PBJ Sandwiches: A lesson in racial harmony (709 hits)
Category: GeneralRating: 1.62 on 13 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by <xenon> (View user info) at 2004-12-02 12:32:13 EST
For centuries, civilizations have tried to eliminate racial discrimination and wars. For centuries, mankind has failed. It would seem that "color blindness" is not as simple as some believe it to be based on these facts alone. Some examples:
Hitler and his Nazis oppressed the Jewish people. It is estimated that around 75% of the European Jewish population was eliminated during Hitler's "ethnic cleansing." This is a good example of different races with the same skin color.
The Taliban in Afghanistan fought other Muslim sects for years. The Sunnis and the Shi'i along with the Taliban all have been fighting each other for years. This is a good example of fighting within the same race with the same skin color but with different religious beliefs.
Finally, the most common example, the United States oppressed the black population for over 200 years. Slavery was ended in the late 1800s, but the overt, public oppression did not end until the 1960s. This demonstrates discrimination and hate based on skin color alone.
Now let's look at our comparison: Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches. There are three components to the sandwich: Peanut Butter, Jelly, and Bread.
Peanut Butter:
Perhaps the best known "peanut man" is George Washington Carver, a black man that discovered over 300 uses for peanuts in the late 1800s. There is no record, however, that Carver figured out how to make peanut butter. C.H. Sumner did.
Sumner first introduced peanut butter commercially at the Universal Exposition in 1904 in St. Louis. From there, the rest is history. Skippy and Peter Pan came along around 1930.
Jelly:
Jelly is said to possibly have been made as early as the middle ages, making it much older than peanut butter. A common legend of the word marmalade comes from this story:
"Marmalade is thought to have been created in 1561 by the physician to Mary, Queen of Scots, when he mixed orange and crushed sugar to keep her seasickness at bay. It has been suggested, in fact, that the word marmalade derives from the words "Marie est malade" (Mary is sick)..." http://www.jelly.org/timeline.html
Bread:
The oldest of the three ingredients is bread dating back well into the BC era. The big breakthrough for bread was in 1928 when Otto Rohwedder invented the bread slicer.
Let's analyze the qualities of the ingredients.
Peanut butter is essentially ground, roasted peanuts with oil. Generally, it's smooth and creamy, but comes in a chunky variety with small bits of non-ground peanuts mixed in.
Jelly is very similar in that you can use preserves which have chunks of the original fruit in the jam, or you can have a regular jam that is smooth and creamy with no chunks.
Bread...well bread's pretty much the same any way you slice it. (no pun intended) Most people buy their preferred type (i.e. white or wheat) and put the peanut butter on one slice and the jelly on the other.
Put these elements together and you have the infamous child-hood snack turned adult favorite: PBJ.
How does this compare to racial oppression and war? Good question. I'm glad you asked.
Peanut butter is stuck to one piece of bread completely segregated from the jelly. It goes on creamy and smooth. It can be like glass if you spread it just right. It has a dull sheen to it and sticks to everything very well.
Jelly is put on the other piece of bread. It has a heavy reflection, yet it's also semi-transparent. It can tend to slip off the bread if you hold it vertically. It does not spread as easily as the peanut butter.
You now have two pieces of bread with very different substances spread on both of them. When you put them together, they are smashed tightly against one another, yet they still refuse to mingle. The oily peanut butter keeps the jelly from penetrating its silky smooth surface. At the same time, the Jelly's slippery thick blobs will not allow the peanut butter to inject itself into it.
You fill a glass of milk, sit down, and take a bite. The taste is fantastic. You have two very sweet products that combine just the right consistency, flavor, and texture to please your palate like not much else can.
As you can see, peanut butter and jelly are as different as any two races, religions, or skin colors, but there is a common bond. It goes all the way to the roots literally. Peanuts come from an 18" tall plant. Almost all jellies come from fruits that grow from plants and trees. You see, these two elements both have strong ties to the same species: plant.
Have you ever tried peanut butter on a steak or a hamburger? How about a salmon ball? It doesn't taste good, let me tell you. Those come from cattle and fish. They don't have the common element of the plant.
