This is not about Dancing with the Stars
Gentle Reader,
Before the ethical considerations of this post strike you, let me treat you to the following tasty rationalizations:
a) Eavesdropping is a really good antidote to writer’s block.
b) I’m not making fun of someone’s religion, just something someone says while talking about religion.
c) I can quit anytime! And I will! Just as soon as strangers stop saying ridiculous things within earshot.
In the meantime, iTunes off but headphones one, I’ll take notes.
The three people next to me are apparently missionaries, and they are having a pretty serious discussion about their work, faith, the place of Christianity in the world, bad things happening to good people, etc. This begins as a non-absurd conversation, thus poor blog fodder.
They move on to the challenges of raising their children to be Christians and missionaries, and one laments that his teenage son has recently rejected Christianity. (Still within the pale. Still no movement on the nuts-ometer needle. Parents want their kids to share their values.) They start talking about how much the world is changing, what a different world their kids are growing up in with the internet, less widely-censored TV, etc. (Okay, whether or not I agree, I’ve heard this about 50 times.) It’s a lot harder to control their children's environment and influences when they are exposed to so many different cultures and viewpoints. (I’m registering something here; the needle gives a slight quiver. It cannot prepare me for what is the earthquake to come). “You almost have to have a compound, like the one in Texas.”
Yes, THAT ONE. The one where they force underage girls into polygamous marriages, where state just took temporary custody of 416 children. I don’t need to tell you about that, you don’t live in a hole.
As I try to recover, they continue to have a very reasonable discussion, making me wonder if I had a latte-induced hallucination. I should probably give him the benefit of the doubt, but it makes for a better story if I don’t.
I swear I will take ethics much more seriously as a clinical psychologist than I do as a writer. Count on plenty of questionable quoting until then.
Before the ethical considerations of this post strike you, let me treat you to the following tasty rationalizations:
a) Eavesdropping is a really good antidote to writer’s block.
b) I’m not making fun of someone’s religion, just something someone says while talking about religion.
c) I can quit anytime! And I will! Just as soon as strangers stop saying ridiculous things within earshot.
In the meantime, iTunes off but headphones one, I’ll take notes.
The three people next to me are apparently missionaries, and they are having a pretty serious discussion about their work, faith, the place of Christianity in the world, bad things happening to good people, etc. This begins as a non-absurd conversation, thus poor blog fodder.
They move on to the challenges of raising their children to be Christians and missionaries, and one laments that his teenage son has recently rejected Christianity. (Still within the pale. Still no movement on the nuts-ometer needle. Parents want their kids to share their values.) They start talking about how much the world is changing, what a different world their kids are growing up in with the internet, less widely-censored TV, etc. (Okay, whether or not I agree, I’ve heard this about 50 times.) It’s a lot harder to control their children's environment and influences when they are exposed to so many different cultures and viewpoints. (I’m registering something here; the needle gives a slight quiver. It cannot prepare me for what is the earthquake to come). “You almost have to have a compound, like the one in Texas.”
Yes, THAT ONE. The one where they force underage girls into polygamous marriages, where state just took temporary custody of 416 children. I don’t need to tell you about that, you don’t live in a hole.
As I try to recover, they continue to have a very reasonable discussion, making me wonder if I had a latte-induced hallucination. I should probably give him the benefit of the doubt, but it makes for a better story if I don’t.
I swear I will take ethics much more seriously as a clinical psychologist than I do as a writer. Count on plenty of questionable quoting until then.
posted by Nev at
2:37 PM
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