Culture...Diversity...and Cafeterias

"I can't see white or black people. I only see Americans." — Stephen Colbert

I've been curious about society's apparent "need" to have an underdog to pick on. Deanna and I have be watching a PBS DVD series about Chicago. Back in the 1800s it sucked to be Irish. No Irish allowed...no Irish need apply. All that stuff. Germans had it slightly better, because they weren't Irish. After the civil war, African-Americans went from VERY bad (slaves) to slightly better (viewed as 'slaves' by racists).

I mention all of this because there is a major separation in Chicago. Northside, where I live, is predominately white. Southside, where I was today, is predominately black. We went to a show for a church's summer camp...almost all African-American with one or two Hispanic children. It was great! A blast! After the show, Mary took us to what she said was the first cafeteria. The first!

This place was great...and the people we saw in the neighborhood were mostly African-American. When we were sitting down, an older gentleman came up and asked us where we were from. I said "Wrigleyville". He said, "Oh! I thought you were foreigners!"

Earlier in the year...and I may have posted about this...I was on a gig where I had 3 hours to kill, and I was on the southside. I ate at an Applebees and then went to a mall. I was the only white guy in the mall. I got looks from a few people...not mean looks or anything, just looks like "huh?"

We're all people. Sometimes we're just stupid about each other...LIKE THOSE FRENCH!...stupid French.

(I don't feel that way about the French...they just seem to be the ones that are ok to make fun of nowadays)

Alternate Blog

http://rancephoto.blogspot.com/

I've started a photoblog. Daily Photo. Pretty original name, eh?

I've started it to give me a place to post a photo every day. I'm sure there will be days I miss, but I'll do my best. See you there?

Arrested Development

Anyone seen this show? It is cancelled now, but it is hilarious and the characters are great.

I'm a big fan. This is only important because I made a strange realization that I don't know if anyone else has made.

Yesterday I watched "The Village" (Starring Joquin Phoenix and Bryce Dallas Howard (Ron Howard's daughter) among some other greats) for the first time. I had heard bad reviews when it first came out. Now that M. Knight S. has another movie coming out I decided to netflix The Village. I actually liked it a lot. Bryce Dallas Howard plays Ivy Walker. A blind girl. The girl who plays her sister looked really familiar to me. Then I got it...she played "Kitty", the secretary for the Bluths on Arrested Development.

Oddly enough...her name in The Village? Kitty. It's hard to say if they did that on purpose. "Kitty" works with Bryce Dallas Howard on The Village...Ron Howard is a producer for Arrested Development. Hmmmm.

Just nice to stumble onto what I hope is a little secret thing.