A Conversation About California

Ever since I read about California winning the right for gays to marry, I’ve been dancing around in my kitchen to this excellent song by the irrepressible Miss Diana Ross.

[youtube id=”F-mjl63e0ms”]

I mean, how can you NOT dance to that?! (PS – closets are for clothes.)

Oliver, who is home today, just came to basically ask me what the hell I’m doing, and is the computer broken? Why are you listening to this song over and over?

Me: It’s a good day, Boo. California has decided it is okay for gay people to marry.

He: Marry who?

Me: *snorts* Marry each other, if they want.

He: Oh.

Me: Yeah. It’s about time.

He: It wasn’t allowed before?

Me: *shakes head*

He: Oh.

Me: You know, there was a time not so very long ago when white people weren’t allowed to marry black people.

He: *eyes wide* Really?

Me: Yeah! Weird, eh?

He: *worried* Are you and daddy allowed?

Me: *laughing* Of course! That rule was actually a long time ago.

He: You just said it wasn’t long ago…

Me: I know. Sorry – I meant, in The History Of All The Important Things, it wasn’t so long ago. In some places in the United States, I think that change came even after I was born!

He: Oh.

Me: Yeah.

He: So… it’s okay now?

Me: Well, In California, and some other States. But not all of them. *wags finger in air* Not yet…

He: So, it’s for gay people to be able to get married to each other.

Me: Right.

He: *cocks eyebrow* And that wasn’t allowed before?

Me: *shakes head*

He: *silent*

Me: *cocks eyebrow*

He: That’s… pretty bad.

Me: How do you mean, bad?

He: I mean, people should be able to do what they want.

DING DING DING!! Somebody give this boy a cookie…

Me: I know. You’re right!

He: But, will the gay people… will they get… are some people still upset about gay people getting married?

Me: Some. Yes.

He: They shouldn’t be upset about that. It’s not their business anyway.

DING DING DING!

Me: *lays out palm for slapping* Absolutely right, Boo. Yes. It’s okay to do what you want when you’re not hurting other people.

He: *slaps palm* But… um… are there still some people that don’t like black people being married with white people? *looks nervous*

Me: *smiles* Yes, some. But don’t worry about them… people sometimes get scared of things they don’t understand.

He: Oh.

Me: Yeah. There were people who were afraid of medicine when it was new. Airplanes, too. You know?

He: Oh. *giggles* That’s dumb.

Me: *smiles* Yeah. But there are fewer and fewer people who think like that now. Some people still think medicine is evil… but people change. Attitudes toward things change with time. Sometimes change is slow to come, but eventually… *shrugs* We’ll see. You know what a domino-effect is?

He: I know what dominoes are…

Me: Well, you know when you make a line of them, and you tap one, and then they all come crashing down, one after the other? Well, a domino-effect is when one thing leads to another and then to another…*rolls fist over fist* It’s kind of the same with good, modern ideas *rolls fist over fist* People catch up to ideas as they gain popularity. And they gain speed, too.

He: Oh.

Me: Once people in the world could see lots and lots and lots of other people flying around in airplanes unharmed, it didn’t seem like such a crazy idea anymore, you know? So. About this marriage thing? I think other States will follow suit, soon. *grins*

He: Oh. Good!

Me: Yeah, it’s great.

He: But, I don’t know why it’s a big deal in the first place…

Aaaaand, scene.

It’s amazing to me what kids pick up, what they hear, how they draw inference… they take in what’s around them – if you keep their environments clean, they do not easily become polluted. Or perverted. I love young people for this. They are the future. And I love how the future is becoming all, it ain’t no thing. Ideas become cemented, bit by bit. Just like the last time we had a talk similar to this.

Yay for California! Yay for gay people everywhere!! YAY FOR THE WORLD!!!

Dig that song. Dance if you wanna. Today is a good day.  🙂