sweetnpetite
Intellectual snob
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2003
- Posts
- 9,135
This is not meant to insult any republicans here on lit, but I thought thought this story would likely amuse many here.
On a business flight to L.A. I found myself easily chatting with a man in the seat next to me. He told me that he was a pilot with the airline we were flying on and we chatted about the airline industry and flying in general. The flight ended, he asked for my phone number and I gave it to him. I was flattered -- it had been a while since I had dated, much less been picked up by a good-looking professional. We didn't live in the same city, but as a pilot, he explained to me, he could fly anywhere to see me.
He called me the next day and we arranged to meet in San Francisco in a couple of weeks when I was there for a weekend business trip. He would fly up and back in the same night. We would have dinner in Fisherman's Wharf; he said he knew a nice restaurant. We could walk to Ghirardelli Square afterward. I was elated -- I had a romantic first date in San Francisco to look forward to.
But then we kept talking. And he brought up politics. He described himself as "more of a conservative Republican." I responded that I was about as bleeding-heart liberal as they get. We talked more. I tried to be open-minded because I didn't want to judge someone solely on the basis of their party background. There are nice Republicans out there. I should just get to know him better.
He asked me if I was "one of those p.c. girls" who referred to blacks as "African-American." I was calm and patient as I explained feminism and power dynamics in gender relations and how such knowledge did not make me a femi-nazi. After all, maybe he just didn't know. But then he started talking about how horrible it was that those hippie peaceniks were out there protesting and carrying on about being conscientious objectors. I informed him that my father was a conscientious objector. He could tell he had made a mistake and that I was upset, so he pleaded with me to keep our date. "I'll make it up to you," he promised.
So I went with it. Because I don't discriminate on the basis of something as trivial as party affiliation.
A few days closer to our rendezvous, he called to explain that the flight schedule to and from San Francisco had changed and he would no longer be able to fly there and back in one evening. So he would get a hotel room. And what hotel was I going to be at? I felt really uncomfortable and I didn't think it wasn't such a good idea. Blaring sirens were going off in my head. But he persisted and said it would be fun and he would be a gentleman. So I relented. After all, I don't discriminate against Republicans.
We met at the appointed time and went to dinner. The food wasn't great and the conversation was limited since we had banned politics. We spent dinner talking about our jobs, the weather, and growing up. As it turns out, he was the homecoming king at his prom. I was the social misfit who brought my gay best friend as my date. Perhaps in order to endear me to his open-mindedness about gay men, he conversed with me about his interactions with the male stewards on his airline. His comment: "Wow, those people really like to serve."
We finished dinner and walked towards Ghirardelli Square. On the way, we encountered a skinny, cleanly dressed, effeminate gay man walking down the street in the opposite direction, yelling at a friend of his down the block. I wasn't paying much attention -- we were in San Francisco, after all. But suddenly I heard audible sighing and groaning from my date. Getting irritated, I asked him what his problem was. Was he scared or something? He said, "Of course I am."
With disbelief, I asked, "You're serious. You're afraid of that man over there who is half your size?"
He looked at me and said, "Come on, if that man came over and put his hand on your shoulder, tell me you wouldn't be scared."
"If that man did come over," I replied, "it wouldn't be to touch MY shoulder."
I drove him to his hotel and politely said good night. When he called back to tell me how much he had enjoyed our time together and that he wanted to take me to Hawaii, I told him no. I had decided it was just fine to discriminate on the basis of ignorance, racism and blatant homophobia.
http://www.salon.com/mwt/col/heaven_hell/2003/08/27/pc/
On a business flight to L.A. I found myself easily chatting with a man in the seat next to me. He told me that he was a pilot with the airline we were flying on and we chatted about the airline industry and flying in general. The flight ended, he asked for my phone number and I gave it to him. I was flattered -- it had been a while since I had dated, much less been picked up by a good-looking professional. We didn't live in the same city, but as a pilot, he explained to me, he could fly anywhere to see me.
He called me the next day and we arranged to meet in San Francisco in a couple of weeks when I was there for a weekend business trip. He would fly up and back in the same night. We would have dinner in Fisherman's Wharf; he said he knew a nice restaurant. We could walk to Ghirardelli Square afterward. I was elated -- I had a romantic first date in San Francisco to look forward to.
But then we kept talking. And he brought up politics. He described himself as "more of a conservative Republican." I responded that I was about as bleeding-heart liberal as they get. We talked more. I tried to be open-minded because I didn't want to judge someone solely on the basis of their party background. There are nice Republicans out there. I should just get to know him better.
He asked me if I was "one of those p.c. girls" who referred to blacks as "African-American." I was calm and patient as I explained feminism and power dynamics in gender relations and how such knowledge did not make me a femi-nazi. After all, maybe he just didn't know. But then he started talking about how horrible it was that those hippie peaceniks were out there protesting and carrying on about being conscientious objectors. I informed him that my father was a conscientious objector. He could tell he had made a mistake and that I was upset, so he pleaded with me to keep our date. "I'll make it up to you," he promised.
So I went with it. Because I don't discriminate on the basis of something as trivial as party affiliation.
A few days closer to our rendezvous, he called to explain that the flight schedule to and from San Francisco had changed and he would no longer be able to fly there and back in one evening. So he would get a hotel room. And what hotel was I going to be at? I felt really uncomfortable and I didn't think it wasn't such a good idea. Blaring sirens were going off in my head. But he persisted and said it would be fun and he would be a gentleman. So I relented. After all, I don't discriminate against Republicans.
We met at the appointed time and went to dinner. The food wasn't great and the conversation was limited since we had banned politics. We spent dinner talking about our jobs, the weather, and growing up. As it turns out, he was the homecoming king at his prom. I was the social misfit who brought my gay best friend as my date. Perhaps in order to endear me to his open-mindedness about gay men, he conversed with me about his interactions with the male stewards on his airline. His comment: "Wow, those people really like to serve."
We finished dinner and walked towards Ghirardelli Square. On the way, we encountered a skinny, cleanly dressed, effeminate gay man walking down the street in the opposite direction, yelling at a friend of his down the block. I wasn't paying much attention -- we were in San Francisco, after all. But suddenly I heard audible sighing and groaning from my date. Getting irritated, I asked him what his problem was. Was he scared or something? He said, "Of course I am."
With disbelief, I asked, "You're serious. You're afraid of that man over there who is half your size?"
He looked at me and said, "Come on, if that man came over and put his hand on your shoulder, tell me you wouldn't be scared."
"If that man did come over," I replied, "it wouldn't be to touch MY shoulder."
I drove him to his hotel and politely said good night. When he called back to tell me how much he had enjoyed our time together and that he wanted to take me to Hawaii, I told him no. I had decided it was just fine to discriminate on the basis of ignorance, racism and blatant homophobia.
http://www.salon.com/mwt/col/heaven_hell/2003/08/27/pc/
