Billy Cyr and Bubbles Napierata, Part 2
Billy Cyr and Bubbles Napierata, Part 2
I went to visit the Vietnam Wall in Washington, DC, many years ago to see the names of my two high school friends and a friend from college. I wore my military jacket and hat. I tried to get in the mood. But nothing was as I expected.
For one thing, there were too many people milling about. Then there were field trips, including a large group of elementary school children. And the students were running around. I intended to get on a knee before the names, remember them, feel the emotions of the moment. It was just too noisy. I tried to overcome it by appreciating the joy in the young kids running. I also wondered about what the hell their teachers were doing.
I went up to the small building where you give names to find out where they are located on the Wall. When I said the name William Cyr, a female park ranger said to me, "Is he any relation to the stripper Willie Cyr?" In other words, that stripper's name would be pronounced "Will He See Her." I was a bit stunned at the inappropriateness of that joke here at the Vietnam War Memorial. I could have been Billy's brother or best friend. You just don't joke around at a place like that. It would be like someone working at a funeral home joking to the people walking in.
It struck me as a bit of a role reversal as well. The female park ranger made a joke about a stripper, and the male park ranger behind her shook his head in disgust. Not the way I would have expected it to happen.
I hate to lecture adults, so I kept quiet rather than explain to the woman that she was not behaving in an appropriate fashion. Then again the whole area was filled with kids running all over the place, so why not tell jokes. Nothing about that visit worked out the way I had hoped it would.
I went to visit the Vietnam Wall in Washington, DC, many years ago to see the names of my two high school friends and a friend from college. I wore my military jacket and hat. I tried to get in the mood. But nothing was as I expected.
For one thing, there were too many people milling about. Then there were field trips, including a large group of elementary school children. And the students were running around. I intended to get on a knee before the names, remember them, feel the emotions of the moment. It was just too noisy. I tried to overcome it by appreciating the joy in the young kids running. I also wondered about what the hell their teachers were doing.
I went up to the small building where you give names to find out where they are located on the Wall. When I said the name William Cyr, a female park ranger said to me, "Is he any relation to the stripper Willie Cyr?" In other words, that stripper's name would be pronounced "Will He See Her." I was a bit stunned at the inappropriateness of that joke here at the Vietnam War Memorial. I could have been Billy's brother or best friend. You just don't joke around at a place like that. It would be like someone working at a funeral home joking to the people walking in.
It struck me as a bit of a role reversal as well. The female park ranger made a joke about a stripper, and the male park ranger behind her shook his head in disgust. Not the way I would have expected it to happen.
I hate to lecture adults, so I kept quiet rather than explain to the woman that she was not behaving in an appropriate fashion. Then again the whole area was filled with kids running all over the place, so why not tell jokes. Nothing about that visit worked out the way I had hoped it would.
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On the kids, I guess I wonder why they were brought to a place like that in the first place. If I brought them, I would review behavior rules beforehand. Then again, it was nice to see that life goes on. And they were enjoying it.
Still, you have to expect kids to run about in open space and sunlight; but there's no excuse for an unprofessional remark.