So we were discussing movies we like, and someone said, "I don't like horror."
Pretty much no one there enjoyed horror. Science fiction, yes, but not horror. But that got us to talking about stuff we didn't want to see, but we watched -- like a documentary of actual video of people who committed suicide.
"Oh," said my friend. "There was video on the computer of a woman being beaten -- by, oh, it was supposedly the Taliban -- and we can believe about 10% of that," (she cut her eyes over to me) "anyway, she supposedly refused to marry a Taliban chief, and her father and brother were beating her to death. . . ."
I'm always a slow reactor. I have to take something and chew it over before I decide how I feel about it. My friends say I have a long fuse. So you can say something that makes me angry, and I'm not angry until a couple of days later! Maybe that's good. I don't know. The problem with being this way is I can't call people on snide comments like my friend made -- we can believe about 10% of that -- right when they say it. Calling them on it much later seems excessive and they are not likely to remember they even said it. The good aspect is I just let little things roll off my back.
But isn't this kind of attitude just what got us, the US, where we are? They revised our history, and we said nothing. They developed politically correct speech, and we said nothing. They rewarded the lazy, and we said nothing. We worked to not offend the easily offended, and we ourselves shrugged off the offensive.
One reason I am still eating (or eating again) with the Lunch Bunch is so I can speak up and bring up an opposing side. My question is will I ever speak up in a timely fashion? Or will I let it build up until I explode (heaven forbid!)
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You are so different from me...I get in trouble because I open my mouth too soon...I would have rattled off all the honor killings I have heard about all this year and last year and then told that woman how stupid she is to not believe the Taliban treats women that way.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, though...if we on the right were quicker to respond we would not have the Obama administration/dictatorship right now.
Hi, Connie.
ReplyDeleteWow. That's all I have to say about that experience. These are likely the people who were sending out the e-mails during the '90's about how aweful the Tailiban were to women.
But now, well . . .
I suggest that you suggest that these people read The Swallows of Kabul and find out how real much of this is.
My daughter had a good friend in grade school whose family had fled the Tailiban. She had some real horror stories!
By the way, thanks for the Pesach greetings!
Yeah, well, my daughter offered the possibility that my colleague meant you can believe only about 10% of what's on the Internet. I like that my daughter can see the better side, but I don't think she's right!
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