FOWC with Fandango-SCALAWAG
Photographer Unknown
At one of our Thanksgiving dinners
one of the guests leaned back in his chair and said to us:
” Well it looks like I’m officially one of you all now. “
A little puzzled, we asked what he meant. We had known him for years. A few of us had grown up with him.
” I’m a minority like you guys. So that makes me practically family. “
I grimaced. I knew where this was going.
” I’m a white Christian working class man. I’m a minority now. Just like you guys.”
Yes. He really said that.
To a family of Filipinos and Latinos.
With a smile.
A big one.
So… he’d been a part of your group all that time. But then he began to ostracize himself.
Or he wanted us to know being a “minority” was a joke. Either way I never looked at the same way again.
Yes, I’d see him as ostracizing himself by indication that minority status/existence was a joke or diminutive matter. There is the more blatant possibility of him having thought he was odd man out. If he was really awkward, he might’ve thought he was endearing himself… but I don’t think that really makes sense at the heart of it. And I’m sure you got the best sense of it from seeing him in the moment. And, for sure, either or any way…
It was a sad day all around.
🤦🏼♂️