Thank you so much. I don't get too many positive reviews (not too many people are aware of my stuff because my social media skills are Neanderthal) and your high praise is a needed shot in the arm. I cherish your support. Please let me know what I can do for you.
This particular post was very interesting for me. My parents married in 1946—My mother was Jewish/Eastern European and my dad was Catholic and from an Italian family. They both felt that religion didn't matter much, and I'm glad they felt that way. Although their families felt differently. I will never understand why religion and/or race mattter so much to people. Perhaps that will fade away after a few more generations. Regardless, I love your descriptions of people—that choir director is both hilarious and poignant. Nothing specific you can do, just read my posts when you get a chance and comment if you feel like it–any type of comment is fine! If you have any questions about social media, just ask. You basically learn it by doing...and reading "how to's" you can just search for.
You may be healthier because your life is not circumscribed by ethnic identifications. If you want to read AN EXCEPTIONALLY FUNNY account dealing with group identity, read Philip Roth's novel "Portnoy's Complaint." Sheer comic genius. When he was young, the entire world was divided up into Jewish and non Jewish and what members of different faiths believed in. When someone uttered the word "winter," when he was four, in all seriousness he asked his parents, "Do we believe in Winter."
I am curious as to what your ethnic identity issues were. But I don't want to intrude on what might be a private matter for you.
You said that one of your parents was Italian and the other parent was Jewish. Jews and Italians office mix well. Years ago, Brooklyn Democratic Politicians -- and these guys need to know ethnic identity and conflict the way a gourmand knows the difference between kosher salt and Sea salt (Hell, I thought it was all NaCL) -- used to say that an Irish Catholic Democrat will cross over and vote for a Republican if the Dem candidate is a Jew but that an Italian Catholic Democrat would vote for the Jewish Democrat. The cities were so tribal that all politics revolved around primitive ethnic loyalty and hostility.
PS. Every now and then, segments of Portnoy's Complaint happily intrude on my consciousness. I will never forget the sports teams' chant at his Newark highschool:
Excellent. You are a fantastic writer..
Thank you so much. I don't get too many positive reviews (not too many people are aware of my stuff because my social media skills are Neanderthal) and your high praise is a needed shot in the arm. I cherish your support. Please let me know what I can do for you.
This particular post was very interesting for me. My parents married in 1946—My mother was Jewish/Eastern European and my dad was Catholic and from an Italian family. They both felt that religion didn't matter much, and I'm glad they felt that way. Although their families felt differently. I will never understand why religion and/or race mattter so much to people. Perhaps that will fade away after a few more generations. Regardless, I love your descriptions of people—that choir director is both hilarious and poignant. Nothing specific you can do, just read my posts when you get a chance and comment if you feel like it–any type of comment is fine! If you have any questions about social media, just ask. You basically learn it by doing...and reading "how to's" you can just search for.
You may be healthier because your life is not circumscribed by ethnic identifications. If you want to read AN EXCEPTIONALLY FUNNY account dealing with group identity, read Philip Roth's novel "Portnoy's Complaint." Sheer comic genius. When he was young, the entire world was divided up into Jewish and non Jewish and what members of different faiths believed in. When someone uttered the word "winter," when he was four, in all seriousness he asked his parents, "Do we believe in Winter."
I look forward to reading your stuff !
Read It when I was a teenager-priceless! It deserves a second or third reading. I still had plenty of ethnic identity issues, though.
I am curious as to what your ethnic identity issues were. But I don't want to intrude on what might be a private matter for you.
You said that one of your parents was Italian and the other parent was Jewish. Jews and Italians office mix well. Years ago, Brooklyn Democratic Politicians -- and these guys need to know ethnic identity and conflict the way a gourmand knows the difference between kosher salt and Sea salt (Hell, I thought it was all NaCL) -- used to say that an Irish Catholic Democrat will cross over and vote for a Republican if the Dem candidate is a Jew but that an Italian Catholic Democrat would vote for the Jewish Democrat. The cities were so tribal that all politics revolved around primitive ethnic loyalty and hostility.
PS. Every now and then, segments of Portnoy's Complaint happily intrude on my consciousness. I will never forget the sports teams' chant at his Newark highschool:
"Ikey, Mikey, Jake and Sam
We're the boys who eat no Ham
We play football, we play soccer
And we keep matzahs in our Locker"
All those for Weequehic stand up and hollar"