Open Thread

ishtar- you just sent rob over the edge. Now he’ll be Lysoling and Raiding his shoes, his socks, his clothing and his dog.

Re your friend- it can be disconcerting for some people because it can look aggressive. I try to break eye contact sometimes in the course of a conversation because I realize some people may think I’m too intense when all I am is trying to understand what’s being said. My hearing loss is also nerve damage but it happened when i was around 7 and became progressively worse over time. your friend must be better at lip reading than I am because i can’t not wear a hearing aid at this point in time.

I always include “not bagging groceries” among my list of attributes when I’m building a stereotype of black people.

Wow, Bxgrl, but it sounds like you can still enjoy music.
A comment about hearing aids, my friend and colleague is completely deaf in one ear — he won’t wear a hearing aid and if it is in a noisy place (almost everywhere) he just can’t hear you unless he cranes his neck to bend his good ear. He is also about 6’3″. He misses a lot of conversation and a lot of what is going on around him. My mother too. It is a sensitive topic so it’s hard to say anything to people….

Not to mention, Gem- people over 30 are not incapable of working and most people in their 50’s and 60’s (even quite a few in their 70’s) are not feeble so can the ageism.

Denton is right- I bag if the cashier looks harassed and like she or he needs a little help. But normally I don’t because if its part of their job, management might look at a customer bagging and think the cashier is not doing her job. And not bagging isn’t something only white people do. The supermarket I use is in Bed-stuy and goes to show. People everywhere are the same.

A lot of singers could use some training. I personally think that’s the only thing saving Beyonce. She has one of those voices that can sound absolutely terrible if left untrained.

Rihanna would sound better if she had a few years of formal training.