"I suppose I have always known it is hard to be just one person. The key is in the door and it can always be opened."
~Gloria
Let The Great World Spin- Collum McCann
This quote comes from a scene in the book where a Judge Soderberger who entered his home to find his wife speaking with a dowdily dressed black woman, Gloria, in his penthouse apartment, says a vague hello to the stranger, ignores her, starts talking about his day to his wife and quickly goes upstairs. Relief comes a moment later, when after speaking to his wife, the judge returns and addresses Gloria properly. He offers a sincere apology as well as condolences for the three sons, Gloria lost in Vietnam. Both women were part of the same grief group.
A librarian I spoke with a few weeks ago, Sarah Houghton-Jan, who happens to be a goth librarian, told me that she is often judged by people based on her appearance. On several occasions people have told her to "start dressing like a normal person." Others ask her if she's a satan worshipper. She said something that resonated, "We like to put people in boxes. Our brains just work that way. We like to categorize things. And it’s sad."
About Me
- Hummingirl
- Brooklyn, New York, United States
- Things you should know. I like to write, box, nap, read and be read to--mostly fiction, the kind of books that play like movies in your head, whether awake or asleep. I need at least a couple spoonfuls of organic crunchy peanut butter each day to function. Every, every day. And to answer your question(s): half-full, dogs, mornings, summers, and more than one. I write for findingDulcinea. (Header photo: pixonomy Flickr photostream/CC)
Sweet Search
Subscribe To
Posts
Comments
1 comment:
I feel worse for the narrow-minded people who continually put others into boxes than for those who, like Sarah, are often put into one. People in the latter group often take delight in the reactions they bring about; people in the former group take delight in very little. And it cuts both ways; just as we often look askance at someone like Sarah for wearing black, we put attractive people into large, pretty boxes with elegantly tied bows. Not everyone who wears black is evil, and those who are evil (or vapid or mean spirited or hypocritical or hypercritical or selfish) don't usually wear black - often they look really sharp and turn heads.
Post a Comment