Thrift Haven second-hand store -- Joy (the Ozark Aunt) should be home from TH sometime after 6 p.m. I was up there from about 10:30 a.m. until around 1:30 p.m. I had to come home and take a nap. The Ozark Uncle is going to have to get his diet and exercise right if he expects to keep up his quality of life.
Dr. Laura, the "N" Word has a Horrible History with Blacks
Dr. Laura, the "N" Word has a Horrible History with Blacks
Dr. Laura -- 63-year old Laura Catherine Schlessinger announced this past week that she is ending her national radio show, Dr. Laura, at the end of this year. This was after she got into an exchange with an African American woman on her live show. Before the dialogue was over, Schlessinger had used the "N" word eleven times on the air. I'm still trying to hear a full audio of it, but I perceive that her "advice" to this woman was really more off-color than even the use of the word. It's now eleven days later and all the evidence is that Schlessinger could rise as a conservative heroine, and her fame and fortune will grow. Sarah Palin of Alaska has jumped to her defense and through a "Twitter" claimed Dr. Laura is not a racist. I had to smile at this and wondered if Dr. Laura appreciated Sarah stealing some of the limelight.
My Thoughts on Dr. Laura
I listened to Dr. Laura on radio back in her early days--it was a time when I needed all the advice I could get. Since then, I've learned that the best advice is to ignore advice who haven't been in my shoes. Her advice wasn't all that bad on her show, but her callers were often unbelievably pathetic, and Dr. Laura seemed to chew them up into little pieces before going to a station break. I imagined these troubled souls becoming even more distraught and helpless after Laura's staff cut them off. So, if there was one reason I turned her off is that her program format turned me off. But, if you love Dr. Laura, don't fret -- she'll come out of this with more influence than ever.
The Ozark Uncle perceives there are a growing number of Americans who want to call other Americans whatever they wish--even if it's offensive (First Amendment and all that). The Ozark Uncle needs to learn how to "Twitter." He's considering twittering to both Sarah and Laura this question: Is there a name I could call each of you that would immediately insult you? Here in the Ozarks, most of us don't like to be called "hillbillys"; native Floridians don't like to be called "Crackers." Back in the 1960s, my old college buddy, Ralph Johnson, didn't like being introduced as "my colored friend." Can you believe I didn't really understand that at first? Ralph did a lot to help this white boy see through the eyes of someone of another race.
Back to Sarah and Laura, if I were to know what words might push their buttons, the Ozark Uncle wouldn't use them. There is enough hateful and hurtful things being said among us Americans, and I for one won't be a part of it. Sometimes it's hard to keep from it, but it's a game I really don't want to play.
The Ozark Uncle perceives there are a growing number of Americans who want to call other Americans whatever they wish--even if it's offensive (First Amendment and all that). The Ozark Uncle needs to learn how to "Twitter." He's considering twittering to both Sarah and Laura this question: Is there a name I could call each of you that would immediately insult you? Here in the Ozarks, most of us don't like to be called "hillbillys"; native Floridians don't like to be called "Crackers." Back in the 1960s, my old college buddy, Ralph Johnson, didn't like being introduced as "my colored friend." Can you believe I didn't really understand that at first? Ralph did a lot to help this white boy see through the eyes of someone of another race.
Back to Sarah and Laura, if I were to know what words might push their buttons, the Ozark Uncle wouldn't use them. There is enough hateful and hurtful things being said among us Americans, and I for one won't be a part of it. Sometimes it's hard to keep from it, but it's a game I really don't want to play.
To the future generation, the Ozark Uncle says, be considerate of other people's feelings. I perceive a future when America will again be a caring nation. But it will be a time when Americans have much less (food and housing, for example). And it's much easier to care for each other when we're all in the same lifeboat.
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