Eastasia vs. Oceania.
Memorial observances this year have been more understated, less advertised and less high profile. It’s an improvement. The anniversaries of this date should reflect far less political posturing and televised showmanship, and more scrutiny of the mark that has been left in our history, and the marks we wish to leave in our future history.
I spent today at a local church’s Polish festival. kielbasa, Polish beer (of which I did not partake, more’s the pity), and pierogies shared space with funnel cakes, cotton candy and lemonade (of which I did partake). The Socialist and I sat at a picnic table, under the shade of beach umbrella, watching people dancing to a local polka band. It might have been a festival of Polish heritage, but there were blacks, orientals, and hispanics in the crowd. We passed one man wearing a “Viking World Tour” t-shirt (wanna take any bets he had some Norse heritage in him?). And of course, there were many people there sporting either traditional Polish garb, or t-shirts proudly proclaiming their Polish heritage. For me, it was a moment to take pride in the small embodiment of our country’s ethos of embracing diversity. And to wonder if I was seeing a dying tradition. It is only a small step from where we are now to the point where it will become unAmerican to celebrate any heritage other than American.
September 11th was not the cause, but it was a catalyzing event in a slide our country has embarked on. Don’t listen to the “Moral Majority” (who are neither). There is no slide down a “slippery slope” of moral decay. Do not listen to the politicians; you will not find answers to the distractions of whether a president served his term in the military or a candidate deserved three purple hearts.
I wait for someone to point to George Orwell, who was there far ahead of the rest of us. I’m convinced someone has made the connection, but I have not yet read his words or heard his voice. The only thing Orwell got wrong was the date, but just because he was a pessimist doesn’t make him wrong. Just premature.
I want people to question themselves, not argue with me. I question myself every day. Argument with me is futile. I have no answers, and I’ve already heard your rebuttals and cheerleading. I do have fear, and a heavy heart. My fear is not of the Muslim world, nor of the saboteurs that may or may not yet make attacks on this country, nor of the stranger who speaks another language who sat near me while I ate my kielbasa. I fear transferred aggression.
You can learn a lot from watching cats. I watch The Socialist pick up a kitty at random, and roughhouse with it a bit. Pin the kitty down, give it noogies till it mews, then turn it loose. Does the kitty turn on The Socialist? No. The Socialist is too hard to get at. Kitty instead heads to the nearest other cat, and tackles that animal instead. It transfers its frustration from an object it cannot reach to an object it could sink its claws into successfully.
We have become a nation of noogied cats. It sounds funny, like a punchline to a joke, until we realize that we’re human beings. We’re supposed to know better.
The celebration of the Younger Sister’s birthday at the Elder Sister’s house last evening went successfully enough. She’s quite taken with her new boyfriend, to the point where I’ve learned she’s moved in with him, leaving her condominium empty at the moment. She mentioned she’d been considering renting it out, and wondered if The Socialist and I would be interested. We might, or might not be, depending on the condition. A huge part of the back of my brain is yelling “DON’T RENT FROM FAMILY”, but the place and the price force consideration of the prospect. It’s far closer to my work, would be far less expensive than our current apartment, and has more room and a garage for The Socialist’s prized Matrix. More information is needed before a decision can be reached. I dread the thought of moving again. It might be a sensible thing to consider, though.
Your entry is thought provoking in an age when thinking hurts most sheep, oops, I meant Americans.
"Don’t rent from family" is definitely a drawback.
Thanks so much for all the supportive comments you have left for me the last few days. They have been very much appreciated.
And yes, I was thinking of going back and reading a few earlier entries, I was thinking about that when I was on working on the pt. A year ago my hands would have been shaking, now they are steady. 🙂
Sue
I roughhouse with my cats but I always let them win/escape. I fear if they knew I was the stronger one it might break their spirit. I kind of enjoy they way they preen themselves after a bout of play. They have that ”Yeah, I’m bad” look in their eyes and tail.
If they only knew =)
First and most important, listen to that little voice, DO NOT RENT FROM FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!! Now on to other things, somewhere in my entries I know I spoke about just that subject, we are in large part living in Orwell’s 1984. When I bring up that idea most people treat me like I have fell off a spaceship somewhere. We have had doublespeak from the goverment for several decades and with the creation of Homeland Security and the internet, Big Brother is watching like never before. Now if we can just get it down to 3 countries to trade off wars, which we are getting closer to daily the circle will be complete. Enough ranting on your time, have a wonderful day and remember to do random acts of kindeness whenever possible.