Have you ever been tempted to smack the $#%^
08-20-2005, 04:26 PM
#1
Community Organizer
Thread Starter
Have you ever been tempted to smack the $#%^
I was today.
We took a drive out to Roslyn, WA (where they filmed "Northern Exposure" - loved that show
)
Decided to have lunch at the Roslyn Cafe. We sit down and there is this clean cut looking family next to us. One of the kids ~ 10 years old or so starts saying this "
ching chong chow" ... kind of sh!t
Momentarily stunned - I didn't know what to say other than "wtf is that? If your kid says stuff like that when he gets older to the wrong people he is going to find himself on the bad end of an ugly beatdown"
Parents completely ignored everything.
I guess those kind of attitudes start young.
We took a drive out to Roslyn, WA (where they filmed "Northern Exposure" - loved that show
)Decided to have lunch at the Roslyn Cafe. We sit down and there is this clean cut looking family next to us. One of the kids ~ 10 years old or so starts saying this "
ching chong chow" ... kind of sh!t
Momentarily stunned - I didn't know what to say other than "wtf is that? If your kid says stuff like that when he gets older to the wrong people he is going to find himself on the bad end of an ugly beatdown"
Parents completely ignored everything.
I guess those kind of attitudes start young.
In answer to your question, yes. Many, many times!
08-20-2005, 06:30 PM
#4
Not having any children by choice, as probably not made me more tolerant of other people's children. I forget which comedian say it (Robin Williams, I think).
"Every time I have the urge to have children, I go to a restaurant and sit next to someone else's"
"Every time I have the urge to have children, I go to a restaurant and sit next to someone else's"
08-20-2005, 07:23 PM
#5
Liz is Chinese, I am Jewish. You can imagine some of the things we've heard over the years. Yes, I've often wanted to show some of these kids the back side of my hand. More importantly, I oftentimes wanted to show their parents the back side of my hand.
I am amazed at the lack of respect kid have for other people, but I am much more amazed by the lack of respect their parents have for other people.
I am amazed at the lack of respect kid have for other people, but I am much more amazed by the lack of respect their parents have for other people.
08-21-2005, 06:58 AM
#6
Liggy,
As Frank said, you know exactly where the kids get it from. Sigh.
It's possible, I suppose, that the kid was just innocent and hadn't been exposed to Oriental folks before. Sometimes, kids can pick up racial epithets from TV or movies without really understanding the hate behind them... I doubt it, Liggy, but hey it's possible.
It disturbs me sometimes, but I live in an extremely homogenous town where pretty much everyone's a white Christian. Believe it or not, there's only one black kid in the W.B. elementary school! The good news, to me, is that in my experience ignorance doesn't breed hatred; I think a good kid will simply be curious. The bad news is that ignorant kids will take on whatever attitudes they get from their parents or their friends -- and as we all know, you don't need a license to be a parent.
For some reason, I just remembered this: believe it or not, a girl I knew once asked me where my horns were. I swear. I forgave her ignorance of course because she was a cutie.
Anyway, my elder son is at an age, now, where I think the talks about "life" are going to begin. Racism and girls are at the top of the list, Liggy, if this is any consolation.
As Frank said, you know exactly where the kids get it from. Sigh.
It's possible, I suppose, that the kid was just innocent and hadn't been exposed to Oriental folks before. Sometimes, kids can pick up racial epithets from TV or movies without really understanding the hate behind them... I doubt it, Liggy, but hey it's possible.
It disturbs me sometimes, but I live in an extremely homogenous town where pretty much everyone's a white Christian. Believe it or not, there's only one black kid in the W.B. elementary school! The good news, to me, is that in my experience ignorance doesn't breed hatred; I think a good kid will simply be curious. The bad news is that ignorant kids will take on whatever attitudes they get from their parents or their friends -- and as we all know, you don't need a license to be a parent.
For some reason, I just remembered this: believe it or not, a girl I knew once asked me where my horns were. I swear. I forgave her ignorance of course because she was a cutie.
Anyway, my elder son is at an age, now, where I think the talks about "life" are going to begin. Racism and girls are at the top of the list, Liggy, if this is any consolation.
08-21-2005, 08:45 AM
#7
Community Organizer
Thread Starter
Thanks, guys. I'm fortunate to have been exposed to people from just about every race and religion you can imagine. Seattle is really quite diverse. Your horns, eh? Maybe it was more of this kind of question 
j/k
Roslyn, WA is not a diverse place. It does get a fair number of tourists though. A gal I was engaged to a long time ago had a few scenes on an episode of "Northern Exposure" as part of a Japanese tourist group that wanted to consumate there marriages under the Northern Lights.
Matt -
spot on. My wife and I have a fantastic relationship and we firmly believe that not having kids is a big part of the reason.
hehe... Rob. Chinese and Jewish? You guys are just asking for trouble. Stay out of rural Washington 
j/kRoslyn, WA is not a diverse place. It does get a fair number of tourists though. A gal I was engaged to a long time ago had a few scenes on an episode of "Northern Exposure" as part of a Japanese tourist group that wanted to consumate there marriages under the Northern Lights.
