I've just realized that this book is starting to be my official rant book. *sigh* Nevertheless, I needed an outlet since this is a sensitive topic.

If there's one thing I'm certain about myself, it's that I'm all for equality.

Religion, yes.

You can worship a freaking dinosaur and I wouldn't bat an eyelash at you. I'd even be interested enough to study your religion so I can better understand you. As long as you respect my beliefs, you'll receive respect for yours.

Sexual preferences, hell yes.

For god's sake, I write stories about two men going bang-bang on every freaking surface they can manage to find. You can come and tell me you're secretly attracted to a sheep and Justin Bieber, I wouldn't care. As long as it's not me (because I'm a troll who's afraid of trusting my heart to anybody), I don't freaking care.

Ethnicity, oh yes.

Being a Filipino living in a foreign country has already opened my eyes to the world. I don't care if you're African, Italian, German, Chinese, Latin American or freaking Martian. As long as you don't piss me off, we could probably be the best of friends in this lifetime.

Color, of course. Duh.

I'm a brown-skinned girl, alright. My parents are both Filipinos and despite my mother having a quarter of Chinese blood in her genetic makeup, my father's dark skin dominated her genes. So yes, I'm brown and I freaking know what it's like to be judged based on your skin color.

In fact, I was bullied because I was the only brown skinned girl in my entire class back in kindergarten. I may not remember much of the bullying but my paternal grandmother can testify in court how I would come home in tears because I was the only one different.

Now that little girl has grown up into an understanding young woman.

I'm not naive enough to believe racism based on color is gone. That would be stupid. People will always try to find your faults no matter how hard you strive for perfection. And if they believe your skin color to be one of your faults, then they will use it against you.

Which brings me to the main reason of this rant.

Look, I'm not aware of how grammar rules have evolved in the years but as far as I'm concerned, attaching the word black to anything isn't wrong.

Why? Let me explain.

In my stories, what is the dominant skin color of my characters?

That's right. It's white.

Do I see a need to attach white to every single thing?

No. Why would I? I have painstakingly described their features down to the very minute details. Even in your sleep, you can see the characters as white folks.

Why did someone complain? I think it's because for once, in my entire IMTW, I used a black man as an enemy.

I know what you're thinking.

So? What if I did use a black man as the enemy, why does it matter?

Let me give you the scenario, okay. I have two characters. One white man whose muscles make him so broad it's actually scary while the other is a black man. Just a black man.

I didn't describe them any further than that.

Why? Because I saw no need to. They were those kinds of characters that will be throw out the window once you're through with them. They didn't need to be detailed and besides, how the freakity-frack will the main character know any more than what he sees?

They ain't best buddies nor acquaintances. Not even those familiar faces of strangers you see down at the supermarket who always mistakes the pumpkin as a squash. No. The main character doesn't give a rat's ass if either of the two does ballet in his free time.

Fact is the main character is only aware of what he sees.

So now, they're fighting. Punches here, kicks there. I call the black guy something derogatory and to help you guys in figuring out who the bastard is, I add the word black in front of it. Why? Because there are two guys, two enemies! How in the hell would you know who was called the asshole and who was called the bastard if I don't give a distinction between the two?

And, grammatically speaking, black is an adjective. It's a freaking color. Why people see the need to label it as something more than what it is, I will never know.

When I find the word brown attached to the word shithead in the story, do I call out the author?

No. Why the hell would I? It's a fucking story. I can feel the tension, I know that the MC knows little to nothing about the brown bastard.

Do I find it offensive? No. Because it isn't generalized. If the freaking author suddenly said that all brown people should eat shit for having a trait they were born with, then that's the time I'll call them out and make them feel like a freaking racist.

You DO NOT call me out and make me feel like a goddamned racist just because I called an unknown character black bastard. No one has the right to make me feel like I just offended an entire race for a color adjective that is just as equal to white, yellow, brown, and orange.

There is nothing derogatory about the color black.

The weight is in the word bastard.

Next time, think twice before telling me not to use black. Because between the two of us, you're the racist. I find equality in all colors.

For you to think that black is somehow more special than white or brown is something I will not forgive or let go.