Muslim Snowfall

[EndElectoral]

I went out to shovel 3 feet of snow yesterday and it took all day to barely make a dent in getting the cars out. I came back sore, and irritated.

Today, I went out to shovel another 3 feet of snow off my mother-in-law’s car. I was even more unmotivated to do this as I was loaded up with aspirin and heart issues. When I walked out I saw the street plow had pushed a huge pile of snow back on yesterday’s area I had cleaned.

I shook my head and after another couple of hours cleaning out the newly plowed snow in front of my cars, I reluctantly went over to tackle my mother-in-law’s mountain of snow all around her car. The car was essentially now in the shape of the Matterhorn.

As I began to shovel, an older man came by with a snow blower and asked if I could use some help. He was accompanied by a young man with a shovel, and a very old lady. I thought oh boy here comes the pitch for me to overpay. I said OK. They looked Spanish and all the worst of my learned prejudices began to fight their way to the surface.

Well, the guy ran that snowblower through in minutes which would have taken me hours. The young man ferociously dug into the snow his father couldn’t get to with the snow blower, and to my disbelief the older lady was digging snow as well faster than I could.

The older lady tried to communicate with me but I couldn’t understand a word. Finally. I said gracias and she nodded and smiled. I asked the young boy if that was his grandmother, and he said yes. I said Gracias to him and he said, “We’re not Spanish, we’re Arab. My Grandma told me to help others as much as you can.”

I offered some money, but they wouldn’t take it, and after shaking their hands, I watched them walk away, feeling a little ashamed and a little inspired.

It makes hearing the political ugliness of generality coming from some toward people of other nations tougher to take.

[spanone]

1. K&R...

[icymist]

2. Very nice people.

I wish everyone could see that deep down, we're all pretty much the same... human.

[Facility Inspector]

3. You have learned prejudices against Spaniards?

But why?

[Warpy]

5. If it's pervasive enough, it gets in

I grew up in the Jim Crow south. While I knew it was wrong, some of it still crept in to my subconscious. I've had a lifetime spent trying to overcome that.

[closeupready]

6. And no good honest confession goes unpunished.

Thanks for finding the fault in the otherwise uplifting opening post.

[Facility Inspector]

12. Replace "Jew" or "African American"

it's a hell of thing to admit publicly.

And plus, I'm being coy, I know he's not referring to actual European Spaniards, he probably means "Mexicans" or "Puerto Ricans" or some other "BROWN OTHER."

[TacoD]

17. In some regions of the country Hispanics/Latinos are called "Spanish" people

New Mexico, for example

[Cal33]

31. This would be similar to referring to Americans as "English."

[Vincardog]

53. Visit the Amana colinies and be called "English".

[madamesilverspurs]

4. Kind of been there...

Back during the time of the first Gulf War I was stuck at home in a body cast. My landlord and his wife checked on me a couple times a day, made sure I had food and beverage and phone close at hand, and stuck around when the visiting nurse came by to ask her if there was anything else they could do to help. Their kids brought my mail in, and also popped in to ask if they could pick something up at the store for me.

When the war broke out the parents pretty much stayed out of sight, seeing as how their appearance and speech gave them away as Arabic; they'd fled their home country and came to the US to live and raise their family. Their kids spoke perfect English and were likely assumed to be Hispanic. Even with the ignorant ugliness that the parents met with, the family continued to do everything they could for my comfort. I lost touch with them after I moved into a more accessible housing situation. A couple years later I ran into her; I asked how they were doing, and she indicated that they were getting pretty sick of the nastiness that had become routine, that they were thinking of relocating. I gave her a hug and thanked her again and wished them well, she smiled and shook her head as she walked away.

[EndElectoral]

9. Appreciate your story as well.

[Omaha Steve]

7. Thanks for posting

K&R!

OS

[leftynyc]

8. Terrific story

But not all Arabs are Muslim.

[Uponthegears]

14. Thanks Hillary

Just guessing here.

