“Strange Times Are These…”

By Charles Houston

“What do you mean by that?” Byne Rood asked her husband.

Robert Rood answered, “Plato wrote that two thousand years ago but in a lot of ways they fit the country today. Take COVID; somehow it’s become a political issue and there’s no end in sight for COVID itself. Strange times.”

“True,” said Byne.

Robert went on, “Look at inflation. Have you seen what gas costs?”

“Nope,” jibed Byne, “I just use your Amex card and don’t look at the price.” 

Robert shook his head good-naturedly. “How about Afghanistan? All that money, all those lives, twenty years – but we’re worse off now than we started.”

“And not sure if the final chapters have been written,” observed Byne. “I hate the discord in the country, and even in Loudoun. I can’t imagine living elsewhere, though.” 

“Agreed,” said Robert, “but I have some gripes. Here’s a trivial one.” 

Coarsening of our Language

“Even educated people don’t use proper grammar; they say things like “Bob took her and I to dinner,” or “Sally and me went to Purcellville.” 

Byne gave him a quick smirk. “You’re in your grammarian mode, so I bet you have more.”

He did. “I’ve given up on the incorrect ‘people that’ usage, and on non-words like ‘preventative,’ Robert responded. “Trendy new words irritate me, for example, “I have little bandwidth to think about something.” 

Byne added, “It’s people ‘who,’ and ’capacity’ is a better word.”

“Then there are profanities, Byne. When I was a boy, my grandmother would light into me when I said darn or dang. They offended her. She would have swooned upon hearing words used today, not just in casual conversations, but on today’s television.”

Evolution of Beliefs 

“I think that people’s political and social beliefs can change. My father was raised in the south where segregation was part of life but as he grew older, he became a Stevenson-Kennedy liberal, and a local Democratic leader. Dad supported the civil rights movement and visiting activists often stayed with us. Dad’s beliefs had evolved from his childhood. 

“My brothers and I shared those liberal beliefs, but we later became conservatives, and I’m also a libertarian.”

“Yep,” said Byne, “Live and let live.”

Robert grinned and continued, “For most of my life I never thought one way or the other about same-sex marriage. The issue never came up. But take Tina; we like her, right?”

Byne replied, “Yep. And we like Penny, too.”

Robert went on, “That’s my point. They are great people and I’m happy they got married. I don’t have a single problem with that.”

The Sins of Our Fathers

Robert had more. “I just read a novel set in ninth century England. The protagonist was an anti-hero, a Saxon fighting Danish invaders. He was happy to kill, steal, lie, take slaves, all that stuff. Those 

were simply the norm of the times. I have Anglo-Saxon DNA, so should I be judged by that barbarism? Nope.”

“Not my kind of book,” said Byne, “but I see your point.”

Robert had another example. “Alexander Albon is a young race car driver. His mother went to prison for fraud. Should he be judged by her crime? Nope.”

“I see where you’re going,” Byne concurred.

“Here’s the sensitive one: Should southerners be judged by what their forebears may have done over a hundred years ago?” Robert asked.

“No,” answered his wife.

“Here’s a better answer.” Elaborated Robert, “We’re not responsible for our fathers’ actions, but we should want all every individual to be uplifted to the highest potential.” 

Byne saw complexity. “The question is what do we, as a society, do to make sure that happens? Take schools as an example, do we penalize achievers to help underachievers?”

“Good question.”

Passing Judgement

Byne had another point. “So, we should follow the Golden Rule, ‘Do under others as you would have them do to you.’ And from Dr. King, ‘I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by their character.’”

“Yep” was Robert’s simple reply.

Woke Culture

Byne added to her diatribe. “Woke culture is nihilistic. It’s a substitute for real thought. It won’t consider any other ideas. It’s based on unearned outrage. It’s a religion without empathy.”

Robert agreed, nodding vigorously, “Here’s more of Plato’s quote: ‘Strange times are these in which we live when old and young are taught falsehoods in school.’”

Byne interrupted him, “True, but let’s talk about LCPS after I’ve had some wine.”

“I like debating politics, but discussion is impossible with woke people. Their rages are probably projections of inner demons and repressed anger,” Robert stated, “It’s probably best to ignore them.”

“Or avoid them,” Byne added. 

Race

Robert moved to his last topic. “I’d talk about race but I can’t get my thoughts to coalesce. Maybe instead we discuss cultures, or sub-cultures. Races can have sub-cultures, and those would lend themselves to characterization, perhaps even to a generalization. 

Look at Charlestown, a neighborhood in Boston, mostly white and significantly Irish. It’s known as ‘America’s bank robbery capital,’ which is a frequent vocation there. So, Charlestown has a culture and it’s defined by the common criminality of its residents.”

Byne said, “I see your point. Wouldn’t there also be some good cultures, like Seattle for coffee or Charleston for manners?”

“Sure,” answered Robert. “But it’s the bad cultures that we typically notice.”

Byne wrapped things up, “And that was the essence of Dr. King’s speech. You should read it in its entirety.”

That night, Robert Rood looked up the speech and was moved.

Charles Houston developed office buildings in Atlanta, and has lived in Paeonian Springs for over 20 years.