(no subject)
A 6'6" white guy in all black (including black leather trench coat) came into the store today. He leaned on the counter in a 'conspiratorial' manner and asked me for a... (wait for it).... CONTROVERSIAL BOOK.
I said OH NOES, what book, sir?
He said, MIEN KAMPF!!! (DUNT-DAHHHHHHHHHH!)
I said, Pfft, right this way.
He was off-put by my nonchalance towards this shocking work of terror and uproarious uproaring. I explained that there are lots of books people today are much more interested in uproaring about. Books on politics, books on sex, books on god/no god, books on (GASP!) LESBIANS!!! etc, etc.
He then proceeded to expound upon Hitler. Here's where it gets funny. He's going on about some rambling nonsense about Hitler's brother or cousin or something who supported the Nazi movement, and some other relative who came to American and fought against it, and then there was some other guy related to Hitler who put down the supreme race thing, and then after the war was over, did the ol' Nazi salute. More stories and Shocking Trivia (tm) about Herr Hitler, then moving on to his own personal assessment of the hypocrisies of people who protest against the hate of the KKK and of skinheads but who hate themselves... You get the idea.
The whole time I'm listening to this guy, he's practically staring at me. All I could think was, "Does he really expect me to start screaming or something? To get all angry at him and ask him to leave? To wrench my face up in unbridled fear and loathing and revulsion? Does he want me to throw a punch or something?" What a complete job this guy is. In the end, I countered his observations of society's oppressive behavior towards simple folk who just want to wear swastikas and keep their white children white by pointing out generalities about typical human duplicity, the mutability of subjectivity, and how the vast sea of humanity is far too great for any single concept or social movement to overtake all others.
Apparently I impressed him with my ability to be both objective and to not snatch at the bait he was not just tossing out, but pointedly hurling at my feet. Now he's talking about coming back to "converse" with me more at length.
I wonder if he knows I am half-filled with filthy Jew blood, and have a bit of Native American in me, too.
I said OH NOES, what book, sir?
He said, MIEN KAMPF!!! (DUNT-DAHHHHHHHHHH!)
I said, Pfft, right this way.
He was off-put by my nonchalance towards this shocking work of terror and uproarious uproaring. I explained that there are lots of books people today are much more interested in uproaring about. Books on politics, books on sex, books on god/no god, books on (GASP!) LESBIANS!!! etc, etc.
He then proceeded to expound upon Hitler. Here's where it gets funny. He's going on about some rambling nonsense about Hitler's brother or cousin or something who supported the Nazi movement, and some other relative who came to American and fought against it, and then there was some other guy related to Hitler who put down the supreme race thing, and then after the war was over, did the ol' Nazi salute. More stories and Shocking Trivia (tm) about Herr Hitler, then moving on to his own personal assessment of the hypocrisies of people who protest against the hate of the KKK and of skinheads but who hate themselves... You get the idea.
The whole time I'm listening to this guy, he's practically staring at me. All I could think was, "Does he really expect me to start screaming or something? To get all angry at him and ask him to leave? To wrench my face up in unbridled fear and loathing and revulsion? Does he want me to throw a punch or something?" What a complete job this guy is. In the end, I countered his observations of society's oppressive behavior towards simple folk who just want to wear swastikas and keep their white children white by pointing out generalities about typical human duplicity, the mutability of subjectivity, and how the vast sea of humanity is far too great for any single concept or social movement to overtake all others.
Apparently I impressed him with my ability to be both objective and to not snatch at the bait he was not just tossing out, but pointedly hurling at my feet. Now he's talking about coming back to "converse" with me more at length.
I wonder if he knows I am half-filled with filthy Jew blood, and have a bit of Native American in me, too.