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"We have met the enemy and he is us."

7/11/2016

7 Comments

 
n.b. This is not the type of post you are accustomed to reading on Travels With Linda, but it is something I could not let go by, and I would appreciate it if you would read it through. - Don

Picture
The title of this post is a classic quote by Pogo the Possum. Pogo was the main character in a popular comic strip that ran from the 1950s through the mid-1970s. The strip - much like Doonesbury today - focused on social and political commentary and satire.

For the past six months or so we have heard a lot of ugly rhetoric in our country. Words I had hoped we were long finished hearing. This has created a distrust and intoleration that is casting a pall over our country. The past week was a very sad and bloody one for us, and yet the rhetoric continues.

Pogo's comment is no longer social satire, but social reality. The enemy is, indeed, us.


I was a teacher. I had the privilege of having kids of all backgrounds, cultures, and races in my classroom.

I have taught kids with surnames 2 letters long, some with names 20 letters long, and some with apostrophes in their names; boys with turbans and girls with hijabs; skin colors of all hues; those who are first generation Americans and those who are themselves immigrants. I have taught kids with more differences than you can imagine.

And I have learned from all of them. I have learned many things. But primarily what I have learned is that all these different kids from all these different cultures and ethnicities are really all the same. Despite all of their differences, they are all just young adults trying to learn; trying to cope with adolescence; trying to manage (or as they think of it - survive) their parents; trying to imagine their futures.

In other words there is no we or they, there is only us. Why be our own enemy?

​All that has happened recently brought to mind a song - an important song, I think - from the famous musical, South Pacific, which opened on Broadway 67 years ago in 1949. I copied the lyrics below because I think they bear repeating - especially in today's climate.

​All I can think is that here we are 67 years later, and we have yet to learn the lesson of this song.

You've Got to be Carefully Taught

You've got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You've got to be taught
From year to year,
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.
​
You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!

from South Pacific by
Rogers & Hammerstein


7 Comments
Va
7/12/2016 07:57:36 am

Amen !

Reply
Sara Simmons
7/12/2016 08:13:59 am

Thank you, Don, for making the case for common sense and common decency.

Reply
Pam Clack
7/12/2016 08:37:19 am

Thank you, Don. I'm so fortunate that I taught in Fort Bend, one of the most international and multi-ethnic regions in the country. Through tragedies, deep introspection ensues.

Belated congratulations to the Simmons on their 50th!

Reply
Judith Stimson link
7/12/2016 08:55:36 am

Amen and amen. My classroom was the same, with several ethnic backgrounds represented in the same school year. The children see through names, skin color, or traditional dress to the true person. It was always a delight to see the classroom "United Nations" playing and learning together. Thank you, Don.

Reply
Ann Hauber
7/12/2016 10:00:30 am

South Pacific is one of my favorite musicals, and that is my favorite song in the show. How sad that it is applicable to today. Thanks for your post.

Reply
Jay Aronson
7/14/2016 05:03:57 pm

I'm a Pogo fan. This exact sentiment has been in my head for a couple of years now. Great post!
And, happy 50th to you both. It was a beautiful photo of Linda!

Reply
Emily
7/15/2016 09:33:17 pm

Thank you for your thoughts, Uncle Donald. I couldn't agree more. I've spent the last 7 years teaching my kids the opposite of that song, and lately it's been hard to try to explain to them why so many adults have a such hard time with it.

Reply



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