Why Do The Heathen Rage?

I really thought I'd hate my Sociology class, but it looks like I may enjoy it. The Professor is a strange man, who's been all over the world, and has odd stories to tell about it. This is a good thing. Tonight I learned, amidst great tangents: Hawaii has islands that white people aren't legally allowed to go to; the government officials in Hawaii have voted in favor of seceding from the US, though they did so full in the knowledge that they had no intention to do so; that there is slavery in Kuwait (I knew there was slavery in the Middle East, but I did not know that it occured with such frequency in our close ally Kuwait); that male Kuwaiti citizens have basic entitlements including a mansion, a mercedes and servants; that there is a nation called Tonga in Polynesia in which there is no concept of private property; that in Saudi Arabia, recently, a girl's dorm caught fire in the middle of the night and the fleeing students were pushed back into the fire by officials because they weren't wearing their burkhas.

Also, a particularly odd night student, a middle aged fellow, made a nasty comment about the Amish and Jews smack dab in the middle of class. The Sociology professor asked if anyone had a lot of experience with the Amish (which, living in Amish country as we do out here, it isn't so odd a question as you might expect), and if we did, then, do the Amish put any importance on the fact that they're US citizens? The guy starts rambling about how they only do when they're making money, and concludes with the comment: "The Amish are the Jews of Christianity!" I started to laugh immediately of course, though quietly. And the Sociology professor got a strange look on his face and said: "Wha?" The guy's explanation of his comment was massively incoherently, and mercifully cut short. But I have this half-arsed urge to wear my Israeli Army shirt to class Thursday. Honestly though, I'm sort of afraid of doing that, because I think there's a pretty good spirit of anti-zionism alive at my institution of somewhat higher learning, and I'd rather not get called any dirty names by my History Profs. Hell, I'm not all that fond of Israel myself, though I am quite fond of Judaism in general, to be clear.

I enjoyed school more today than I did yesterday. Perhaps my long days won't be so bad after all.

posted by Sarie @ 10:08 PM >Comments: 0