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So I am reading the Zeppo's journal and her brush with the history of the day. I started thinking of my own brushes with a bit of religious intolerence. I was in middle school. My father the editor of the local paper. We were living in a small town in Tennessee called Etowah. Dad being a raving liberal himself had mananged to piss off the local establishment boys.
For those of you who have never lived in small towns allow me to explain. A small town like any town has it power structure. People who are rich by the standards of that little podunk stay that way with the help of the other wealthy folk. To say what happens is illegal isn't enough. These guys scratch each others backs so much they have to by lee press ons to keep up appearances.
So here comes my dad the liberal outsider who is running the paper splashing around in their puddle. The rumors and backroom meetings grew. And of course a local baptist preacher, being mindful of his donation tray got involved in the discussion. He and some of his fellows were talking after service one sunday.
"Richard McCoy is an athiest and is his son, I swear is an agent of satan."
Hmmm. This got back to me. My dad of course was not Athiest persay but mearly lapsed meathodist. As to me being an agent of satan, my reaction at the time still stands. If I am his agent where is my cut? He is appearing in movies, radio, and TV. I should be getting my 10 percent. Okay maybe 8, but hey I gots to eat.
I apparently developed this reputation for questioning my biology teachers contention that Adam and Eve were the first people and Darwin while well meaning was a bit off. I pointed out that not even the bible agrees that all of humanity came from adam and eve. I pointed out the evidence of early man and his evolution. Homo Erectus was brought up, sadly it was lost in the term homo and erect being used at once. We are talking 8th graders here. Still I got a reputation for being evil back then. It did not help I was in fights all the time and being bigger and stronger than alot of my contemparies I beat the hell out of them.
Then somewhere along the way it was decided by bigger older kids that I must be jewish. The "reasoning" went that my dad was an editor of a paper and there for he must be jewish, ergo if he is jewish then I must be as well. Besides I apparently at the time looked jewish. The fact I am irish by decent and that my name was McCoy seemed to have not been factored in.
So when they decided to beat this upity Jew it was justified by the fact that the Jews killed Jesus(got to love religious zelotry). I got one hell of a beating. I gave a few good licks but I lost. Alot.
I of course told my mom and dad none of it. I limped home. If I had been smart and had said something, I would have gone to the doctor. And he probably would have said I cracked a rib or 2 cause I hurt for weeks. I got my revenge here and there but I always think about that incident when I here of racial or religious tension.
Maybe life is suppossed to be this way. It gives our body and spirit a chance to toughen up a bit. Get ready for really tough times should they come. Either that or life just sucks.
Cant decide realy.
I cant even figure out if I still look Jewish.
TechNoir
For those of you who have never lived in small towns allow me to explain. A small town like any town has it power structure. People who are rich by the standards of that little podunk stay that way with the help of the other wealthy folk. To say what happens is illegal isn't enough. These guys scratch each others backs so much they have to by lee press ons to keep up appearances.
So here comes my dad the liberal outsider who is running the paper splashing around in their puddle. The rumors and backroom meetings grew. And of course a local baptist preacher, being mindful of his donation tray got involved in the discussion. He and some of his fellows were talking after service one sunday.
"Richard McCoy is an athiest and is his son, I swear is an agent of satan."
Hmmm. This got back to me. My dad of course was not Athiest persay but mearly lapsed meathodist. As to me being an agent of satan, my reaction at the time still stands. If I am his agent where is my cut? He is appearing in movies, radio, and TV. I should be getting my 10 percent. Okay maybe 8, but hey I gots to eat.
I apparently developed this reputation for questioning my biology teachers contention that Adam and Eve were the first people and Darwin while well meaning was a bit off. I pointed out that not even the bible agrees that all of humanity came from adam and eve. I pointed out the evidence of early man and his evolution. Homo Erectus was brought up, sadly it was lost in the term homo and erect being used at once. We are talking 8th graders here. Still I got a reputation for being evil back then. It did not help I was in fights all the time and being bigger and stronger than alot of my contemparies I beat the hell out of them.
Then somewhere along the way it was decided by bigger older kids that I must be jewish. The "reasoning" went that my dad was an editor of a paper and there for he must be jewish, ergo if he is jewish then I must be as well. Besides I apparently at the time looked jewish. The fact I am irish by decent and that my name was McCoy seemed to have not been factored in.
So when they decided to beat this upity Jew it was justified by the fact that the Jews killed Jesus(got to love religious zelotry). I got one hell of a beating. I gave a few good licks but I lost. Alot.
I of course told my mom and dad none of it. I limped home. If I had been smart and had said something, I would have gone to the doctor. And he probably would have said I cracked a rib or 2 cause I hurt for weeks. I got my revenge here and there but I always think about that incident when I here of racial or religious tension.
Maybe life is suppossed to be this way. It gives our body and spirit a chance to toughen up a bit. Get ready for really tough times should they come. Either that or life just sucks.
Cant decide realy.
I cant even figure out if I still look Jewish.
TechNoir
