Being different

I was listening to No Doubt's "Hella Good" and this video awakened something within me

that I buried.  I am an alternative person who likes cosplay, anime, alternative clothing and design, and listened to music that is outside the norm for a black person.  Yes, I am a black American. I am a woman who wishes that she didn't spend most of her life caring what others think.  That has been what was dragging me down.  Whenever I say "alternative", I mean anything dealing with punk, ska, reggae, rock, goth, metal, and emo.  That fascinates me.  I have always been afraid of being different, but now I want to change that.  I want to be the strong person I could be.  When I was growing up, I didn't just listen to Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson.  I also grew up on Ozzie Osbourne, Kiss, Mettalica, and Motley Crue.  I was always different somehow whether it be from other kids, especially other black kids, my family, and nowadays even the rest of the world.  Being different has made me scared because I was afraid of the ridicule and the put downs.  I am a black person who has not voted for Obama.  I listened to a 70s British glam rock band called "Sweet" and I love their music.  This all has me thinking.  I am honest here, now it is finally time for me to be more honest with myself and with the world.  It is time I take a stand.  It is time to be free.  It is time I would be myself.