[leftynyc]

47. Do you have some aversion

to facts? It appears so.

[Uponthegears]

50. I have some aversion

to Bill Maher "liberalism."

There is a certain segment among us who will not pass upon any opportunity to denounce Islam.

The idealist in me would like to think that they are genuinely concerned about the treatment/portrayal of women on the Qur'an as it is observed by SOME of Islam's followers (although, textually, it differs little from the treatment/portrayal of women in other major religious writings). That part of me likes to think they actually care about their treatment/portrayal of our brothers and sisters in the gay community (although that differs only in a matter of degrees to the practice among the "devout" practitioners of almost every other religious affiliation AND the positions espoused within the last decade by major political figures in BOTH American political parties.) -- need I go on?

The cynic in me, however, asks why that segment does not expend the same amount of effort exposing the fact that ALL major religious writings, viewed in the same critical light, share the same misogyny, homophobia, etc.? That part of me wonders whether the constant scrutiny of the unsavory practices of SOME who adhere to the tenets of Islam has less to do with the noble concerns I described above than it does with sending out a dog whistle that they stand with, and not against, the politically powerful and significantly large segment of our society which would treat Islamic nations and peoples in a manor it would not even conceive of treating any other nation or people on earth.

Here I stand with our President. The fear/hatred of Islam is a national disgrace, not a national treasure.

[leftynyc]

51. The answer is very simple

Only ONE religion has country's laws based on their religious book in order to codify their demeaning of women and gays. People are getting butchered all over the world in the name of their religion. Anyone who pretends that's okay is no liberal. Just having a religious book doesn't hurt anyone - basing your laws on that religious tome and thinking that allows you to oppress women and throw gays off buildings does. That's what I'm adverse to.

[Uponthegears]

55. Nice try

BUT it was not until the federal courts stepped in less than 5 years ago that OUR government, including one high-profile candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for POSU, were passing laws "codify[ing] their demeaning of . . . gays." (Oh, btw, just because we used more subtle means to destroy the lives of gay people, doesn't make us any better than the folks throwing them off of roofs. Oh, also, maybe you missed it when our good Christian leaders blocked funding for AIDS research AND then let Big Pharma extort money from dying people when effective treatments were discovered.)

People are getting butchered all over the world in the names of other religions as well, the only difference being that those religious zealots cloak their beliefs with the burka of a "democracy" (a democracy which THEY control). Indeed, the Christian dominionist cabal led by Dick Cheney is responsible for more death and destruction than every "terrorist" attack in the last 30 years.

Also, you can (stow) that "pretending it's okay" HS. NO ONE is "pretending it's okay." What they are saying is that singling out Islam in the face of atrocities committed by countries controlled by adherents to other religious traditions is NOTHING MORE THAN RELIGIOUS BIGOTRY.

[leftynyc]

56. What unmitigated bullshit

That you would compare throwing gays off buildings, putting them in jail and beating and torturing them into the same category as them not being able to get married says all I need to know from you. I notice you COMPLETELY ignore what it's like to be a woman under sharia law. You can pretend ALL the other religions are just as bad and throw out the magical balance fairy in the name of political correctness. It's nothing but bullshit and everyone is starting to catch on. It's about time.

[Uponthegears]

58. What is

catching on is that alleged Democrats are using Trump-esque terms like "political correctness" to hide their bigotry. Your heartless claim that the ONLY ill suffered by gay people in this country was "not being able to get married" when tens of thousands of them were dying of AIDS (what, is that not a bad enough death for you???????) while CHRISTIANS were blocking AIDS research is all anyone needs to know.

[leftynyc]

59. Yaawwwwnnnnn

More bullshit. CHRISTIANS were not blocking AIDS research - politicians were and I don't remember ANY of them claiming they were doing it for their G-d and in the name of Christianity so that's crap that's also decades old crap. And you STILL ignore what it's like for women to live under sharia law. Want to take a crack at that? Your charge of using trumpesque language to shut down this debate is boring, pathetic bullshit that will no longer work.

