Looking for Dirty Words

The story goes that a library opened up in a small town and an old lady showed up to check out the books.

She wandered over to the dictionaries and started looking through them.  At one point, she picked up a large dictionary and lugged it to the head librarian and said, rather sternly:  “Sir, there are dirty words in this book!”

He looked at her and said:  “Ma’am, you were looking for them.”

 A couple weeks ago some young millennial gal, videotaping from her car, went on a rant against millennials out there who don’t “hold open doors for our elders” and blah blah blah.  It was one of those heart felt “come to Jesus” moments where she was taking her fellow millennials to task for not stepping up and doing more.  It has been viewed a few million times and, at first blush, you might find yourself agreeing with her:  “Wow!  She’s pretty spot on!  Good for her to try and rally people to change.”  But it’s one of those things, or moments, that the more you put thought into it – you realize she’s looking for dirty words.

After thinking about it for a moment, I turned my attention to the dozen or so millennials I know – including my son and his wife, my daughter and her boyfriend and their myriad of friends.  None of them are at all like the millennials described by this gal.  The millennials I know are hardworking, struggling to make ends meet, trying to make a better world, living and dreaming and laughing and each one would open the door for my 83 year old mother.

A couple days ago, I saw a meme (below) blasting this new “generation” of people and, once again, I saw someone looking for dirty words.  Easier to post a meme that blasts what you think you see than actually go out and look, right?

Where are these selfish disrespectful brats of what you speak?

Here’s the deal.  You want to find free-loading mooching welfare queens?  You can find them.  If you want to find struggling families, trying to make ends meet, and needing some assistance to get through to the next meager paycheck – you can find them, too.

You want to find Muslims bent on destroying America, ready to go Jihad on all our asses?  Sure.  Just turn on Fox News.  You want to find many MORE Muslims who love this country and our freedoms and just want to live and breathe and worship as they please?  You can find them.

Scary Muslims

Muslim died serving our country.

Refugees, immigrants, documented workers, undocumented workers, liberals, conservatives, gay, straight, the list goes on and on and on.

You want to post a story about out-of-control black youth on a rampage?  You can find it.  You want to post a story about black youth helping in their communities, you can find that, too.  What is it, in reality, are you looking for?

Are you looking for this?

Or this?

You want to post a story about out-of-control cops profiling black people and finding systemic racism?  You can find it.  You want to post a story about cops working with inner-city youth and helping out their communities?  You can find it.

Are you just looking for that dirty word that eases your conscience?  Or confirms what you think you already believe?  Just because you see some slacker smoking dope by the 7-11 dumpster, does that inform everyone that age?  Certainly not.  But, hey, it’s a microcosm of a greater truth?  Right?

A?

or B?

And our generation never did anything like that.  We didn’t have slackers.  We weren’t slackers.  We always held doors open.  Sure.

Just yesterday I saw a posting on Facebook from a conservative relative blasting liberals for attempting to take down a statue of a confederate soldier.  The article basically states that liberals are trying to wipe away history.  I quickly wanted to find the on-line articles about how some conservative school districts are trying to literally re-write history books to make slavery “not so bad” and, possibly to wipe out the history of slavery in this country altogether.  See – if they can find dirty words, so can I!  If they can pick and choose their story to push a certain narrative, then so can I!

Their post:

http://www.uschronicle.com/liberals-successfully-remove-historic-statue-reminds-history/

My possible post:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/06/us/publisher-promises-revisions-after-textbook-refers-to-african-slaves-as-workers.html?_r=0

But to what point?

Is it to actually provide information that might inform someone’s thinking?  Or is it to just say, basically:  “Nu-uh.”  I see your argument and raise you my rebuttal!  I’m more correct than you!

If I look at myself honestly, I want to voice my opinion or my point or my statement to basically say:  I’m right and you’re wrong.  I’m better and you’re lesser.  I’m a winner and you’re a loser.

Take the time.  Do the research.  Read different viewpoints.  Don’t take holier-than-thou speeches by 20-somethings or rants by 50-somethings as the gospel truth.  Sit down with the gay, transgender, Muslim, conservative, liberal, homeless, drug addict, divorced single mother, veteran, politician, teenager, etc. if you really want to inform your life and what you believe.  Maybe those dirty words won't seem so dirty any more.

Bottom line, if you or I look for those dirty words, we’ll find them.  But for each dirty word we find, there are 10,000x other words that we’re missing and maybe those words are more important than the select few.

Lots and lots of words.