Maybe not so much.*
A friend of mine once told a woman I dated briefly that '...he is full of stories. Just ask him.' Well, I suppose I am. The curious thing is that they are for the most part true.
So, last night after making enough cookies to give the Cookie Monster a stomach ache, it was time to step outside a bit, relax and finish my glass of wine. And for those of you wondering, yes, merlot does indeed go well with sugar cookies. :-)
At any rate, the weather was quite enjoyable and at ten PM, most things are settling down in the neighborhood. A fellow I have seen around here wanders up and introduces himself; we start chatting about how the local area is going down hill and the new vandalism taking place and the increase in drug activity.
I was honestly starting to like this person. Was...
Then the light veil, if one even existed, slightly dropped to reveal a certain something about this initially likeable person. While we both shared a common interest with regard to the neighborhood, his idea of a good neighborhood, as it turned out, is a bit... culturaly monolithic.
The epitaphs he used are in no way welcome here; just know that after he started revealing this certain attitude, the only civilized action available was to excuse myself.
I do not tollerate child abuse, domestic violence, selling drugs to kids and racism... period. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend?" Not necessarily.
*Not sure where I read the entire quote, 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend? Maybe not so much.'
3 comments:
hmmm...interesting. this is in some ways why i continue to call the bay area home. the cultural diversity here is like no other, imho. but then again, i can see myself also in south beach miami, sosua... hmmm...
Maybe you should have offered him one of your sugar cookies.
Living in the south, I hear racial slurs on a regular basis. Makes me cringe really. There's nothing worse than talking to a sweet little old lady about something, when all of a sudden she comes out with the "n" word while talking about her housekeeper. Good grief Gurty!! This is 2011 already!!
I think there may be a difference between the words being culturally ingrained into a language and when the words are used in a hurtful, derogatory way. Maybe. Either way, I cringe as well. Guess it's just that "good hospitality, we're all the same and not here for very long, mid-west" upbringing. :-)
MQ, the cultural diversity of your are was the first thing I noticed on my first visit some 7 years ago or so. My boss and I went there for a Borland conference and rode the public transportation from airport to our hotel. I for one, enjoyed it, whereas my boss, as nice as he was, seemed quite uncomfortable.
Then again, when I go to Mexico, I don't eat in the normal 'American' places. I ask where the locals eat and go there. Ah, the stories... And the food!!! MMmmmmmmm
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