Responding to Becca & Ann's comments on Being the Odd-One-Out

Everyone is welcome to share their comments and opinions on this! Just, maybe not too harsh on me please.

Thank you both for commenting on that last post. It lets me know that the both of you want to know my opinion or to know what can be done to make me feel "in."

I know that this is going to sound stupid, but I feel like I should give a presentation or a speech or something about where I am coming from. Sure, I am doing a lot of postings, but I don't think that the written-word can give as much emotion as the spoken-word (taking this from Memoir) does. Heck, I don't even think that a lot of people in class are reading any of these latest postings or care about how I feel in taking this class and being left-out.

I don't even know what borscht is. I mean, is it beef stew? If you say beef stew, I know what you're talking about. I mean, who hasn't had beef stew and who doesn't like it?

Sigh! It feels like all five of my classes this semester are coming together!


Statue of Liberty holding a baby
 and a gun. Link.

  In taking this class and writing these latest posts and especially this one, it feels just like my Violence & Non-Violence class that I took last semester. It was like everyone was saying "no violence" to everything while I was like, "Violence. Maybe not so much violence. Definitely violence," in readings and topics where if we were in a certain position. I mean, if someone was to walk into the class off of the street, not having anything to do with the college, and asked all of us whether the war is necessary or unnecessary, I swear eight out of nine will say unnecessary while that last person will say necessary. Of course, we all know who that one person will be!

When we have a class discussion over something we've read, it's like all of the opinions are coming from the "pacifist" side. Even if one person does all of the talking and everyone else agrees (whether they say something or not). And of course, we all know that I will not be agreeing on things, so why does my opinion matter? Probably doesn't count in these class discussions. It seems like, if I voice my opinion, someone is going to grab a bible and start preaching "the word" or what I'm going to call the "pacifist word." Just because I'm not a pacifist!

I don't know. My brain is just jumbled with thoughts. I wouldn't mind if we watched a clip from the movie Pearl Harbor and from the documentary 9/11 and then talk about it. Especially if war was necessary or unnecessary. Of course, none of this stuff matters to everybody else.

I could write a paper and read it out loud to everyone in class. We can watch clips. We can include opinions from those that are not Mennonites or those that are not pacifists (like in quick readings). Like I said, I don't know. My brain is jumbled.

It's just really annoying being the only non-pacifist and non-Mennonite in class.