Thanksgiving dinner was an occasion for
learning. My sister always gathers an “eclectic” group.
My grandniece is attending an Iowa Junior
College on a soccer scholarship. She brought two teammates with her. One is
from Australia and one from Arizona. Poised and articulate, all three are
impressive but the culture barrier with me was immense. None of the music I
mentioned, movies, movie directors, or movie actors I mentioned were known to
them. Such a fossil I am.
My niece is a long term public health
worker in Nevada. She isn’t in a cozy office but out on the gritty streets dealing
with the VD and HIV population. Gutsy
woman. I often disagree with her but respect her opinions. She is someone who has
walked the walk her entire adult life.
My sister keeps a defacto halfway house.
Usually has two or three people staying there that have fallen through the
cracks of society and are trying to make it back. She is no pushover, it is a
clean and sober house and all pull their weight. For me it brings into focus
how hard it can be at the bottom of the barrel and how few people are around
like my sister who willing to give a hand up.
Other than a brief conversation with my
niece, I avoided politics. What didn’t
escape my notice is the young people gathered have always had Obama in their
life. Trump represents a yawning unknown for them, and
they have grown up in a Progressive dominated environment. They remind me of
Army draftees, circa 1963, thrust in a world they didn’t choose to join,
resentful and full of fear.
The ones at dinner are not special
snowflakes. In fact, sports are their way up the ladder and it is damn hard
work. They have my total respect. What is disheartening is their shared culture
and my culture is nearly alien.
For that, I have no immediate answer.
10 comments:
My world is a little more insular, though there were fans of the Obamanation at Thanksgiving dinner...but not many by percentage. Daughter hosted the feast. Her in-laws are a blend of veterans from USN and USMC. Her husband was combat wounded (USN) in Afghanistan, and his brother returned from Afghanistan two weeks ago where he's been a contractor for the past 12 months. However some of the outliers were of a more 'progressive' persuasion. However the numbers favored Trump to the extent that the others kept silent.
There is a cultural disconnect. Among my many consulting gigs, I'm CFO of a Buddhist church. (Odd but they didn't want a Buddhist because they were afraid that a Buddhist would lose focus or just give money away to save a snail or something along that line) Their politics are skewed even left of Bernie Sanders and I often ask them to explain their positions so that even a dinosaur like me can get where they're coming from.
We are dinosaurs to them... They don't get us, our motives, or what makes us run... sigh
Makes you wonder if we are even of the same species.
Sadly you are correct.
In the 60s & 70s our Grandparents were saying the same of us. The circle of life, eh?
You do have a point.
The youth of today have never had to suffer or experience real life. They have been coddled and sheltered their whole life. They will change when the hit the real world, but it my be too late by then.
You are right about most. those who have grown up in poverty, or on a family farm, have a different outlook.
What a nice thing you said about my house and Thanksgiving Day. It did turn out very well and I am glad that you joined us. The young people there give a person hope for the future. Sisty
Don't let it go to your head. Yes, those young people give me hope.
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