Post by Mansons2005 on Jun 7, 2013 23:37:10 GMT
The background is Down and Dirty:
One of the guys who helps me out is from the shelter I volunteer at. He is in his early thirties, a self proclaimed uneducated, gun-totin, tattooed, Redneck Hillbilly from a “holla” in Kentucky. He has done some time in prison and he has mild but persistent substance abuse problems. The reason he is at the shelter off and on is that his girlfriend of 13 years keeps tossing him out (she’s no prize, but that's another story). And this guy hates EVERYONE. He is one of the most racist people I have ever met. Basically, if you are NOT a white male Southern Baptist, you are on his hate list. But that is not the part I am involved with, so I avoid all mention of his bigotry. I am helping him with his abuse problems and some other “life skills” (I hate that term – I’m helping him to learn to read properly so he can get a decent job). As an aside, he is also a very gentle and caring person when he wants to be. I know that sounds backward, but I have the proof – he’s been helping take care of me for months now (he can brew a “wicked good” pot of tea when asked).
Okay, the nasty part is out there ……………. Now let’s get warm and fuzzy
On occasion he gets to see his 3 pre-teen kids (2 boys and a girl). His girlfriend (the children’s mother) won’t let him go to the apartment to get the kids, so I let them meet at my place so he can take the kids out, etc. This evening while we were waiting for the girlfriend to pick up the kids, I heard the ten year old boy say something just the tiniest bit bigoted – most people would not have even noticed or paid it any mind. But Fred herded the boy over to the other side of the room and talked to him for a while, explaining (in his own words) that religion was a personal choice and none of anyone else’s concern, and the kid shouldn’t draw conclusions based on religious beliefs, etc. I was stunned to say the least.
I waited until my jaw retracted from the floor, and the Trailpark Princess picked up the kids (in her new boyfriend’s car) and then I broke my own taboo. I confronted Fred with the episode.
Very matter of factly, and without missing a beat he said (as if I should know better)
“Just because I hate (insert every hateful, disgusting, vile word you can think of that describes a different race, creed, color, sexual orientation, social class, nationality, and beer preference), don’t mean my kids gotta hate’m too. They got to grow up and live in the world and it’s a whole hell’ava lot easier if you just like everbody. Specially if they ain’t done anything to ya to make ya hate’m. It jus wastes a whole lotta time and energy.”
I’m not really sure why, but I still weep when I think of this
One of the guys who helps me out is from the shelter I volunteer at. He is in his early thirties, a self proclaimed uneducated, gun-totin, tattooed, Redneck Hillbilly from a “holla” in Kentucky. He has done some time in prison and he has mild but persistent substance abuse problems. The reason he is at the shelter off and on is that his girlfriend of 13 years keeps tossing him out (she’s no prize, but that's another story). And this guy hates EVERYONE. He is one of the most racist people I have ever met. Basically, if you are NOT a white male Southern Baptist, you are on his hate list. But that is not the part I am involved with, so I avoid all mention of his bigotry. I am helping him with his abuse problems and some other “life skills” (I hate that term – I’m helping him to learn to read properly so he can get a decent job). As an aside, he is also a very gentle and caring person when he wants to be. I know that sounds backward, but I have the proof – he’s been helping take care of me for months now (he can brew a “wicked good” pot of tea when asked).
Okay, the nasty part is out there ……………. Now let’s get warm and fuzzy
On occasion he gets to see his 3 pre-teen kids (2 boys and a girl). His girlfriend (the children’s mother) won’t let him go to the apartment to get the kids, so I let them meet at my place so he can take the kids out, etc. This evening while we were waiting for the girlfriend to pick up the kids, I heard the ten year old boy say something just the tiniest bit bigoted – most people would not have even noticed or paid it any mind. But Fred herded the boy over to the other side of the room and talked to him for a while, explaining (in his own words) that religion was a personal choice and none of anyone else’s concern, and the kid shouldn’t draw conclusions based on religious beliefs, etc. I was stunned to say the least.
I waited until my jaw retracted from the floor, and the Trailpark Princess picked up the kids (in her new boyfriend’s car) and then I broke my own taboo. I confronted Fred with the episode.
Very matter of factly, and without missing a beat he said (as if I should know better)
“Just because I hate (insert every hateful, disgusting, vile word you can think of that describes a different race, creed, color, sexual orientation, social class, nationality, and beer preference), don’t mean my kids gotta hate’m too. They got to grow up and live in the world and it’s a whole hell’ava lot easier if you just like everbody. Specially if they ain’t done anything to ya to make ya hate’m. It jus wastes a whole lotta time and energy.”
I’m not really sure why, but I still weep when I think of this
