Why Our Country Is In The Crapper: A Case Study

Oh. My. God.

First of all, Hello! Sorry to have been so absent over the past few days. I was busy last week preparing for my trip to the NC coast, and thusly had nothing to report on or show you. Then, I was gone for about four days, and it was truly glorious to be away from a computer for that time. I think that I got on to post my Labor Day post, which I had already in draft. I know, it is sort of wierd but it seems like it is either feast or famine for me and blog-worthy material. I either have tons of stories or things to show and tell, or nothing but UFO's (un finished objects, not spaceships and such) and random silly pics. I am trying to keep that garbage to a minimum, so I keep things in draft and post as I feel they need to see the light of day, or get them ready and then upload pics as I get the projects finished. Kind of cheating I guess, but hey, whatever works.

Anyway.

So my mother and I are out and about on Saturday, and she was kind enough to take me to the two yarn stores in her area. soe we arrive at one, and it is hot and stuffy and there was nothing exciting and no prices were marked on anything. Off we go to the second one, and arrive to a group of about 8 women probably in their 50's or 60's having a stitch and bitch- ya know, sit around and knit and shoot the shit.

Well.

Naturally, the discussion turned to politics. the story is about to become very disjointed, just so you know. I was listening, but trying not to listen because I was fondling the lovely selection of tweeds they had and trying to get over the mental block i have where when I go to a yarn store I cannot think of a single thing that it was that I was hoping to find or had a project in mind for, nothing. I was also trying not to listen because listening to these awful hags made me want to furiously knit something that could be used to choke the life out of all of them. All but one. Here's why:

As the discussion turned to last week's current events, or the DNC, one woman heretofore referred to as The Voice of Reason said, "I kinda liked Bill Clinton." Que the clucking, the tsking, and one woman's sarcastic offer to put the poor VoR on her prayer list. Giggles all around.

Next, another woman wondered aloud in a very suspicious tone of voice just how Michelle and Barack Obama went to those fancy schools. The VoR replies, "They probably got scholarships and loans just like everyone else." Astounding! You mean, they did what whites, yellows, browns, blacks, pinks, and oranges have done all over the country?!? No WAI!!! So the Suspicious Lady responds all huffily, "Well then how do you suppose he got to go abroad all those times?" Gee lady, I dunno. Clearly since he is black he must have either sold drugs or stolen TV's and pawned them in order to get through college. Nothing gets by you!

Now we come to the oh so pleasant portion of the stitch and bitch where we talk politics AND religion. Weeee! Indignant Voice pipes in to bring up Obama's pastor. And my goodness, can you believe the things they are learning in their churches? "Here all this time he's been sitting in a church being taught to hate us! Can you believe that?" Lots of "mmmhmmms" and dissaproving clucks all around. "After we've been so nice to them!" says Also Indignant. <prepare to gag> "Ya know," Also Indignant says, "I know a Black Gal, Miss So and So, and she is just the sweetest thing. Even birthed one of my babies! And all this time, she's been taught to hate me! Why, I've even had her children over to swim in my pool!"

Christ on a bike! These women really were having this conversation. Really. They were. I was seriously inspecting some lovely Rowan Tweed, but it was getting hard not to stand up and exclaim, "Well that's mighty white of you! How far down the street were they before you counted your silver?"

But now they are all going around saying lovely things about all the Real Life Black People they all know. Which amounts to like .75 Real Life Black People per person. And then they begin to talk about the perfectly understandable joy that blacks around the country feel now that there is a very real possibility that for the first time ever, a person with any color what so ever will be President. The Voice of Reason says that she can understand the excitement and importance. Of course you can, that's why you are the Voice of Reason! Well, then another member of the Modern Times Think Tank and Knitting Coven pipes in to say that a coworker of hers is also black, and she is just the nicest thing! But don't you know it, she's got a big ole picture of Barack Obama in her office! Giggles all around once more. What a merry time at the Saturday Stitch and Bitch.

At this point I can't take it another minute. I throw the armload of tweed down on the ground, because I didn't want to give that shop any money (now is the time to mention that Indignant Voice was the employee of the shop, possibly the owner) and I stomped out. My mother was already outside. She couldn't take any more after the pool comment.

So I would like to wrap up this uncharacteristically long post with a thought: these women were the worst possible kind of racists. I would much rather have walked in and seen hooded Klanswomen (if there is such a thing, I dunno) knitting cozies for their burning crosses or something. Why? Because I think that people should own their thoughts and really be who they are ugly or not. It's way better then covering it up poorly and having people see right through you.