September 12, 2016 - 14:59
I was deeply conflicted/moved throughout the experience of reading the text. Particularly the experience with the Confederate flag both reading about it and the pictures seen in the beginning. The Confedarate flag, may be a symbol for Southern culture, but its roots stem from something uglier in American history. I am somewhat new to the idea of trying explain why something so seemingly obvious would offend so many. This thought helped to guide me through the experience of someone wanting the Christmas lights turned off. I was confused at first how it would offend someone especially because Christmas makes me think of family and happiness. Then I realized that just like I would have been offended by the flag, this person was offended by the lights. "Slipping" makes sense, we really must do it all the time but we usually are in communities where no one is offended by it so we continue to slip. I personally find it very difficult and frustrating that I feel so much is censored in this community because of how may come off to other people but I also realize the reason why we try to do this. Yet if something like an confederate flag doe snot come off as offensive to some, what could I not be seeing in myself that might offend someone. Also there are things we may say or do that make us slip but I do agree that it is important to let these slips happen. It is important that others can try to understand one another or at least try to respect or see each others boundaries and that can be through diologue, silence, and in a more extreme form: protest.