I was waiting in line at Chase Bank (formerly Bank One, formerly First Chicago, formerly???) last week, attempting to convert a huge jar of coins into paper bills. BTW: Said jar usually reaps $200, but this time only $50. Hmmm... Anyway, the line was short but the teller was grumpy and SLOW, so Polly had plenty of time to study those around her.
The guy standing in front of me was twentysomething, and sporting a messenger bag with tons of pro-vegetarian, anti-cruelty to animal buttons all over it. The bag also had a button which read, "I TALK TO JESUS EVERY WEEK. HE IS MY MEXICAN GARDENER." Polly was polite. I did not take the little twit to task and point out he was trying to convince others to convert to a vegetarian lifestyle which he believed to be morally imperative, while glibly insulting a religion that is morally imperative and dear to billions. Such logic would have been lost on him. I was tempted to point out that he was being racist. After all, why would someone named Jesus (pronounced "Hey Suess" for anyone confused) necessarily be A) Mexican and B) be employed as a gardener? Why not an accountant? Or doctor. They have doctors in Mexico, you know.
Ah, but this is America. You can be wrong if you want to. It's protected speech. More importantly, we are secure. No chip on our shoulder, if you want to wear a button that says 1+1=6, well, that's fine too. Moreover, Christians are strong. We can take it on the chin. No need to start a riot over some dumb bunny's insensitivity and rudeness. Christianity expects no special status. No exemption from critique or, in this case, an uneducated dumbass who will likely never excel any higher than his current job as a barista boy at Starbucks.
I did start an interesting conversation with the guy standing in line behind me, however.
"Gosh, this line is moving so slowly. I was hoping to get to Hardees to indulge in one of their Monster Burgers before going back to work. Have you tried one yet? Fabulous."
"Oh Yeah! They are my fast food fave! Love them. Not today though. My wife and I just had an anniversary lunch at F. Scott's. Best steaks in town, I tell you."
"Mmmmm.... I'm jealous. Have you tried Bud's yet? Their steaks are good, but very pricey. Not F. Scott's by a long shot."
"Yeah, we haven't found anything that beats the medium rare porterhouse steak at F. Scott's. Not even Alexander's."
"I don't get Alexander's. I don't want to cook my own steak. If I wanted to stand around, tending to a huge, juicy, piece of tenderloin sear and sizzle on a grill, I'd save money and use my own BBQ sitting on my deck at home. You have to pay extra to have someone else grill your steak at Alexander's. Doesn't seem fair."
"I agree. Although I think Alexander's meat is a better than a lot in town. Their steaks are more marbled. I wonder what they feed their cows?"
"Ah, probably only organic grains."
"Works for me. You probably won't believe this, but they have the best veal Parmesan at IHOP, of all places!"
"Really? Maybe I'll go there today instead of Hardees."
At the mention of veal, Vegetarian Barista Boy turned a deep shade of reddish purple and stormed out of the bank.. without depositing his precious latte money.
Heh. Heh.
My Christian brother and I high fived each other after his departure.
10 comments:
"Christians are strong. We can take it on the chin. No need to start a riot over some dumb bunny's insensitivity and rudeness. Christianity expects no special status...."
Your're kidding, right? Did you miss the whole "war on Christmas"? Many Christian "leaders" make their living on stoking the "persecuted Christians" fire.
When did Sully add a porterhouse to the menu?
Mmmmmm ... veal parmesan. Remember when then had a veal parmesan sandwich at McDonalds?
Smiley, Did the 'war on Christmas' involve RIOTS, burning buildings, injuries and deaths? Yeah. That's what I thought.
Polly, I have a much more important topic for you... is that a true photo of you on the cell phone or is that Jennifer Aniston?
If it's Jennifer Aniston, she looks good with her hair pulled back.
If it's you, I'm getting a divorce next week and will be calling you for a dinner date at Bud's the following day.
Thank you kindly.
Polly,
I had to reread your post to figure out what you were referring to when you asked "Did the 'war on Christmas' involve RIOTS, burning buildings, injuries and deaths?" You never mentioned the riots in Europe in your post. You were referring to a button that clearly ticked you off, at least a little. Thus, I didn't interpret your point as a reference to the riots over the cartoons in Europe (even though you did use the word "riot" once). So, you didn't start a riot in the line at the bank. That's a good thing.
BTW, you didn't address my larger point about the popularity of the "persecuted Christians" meme among (mostly) evangelical Christians. Television shows and movies have been cancelled because of the protests of Christian groups. Saying that (some, mostly prominent) Christians don't have thin skins just doesn't fly, IMHO.
BTW2, I agree with you and the guy behind you in line about the lameness of the person in the line in front of you.
smiley
Yea, F-Scott's Rock. Best meal in town if you ask me...but then again Ihop rocks to, so what do I know?
Smiley,
I don't think one should IGNORE wha they perceive as an insult to their religion. I believe they should conduct themselves wisely when insulted. I am a blogger after all, not one to ignore or rise above the fray.
I was trying to comment on the insanity resulting from the anti-muslim cartoons without actually mentioning said cartoons (except for in the TITLE). If Muslims had started a boycott of the Danish newspaper or Danish goods, etc. instead of setting fire to embassy I would have thought it a wise way to protest. Personally, Polly boycotted all Snapple products after watching an episode of the Howard Stern Show many years ago. If one believes that a program is insulting to one's beliefs, morals, religion, etc., boycotting advertisers is the productive, peaceful way to go. Getting a TV show canceled is a far cry from riots, don't you think Smiley? A boycott is smart. The riots were more immature than a toddler throwing a tantrum, and thus "thin skinned" IMHO. I didn't agree with the reasons Baptists boycotted Disney (for giving health insurance to the partners of gay employees) a couple of years back. I respected the right of Baptists to do so, however, and would have thought Baptists hypocritical if they had purchased Disney tickets/items based on their beliefs. The marketplace spoke, the Baptists lost, and I don't think Disney felt much of a pinch. Christians aren't always right and they don't always win.
Riots, fires, violence don't belong in the same category as economic boycotts, letter writing campaigns, and even a little fury from the pulpit.
Polly freely admits that there are some radical, hair brained, Christian dim-wits out there, Smiley. Hope that makes you feel better.
I'm sitting here laughing so hard that I started coughing.
Alexander's is my favorite restaurant in Springfield, though.
He wasn't being racist - you were being stupid and missed the point.
The point of that button was that supposedly good "Christian" people love to hire Mexicans illegally and at wages on which they can barely afford to live..
At least that's the point I took away from it. Who knows what the hell you took from it. Keep ranting.
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