[Uponthegears]

60. And

your whining about political correctness will do even less. Denying that Christian opposition to LGBT community was behind cutting off AIDS research is what is bullshit ("politicians were" doing exactly what their CHRISTIAN constituency was telling them to do). Moreover, excusing the torture and murder of gay people because it was "decades ago" is sickening, not to mention inaccurate.

Of course, you could care less. You don't give a FRA about how Islam treats gay people (proven because you don't give a FRA about how Christians - INCLUDING who? - treat gay people).

Tell the truth. You care about one issue and one issue alone, "evil" Islam and the ONLY thing you want to talk about when it comes to Islam is the treatment of women under SOME INTERPRETATIONS OF Sharia Law. F everyone and everything else.

The foundational texts of Islam, like those of Christianity and Judaism, are atrocious in their treatment of women. Particularly in settings where women are rendered politically and socially powerless by external factors like poverty, authoritarian governmental structures, etc. those texts are used to institutionalize the atrocious treatment of women, just as they were when women were politically and socially powerless in Western countries. THAT is an indictment of patriarchy and misogyny, NOT of Islam.

By so adamantly insisting that it Islam that is the problem, you minimize/limit a worldwide social evil that spreads across cultures and religions.

[leftynyc]

61. More unmitigated bullshit

Even in the worst days of the Stonewall riots - nobody was executed for being gay - unlike laws ON THE BOOKS TODAY in sharia led countries. Your habit of having to go back 5 and 6 decades to make your point is pathetic nonsense when gays are being killed TODAY in what some like to consider first world countries (that's a laugh). Women are treated as second class citizens in every single Muslim country. EVERY SINGLE ONE. So your 'some interpretations' nonsense is just more horseshit. Your desire to protect Islam from reality is the most pathetic thing I've ever seen here. Keep ignoring what's happening to women today (a group you obviously care NOTHING about). Keep going back into another century to try and make your point. It's ridiculous and everyone but you seems to know that. I'll speak out every single time about women getting shafted. You will probably continue to close your eyes to it or even worse, deflect back to some historical time frame to make a point that is ludicrous and completely besides the point. It's pathetic.

[Uponthegears]

62. What do you call it

when people who could have been saved through medical research are intentionally allowed to suffer torturous deaths just because their disease is "gay." In your one issue world, you think that the Stonewall riots were the worst point for gays in US history. It wasn't. It was within YOUR lifetime. You don't know the first flipping thing about the plight of gay people.

Even on your SOLE issue, you are full of nothing but semantic tricks. You center your argument around the idea that "all" Islamic countries "treat women like second class citizens." However, that phrase encompasses everything from discrimination to the most horrible torture. While the breadth of that statement renders it undoubtedly true, it ALSO renders it undoubtedly true for every other nation on earth because ALL countries treat women like second class citizens. That makes it meaningless with regards to your sad attempt to single out Islam.

On the other hand, when you include ONLY those forms of "second class citizenship" (your term, NOT MINE, for the atrocities committed by SOME followers of Islam) which are not shared by ALL countries, you are suddenly left without a basis for your tirade about how it is ALL followers of Islam who should be condemned because NOT ALL FOLLOWERS OF ISLAM COMMIT THOSE ATROCITIES.

You can spin it any which way you want, but you are not only peddling pure religious bigotry, you are minimizing the serious and pervasive mistreatment of women that continues unabated outside of your stereotyped portrayal of the Muslim world.

[leftynyc]

63. This is pathetic

You going back to the 1960's then the 1980s to try and make some moronic comparison to what's happening TODAY. Go ahead and call me a bigot against Islam - the way it's being practiced in so many countries today is repulsive and should be called by out by anyone calling themselves a liberal and being called a bigot by you is so fucking laughable, it's meaningless. Your attitude is why trump is doing so well. I'm done with you. You're hopeless.

