The most costly of all follies is to believe passionately in the palpably not true. It is the chief occupation of mankind.
No, it isn't the Battleship Potemkin, it's a little navy patrol boat turning its back to the Aurora Australis in a nice golden morning sunshine. It's almost like a duel.
I found myself the other evening repeating a familiar refrain I am sure is not simply one from my childhood: "how dare you sit there an not eat any of that food there it's good food nice food lovingly cooked and there are starving children in Africa who are stuck eating rocks and dirt just to have something in their tummy because they are so hungry that it hurts so much that they eat those rocks and dirt and here you are telling me that you don't want it."
I want to know, what did people tell their kids in generations before? Did they riff on Africa as my parents did, referring to the poor bloated Ethiopians routinely on the nightly news at that point (occasionally chucking in the odd outdated reference to Biafrans or Bangladeshis)?
Comments
I hope they aren't starving now.
Doc
Biafrans (wherever that was) in the '60s.
In 3rd/4th grade, I had to prep my own breakfast (2 eggs already placed in a pan ready to fry up) - and I'd chuck them down the loo cuz I didn't want to eat them. My dad caught on soon, and I got a severe scolding about throwing away food that cost a lot of money. No recollection of starving anyone for that lecture.
I like the contrasts in this photo. Also the impressionable Silos behind the Aurora Australis.
That was in the 60's.
My parents, born on 1932, were about 8 during the second WW. A lot of people starved to death those dark years, and my parents continued to live with not enough food until 1965.
So, all people of their generation in Greece do value olive oil very much, they put a (disgusting!) amount of oil in the food, and try to feed children until they become reeeeally fat!
Example: I have two little nieces, thin and modern, but my mom believes that my sister does not feed them well enough..!!!
My new line is: "you don't even have to go to Africa to find poor little kiddies going without. Right here in Tasmania there are negligent parents who don't do right by their kids and here you are just spitting right in their faces!"