Each yuletide season, I preemptively cringe at the ‘Don’t spell it Xmas’ tirades. As an expert on the ante-penultimate letter of the English language, I can once again tell you the ‘X’ in Xmas represents ‘Christ’ in Greek. It’s been used that way for centuries – and has nothing to do with the conspiracy theory to secularize Christian observance of the day as Jesus’ birthday. Repeating a non-truth serves no purpose other than to indicate you don’t understand. And if you attack me from ignorance for writing ‘Xmas,’ you are offending both truth and the spirit of the very prophet who you esteem. Fill your heart with lovingkindness and avoid pointing culpable fingers at imagined insults.
The Exile Returns
On a quiet Saturday evening, I see another friend, one pushed into in a narrow world by current events, finally emerging from her self-imposed cocoon. Her world is utopian; it’s not tinged by the presence of fact-free decisions, nor colored by those with more privilege placing blame on the ‘other.’
KKK to her equals ‘Knowledge, Kindness, and Kin,’ rather than the ongoing slippery slope of fear and anger shaping policy. Spiritual matters are indeed eternal but they are likewise tempered by our perpetual need to learn, improve, grow, and move away from the narrow lines we’ve been drawing. People matter more than policy, even if a few pennies roll away from us – and territories are all ephemeral in the scheme of things. Whether your kingdom is here or in another invisible realm, it is wise to remember that each of us is convinced of our own veracity.
It is no dishonor to kneel down and catch your breath. Really, it is the only way to win.
But for her, I suspect it is not a zero-sum game, nor one in which everyone must be placed in columns of winners and losers.
Welcome back.
Remember, just because people are shouting in your living room doesn’t mean you must offer them a glass of iced tea
A Thanksgiving
To have a hand in the darkness, or a still voice inquiring about your day, even a dismissive eye roll at your anticipated joke, these are the only required components for a thankful life; all else is but a pale reflection of a dim sunset in a curtained corner window. Were but the day not necessary to halt us in our collective haste, that the calendar should not chime the occasion for us to artificially pause in appraisal of our life’s balance. That thanksgiving could be exchanged for an unwieldy dose of awareness of whatever already satisfies us. As a stranger in your land, I only ask that you consider that the things which bind you to your life are proven only in the moments in which you doubt them the most. – X
Only Time
We capriciously ask for things, though our greatest gift is ticking past us, moment by moment. Even with the briefest of pauses and with the most minuscule of sideways glances, time slithers past, confiscating the only irreplaceable measure of us.
A Word…
I don’t claim to speak for the majority because my reality is warped in a way that people of my tribe look at me with constant bewilderment. Each opinion I offer is a treasonous jab toward the expectations of others who look and sound like me.
I love fried chicken minus the skin but fully understand the horror vegetarians experience when considering the implications of the meat industry. I like knowing I won’t have to jump a wall to enjoy a great life but I fully feel the agony of wanting a better life in a country next door while being squashed by the bureaucracy of governments drawing imaginary lines on our globe. I know that I was born to be biologically attracted to the opposite sex but understand that the same biology which conveys so much majesty and pleasure in the world is responsible for assigning these attractions. I speak another language yet feel the fear of being unable to express the nuances of life and the necessities of a mundane world with words that are both functional and poetic. Because I’m white and a male, I can casually blend in with my own dysfunctional beliefs about god, spirituality and morals without the assumption that I harbor terrorist threats in my heart. Because I’m dedicated to learning and changing my opinion based on new evidence, I shake my head at those who deny science, even if it sometimes errs.
I stand in my own world, surrounded by the people of my tribe and to any casual observer, I align perfectly. But inside the universe of my own personal mind, clouded in the essential invisible ways that make me truly an individual, I am often solitary, looking around in my own astonishment at those who fail to see the blanket of privilege with which they warm themselves.
In another possible version of me, I would have a different skin, a different religion, and much different opportunities. I would knock on doors and fail to understand why I went unheeded. An outstretched hand is one needing humanity’s answer. So often, though, we engage our ideas and bettered position to justify all manner of disregard towards those who are only pursuing a full life.
Our cups run over and yet we look into our neighbor’s cup, wondering why they might hold one of unequal measure. The question is not one of merit, as fickle circumstance can strip any of us of our certainty and blanket, regardless of who we are.
We shut our curtains to the image of our own undoing.
As always, “we” are the “other,” even as our mirrors continue to participate in our delusion.
Trump’s Omen
In honesty, I made this with great care, not even intending to insult or ridicule. It’s a portent and omen of our misguided belief that we can use anger and fear to change anything, no matter how broken, into something positive.
