The Writer's Life 6/24 - Trends

It’s okay to use the N word but not the Confederate flag. Recently, Ol’ Smoky, who is homeless and white, was greeted by a white person who said: “My n---a!” He took offense. I explained that the word was en vogue but he would have none of it, as he, a baby boomer, had grown up in a world where it was anathema. These days I hear white teenage girls use it. I’ll pass, although I confess to using it in thought in my worst moments. I don’t fly the Confederate flag, but I consider it part of the history of this great country. Anyone who thinks the banning of it will improve race relations is hopelessly naive. Yesterday a friend posted at Facebook that it and Old Glory are one and the same. I stuck to my current policy on political posts and did not respond. In his op-ed piece in today’s NY Post, Jonah Goldberg cites a poll wherein only 61% of blacks want the Confederate flag banned. This manifests the diversity of opinion in a healthy Democracy. From the 1940’s through the 1970’s, blacks migrated north in large numbers to get away from bigotry. According to Goldberg, the pattern has now reversed. They are moving back, away from the white northern elites who supposedly help them, to the south, which offers opportunity. Given the continued stereotyping of southerners by media know-it-alls, one would never suspect the change the area has undergone.

Outside of President Obama’s drone policy, which has taken out many terrorists, I’d been in 100% disagreement with his policies. This is no longer the case, as I support his free trade pact, although I worry that environmental mandates within it will negate all of the good it might do. Unionists are up in arms. Just wait until their health care exemptions expire and they have to share the pain Obamacare has inflicted on most Americans. Of course politicians, being spineless, may extend them.

The past two days proved that weather does not factor into selling books on the street. The humidity was stifling yesterday, and I sold a bunch of items in only an hour-and-fifteen minutes. This day the weather was as good as it gets -- brilliant sunshine, reasonable temperature, cool breeze -- and, in three-and-a-half hours, there were no sales for the third time in four sessions. It's officially a trend.

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/