Dressed and redressed

It was *MY* grandmother who outraged and amazed me by shouting at a young black girl who had the audacity to cross the street at the same time as her. As the young girl approached, my grandmother raised her cane in anger and shouted: " Out of my way, darkie! "

Darkie? Talk about colloquialisms. Why not nigger? Or gollywog? Or something equally tasteful. Chiding her was useless. She decided not to hear. After all she was British and therefor annointed and appointed by God himself to set the moral standards of the world.
In Grama's time, English schools taught that the white race was God's special people and the others, well... I believe she was encouraged to view blacks as subhuman, and Asians as a lower class of humanity. Oh, those naughty Victorians!

When the topic was on Indian Right, or Empirical struggles in India, or aparthide in Africa she would shout: "Subjugated Races!" as if that explained everything. It seemed to satisfy her.

Perhaps growing up in such irrational certainties of values, forced my rebellious nature to the fore. A bit of the doctrine stuck, to my everylasting horror. In spite of myself, I do not believe in redress or compensation of any kind really, to people for the actions of countries at war.
We all were wronged at some point in history if you go back far enough.
Expecting the current generations to pay for the sins of their ancestors doesn't sit well with me.

Sunday, I sipped tea with a sweet old soul who was like-minded. We were reminiscing about Revelstoke. She was telling me how her father made all the tobaggon runs on "Chink Hill."
She said it in spite of herself. The language of another era came blurting out with the memories.

"I suppose I should not have said that."
"Don't worry, I understand."

And I do.
The granddaughter of a fierce old cane-wielding woman.
I better bloody well understand.

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Typewriter bangers on
You're all just hangers on
Everyone's human 'cept Jools and Jim
Late copy churners Rock and Roll learners
Your heart's are melting in pools of gin

But I know for sure that if we met up eye to eye
A little wine would bring us closer, you and I
'Cos your right, hypocrisy will be the death of me
And theres an I before e when your spelling ecstasy
And you, you two......

Did you hear the stuff that Krishna said?
Or know for you that Jesus' blood was shed?
Is it in your heart or in your head?
Or does the truth lie in the center spread? --Pete Townshend