It’s good to ask questions. I was once presented with a petition to spread peace throughout Africa, but after reading it carefully, I realized it was about sending weapons to Africa and “other nations not yet determined.” It’s a good thing I ran away from those people or I’m sure I’d be on some kind of watch list. Let’s see here Merry Jett has transformed herself into over nine hispanic men, she drives with corrective lenses, oh! and she wants to send guns to Africa. I guess I’ll never be an astronaut.
I have been asked many many many ridiculous questions. Questions so stupid that I want to write the inventor of the saying “There are no stupid questions,” and ask him “Are you sure?” Students have asked me strange questions like “What is a book? Where is Texas? Why is the Union fighting the North? I put Thomas Jefferson was hitting it with Sally Hemmings. Why did you mark that wrong? I put the “g.” ”How do I restart my computer? Can I take you jet-skiing? Will you act out the Polk book?” Those last two came from one student back to back. And although I would like to act out the wild? adventures of James K. Polk on a jet ski, I politely declined his strange offer. One of my favorites is “Are you a male or a female?” I wanted to answer both! But decided that might get me in trouble.
Of all the questions I have been asked, yesterday I was asked the worst question I’ve ever heard. It was half question and half wild assertion and it left me with my jaw on the floor. Gwinnetta generously got me an interview at a community college and I was sitting with her in the library when I met someone very special. She was puerto rican and on a tirade about how the cable company ripped up her custom made leather rug and they were only going to give her a $20 credit on her account. I shot her a sympathetic smile, but I was thinking, who the hell has a custom made leather floor? How is that practical?
As she continued to share, she started making comments about the Holocaust. I nodding along until she says “Well, we have to torture someone, so it might as well be the Jews. Right?” (This is where Merry cannot hide the look of shock and horror on her face) But I tried to hold it together to see how crazy this was going to get. I asked her why does anyone have to be tortured, and she said because that is just the way it is. Hmm, um ok, but you don’t think the medical experiments and concentration camps were brutally cruel? She replied well we did the same thing. I agreed, but asked her you don’t think it is cruel? And she said “Well not if it is Jews. They believe some things.” Oh tell me more. Apparently Jews have a book that tells them if that if they see a person drowning they should not help them. Um. What book is this, I asked? The old testament, because that is pretty much what they’re down with. She said no no it is a different book and it tells them if they drown someone they can steal their purity away. WHAT? So of course people hate the Jews because they are always going around drowning people. I tried to give her every benefit of the doubt possible. For instance, maybe their is a language barrier and she is talking about witch trials or baptism. Or maybe she is just pointing out that everyone mistreats and distrusts the Jews throughout history. But she kept digging her own hole until she finally said “Even little children know how to hate them.” Ohhhhhh……
One little right? turned this question into one of my all time favorite questions of all time. Today she was going on a trip to a coal mine, so that may have been many only chance to meet her. Thank you Universe!