It's the end of the world as we know it...

Politics, philosophy, the law, current events, left leaning debates, religion, baseball, football, pop culture, growing up Greek, random events in my life...whatever hits my mind at the time.

11.1.05

So I got a telephone call on Friday night/Saturday morning around 2:30 or 2:45. My friend says, "Were you sleeping? I'm in big trouble, I need help."

Immediately, my mind goes to one of the two reasons why people *usually* call me at that time. Since we don't have any mutual friends or relatives, no one is dead. Thus, it's the latter. So I remind my friend that I don't do criminal law.

My friend says, "What? No I need advice. I have options. Should I do cocaine, or should I go home?"

I can honestly say, that's the first time I've had that conversation since I was 19...And it somewhat disturbs me that I'm having the same conversations I did almost ten years ago...And with different people. Some people are addicted to gambling, others alcohol or drugs. Me, I'm obviously addicted to personality types.

But I jest. I was actually extremly worried about my friend. (I'm a worrier. Which is most inconvenient.) So after being worried for a two days, my friend assured me today that all was well in the universe, it was a drunken thing, and no drugs were ingested. With instructions not to worry. Sure...let me turn off the worry button. But having made drunk telephone calls (though usually I send drunk emails) myself, I understand.

Then one of the girls at work had a party Saturday night and she had a psychic there. The psychic told my friend that the only one (of the 8 of us) who might be disappointed in their reading was me because it's hard to read for people who read cards themselves. The reading is taped, so I can relive it anytime I want. Which made me want to relive some of my other psychics, so I went to the "junk" room (room where I put all the stuff I don't know where to unpack) and found another 4 tapes, so I've been listening to past psychics to see how accurate they were. These are people from 1999, 2000, and 2001. Interesting. I'm still digesting all of it, but know that I may discuss it later.

At dinner, my father got mad at me. My father considers himself middle of the road - everyone who knows my dad consider him conservative. He considers me so far left that he's actually called me a communist before. So tonight, the show 24 was on, my sister's favorite show. In it, an American girl is dating a Muslim boy. And my dad makes some sort of joke about what she thought that she was doing dating a...well, you get the idea. I don't need to repeat his comments. He thinks it's a funny joke. I don't. So I expressed my belief. He told me that if I took a joking comment like that seriously, I had a problem. I told him that if he found a comment like that, serious or not, funny, then he had a problem. He didn't speak to me for the rest of the evening. But he made snide remarks. My brother made a comment about another character on the show - who happens to be black - and how he hates her. (I'm not a fan of her character either; I suspect that she is bad.) Anyway, my father mades a remark about how we can't dislike any minorities around me. Hmm...making a comment based on a person's character, I don't care what religion, ethnicity, race, etc they are. That is all fair game. Making a comment like my father made, and he doesn't see the difference? I remember another time, when I was living there, I made him so mad that he left the house for the night. I mean, he flat out got out and walked out. It was a similar comment that he made, and I told him that he was racist, and he got so mad he left. Gee, and I wonder why he thinks I'm a communist??

Finally, I found this article about similarities between McCarthyism and the Patriot Act extremely interesting. The reason I was so intrigued is that I've been arguing that our conduct is no different from that, from Japanese detainment, for a long long time now. Spitting against the wind, it seems. I can repeat things I've said a million times. But I'll just leave it with my oft repeated - history will not be kind.

4 Comments:

  • At 10:17 AM, Blogger p.p. said…

    Stephanie, I think we have very similar fathers. Mine has also told me that I "would have made a good communist." Coming from someone who escaped communism, I still don't know to take it.

    I've also received a phone call in the middle of the night. Unfortunaltey, I was still in law school and the matter was criminal. It wasn't a good night.

     
  • At 12:45 PM, Blogger All Things Jennifer said…

    YOu are a fountain of information, and IF I didn't know you in person and email you, I would be LOST ; )

    Sorry about the dad, um, we are all pinko commies than, even the ones who voted for, I dar not mention his name on your blog...my family is the same...

    With each generation, there is hope for a brighter day
    : )

    Where the hell is all this positive optimism spweing from today? ICK!

     
  • At 2:17 PM, Blogger Matthew said…

    Sorry about your dad, Stephanie. You should invite me over so I can make some cracka' jokes and do my funny white person voice. I'm sure he and your brother would laugh and laugh and laugh. j/k

    Some in the liberal blogosphere have not had very good things to say about the new episodes of 24 that just aired. Apparently, it was pretty much pro-torture. That's depressing.

    My mom is apolitical to the point of it depressing me a tad, and my dad (when he was alive), held some southern Baptist points of view (not that he ever went to church, of course). I remember one time we were watching the Britcom Are You Being Served?, and the gay character Mr. Humphries was on-screen with some dialogue. My dad turned to me and said, "Is he a faggot?" Nervously, I just shrugged my shoulders. My dad then made a disapproving sound, got up from the couch, and went to bed.

    It's good to see that we're a lot more enlightened than our parents.

     
  • At 2:47 PM, Blogger -Me said…

    My brother didn't like the character, who happened to be black. I don't see a problem with that. It wasn't a stereotypical comment. It was "why don't I like the black people on this show. The president's wife last year (who was bad) and this chick (who I suspect is bad; she is blackmailing people)."

    I don't think that the show was pro-torture. I think that it showed a LOT of torture. (A LOT!) and that it was more making a statement. The kid who was being tortured by the US government kept saying, "you can't do this, this is America" and they were ignoring him. I saw that as more a commentary on what WAS going on in America than pro torture. The other torture scene were the terrorists, and it was just the amount of time they took to stop it. (Which was because it was their only chance to capture the terrorists). It was an allowing torture b/c the ends justified the means. Which is probably reality.

    "It's good to see that we're a lot more enlightened than our parent"

    AMEN.

     

Post a Comment

<< Home

 
Site
Meter Blogarama - The Blog Directory Listed on Blogwise Listed in LS Blogs Blog Directory & Search engine

Days until Bush leaves office.
Designed by georgedorn and provided by Positronic Design.
Grab your own copy here.