I
feel like our class has gotten to know each other pretty well, and we seem to
know a little bit of each other’s “software”. As I can imagine, most of us were
raised to be accepting of our fellow man, to always make sure that there’s more
food in our neighbor’s bowl than our own. I know that is how my parents raised
me.
I
am lucky enough to have been born into an upper class family, in a loving and
supportive household. I think that luckily I did not become “programmed” with
some of the negative aspects of growing up as a somewhat privileged white kid,
namely a sense of entitlement or lack of work ethic. Both of my parents came
from families that had to work from much harder circumstances. My mom’s father
was a salesman who worked from the ground up to build his career and my dad’s
father worked his way from an entry-level position in his company to one of the
leading roles. The attitude that was instilled into both of my parents was to
work hard in order to make a better life for the future and your posterity. As
a result of this, my mom and dad work very hard to provide for our family and
support their children the best they can. Although my siblings and I grew up in
a upper-class neighborhood, we still were expected to work around the house,
get summer jobs, and do lawn work on the weekends while our neighbors hired
gardeners and lawn care companies to tend to their landscaped yards. When I
would ask my dad why we didn’t hire workers like our neighbors had, he’d always
respond with “That’s what I have kids for!” I was always taught to never talk
down to another human, and always show respect to each person I encountered.
I
will admit that my first year or two of college when I was on my own and out of
my parent’s house, I had some readjusting to do when it came to being
responsible for myself and staying on top of my school work, instead of hanging
out with friends every spare minute. I also could’ve done a better job of not
wasting my parent’s money on unnecessary things, since they’ve been the ones
supporting me while I’ve been in school. A great reminder of my parent’s
teachings was working in food service, a job that I’ve referenced heavily in
this blog. That job absolutely taught me the value of money, while also giving
me the opportunity to work and interact with people of incredibly varying
backgrounds and beliefs. My attitude of respecting my co-workers and employees
got me a long way, and I received respect in return because of that.
I’m
going to be completely honest, as fantastic as I think my parents are and as
much as I’ve learned from them, there are times when I’ve noticed that my
“software” is a bit different than theirs. I think the major factor is that
they grew up in a different time and generation, and the way the world views
things has changed quite a bit since they were my age.
For
example, when I am involved in a show that has some characters or themes that
are homosexual in nature, they can show some discomfort. They are fine with
those themes and characters, and are supportive of every human’s right to love
whoever they love, but I can tell that they feel a little uncomfortable at
times when they are exposed to some of the more intimate situations that plays
like the ones produced in the Outworks Festival
showcase.
Something
that puts into perspective for me is a Barbara Walters interview from 1983
where she is interviewing Harvey Firestein about Torch Song Trilogy and La
Cage Aux Folles. My parents were right around the age that I am now when
this interview was broadcast, and from my perspective, some of the questions
Barbara asks could be seen as insulting today.
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