If you look in the center, you can see another face apart from Trump, representing the untamed thing that Trump birthed during his campaign. He is merely the figurehead, having tapped into an ancient fear of the ‘other.’ It’s not Trump nor Trump ‘the man’ per se which will be our challenge – it is the valve he opened into people’s hearts. We can only hope that we can navigate the murkiness that could envelop all of us.
Populists are dangerous for specific reasons, tending to overtake the ideas they originally espouse.
Rising rivers seldom take heed of what’s in their paths – and collectively, we are capable of much harm to one another.
A Long List of Crazy!
A joke to open this list of craziness:
I think that Mike Pence’s office just trolled me.
The phone rang and I reluctantly answered.
“Is this X Teri?” It was a man’s voice, full of authority.
“Yes, yes it is,” I answered, waiting to hear what was being sold.
“Are you interested in making some money, sir?” He sounded serious.
“Uh… yes, I am. What do I have to do?” I was halfway sold by this point.
“X, ignorance has went up $50 a barrel and we’d like to pay for drilling rights to your head.”
After that, the call went dead. I could swear I heard a faint laugh, though.
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“It’s only natural that we’ll have a super-moon tonight; the electoral college just chose the biggest ass to represent us.” – X
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Julia, my mother-in-law, had hair that was in such a bad shape that when she accidentally got lost in the dog show, her hair won “Best in Poodle.”
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They asked me to be nice and to turn down the snark. Evidently, they now believe in “TURN-THE-OTHER-TONGUE-IN-CHEEK.”
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“If you listen closely to people, you’ll have a headache.” – X
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It’s strange that we went from fact-checking to ad-libbing to now decrying that every opinion is equally valid.
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There are some who say the election was basically Ford Vs. Chevy, which is bizarre to me. I’ve never seen a Ford that insisted on electroshock therapy to take the gay away or one which refuses to start if you’re Muslim.
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Imagine if American Indians had passed better Immigration Laws, especially in regards to orange people. – X
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Regarding Roundabouts: Only in America will people complain that driving in a circle is too hard – and then do everything to prove it.
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I tried to get excited about high school football because I misunderstood the altitude adjective to mean something entirely different.
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The Durden Potts Rule: word diarrhea rarely amplifies the point or improves the reputation of the person making it.
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While I am generalizing, I’ve noticed that most people who blame racism on the media also tend to be the same subset of people who are likely racist.
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The guy who posted it said he wasn’t being racist – but he insisted the Obama Presidency should be called “The Dark Age.” He literally is blind to the fact of how it sounds. But evidently not colorblind.
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According to Stan Lee, there is 20% chance that Trump is merely a super villain, trying to coax out Superman.
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For the 10 people in the United States who watch “Poldark” on PBS, it’s weird how in the UK Ross raped Elizabeth in the book and in the TV show, but it was completely removed for the U.S. edition. I was certain that the Trump candidacy removed that sort of consideration from our collective conscience.
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Now, instead, we must follow the Golden Drool.
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Apparently, this country is suddenly so white that even Team Edward thinks we’re all vampires. Weirdly, though, it’s eggshell white, because a lot of people are walking on them the last few days.
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Make no mistake, to get where you are right now, you had to shut an infinite number of doors, each an unchosen or rejected possibility.
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The pastor is so hateful toward liberals he wouldn’t even allow a donkey in the nativity scene.
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Many pundits speculate that Trump appealed to some because the dummies were tired of being made fun on. Maybe if they didn’t spend recess sewing Confederate flags, they wouldn’t get ridiculed. Does this comment help any?
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I am going to miss being able to buy black licorice.
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I’m starting a chain of addiction centers for masochists: they are MisTreatment Centers.
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We need a huge wall built, that’s true. Just not for the reasons the Trumpettes think. I’m hoping a town on the Mexican side re-names their town “New Berlin,” for the historical impact, later, when the wall of course comes down.
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The election was a type of Heavenly GPS – because a lot of people gave me directions on how to go directly to Hell.
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My wife and I were speeding past concrete lane blockers on the interstate. “I don’t like this wall,” my wife nervously commented. “Imagine how the Latinos feel, honey,” I replied.
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“People are always talking about ‘in the eyes of god,’ as if anyone should be so arrogant as to claim to know anything, much less what god wants or doesn’t want. Great people violently disagree about what god is saying.” -The Old Man Chronicles
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On a friend’s FB wall recently, she posted about peace and civility. Every single person on her page commenting was someone I had unfriended at least once for being the exact opposite of a good human being. I had to laugh. Being an outsider grants perspective that dogma doesn’t.
