An Uncomfortable Meeting
My speech finished, I stuffed my papers back into their folder, and that into the black backpack at my feet. A small crowd was gathering in front of the podium, parents thanking me, congratulating me, or maybe nursing a question of some kind. It was a typical PTA meeting on the South Side of Milwaukee when I encountered one of “them.”
You know them don’t you? They’re the sticks-in-the-mud, the sourpusses, the kind of person who feels that they can – and should – dictate morality. I smiled. Why not? And met her gaze.
Why are they always mad? I think as she raises her hand and stabs her finger at me to puncuate the words spewing from her lips.
“Video games are vile and wrong!”
I’ve heard that one before, so I give her a half-smile and hold her gaze.
“I can’t believe you defend them! You’re a video game apologist.
Apologist? “Lady,” I answer “video games have nothing to apologize for.”
She doesn’t break the stare either and almost shouts: “There’s nothing redeeming about them and the fact that you defend them makes you a monster!”
She’s never played Civilization, I think.
“Violent games are a scourge against society!” spittle is forming at the corners of her lips but I barely notice.
She has no idea what Half-Life is. . . she’s never played Rock Band – she doesn’t know how fun that is. Maybe she’s never even seen Guitar Hero. Is that even possible?
“They’re corrupting the youth and you’re helping them!”
Of yeah, she’s never played Madden, that’s for sure but she has no clue that the DS was made for uptight control freaks like her. All those puzzle and daily achievement games – good for obsessives.
“Playing video games . . . ”
It’s amazing how I never think about that. I made it my job to defend video games and my “opponent” is a human being who has no concrete knowledge about the debate subject. Isn’t that sort of like having your doctor and a janitor argue about what disease you might have. Why is the janitor even there? Jeez, play one game before you go all crazy.
“. . . will make kids pay a price!”
She doesn’t know what RPG means, I stifle a small grin and simply stare back at her.
“Maybe the ultimate price!”
She’s never played Portal! She has no idea – has she even played Pac-Man? Why am I even paying attention to her? that’s what I think. What I say is different. What I say is “Yeah, $60 is high for a game but I’m not sure I’d call that the ‘ultimate’ price.”
And then I wake up.
True story.
Wish me luck on another workday. . .
August 1st, 2008 at 8:43 am
And here was me thinking the last line would be “and then my extended family members sat down” 😉
August 1st, 2008 at 9:11 am
I’m sitting here trying to think of something witty to say, because I feel this needs a witty response, but everything I can think of is, well, inappropriate and involve things like a BFG9000, Batarian War Beasts, or a trip to the Molten Core. 🙂
August 1st, 2008 at 2:38 pm
It’s actually a situation I keep expecting to happen – that doesn’t happen. I mean like, never happens. EIther I convince them by the end of the speech or they’re too cowardly or feel their outnumbered to engage directly.
I know, I know, I just haven’t met the right ones yet. I’ve got two, maybe three, major speeches coming up (not PTA stuff) and I think they’re creeping into my subconcious.
August 1st, 2008 at 2:55 pm
If this hasn’t happened to you yet, you don’t go to my church. 😉 There’s this one gal and I who go around and around about once a month and have for the last several years. She gets the latest from the PTC or whoever and then we have to hash it out.
I haven’t changed her mind but she’s made some concessions. At least she comes to me and makes certain she has the truth about the conditions of the game they’re having a cow about BEFORE starting her diatribes at other parents now. I was really proud of her when the Mass Effect thing hit the fan.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:57 am
I just really…”dislike” people like that.Good thing it was just a dream(Actually more of a nightmare).But I guarantee that one of these days you will meet someone like that,and when you do,be prepared for a VERY long…”debate”…with that person.