[Uponthegears]

64. "so many"

Ah, FINALLY, it's NOT Islam . . . it's how it is being practiced in SOME countries.

Take care.

[Cal33]

33. You're correct. Some of them are Christians.

[Bad Dog]

48. Or Aziri or Alawite or Zoroastrian or from a religion that believes John the Baptist is the Messiah

Or any number of small religious groups like the Bahai. Islam has long tolerated such minorities, which is why they've survived into the 21st Century, unlike the Cathars in France. This only changed when white colonists started displacing the indigenous population.

[snooper2]

49. Some are even atheists!

[tomm2thumbs]

10. your candor is refreshing

and inspiring.... thanks for the post

[TheManInTheMac]

11. Cool story, bro.

[Maedhros]

13. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I interpret your response as snark.

Do you have reason to believe the OP is not being honest in his recollection? Can you think of a reason why the OP would falsify a story such as this?

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

16. How do you get all that from "cool story, Bro." ? My mind in boggled.

[closeupready]

18. It's internet snark-ese for "not to be a jerk, but you made that story up."

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

19. Thankful I still learn things every day. I did not know that!

[Maedhros]

26. "Cool story, bro" is an Internet meme that is generally used sarcastically.

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/cool-story-bro

About

“Cool Story, Bro” is a catchphrase often seen in image macros as a sarcastic response on message boards or in comments to posts that are deemed boring, pointless or too long to read (TL;DR).

Origin

The phrase “cool story”[2] used as a sarcastic response to a narrative was first seen in the 2001 film Zoolander[5], where actor Owen Wilson’s character Hansel tells a long winded story about a drug-induced hallucination. In response, a background character named Olaf yells out from across the room, “Cool story, Hansel” while laughing. Cool Story, Bro” began on 4chan’s /v/ (video games) board[8], used as a response to posts containing personal or lengthy stories as early as July 18th, 2008[9] in a thread for sad moments in a person’s gaming life. Image macros followed, initially paired with a panel from Marvel Comics’ The Incredible Hercules #122.[6] The issue was inked by Clayton Henry and Salvador Espin and published on October 29th, 2008, showing Hercules during a flashback right before he finds out his friend Queen Hippolyta had been killed.[7]

Spread

“Cool story, bro” was first defined on Urban Dictionary[4] on January 5th, 2009. In July of that year, the first Yahoo! Answers[13] inquiry about the phrase was asked. The phrase was discussed on Slate[12] in May 2011 as useful tool in commenting on wordy posts. A Twitter account, @CoolStoryBro[16], was created on October 17th, 2011 which reposts tweets that are deemed deserving of the sarcastic response.

“Cool Story Bro” spread to real life as an expression of one’s complete indifference towards someone else’s remark through the MTV reality show Jersey Shore. Sometimes paired with the phrase “Tell it Again,” the phrase has been made into t-shirts[14] at the store where the cast members are employed. There are two Facebook fan pages[11][15] for the phrase, with over 133,000 likes between them as of March 2012.

[Capt. Obvious]

57. Agreed

QYB

[ForgoTheConsequence]

15. How does somebody look Spanish?

Spain is a European country (majority white but with a lot of diversity), do you look "American"? Do I look Welsh?

[a la izquierda]

21. Right?

What a weird, weird comment.
I'm 1/2 Irish, 1/2 Mediterranean (mostly Italian, some Spanish, and French). I look...European.

[pangaia]

28. But, but.. la izquierda is 'to the left.'

Why did you say "Right?"

Now I'm confused.

[a la izquierda]

34. Oh I'm sorry

[JI7]

22. in certain areas which may not be as diverse if someone is not clearly black or white

people will assume they are hispanic.

but once people get in more contact and become more familiar with different people they are more likely to be able to tell a difference.

[EndElectoral]

39. Sorry for confusion. When I young my parents didn't use the term Hispanic.They simply subbed Spanish

I didn't proof this to use the correct contemporary descriptions, but was simply being reflective of prejudices which played upon me from my youth.

