Ask me some day and I'l tell you what I thought when Mardy replied to my shared post. What my first mental reaction was. My impulse to attack
I reasoned with myself because she is family and I love her. We shared the similar pain of losing a long time buddy, friend, who was also a loyal spouse. We grew up together.
Still, my first response was rather sharp, although not as sharp as my first impulse.
Her next post corrected what I thought she meant. I clarified our points of agreement. We were on the same side now and it was all uphill after that.
The point is, Al, that you should always behave this way. Stop spouting off in the heat of the moment. You have a history a misunderstanding people going back to 8th grade. A friend named Jerry pronounced my name A lice, lice with a long i, and I thought he said 8 eyes. I had just gotten my first pair of glasses and was still somewhat self conscious about them. I responded angrily all the time thinking, ' shouldn't it be 4 eyes'. etc etc etc
I guess we don't change much over the years, but at least make an effort.
It seems so small now, but the I love you, Cuzes meant a lot to me and I still feel good when I think of it.
Shared with Public
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser IS MY BRAVE BLACK WOMAN AND MY HEROINE FOR THE MONTH, THE YEAR, LIFE. THANK YOU
Ms Bowser
2 comments:
Yes, we saw that exchange. It is hard to hold back when furious, especially when that anger on behalf of other people and when I feel that indulging my first impulse will help.
I'm glad you and Mardy made peace. I like her a whole lot, not that that is why I'm glad you made peace.
Often it is only by way of intimate history that people can reach understanding. It is a lot easier to be furious at strangers, with much less of the sticking in the craw effect that occurs when having fought with an actual friend.
As to "all lives matter": I suspect that there's a range of attitudes that spawn such an utterance, and I shouldn't be so quick to assume that it's usually a wilful, latent or indirect racist reaction. Nevertheless and likewise, the failure to understand or empathise with "BLM", and to react with an insistence that "ALM" is more inclusive, seems to me to come from resentment at being privileged and not being able to parlay it into feeling particularly privileged. I think your recent recollection of the parking lot incident and how it might have resulted were you not so privileged is a perception you passed on to me for which I will forever be grateful. There but for the grace of Ma go I (in all my racist glory).
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