I am gay and knew it from a young age, but was bullied by many to reject who I am because I did not play sports as a “man” could. Yet, I was part of a championship football team (JV) in high school.
My JV football coach was also my 7th grade New York State History teacher. I learned from him regarding history. I learned from him regarding football.
I am a Christian, raised in a Protestant denomination. With today being Ash Wednesday, I am reminded of the football coach who boarded in our home. When I was a kid, he came home after attending the local Roman Catholic Church. He had ashes on his forehead in the sign of the cross. I had never seen that before. I went over and asked him what that was about. My mother was embarrassed that I would ask or, as she said, “bother” him about that. But he was not the least bit bothered and explained to me what the ashes were about. Our Protestant church in Newark Valley never had an Ash Wednesday service like that. But the UCC I attended in Florida DID have an Ash Wednesday service and I received my ashes, while participating in the choir in that church. The service followed a dinner of homemade soups made by members of the congregation.
I am who I am.
The basketball coach who boarded at the the same time as the football coach introduced me to the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Did you know that paper burns at 451 degrees Fahrenheit? The story was about a time in the future when firemen were not used to protect us from burning homes, but to burn books which were not pleasing to some people. The basketball coach gave me a copy of that book.
The basketball coach also gave me a copy about a white man who lived among a black community so as to discover how black folk were treated in the South. The book was titled, Black Like Me.
These coaches were borders at our house in Apr. 1968 when Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , was shot down in cold blood. Sad that I was exposed to so many people in our school and community who rejoiced at the murder of MLK. I did not know how to accept it all. So, I asked the basketball coach whether it was right for people to rejoice at the death of a black man. He answered my question with a question. His question for me, to get me thinking, was this: ”What do you think?” I thought and thought and replied with, “I don’t think it is very good for anyone to kill another nor to even rejoice over it.” To which the basketball coach said, “I think you answered your own question correctly.”
From that point forward, to the day I heard the song “Who Am I?” in Les Miz, to today, I am always willing to take responsibility for mistakes I might make.
This is a long-winded approach to say this. Several days back, I wrote a review of a local production of Cabaret, which I had really enjoyed and appreciated. I take responsibility for the errors in that review. Not errors in what I said or the references provided. Errors in my writing. Run-on sentences, for instance. I had written the review so quickly and had to deal with so many problems with the app with which I was using, that I just submitted it without a thorough review of it. Sad.
I take responsibility, despite the fact that I COULD blame the technology. I LOVE to blame the technology. And today’s technology leaves a lot to be desired, from inept and non-intuitive phone apps and so forth, to stupid AI which makes changes I don’t want, to many other ineptitudes of technology.
And some would think, to be a “man,” I need to hide my mistakes and lie. That is very unacceptable to me.
So, I am who I am. Trying to be an honest man who seeks quality in life, even though the fat pigs of big corporate supply-side companies deny us quality control and don’t know what it means to analyze quality control. So that so many common folk have no idea what quality control is and then finds some way to blame me and others when we seek it.
Perhaps I will have a chance to re-do that review of Cabaret and correct errors such as run-on sentences. At least I did NOT use foul language in it. And words of my analysis will be the same. I just need to tweak it a bit. And perhaps this time around, I will learn something and do something different. I might use Microsoft Word to write it and then copy and paste it into the app! Humility begets learning and learning begets knowledge which begets wisdom. Seek wisdom, not certainty and life resulting humility would be better for all in America.
My tastes are simple being satisfied with the best. (Attributed to Oscar Wilde).
Tioga Herald 
I am Who I am and Proud to be Who I am
I am gay and knew it from a young age, but was bullied by many to reject who I am because I did not play sports as a “man” could. Yet, I was part of a championship football team (JV) in high school.
My JV football coach was also my 7th grade New York State History teacher. I learned from him regarding history. I learned from him regarding football.
I am a Christian, raised in a Protestant denomination. With today being Ash Wednesday, I am reminded of the football coach who boarded in our home. When I was a kid, he came home after attending the local Roman Catholic Church. He had ashes on his forehead in the sign of the cross. I had never seen that before. I went over and asked him what that was about. My mother was embarrassed that I would ask or, as she said, “bother” him about that. But he was not the least bit bothered and explained to me what the ashes were about. Our Protestant church in Newark Valley never had an Ash Wednesday service like that. But the UCC I attended in Florida DID have an Ash Wednesday service and I received my ashes, while participating in the choir in that church. The service followed a dinner of homemade soups made by members of the congregation.
I am who I am.
The basketball coach who boarded at the the same time as the football coach introduced me to the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Did you know that paper burns at 451 degrees Fahrenheit? The story was about a time in the future when firemen were not used to protect us from burning homes, but to burn books which were not pleasing to some people. The basketball coach gave me a copy of that book.
The basketball coach also gave me a copy about a white man who lived among a black community so as to discover how black folk were treated in the South. The book was titled, Black Like Me.
These coaches were borders at our house in Apr. 1968 when Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , was shot down in cold blood. Sad that I was exposed to so many people in our school and community who rejoiced at the murder of MLK. I did not know how to accept it all. So, I asked the basketball coach whether it was right for people to rejoice at the death of a black man. He answered my question with a question. His question for me, to get me thinking, was this: ”What do you think?” I thought and thought and replied with, “I don’t think it is very good for anyone to kill another nor to even rejoice over it.” To which the basketball coach said, “I think you answered your own question correctly.”
From that point forward, to the day I heard the song “Who Am I?” in Les Miz, to today, I am always willing to take responsibility for mistakes I might make.
This is a long-winded approach to say this. Several days back, I wrote a review of a local production of Cabaret, which I had really enjoyed and appreciated. I take responsibility for the errors in that review. Not errors in what I said or the references provided. Errors in my writing. Run-on sentences, for instance. I had written the review so quickly and had to deal with so many problems with the app with which I was using, that I just submitted it without a thorough review of it. Sad.
I take responsibility, despite the fact that I COULD blame the technology. I LOVE to blame the technology. And today’s technology leaves a lot to be desired, from inept and non-intuitive phone apps and so forth, to stupid AI which makes changes I don’t want, to many other ineptitudes of technology.
And some would think, to be a “man,” I need to hide my mistakes and lie. That is very unacceptable to me.
So, I am who I am. Trying to be an honest man who seeks quality in life, even though the fat pigs of big corporate supply-side companies deny us quality control and don’t know what it means to analyze quality control. So that so many common folk have no idea what quality control is and then finds some way to blame me and others when we seek it.
Perhaps I will have a chance to re-do that review of Cabaret and correct errors such as run-on sentences. At least I did NOT use foul language in it. And words of my analysis will be the same. I just need to tweak it a bit. And perhaps this time around, I will learn something and do something different. I might use Microsoft Word to write it and then copy and paste it into the app! Humility begets learning and learning begets knowledge which begets wisdom. Seek wisdom, not certainty and life resulting humility would be better for all in America.
My tastes are simple being satisfied with the best. (Attributed to Oscar Wilde).
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Commentary, Theatre reviews
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