Ha ha! lezlers gave money to the Moonies!
Actually, you’re in good company, kiddo. Years and years ago (like the late '70s when I was still in high school) my mom came home from grocery shopping one afternoon. My dad and us kids descended upon the new chow as we usually did, foraging for good stuff and found a couple of boxes of cookies. Upon sampling said cookies we protested – “Eeew! Where’d you get the shitty cookies?” and Mom replied that she had actually bought the cookies from a girl soliciting for a charity in the parking lot. She had also written a check and, when we looked at it discovered that Mom had, indeed, written a check to the Moonies. When we politely pointed this out to her (all right, it wasn’t that polite, more like: “Holy Shit, Ma! You gave money to the Moonies!” and "Jesus Christ, Ollie! You gave money to the Moonies!) she was unperturbed, telling us that she was glad she gave the girl some money, as that mean old Rev. Moon might have hurt her if she came home empty-handed. Mom is still the nicest sucker I’ve ever met. Although lezlers is moving up the ladder, not only giving money to the Moonies, but letting them keep it after they insulted her!
As for the smoking thing – I agree it was probably a knee-jerk thing. Most kids today are, indeed, allowed to believe that smoking is such a filthy and dispicable habit that ordinary rules of behavior are suspended in the fight to make sure that everyone knows exactly how filthy and despicable it is. My own kids also came home from Drug Awareness Week with views similar to those of lainaf’s young friends. My husband and I don’t smoke, but many of our friends did – AND we always have a refrigerator full of beer. At any rate, it was up to me to explain to my little darlings the difference between legal and illegal drugs – Drug Awareness Education failing to make any distinction between the two. My daughter was actively encouraged by her teacher to “educate” any grownup she knew who smoked about the dangers of their nasty habit. I explained to my daughter that, her teacher’s instructions notwithstanding, children lecturing grownups about their personal habits was rude and obnoxious and she would be punished if I caught her at it.