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Are you in the house of god or is the house of god in you?
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As for excusing away social injustice: It ain’t called “whitewash” for no reason.
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There’s nothing like sports analogies to remind people that even if you get the most points, somehow you not only lose, you get kicked off the team and deported.
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“My ignorance has just as much right to be here as your knowledge.” -overheard 67 times this week – at least that’s what Google Translate told me when I pasted the ignorance others wrote, for clarification. It kept switching the preferred language from “English” to “Trump,” though.
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“Religion? It could be the best thing in the world! For too many, though, it’s just a word to let them judge you and tell you what to do. Religion lets you reach a conclusion without having to work for it. If you have a religious idea which allows you to treat someone in a way you wouldn’t want for yourself, that’s delusion, not religion.” –The Old Man Chronicles
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“You Are Not Stuck In Traffic. You Are Traffic” It’s a cool way to say you are part of the problem, no matter how much you deny it. I think the same goes for those people who complain about the state of the current political process. They don’t even see that they are the ones driving, banging on the steering wheel, wondering why so many people are frozen in front of them.
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Trump inauguration song lyric: “Tonight we’re gonna party like it’s 1959.”
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I knew that church wasn’t for me when I noticed a skull and crossbones above the door.
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Trump was asked what was his favorite golden oldies song is. Without hesitation he replied, “(David) Duke of Earl.”
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New Education Slogan: A nation doing long division cannot stand.
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Weirdly enough, the Election Commission invited Trump’s team to help count votes. They quit after 15 minutes, however, because they ran out of available fingers to do the tabulation.
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So many complain on social media about participation trophies instead of clear winners and losers. Yet, that is exactly what Donald Trump got on election night. He came in second but got the trophy anyway , all because the United States used to believe that slavery and owning other people was a really neat idea.
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“You can spend your life arguing about what your book means. But be humble, nice, compassionate, love as many people as you can. Doing life that way will get you further than all the ‘things you are sure of’ will ever get you. You can’t be a great person by focusing on being right. ” –The Old Man Chronicles
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Isn’t it strange that a residual effect of slavery (the Electoral College) took the election from the majority who wanted to carry on the legacy of the first black president by electing the first woman?
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Trump has a lot in common with immigrants. He’s going to be our (p)resident alien.
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The term ‘casual homophobia,’ much like the term ‘business casual,’ is code for ‘no one can be comfortable.’
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I wonder how it would have went if Hillary Clinton had captured the illustrious KKK endorsement.
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Why is it that we can watch movies like “Next of Kin” wherein a dead person’s family will avenge a death at any cost, including driving a thousand miles, walking through Kentucky swamps, and breaking every law on the books, but somehow we don’t see the connection when we are dropping bombs overseas.
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Of all my social media friends, most people complaining about peaceful protests after the election are white folks. And most of them were horrified of Obama in 2009. Of course most of them aren’t racists. Enough are, however, to risk getting painted with the same brush.
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On someone’s post, I wrote: “White people tend to worry about broken windows. Minorities tend to worry about broken heads.” It was wildly unpopular with the average Trump voter.
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For everyone in Springdale or NWA who ‘likes’ the “Live Springdale” page, many of you don’t know that the page is operated by an ultra-conservative who endorses only the right-wing candidates and ideas. It’s his page, of course, but it is certainly not something he advertises. It’ll save you some forehead-slapping if you recognize this now.
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According to many, god once commanded us to treat people of other colors as inferior. It is an easy thing to return to such nonsense – especially when the people around you are endorsing it.
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Dear Mr. Grandma: That’s how I started my congratulations letter to Trump.
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If the spurs jangle, then you are wearing boots.
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It’s reported that Mike Pence watched “Mississippi Burning” to learn more about race relations- until someone pointed out it was supposed to be a negative example rather than a blueprint.
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In a successful effort to disprove his own point, he started his defense by saying, “I’m no racist, but…”
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There are many people who will tell you “Hello, jerk!” and then protest when you complain, by defending themselves with the comment, “… but I said hello.”
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I’m not a Democrat or Republican: I’m liberal. I’m more liberal than anyone you can imagine, in part because I can be swayed by new information. The past isn’t an anchor that obligates me to try to impose it on a new world.
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It’s true, you should show Trump/Pence the same respect Obama’s haters gave him for 8 years. It’s only fair.
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Every time Trump mistreats someone, a reporter in San Diego would call and ask, “What motivated you to say that?” Trump would grumble and say, “The Golden Rule, of course. All my bigly moves are based on that. I’m a Christian, you know. I have a plaque in each of my offices to remind me. Mike Huckabee made them for me.”