If races intend to live in "harmony" and live peaceably with one another, they have to go to their common roots. They have to look past the country they came from or the way they did things back home. The common root is that we are all humans. All of use came from one source: God or science, whichever you believe. You see, even our beliefs in the origin of man cannot stop us from seeing each other as equals.
Take a lesson from the simplest of snacks, the PBJ sandwich, and never forget where we came from.
User Reviews
Submitted by xenon (user info) at 2005-02-10 12:41:14 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by jgreening (user info) at 2004-12-02 12:56:35 (#)
Ranking: 2
I am informed and hungry.
First post to even get that combo!
----------------
My work is finished. What more can I ask for from this wonderful site?
Submitted by xenon (user info) at 2004-12-03 08:26:37 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by IamNotTheWorldTradeCenter (user info) at 2004-12-02 16:16:07 (#)
Ranking: 1
wow. what better indication that i'm not quite right in the head than the fact that i put the PB and the J on the SAME PIECE OF BREAD.
So what do you make of the jars of premixed stuff? I know it's still separate, but they certainly are mingling.
food for thought.
---------------
Ultimate racial harmony.
Submitted by IamNotTheWorldTradeCenter (user info) at 2004-12-02 16:16:07 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
wow. what better indication that i'm not quite right in the head than the fact that i put the PB and the J on the SAME PIECE OF BREAD.
So what do you make of the jars of premixed stuff? I know it's still separate, but they certainly are mingling.
food for thought.
Submitted by xenon (user info) at 2004-12-02 15:02:40 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by MyNameIsTim (user info) at 2004-12-02 14:31:24 (#)
Ranking: 2
what about the peanut butter thant comes with the jelly mixed in? mulatto?
also, "Plant" is not a species...i feel you should know this.
-------------------
Yeah, I should have noticed that. D'oh! on me.
Submitted by MyNameIsTim (user info) at 2004-12-02 14:31:24 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
what about the peanut butter thant comes with the jelly mixed in? mulatto?
also, "Plant" is not a species...i feel you should know this.
Submitted by kiketta (user info) at 2004-12-02 14:01:34 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
interesting perspective, but I agree. We are all just human beings.
Submitted by AwesomeJohnson (user info) at 2004-12-02 13:41:29 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
http://www.ubersite.com/m/43620 i found it in a breakfast sandwich. allow me to whore.
Submitted by DJMattB241 (user info) at 2004-12-02 13:26:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
i have eaten PBJ almost every day since i was like 6 or something.
its lovely.
Submitted by Da_Blonde_Cajun (user info) at 2004-12-02 13:26:19 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
MMmmmMMmm....delicious and nutritious, oh yeah and the PB&J sounds yummy too. HeHe...
Submitted by jgreening (user info) at 2004-12-02 12:56:35 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I am informed and hungry.
First post to even get that combo!
Submitted by xenon (user info) at 2004-12-02 12:52:39 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by Sassmasterr (user info) at 2004-12-02 12:46:39 (#)
Ranking: 1
your views are seriously flawed. or mine are. consider this...
after spreading the peanut butter on 1 slice of bread, i wipe the excess PB off on the other slice of bread. with the freshly cleaned knife, i spread the jelly on over the peanut butter. then wipe off on the other slice o' bread. i'm sorry, but this is the only way i know! forgive my stubbornness.
---------------
Ahhhh, a mixer, eh?
Well, the two elements will not mix, same piece or not. Even if you spread the jelly on the peanut butter, it won't mix. Check it out some time.
Submitted by Sassmasterr (user info) at 2004-12-02 12:46:39 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
your views are seriously flawed. or mine are. consider this...
after spreading the peanut butter on 1 slice of bread, i wipe the excess PB off on the other slice of bread. with the freshly cleaned knife, i spread the jelly on over the peanut butter. then wipe off on the other slice o' bread. i'm sorry, but this is the only way i know! forgive my stubbornness.
Submitted by xenon (user info) at 2004-12-02 12:32:28 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
This wasn't meant to be as serious as it turned out, but I just let it flow.
I hope you can see the symbolism in the history and descriptions of peanut butter and jelly. I'd rather not spell it all out for everyone, but I will if people just aren't getting it.