"...it drove me nuts sometimes because they could yammer on ad nauseum about the most trivial things."
Here's a true story I've told before, I think you'll appreciate it. I'll try and be concise!
I had my daughter, for years, in day care with the blessed Salvation Army in Jersey City, NJ. The children were, I'd say 97% black, there were a couple of white kids (including mine) and a couple of hispanics. (To my memory there were no Indians or other East Asians or Orientals, looking back that seems strange, but hey, it was almost 20 years ago now, so you know, immigration is out of control, but I digress).
I can never praise the Salvation Army enough, they are truly filled with the love of Jesus. They gave my daughter an excellent early-childhood education. The staff was racially mixed and there was never a hint of any racial dissention, not a hint. This place was such a gift to me and (more importantly in the long run I imagine) my kid.
Anyway...we used to have to go to these parents meetings once in a while. One night I was a one of these and, noticeably there was another white parent there. He really seemed to be quite the yuppie to me. (Remember the 80s?)
Anyway, after they got through the info about the fundraiser we had to do, etc. other business, they opened the floor for questions.
This fellow quickly stood up and said "I've noticed that most of the books in the classrooms have pictures of white kids, yet most of the children here are black. Maybe we need to get more books....with black kids....er...um..." That was his reaction as a roomful of VERY CONSERVATIVE, and mostly black parents (and me, the white chick) just glared at him.
He shut up, sat down, and I don't remember seeing him there again. I'm sure he very quickly put his child in an all-white liberal daycare/kindergarten, the better to learn about "diversity".
Great story!! They never change, do they?
VERY MUCH AGREED. I could NOT believe that some businesses were prohibiting the bell ringers.