-----Original Message-----
From: Trisha Cummings [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, December 13, 1999 5:12 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Reality; What a Concept

<snip>
 The next weekend I went back and told him how much Amber enjoyed
the tile - I thought it was important for him to know that she appreciated
and enjoyed and his wife was there and rolled her eyes when he filled her in
all becasue he wanted to nice to a little girl who he preceived had a little
harder time than others.

Rolled her eyes, huh?  Must be from Georgetown  ;>)

>Christmas just sucks, don't it?  Well, that's what happens when we ain't
>got no dang meta-narrative.

    What do you mean by meta-narrative? this isn't a term I have before. Of
course silly me thought PWD meant power wheelchair drivers and I was always
confused why they where feeling more descrimated agianst than others - Okay
you guys can quit laughing now!!!

A meta-narrative (Martin Logan, dammit, come out and fight like a
post-modernist!  I know you're in there!  ;>)   ) is a story,or history,
that is true for all people groups.  Post-modernists reject this and say
that there can't be a universal meta-narrative because ultimate reality is
purely a matter of individual/social construction.  The inherent weakness in
this is that it can't account for a universal sense of order or "morality",
if you will.  Most cultures, independent of co-socialization, agree that
certain things are inherently "bad": murder, thievery, etc.  Without this
meta-narrative, where do these social norms originate?  That's why I said:
>Too bad civility becomes an individual
>construct and not something our Daddies and Mommas didn't whup >into our
backsides years back.

You know I am not sure manners are something you can whip into someone. I
suspect being a good example and being patient and correcting when they make
boo-boos works. Amber is fairly polite and this is what I did.

I'm sure Amber IS quite polite.  I'm also certain that she is this way
because it's important to you for her to be such.  To many parents, their
kid's behavior to others is of no great consequence. Why should it be when
their own civility is marginal?

>As far as your "gentleman" being upset about his being diss'ed in front >of
his nephew, hmmm, seems to me that respect is not an inalienable >right.
Boy, Howdy!  Aren't we as a culture hung up on our rights, too?  >Never mind
the responsibilities that go along with it.

      Inalienable rights ..... oh I know those they are in the constitution
right? The ones that say we are have the right to life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness? Maybe that's covered under the pursuit of happiness -
getting what you want - when you want and how you want. GRIN

Now that I think about it, I've changed my tune...slightly.  Respect should
be an inherent cultural "right", but not inalienable.  But then, because
"respect" is an individual construct, what is respectful to you may not be
respectful to your holiday customer.  See what I'm driving at?

>Let's face it, Westerners are soft.  We've got the time to be worried
>about our "rights".  After all, not many of us are looking to see if we
>have enough rice or millet for our families to make it through another
>day. Let's see...which Pokemon character is supposed to take care of >that
one?

<snip>

I cut a chunk of your post re: refugee camps and old Cadillacs, but I'm glad
that you know first-hand of what I speak.  Ken Barber alluded to this also
in an earlier post in which he said that poorest of the American populous is
rich in comparison to much of the developing world.  I would urge any
American to spend a week in one of these places.  You will feel much humbler
about your own circumstances, guaranteed!

In fact, our poor DO have safety nets available to them--WIC, FICA, AFDC,
HEAP, et al.  It's subsistence level, to be sure, but how many US children
suffer from rickets, severe anemia or just pain starvation?  Yes, some do
fall through the cracks.  Tragic, but in a country of 264 million, some may
slip through.  One of my biggest concerns is that we let our government and
other bureaucratic "type" agencies (United Way, etc.) deal with our poor so
we as individuals won't have to get our own hands dirty.  Same goes, I
guess, for the able-bodied in dealing with the disabled.  Much "cleaner" to
write a check to a charity that deals with the disabled than it is to, say,
shovel the snow from your disabled neighbor's drive, eh?

     As it must be plain to see I have gotten a little rest to - last week I
worked 66 hours - I think I may have lost a little be of my sense of humor.
The manager didn't hire another person part-time he just doublled my hours.
I am not sure why he thinks I can work from the day after thanksgiving until
Christnmas without a day off, and some of them be 13 an  14 hours when I do
both jobs.  So yesterday I ended up with a migraine and had to call in sick.
Even with that I will have a 65 hour week , and I was suppose to feel bad
becasue my not coming in meant he had to work an extra 4 hours!!

                                     Trisha

Trisha, my heart does go out to you because I know you would much rather be
home with your daughter than working.  Alas, the struggles of the single
parent.

Best Wishes,
Kyle