I guess my parents had it all wrong. A gift of words is no gift at all.

[Cleita]

My dad finished the fifth grade before he had to go to work. My mom had to quit school at the age of fifteen, also to go to work. They pounded into my head the value of education. My mother made me listen to opera on Saturday mornings on the radio. My father, a self-made electrical engineer, opened all his math and engineering books for me to ponder over anytime I wanted.

They both learned each other’s language, not grammatically correct, but fluent. I had the opportunity to learn both languages correctly because they made sure that I got the necessary education in the spoken and written use of these languages. They took me to museums and classical music concerts to help educate me in ways they could never have been educated.

I remember when my father had to go talk to my teacher because I kept using the word “aint” in my conversation. I remember my father apologizing to the teacher because he thought I had picked it up from him. Actually, it was his whole family. He didn’t really know until then that it wasn’t proper usage. When we went home, he made a rule that the word “aint” would never be said again.

I remember my mother encouraging me to read all the English literature she could get her hands on, English literature she didn’t understand herself. I especially remember her insisting that I should read Oscar Wilde, whom a friend of hers told her was a great wit. This was important to her, a gift of words, well said or written.

These were my uneducated parents, who did well in spite of their backgrounds, but who so respected the value of knowledge, an education, and a wonderful twist of phrases that only those with extensive vocabularies and wit could write. So now, it seems that illiteracy is preferable to an education in letters. Now anyone who is articulate is an elitist. Look up the word for chrissakes you ignorant asses!

Oh, all you freeper jerks out there, my parents were Republicans.

[Bouncy Ball]

1. Are they still republicans?

Because it doesn't sound like they'd enjoy being in that party much anymore.

(What a great upbringing, by the way!)

[Cleita]

3. No, dad died in 1972 and mom in 1977.

After Nixon, they had become somewhat disenchanted and stopped voting.

[cally]

2. You were given a gift of wonderful parents

who gave you give the gift of words. I'm always amazed when I hear others make fun of immigrants and how they speak English. First, I get angry, and then I just shake my head wondering if they speak another language that well. Most who make fun of others have no idea how to speak another language or how to read their own. Thanks for sharing.

[rasputin1952]

4. I see that your parents gave you much more than the gift of words...

they gave you the wisdom of their experience as well. I might add, that each time the took you somewhere different to learn, they gained knowledge too...:)

It sounds like your parents were wonderful people that brought you up to a standard they thought they could never reach, I hope they realized they exceeded their expectations manyfold...:)

[seabeyond]

5. beautiful story

a tribute to your parents. and a beautiful message. i agree. i started asking a year ago, why are we embracing dumb. wearing it like a badge of honor. my 9 year old read the book on bushisms. after ten minutes he came in and said, bush sounds like he hasnt been educated

he had the best i told him, just didnt take advantage of his opportunity, and value his gift

[SharonAnn]

6. Your story sounds like my grandparents and they passed this

on to my parents who grew up during the depression and WWII and they passed it on to me.

And I wonder the same thing sometime. What happened that we now venerate "dumb"? How are we going to solve things, or even manage things, if we're being led by "dumb"?

[Swamp Rat]

7. I have family who are barely literate yet are every bit as intelligent as

my classmates. The difference is access to information... especially before too much brainwashing occurs. Some of my relatives need years of de-programming as they are Fox News victims and John Wayne adherents. :(

My parents, on the other hand, are highly educated (PhD, Masters degrees), worked as professors, published, created art, etc. Though they understood Oscar Wilde, Sartre, Kant.. what have you, it appears that in the end, your parents and my parents accomplished the same thing: they made conscientious, caring, and highly empathetic children.


As for Freeptards, I agree with John Lukacs, who wrote "At the End of an Age." - the age of literacy is over. x(

[flordehinojos]

8. is it possible that yoru parents may have been republicansintheir economic

policies, i.e., "conservatives", but quite liberal/progressive in theirphilosophy of life?

And for this dumbing down of American knowledge/education, i would like to blame the Pearces (Old Bab's family who are responsible for such dumbing down throug their ownership in the forties and fifties of Redbook and I think LIFE magazine too), as well as the Walker Bushes for whom munitions, dynamite, wars, lies, and cheating are and have been the primordial values. One can really say that the boy bush is the perfect fruit of the Pearce-Bush union.

[Cleita]

11. They were Republicans who believed in hard work to

attain ones goals. They more aptly supported Eisenhower because of his WWII record and the fact that he promised to get us out of the Korean war, which they didn't approve of. As a matter-of-fact, they were very anti-war and supported global demilitarization and getting rid of nuclear weapons globally to end the cold war. They of course thought communists were evil and didn't care much for my leanings toward socialism.

[ulysses]

9. bread and circuses.

We have a shit mass culture that values ignorance, even active stupidity, and little else. Welcome to the new dark ages.

You're fortunate in your parents, Cleita.

[Nihil]

10. Hear, hear!

Every word in your reply is (sadly) true.

[Lisa]

12. unfortunately, the GOP turned its back on your parents ...

fiscal, small-c conservatives like my folks (the children of immigrants). Mom and Dad favoured the Canadian equivalent of the old GOP -- "Red Tories" who backed Canadian sovereignty, feared communism, respected traditional authority, and believed in saving money for the future.

They are horrified by neo-con extravagances like tax cuts to the wealthy, or splashy election campaigns funded by big corporate donors. They think that money, like religion, is a private matter and shouldn't be waved around for all to see -- and ignorance and disrespect are nothing to brag about. I think that they would have gotten along fine with your parents, Cleita!

[Cleita]

13. I think we all know that the new GOP are nothing more

than imperialistic fascists.