Even after mocking the disabled reporter, Trump preemptively called the San Diego guy and said, “The Golden Rule guided me.”
4 years later, the San Diego reported got arrested and dragged to Trump’s headquarters and was thrown into a chair inside Trump’s private office.
The reporter laughed to himself as he looked up above Trump’s mantle, to the infamous “Golden Rule” plaque that had guided Trump all these years.
“Do unto others as you would do to your shelf.”
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Yet another goofy joke…
“I am the best at fast calculations,” Trump tells an advisor.
“OK, what is 888 time 438 divided by 5?”
“29!” Trump states.
“Ha ha, that’s wrong!”
“Might be, but it was fast!”
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Words have power. Many people asked me yesterday , “Why do you care? You’re not gay, Muslim, or any of those things which TP’s policies will harm. Shut up!”
I’ve noticed that anyone can get on ‘the list.’ Whether it is religion, sexual orientation or commitment to free expresion , you never know when your opinion might be unpopular. History has shown us that all significant changes start as radical ideas until they are suddenly accepted.
Because of words spoken during the campaign many Americans are scared of what the future will bring. I am fortunate enough to know that these concerns are both authentic and capable of being reality.
They look around to see their friends, family, and fellow Americans cheering the fact that we are rolling back humanity’s collective conscience.
Today it is ‘them.’ Tomorrow, who knows? I’m with them today, in the off chance I’ll be them tomorrow.
I don’t protest or seek to disrupt because I know that the same power of words which permit Trump to scare the country also allow me to be a part of the brighter future.
It’s so strange to see white heterosexual people with names like ‘Smith’ post that there’s nothing to worry about – that the election was just a choice, that the sun will still rise tomorrow, that America will not change for the worst. Being a white man is in itself a type of racism-proof vest. And few of them seem to understand that they are wearing one. -x
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911 system mysteriously overloaded today as nation collectively and subconsciously calls for help. Busy signal received. – X
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Pence, riding on the coattails of Trump’s surprise election, today announced that his new anti-LGBTQ initiative will outlaw actual rainbows. – X
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Even George Washington couldn’t resist editorializing today as Obama met with the 4th Horseman.
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The entire country is in a collective episode of “What Would You Do?” And some of us are going to have a really bad after interview trying to explain what in the heck we were doing.
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This time, I decided to do all the graphics work myself, little by little. I had a 16 X 20 wrapped canvas made and framed to my specifications, using my artwork, and including a questionable quote from “Breaking Bad,” one of the best TV shows to ever ponder the duality of mankind’s nature. (Thus the black/white, nature vs. nurture theme of my work.) It turned out beyond my expectations. My wife loved the look, but immediately noted the usage of the word ‘bastard’ in this context.
As for me, I think many of us are going to be introspective in the future, cautiously anticipating the potential expression of our lesser natures.
Love, X
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My Picture To Sum Up This Week
The Casual N-Word
A personal story… I was asked to write or post something personal. I finished this one reluctantly, as although I’m sharing my life, there will be people who misinterpret or ‘add’ meaning not present in the words I’ve put on paper. I wrote most of this extemporaneously, so treat it like a conversation.
First, let me remind you that I can laugh at the most horrendous things. I can be as macabre as anyone walking the face of the earth can. I can ignore accidental slights and laugh – mostly because I’m as guilty as the next person. Laughter or levity about any subject comes easily to me.
I believe in the power of words, even though I use them like a blind lumberjack holding an ax. Many words can be used in a manner that strips them of their weaponized usage, especially in private contexts, wherein no group or person is being targeted in anger, blame, or belittlement. (Trump gave us the ability to say a lot more of these words in public, it seems.)
In my writing, I’ve talked often about growing up in the South, around those who used the N-Word like verbal placeholders; or worse, as bullets. I heard the N-Word so often from my parents that I began to wonder if it wasn’t a specific, lazy, much-hated person they shared in their life, sort of like an elusive or invisible neighbor always just out of sight. Friends and family used it in ways that displayed their bigotry and prejudice. They defended their usage in all the familiar ways – and if questioned, lashed out in anger that only intensified their bigotry. Some used to the Bible to justify their hate while others blamed it on “the truth,” or “it’s always been that way.”
Bear in mind that I’m not talking about saying the N-Word in a benign context. I’m not defending its usage in that way, just drawing a poor distinction. For me, saying the N-Word when you are expressing hatred, anger, or irrational derision toward someone of another color is the problem. I heard it used frequently as a benign adjective or noun. In those contexts, the word was an indication of upbringing, education, and understanding – or lack thereof. Using that way was stupid, but not motivated by racism – just ignorance.