Matt -
spot on. My wife and I have a fantastic relationship and we firmly believe that not having kids is a big part of the reason.hehe... Rob. Chinese and Jewish? You guys are just asking for trouble.
Stay out of rural Washington
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08-21-2005, 02:46 PM
#8
At first this post may seem to be "off topic", but I really think that it speaks to the topic.
My standard disclaimer about not being a parent makes it easy for me to be a "perfect parent"
Yesterday, I was at Costco and as always I have a "knack" for picking the wrong line. I got behind a couple that was perhaps in their mid-thirties, with a shopping cart that was full to brim. But, that line was shorter than the others, at that time. The female, was cradling a fairly newborn infant in her arms. After the cashier announced that their total was $519.XX the women went to swipe her debit card (which apparently had a $500.00 maximum) so the transaction was denied. The husband said "put it on the Visa". Of course, Costco only accepts American Express. But, as fate would have it her's was in her wallet that was out in their vehicle (?). The husband got a bit huffy and "walked" off to retrieve the Amex Card. She female mentioned to the cashier: "I told him it would be over $500.00". After several minutes of just standing there, while waiting for her husband to return with their Amex Card the line next to ours shortened, I picked my stuff up off the belt, walked around to the other side, backed my cart out of that line and into the next. Biting my tongue all the while. As fate would have it. I was processed through the other line and was heading for the door when her husband came "strolling" back in to the store with her wallet in his hand. "Strolling" mind you.
Not once, even when I was picking my stuff up from the belt did she ever offer an apology for holding everyone else up. He seemingly could have cared less, and was obviously in NO HURRY to speed up the process.
My point in ALL of this is: What has happened to common curtesy? And one can only wonder how their child will grow up with such "great role models"?
My standard disclaimer about not being a parent makes it easy for me to be a "perfect parent"
Yesterday, I was at Costco and as always I have a "knack" for picking the wrong line. I got behind a couple that was perhaps in their mid-thirties, with a shopping cart that was full to brim. But, that line was shorter than the others, at that time. The female, was cradling a fairly newborn infant in her arms. After the cashier announced that their total was $519.XX the women went to swipe her debit card (which apparently had a $500.00 maximum) so the transaction was denied. The husband said "put it on the Visa". Of course, Costco only accepts American Express. But, as fate would have it her's was in her wallet that was out in their vehicle (?). The husband got a bit huffy and "walked" off to retrieve the Amex Card. She female mentioned to the cashier: "I told him it would be over $500.00". After several minutes of just standing there, while waiting for her husband to return with their Amex Card the line next to ours shortened, I picked my stuff up off the belt, walked around to the other side, backed my cart out of that line and into the next. Biting my tongue all the while. As fate would have it. I was processed through the other line and was heading for the door when her husband came "strolling" back in to the store with her wallet in his hand. "Strolling" mind you.
Not once, even when I was picking my stuff up from the belt did she ever offer an apology for holding everyone else up. He seemingly could have cared less, and was obviously in NO HURRY to speed up the process.
My point in ALL of this is: What has happened to common curtesy? And one can only wonder how their child will grow up with such "great role models"?
08-21-2005, 03:53 PM
#9
Unfortunately, there is no required 'training class' for new parents.
Perhaps a license should be required for permission to bring a child into the world. Parents looking to adopt a child have to demonstrate to a judge at least a minimum understanding of the responsibity to follow over the next 15-20years... 
Perhaps a license should be required for permission to bring a child into the world. Parents looking to adopt a child have to demonstrate to a judge at least a minimum understanding of the responsibity to follow over the next 15-20years...
08-21-2005, 04:28 PM
#10
lig,
Yes, I have and yesterday I did and so did my 17 year-old son (wanted to smack a kid, that is.) Five of us went to see the March of the Penguins movie yesterday. It was a 3:20 PM showing so there were lots of kids and parents there. The kid behind would not sit still and was hitting me in the back with his popcorn box or something, and talking just about in my ear the whole time. There was another kid behind my son, 4 seats away, who was annoying my son through the whole movie. I figured kids will be kids but I will refrain from a matinee G movie again. There were many moms making as much noise as their kids throughout the movie, telling their kids to be quiet.
Yes, I have and yesterday I did and so did my 17 year-old son (wanted to smack a kid, that is.) Five of us went to see the March of the Penguins movie yesterday. It was a 3:20 PM showing so there were lots of kids and parents there. The kid behind would not sit still and was hitting me in the back with his popcorn box or something, and talking just about in my ear the whole time. There was another kid behind my son, 4 seats away, who was annoying my son through the whole movie. I figured kids will be kids but I will refrain from a matinee G movie again. There were many moms making as much noise as their kids throughout the movie, telling their kids to be quiet.