You're absolutely correct in your observations. My point is that those tribal descriptions we learned growing up sit beneath the surface and emerge even when we are attempting to relate a simple story about what happened that had meaning to me today.

[a la izquierda]

20. Prejudiced against Spaniards?

Or do you mean Latinos? Hispanics? Spanish-speakers?
They are not the same (though that's pretty immaterial at this point).

[grossproffit]

23. I'm confused. How did you know he was a Muslim?

[tom_kelly]

24. Lighten up Francis.

[grossproffit]

25. That's Pope Francis to you...

[WillowTree]

29. Actually, I was wondering the same thing. After all, all Arabs aren't Muslims.

[Cal33]

35. Many people don't know this. They autmatically assume that all Arabs are Muslims. Maybe they

even mix up the words Arab and Muslim.

[EndElectoral]

40. I made an assumption since 90% of Saudi Arabia is Muslim.

I could have labeled the link "Three Feet of Snow" but thought more people would read it if it said Muslim Snowfall. Maybe I should have just labeled it Arabian Snowfall.

It's a simple story of people helping one another and fighting our own taught preconceptions.

[malaise]

27. It's what we were taking about on that Neighbors thread

about two weeks ago. There are decent people all over this planet.

[Cal33]

36. As well as non-decent ones. Both types can be found everywhere.

[JDPriestly]

30. K&R.

[madokie]

32. This just made my day, thanks

[paleotn]

37. wonderful story....

...back in my undergrad days, I knew several Arab, and early on, Iranian students. By and large, very friendly, hospitable people. Some more religious than others. Most not terribly different than Americans in most respects other than the fact they grew up in a totally different religious tradition. One friend of mine grew up in Beirut and had no intentions of going back for obvious reasons. We kept up with each other for a few years after graduation and he was in the process of getting his family to the US. Haven't seen him in 30 years. Hell of a good guy and a wonderful family.

[Brigadier Pudding]

38. What an odd fable

What in the world is the moral? So your prejudices against Spaniards remain?

[EndElectoral]

41. Well, it's not really a fable. Just an incident that occurred earlier today.

I don't really have a moral. Just reflecting afterward on my own hidden and taught prejudices. As I said earlier, my parents never used the word Hispanic, but simply lumped Hispanics and anyone who spoke only spanish, as simply Spanish. Odd? Well, yes, but we don't get to choose the prejudices we learn, only later on how we address them.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

42. Happy to be the 100th rec!

[niyad]

43. k and r

[dixiegrrrrl]

44. I am kind of curious where you live

being that it sounds as if you cannot tell Spanish from Arabic when you hear it.

I get the feeling these people live somewhere near your place, since wandering more than a couple blocks with a snow blower doesn't make sense.

[EndElectoral]

45. No problem

Live in Central Pennsylvania at present, and yes the people lived a few homes down.

[dixiegrrrrl]

46. I did have the slight advantage of living in 2 cities which had lots of different languages

so we had Middle east neighbors, from Iran and Palestine and Syria, plus Koreans, Chinese and many from South America.

I consider "Southern" as my only fluent foreign language, tho.

[drm604]

52. I paid a Spanish speaking neighbor to dig my car out.

It was plowed in and it appeared to me to be an insurmountable task. I began digging and when I started to get a little lightheaded I realized that it was a bad idea and stopped.

I then asked the neighbor, who was shoveling around his car, how much he wanted to dig out my car. (He can speak and understand a few words of English.) He quoted a price which struck me as too little for the work involved so I offered him 50% more.

He and his daughter then rapidly and efficiently dug it out in a short amount of time. I couldn't believe how easy they made it look. I guess when I was that age I could have done the same.

[tabasco]

54. Somebody plowed my driveway for me here in WV

I have no idea who it was. Kind of typical for this area.

[Uponthegears]

65. And this as a BIG thank you to the OP

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027567008