Write Lightning is a blog from writer Deb Thompson.
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Thu, Jul 19 2007
Black and white in topsy-turvy world
Yesterday we witnessed part of a verbal altercation that occured between two men going into a Sears store at a mall and another man driving a white pickup truck parallel to the walkway. We didn't hear what the driver of the truck said, but he started an exchange of "F-you" calls and gestures. One of the men going into the store was dressed in black leather shorts, black top and black boots. His hair was clean looking, flowing and dark, and he had a full beard and mustache and wore sunglasses. His companion was dressed in casual everyday wear. I could be wrong, but my first thought was that the fellow in black probably works in a rock band. He might even make a lot more money than the guy who was driving the pickup. His clothing was not obscene, though it was unusual when compared with that of most visitors to the mall. Until the pickup truck driver began making remarks, the man in black had been simply minding his own business and was going into the store. He would never have even noticed the white pickup or its driver if the driver had not started saying things to the man in black's back. And the man in black didn't respond to the driver of the truck at all until the remarks persisted. He did finally turn and toss back a few rude words of his own.
The man in the truck drove slowly away, still laughing and gesturing backward out his rear window. My first thought was that he might drive his pristine white truck into a parking lot shrub and give himself a well-deserved turn at being the target of laughter. But then I began to wonder why the driver felt a need to harrass the man in black at all. Why would someone go out of their way to get a rise out of a person who hadn't even known they existed in the first place? Are humans so desperate for meaningful interaction and social contact that we see bullying or heckling strangers as rewarding forms of behavior? We're funny and we're pitiful at the same time. I'm glad we have a Hero we can turn to who sees beyond white trucks and black leather shorts.
posted at: 08:31 | category: /Religious and Spiritual | link to this entry
Yesterday we witnessed part of a verbal altercation that occured between two men going into a Sears store at a mall and another man driving a white pickup truck parallel to the walkway. We didn't hear what the driver of the truck said, but he started an exchange of "F-you" calls and gestures. One of the men going into the store was dressed in black leather shorts, black top and black boots. His hair was clean looking, flowing and dark, and he had a full beard and mustache and wore sunglasses. His companion was dressed in casual everyday wear. I could be wrong, but my first thought was that the fellow in black probably works in a rock band. He might even make a lot more money than the guy who was driving the pickup. His clothing was not obscene, though it was unusual when compared with that of most visitors to the mall. Until the pickup truck driver began making remarks, the man in black had been simply minding his own business and was going into the store. He would never have even noticed the white pickup or its driver if the driver had not started saying things to the man in black's back. And the man in black didn't respond to the driver of the truck at all until the remarks persisted. He did finally turn and toss back a few rude words of his own.
The man in the truck drove slowly away, still laughing and gesturing backward out his rear window. My first thought was that he might drive his pristine white truck into a parking lot shrub and give himself a well-deserved turn at being the target of laughter. But then I began to wonder why the driver felt a need to harrass the man in black at all. Why would someone go out of their way to get a rise out of a person who hadn't even known they existed in the first place? Are humans so desperate for meaningful interaction and social contact that we see bullying or heckling strangers as rewarding forms of behavior? We're funny and we're pitiful at the same time. I'm glad we have a Hero we can turn to who sees beyond white trucks and black leather shorts.
posted at: 08:31 | category: /Religious and Spiritual | link to this entry
