Double Flee A

Sometimes I have a thought that seems to qualify me as a jerk just for having it, or at least not someone cut out for "family life". The thing this morning was this: Every woman thinks it's special and cute when her child mispronounces words. Fizzy water becomes fuzzy water and mom's heart melts. I won't give any more examples, lest a reader might see something familiar and feel singled out, but think about it. You know you don't need any examples from me. This phenomenon happens with every child and therefore is not unique. If it isn't unique, maybe it isn't all that special and great and heartwarming, but is simply par for the course. Any person learning any language makes mistakes that people find funny, and that mothers find funny and lovable.* But if I say it's not special I'm a jerk, because of course it's special, right? Even if it's not? For me it's not so much "Your child isn't special so stop talking about it and no, I don't want to see the pictures, either, office lady", but that even if you take something that makes perfect sense and put it right in the face of somebody that presumably is unaware of it, no matter how true it is, or how much sense it makes, or how relevant it is, if they just like the way it makes them feel, they will fail to make the connection. Even if ou have them repeat after you, still they will not believe. This is a problem with consequences beyond my ability to describe, but including a certain massive political movement in Germany in the thirties. They liked the way it made them feel, and though it's a long way from cute babies specialness to fervent nationalism, the concept is identical.

I've been reading the rise and fall of the third reich and am taking a break from it, going back to Stephen Jay Gould, eminent natural historian, to read about fossils and life forms for a little peace. Reading about trickery and political intrigue is feeling a little dry and my metaphors are starting to become more tiresome than need be.

*Which hints at the root of the issue, what do you do with something that screams, hurts you, causes you no end of irritation and lost sleep and money and craps all over the place for years? Obvious, you love it.

posted by dale @ 11:19 AM