When Racism Masquerades as Being "Brusque"

I was at the gym last doing my workout when suddenly I found myself in a position where I had to say something to an agitator. I had begun my workout when a woman from South Africa began to loudly broadcast her disdain for white males. "White people are stupid," she yelled. This was followed by,"White men don't do anything; they never earn anything; everything is given to them. They feel entitled to everything." No one is disputing that, sadly, racism still afflicts our society and the 'good ol' boys' network is firmly entrenched in our social fabric. However, this woman crossed a line. She was spewing bile that I found despicable and completely inappropriate. There are many white males and females out there who are immensely talented, but have no work or have had their homes foreclosed. Obviously, this didn't matter to the agitator who was busily issuing a blanket generalization of an entire race. What surprised me was that no one in the gym said anything to her. So I decided to say something. I said, "That's racist." Her husband said to me, "What was that?" I reiterated, "That's racist." I told her she could not condemn all people with her blanket diatribe. She came up to me and said "As a white man you have benefited from this sense of entitlement." I told her I was Hispanic. She walked away and I said, "You have a chip on your shoulder." She replied, "I have never noticed." I then told her, "That's because you don't look."

Later, she tried to provoke me by saying that she is "hegemonic" (I am not sure she knows what the word means, because there was no context for her to use it in the gym). I replied, "And I am a Libra." She was surprised and didn't know what to say. I moved on to continue my workout.

While I had my back turned I heard someone say, "She is brusque." Have we been so conditioned in this era of political correctness to not recognize a racist discourse when we hear one? "Brusque" and "racist" are two different words, yet perhaps in acquiescing to an inherent sense of collective guilt in the post-civil rights era, we are allowing some very hateful statements to propagate.

I am no conservative nativist, but this woman should have used better judgement. Because of her political views, she was asked to leave South Africa. She found a home in the US and a college graciously offered her a position for many years. It would be nice if she were a bit more respectful to her fellow citizens, especially following the revelations that the Boston Marathon bombers were Chechens who emigrated to the US. At least she could keep quite while we try to have a workout in the gym.

The Use of Gung Ho

It is funny how over time the meaning of a word or phrase can change. We are all familiar with "gung ho" which we use to mean overly zealous or enthusiastic.

As I was reading The Language of World War II by A. Marjorie Taylor I learned that its origin is Chinese and that it means "work together." It was also a nickname for Lieutenant Colonel Evans F. Carlson.

Another word is "Grumlin." It was coined as  "a name given to 'saboteurs of the spirit' on the home front," by Sam Rayburn, Speaker of the House.

"The Grumlin," Rayburn declared, "does the same job of sabotage on the home front that the Gremlin (q.v.) does to the airplanes of our pilots fighting the Axis."

The bombings of Monday reveal that we may have to retrieve this word from the literary graveyard.

Supporting Our Military Heroes Through the Years

In 1942 the US Office of Civilian Defense provided "V-Home Certificates" to American families that were proactive in supporting the war. The certificates read:

We in this home are fighting...we solemnly pledge all our energies and all our resources to fight for freedom and against fascism. We serve notice to all that we are personally carrying the fight to the enemy, in these ways:

I.  This home follows the instructions of its air-raid warden...

II. This home conserves food, clothing, transportation, and health, in order to hasten an unceasing flow of war materials to our men at the front.

III. This home salvages essential material, in order that they may be converted to immediate war uses.

IV. This home refuses to spread rumors designed to divide our Nation.

V. This home buys War Savings Stamps and Bonds regularly.

     We are doing these things because we know we must Win This War.

Contrast this to the current "I've Got Your Six"  campaign, which we see advertised on television, in which celebrities like Tom Hanks hold a lapel pin and say to the camera, "I've Got Your Six." This latest campaign is meant to create a better understanding between the military and civilians, but unlike the "V-Home Certificates" it is not asking for any sacrifice on the part of Americans not participating in military operations, war, etc., divesting people, in many ways, from any connection to what our soldiers are doing abroad. How sad. It is commendable that the I've Got Your Six campaign aims to educate civilians about the military, but it still relegates them to a passive status. You will find no one salvaging essential materials for the war effort or buying War Savings Stamps and Bonds, etc.

It is a different era with different interpretations of supporting military efforts. I think I much prefer the certificate to the lapel pin.

Meet Kent Carter

Last week I was driving the car listening to the radio when an incredible song came on. My Shazam app on my iPhone couldn't identify it so I had to wait until the song ended to hear the broadcaster name it. It was Suite Pour Orchestre À Cordes Et 2 Soloistes En 4 Mouvements, by the American jazz bassist Kent Carter. All I could think was "Wow!!!" What a piece of musical genius. Jazz music for string instruments. It sounds so simple, but the melody tugged at my imagination, evincing an era from long ago. Amazing tune. The record, It Will Come, was produced in 1979 in France and is not available on Amazon.com or Spotify. It is a musical relic from a bygone era, but it has the pizazz and creativity that I find so enjoyable in great pieces of music.

See if you can track this album down. In the meantime here is a YouTube clip of another great song from this jazz virtuoso. In it he is performing with the Spontaneous Music Ensemble. Enjoy!

                         

Lindsay Lohan and David Letterman

A few days ago the troubled actress Lindsay Lohan appeared on the David Letterman show. It was an opportunity that both individuals hoped would benefit each other: Lohan, about to enter rehabilitation therapy sought to salvage her image and demonstrate her remorse and understanding of her predicament, while Letterman saw this as opportunity to remain relevant in the late-night talk show battle field.

I was not a fan of Lindsay Lohan, but it was clear that Letterman had invited her to the show to speak about her new movie "Scary Movie 5" (no, Kevin Costner did not make another movie, thankfully!), but turned the tables on her by aggressively harping on her troubles and her therapy. It was surprising how he would not let up, but Lohan impressed me with her demeanor and sense of humor, trying to remain positive despite Letterman's attempts to antagonize her with insinuations and barbs. She was classy and I saw a vulnerable young lady in trouble trying to get her life in order. I was touched when toward the end of the segment Letterman complimented her for "having a spine, having a good sense of yourself and having poise to come here and talk to me." She was clearly affected by the compliment and fought back tears. It is amazing how a few nice words can affect someone. We need to do it more often.

If you missed the show, here is a clip below.