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I am sure some one could make the argument that this is not the kind of attention a beach town, whose economy is based around tourism, should welcome, especially in the middle of such hard economic times. But, that’s not what bothered me about the whole situation. What really bothered me was that it seemed like everyone I spoke to saw it as a clear question of, “Do you support the Black, or do you support the trolls?” (Troll being the local term for a really dirty homeless person.) “What kind of question is that?”, I would think to myself. It reminded of the, “You’re either with us, or against us,” mentality that prevailed during President Bush’s years in office. It made me so angry that no one else saw this. So, I would try to diffuse the situation with a little humor, while also trying to remind people the absurdity of the entire argument. “Of course I support the Black”, I would always respond, “That’s where I buy all my bongs!” However, I never did tell my friends and co-workers, all of which I really cared for and respected, that I thought the message they were embracing was, at best, in poor taste. I definitely never told anyone that I thought it was really divisive, short sighted, and framed OB in a really negative light. I knew better. I knew if I wanted to continue to have friends, it would be best to keep my opinions on this subject to myself.
I am sure some one could make the argument that this is not the kind of attention a beach town, whose economy is based around tourism, should welcome, especially in the middle of such hard economic times. But, that’s not what bothered me about the whole situation. What really bothered me was that it seemed like everyone I spoke to saw it as a clear question of, “Do you support the Black, or do you support the trolls?” (Troll being the local term for a really dirty homeless person.) “What kind of question is that?”, I would think to myself. It reminded of the, “You’re either with us, or against us,” mentality that prevailed during President Bush’s years in office. It made me so angry that no one else saw this. So, I would try to diffuse the situation with a little humor, while also trying to remind people the absurdity of the entire argument. “Of course I support the Black”, I would always respond, “That’s where I buy all my bongs!” However, I never did tell my friends and co-workers, all of which I really cared for and respected, that I thought the message they were embracing was, at best, in poor taste. I definitely never told anyone that I thought it was really divisive, short sighted, and framed OB in a really negative light. I knew better. I knew if I wanted to continue to have friends, it would be best to keep my opinions on this subject to myself.