"Whereas the tourist generally hurries back home at the end of a few weeks or months, the traveler, belonging no more to one place than the next, moves slowly, over periods of years from one part of the earth to another." -Paul Bowles
Wednesday, 7 December 2005
You're the only one who can talk sh*t about your own family
I’m starting to find myself getting irritated by ‘outsiders’ making anti-US comments. The big ones seem to be that all Americans are fat and promiscuous, which I’m getting tired of hearing. On top of that, I’m weary of the fact that I have to keep apologizing for a man I didn’t vote for, as well as the stereotypical attitudes perceived of Americans by the rest of the world. The last straw for me was finding this article in The Guardian on-line last night, written by Lionel Shriver, who is all the rage here for her book, We Need to Talk About Kevin, which I refuse to read. (It is the first book the university book club is reading, which I had signed up for.) My limited encounters with the writing of this woman have left a bad taste in my mouth, and this last thing doesn’t help.
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I read the article. I think I’ll have to read more of her stuff to get to your level of irritation though, since she’s not off target. The ACLU is getting a little ridiculous. They sued over a law which makes bibles exempt from sales tax. Well, of course, you say? Problem is the law is not bible- specific. Any religious text is eligible for the tax as long as its applied for. She’s not far wrong about all this political correctness being good for the religious right.
Another problem with stereotypes is they come from our own news media. If there was one thing that stood out for me against this Lionel Shriver is she looks to Fox News for information. Of course, in recent months its hard to find a worthy news source in this country, period.
Political correctness in the holiday season - Its not an oxymoron, but its ironic. No need to go into why, we talk about that enough, when we get into discussions about hypocrisies. Part of the fun of the season for me is the fact that there are so many things to celebrate. I enjoy buying chanukah cards and Kwanzaa cards, wishing folk a happy Ramadan and yes - shouting Merry Christmas
Commercial America wouldnt be displeased to take Christ out of the season, or any religion methinks - leaves more room to be filled with Ipods, Izods and Xboxes
Commented by kivadiva on December 13, 2005 at 1:18 am
Hmmm, a few thoughts. As far as religious groups in any way being tax exempt, I’m against it…for reasons you’d probably be familiar with.
Anyhoo, I do agree that things are far too PC. I agree with you that the diversity of religious and secular holidays is something to celebrate, not quash, but…I do NOT like the fact that this woman posted something so negative in a British newspaper about MY country. You know I have never been near patriotic, but…well, it goes back to the heading of my post here.
Her articles in the Guardian are typically somewhat biting, and I have read more than one in which she disses the USA, in one case saying Clinton was just as bad as Bush in his lack of emotion for the American people. She also wrote a piece in which she talked about why women of today choose not to have children, and equated it to that fact that we have more choice, completely neglecting what is probably the main reason for those of us who live child-free…we don’t want kids! Her hit book right now is a novel about a woman with a serious problem child, who was ambivilent about his coming in the first place. Perhaps she is writing about her own issues, as many authors do, but why fantasize about what might be if she were to have kids…how badly it could go wrong. I know I’m rambling, but she seems like a dysfunctional half-wit to me.
Back to Christmas though. Warning, explicit….junk:
http://www.illwillpress.com/xmas.html
Commented by Suzer on December 17, 2005 at 10:08 pm
well, like you said, dont talk sh*t about my family. And how do you compare Clinton and Bush? That defintely bespeaks a lack of actual knowledge. I may have to look for that piece of children to see what her theory was. It seems obvious to me, like you say, if you have the option not to have kids, then there will obviously be a rise in people who choose not to. Im curious as to how you leave that out.
Is the book you speak of supposed to be about why women should want kids?
Commented by kivadiva on December 20, 2005 at 2:37 am
I cut out and saved the article, as I had bought the newspaper that week. Will make a copy and mail to you.
No, the book is about (from what I understand) what happens when someone who doesn’t really desire children has them anyway.
Commented by Suzer on December 20, 2005 at 5:14 pm
I would say thats a no-brainer, but my cultural conditioning has loosened considerable more than most peoples
Commented by kivadiva on December 20, 2005 at 7:12 pm
Expand on that?
Commented by Suzer on December 20, 2005 at 7:34 pm
yeah, i think you said it right. the anti-u.s. comments get old quick, don’t they? so much that i sometimes find myself trying to defend (or at least, play devil’s advocate to) the very positions that i’ve opposed in the past. and then all of a sudden, i’m feeling like some idiot who can’t see beyond their backyard and feels patriotism is blindly defending everything about the country.
i’ll have to check out this chic’s article (and novel?).
Commented by boosie on January 4, 2006 at 12:33 am
hey boo!!! wow, you mean we actually agree on something;) yes, i do the same…but instead of just playing devil’s advocate, i find that sometimes, and only sometimes (haha), i find that i’m able to see a side i couldn’t before.
Commented by Suzer on January 6, 2006 at 12:54 am
Well, I know I meant that the idea that a woman who doesnt want children shouldnt have them is a no-brainer, but I have no idea what I meant by the latter part of that statment maybe I meant something like the majority of people out there wouldnt see it as a no brainer.
Commented by kivadiva on January 6, 2006 at 10:26 pm
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