Allow me to wax serious for a moment. Chris Rock made a joke about Will Smith’s wife Jada (that I found neither offensive nor particularly funny) and Smith b****-slapped him for it. I deplore answering words with deeds…but on some feral level I was happy with that. Consider the following, which I’ve never published before:
Many years ago, I was sitting near the front of a crowded bus. There were a couple of teenage boys standing near me when the bus came to a stop, and a little old lady with a shopping cart started to board the bus. I got up to help her into the bus and onto my seat, but one of the teenage boys plunked his butt onto it first.
Before I could think “Migawd, this is a crime” I grabbed the little jerk by his lapels, pulled him up to where his face was adjacent to mine, and hissed, “I didn’t stand up for YOU!” He slunk off to the standing section, and the old lady took the seat. Both boys got off at the next stop.
Was I legally right? Um, no – I could easily have been arrested for illegal battery had an officer of the court observed me, or if the teenage miscreant had credibly pressed charges.
Allow me to wax serious for a moment. Chris Rock made a joke about Will Smith’s wife Jada (that I found neither offensive nor particularly funny) and Smith b****-slapped him for it. I deplore answering words with deeds…but on some feral level I was happy with that. Consider the following, which I’ve never published before:
Many years ago, I was sitting near the front of a crowded bus. There were a couple of teenage boys standing near me when the bus came to a stop, and a little old lady with a shopping cart started to board the bus. I got up to help her into the bus and onto my seat, but one of the teenage boys plunked his butt onto it first.
Before I could think “Migawd, this is a crime” I grabbed the little jerk by his lapels, pulled him up to where his face was adjacent to mine, and hissed, “I didn’t stand up for YOU!” He slunk off to the standing section, and the old lady took the seat. Both boys got off at the next stop.
Was I legally right? Um, no – I could easily have been arrested for illegal battery had an officer of the court observed me, or if the teenage miscreant had credibly pressed charges.
Was I morally right?
Discussion?