediately. He said, "Okay, I'll give someone this $20 but first, I'm going to do some things to it."

Holding the crisp, brand new $20 bill in his right hand, the well-known motivational speaker stretched his right arm up high and crumpled the $20 bill. Afterwards, he said, "Okay, who still wants it?" The audience responded with thousands of hands still raised high. In response, the well-known speaker said, "Okay. Hum, but will you want it after I do this?" With a spotlight beaming down on the well-known motivational speaker's raised hand, he then grossly spit on the $20 bill and, with glistening thick spit dripping off the $20 bill, he again asked, "Okay, who still wants this?"

The audience responded with hundreds of hands still raised high in the air.

Then, the well-known motivational speaker turned away from the audience so that all anyone could see was his back. He unzipped his pants, and pulled them down near his knees. Next, underneath his shirttail, he rubbed the $20 bill about his asshole, then he placed the $20 bill on the stage floor and began peeing on the $20 bill. He zipped-up his pants, turned around to face the audience, stepped-back from the $20 bill, spit profusely on it again, and said, "Now, who still wants it?"

Only one hand went into the air.

The well-known motivational speaker asked the only person who still wanted the $20 bill, "So, unlike everyone else in the audience, why do you want this $20 bill? Yes, it's still worth $20 dollars, but surely it has less 'value' to you after its been crumpled, spit-on, shit-on, peed-on, and trampled on this disgustingly filthy stage floor?"

The only person from the audience who still wanted the $20 was a Black man, who looked to be in his mid-thirties but (typical for Black people) was probably about fifty years of age. He stood tall and erect from his seat and then replied to the well-known motivational speaker, "Yes, I still want the $20 because I'm Black - and I literally know what it's like to have people crumple my desires, to spit on me, shit on me, pee on me, and to continually deny me opportunities for success by grounding my dreams and potential into the dirty floor or worse! Despite it all, I've learned to value my own self-esteem, to be my own champion, and to champion others who share my experiences - without regard to their ethnicity, sex or disability - even if, through no fault of their own, they've become a little dirty or, as in your example, extremely soiled."

The well-known speaker broke eye contact from the sole respondent to his question, and slowly stared up and about the entire audience, frequently making eye-to-eye contact. After a long pause he said, "So, by show of hands, how many people here tonight know what it's like to be Black?"

Only one hand was raised into the air.

 

© 2003 Trip Reynolds
Reynos.com