I’m also not talking about racist actions – just language and attitudes.
When I was very young, I used racist language. I was stupid, ignorant and a captive in a family that unilaterally despised most of what I find valuable in life. I learned and moved on.
Through the years, most people have learned to stop using the N-Word, at least in public, whether they are motivated by true insight into why it is a problem, or whether they don’t want to pay the social price for its usage. As everyone has observed, the word is declining in usage as the generations pass. It’s easier to overlook from those from older generations. It might not be fair, but I love a couple of people deeply who will never overcome the word in their lifetimes. Likewise, I hold some of the people in my life more accountable, as they should know better due to education, profession, and age.
As we’ve seen, “thug” or other thinly disguised code words are on the rise, as it allows those harboring prejudices to vent them openly and claim innocence. It is possible to use “thug” properly, without prejudice, but if you are using it in a certain context, it is questionable – and you probably know it. The more angrily you insist otherwise leads most people to assume you’re concealing deeper prejudices. Using questionable language gives people the ability to attack your motives. There are better words at our disposal.
As for the other part of my story, no one will know to whom I’m referring in this post. No one. (So, if by miracle you are that person, don’t reveal yourself. It’s not my brother or sister, by the way…) Nevertheless, I know a person from the same South that birthed me. I’ve known him all my life. He’s educated and has a position that should indicate that he doesn’t use harsh stereotypical language or words with malice. That indication is wrong.
Recently, I talked to him. I predicted I would hear the N-Word several times. It’s difficult to count efficiently when the other person is doing a serious impression of Archie Bunker. It takes a lot of work to say the N-Word repeatedly.
My acquaintance would be self-righteously furious if he knew that I pity him for his inability to grow up. And no matter how much I give him the benefit of the doubt, I still wonder how much racism creeps into his life, the last place you would want racism traveling to. He’s blind to it on a personal level so it is logical to assume it is a moving infection.
Granted, his problem isn’t a “thinking thing.” He is so blind to his prejudice that he will never voluntarily come to understand that he’s a big part of the problem. You can’t convince him of any of the greater social or economic issues at play, or of cognitive dissonance, or any of the other issues at play in his case. No matter how elegantly I could present the issues to him, his brain would literally be unable to accept a new dialog.
Like so many other people with questionable worldviews, he also uses the trite, “Everyone is racist” argument as if it’s written on granite in the Book of Truth. He does so in part because it is one of the most recited expressions among those who need to justify it.
Minorities don’t have more rights than the majority but they do have one thing others don’t: the right to point out that once you have eaten at the table of the lesser long enough, it’s hard to overcome the expectation that others see you as sitting at the table voluntarily. When white people use racial slurs, they are doing it from the position of historical fear, no matter how feebly they try to argue otherwise. Their usage is worse than that exhibited by those who are angry at being mistreated. This argument is one so many bigots dance around, avoid, or scream about.
When you’ve got everyone outnumbered, you’re the bully.
If you think you can be racist because a minority can, there’s no amount of conversation that will change your mind. “You can’t reason someone out of a position they didn’t reason themselves into.” Calling everyone else a racist is a poor argument on several fronts, but I’m not going to note them at this point.
As I think about my conversation overstuffed with the N-Word, I wonder how openly many people are going to proudly display their prejudice.
And scream with spittle-filled lips that they themselves aren’t prejudiced.
Apocalypse +1
“Make no mistake, if you sit at their table, you’re going to have to use their cards to play the game.”
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They promised me “chaos” everywhere today. I called him. He was already out there celebrating. Be like Captain * Chaos. Celebrate in victory or celebrate in loss because we are all still alive.
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I’m going to miss this election, like an old friend who spent a drunken night at my house, stole my wallet, and used my toothbrush to clean his motorcycle.
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The above picture describes the general consensus, after Hillary won the popular vote and lost the election.
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“It’s hard explaining in another language that the candidate for liberalism won the popular vote and lost the election. It’s exactly how you would LIKE “The Voice” to decide the winner but never does.” – X
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As each of y’all know, each President gets his official portrait done. Trump, not wanting to waste a single minute, has already privately reached out to potential artists interested in a commission to do his White House portrait. Given my immense artistic ability (the best, the absolute best), my commitment to a prompt call for service, not to mention by huge admiration for con artists, I pondered for hours, agonizing on the best possible way to capture Trump’s essence. When I finished this, tears of joy ran down my liberal cheeks as I contemplated the likelihood of being chosen from the many for this honor. I’m hearing that mine’s the best. People from all over are saying it’s going to be huge.
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P.S. Parenthetically Speaking 