This is a two part rant, not related to this thread.
Part I:
My brother went out of state for Christmas to visit an old girlfriend. I went to go pick him up at Dulles yesterday. United Airlines lost not only his luggage, but the luggage of his entire flight. This resulted in me circling around in front of the arrival doors for two hours. So they have to get pitted for that.
I also have to pit the “cops” they have out front of the arrival doors, whose purpose is to “keep traffic moving.” I wasn’t allowed to sit in front of the door at which I was supposed to be meeting my brother at any moment, but an unmanned “cop” car was. When a problem arose, how did these “cops” handle it? By parking across two lanes of traffic for 20 minutes at a time. “Keeping traffic moving” my pale white Scottish ass! They were there for no reason other than to cause me and everyone else there grief. So a giant “fuck you” to these “cops” for that. (Incidentally, I’m sure when they were kids dreaming of becoming police officers, I’m sure that’s not exactly how they pictured their lives turning out. Good. Fuck 'em.)
Part II:
As you might know from the above link, it was my birthday last week while my brother was out of town. After I picked him up yesterday, he said the oddest thing I’ve ever heard. “Sorry I didn’t call you, but it was after sundown.”
He said that the girl he was visiting has some beliefs that were “a little different” from what I’m used to. One of her beliefs is apparently that she observes a very strict Sabbath day, which involves not using the telephone. Okay, that’s fine. People can believe whatever they want. I asked him, “Do you believe that?”
“No,” he said. “I just didn’t want to make any waves.”
This reminds me of my other brother who went through an “I don’t eat pork” phase for a while when he was dating a Seventh Day Adventist. This didn’t stop him from eating pizza with pepperoni and sausage when she wasn’t around, though. Hypocrisy pisses me off, and I hate it when people put on a different persona to impress or to avoid offending people. So my brother gets pitted for that.
And the final “fuck you” to anyone who believes in a God who won’t let you call your brother on his birthday.
You are aware that “a little different” apparently means, in this case, Orthodox Judaism? Not some off-the-wall weirdo sect, but Orthodox Judaism. And I think it’s perfect courtesy to not do anything that might offend your hosts, including flouting their religious beliefs on their holy day.
It’s kind of selfish, don’tcha think? “My birthday is more important than their religion!”
As the saying goes, “Bros before Jehovahs.” It’s actually the “I don’t believe this, but I didn’t want to make waves” that might be Pit worthy. It’s her belief, not the brother’s.
Her house, her rules. It’s just common courtesy. Ifshe says no phones on Saturday then that’s the wayit’s gonna be. I support that 100% (and no, I’m nowhere near as religious as she is).
Of course, your brother could have stepped outside to a pay phone.
And she’s not Jewish, that much I know. It’s some sect of Christianity, and I know that only because he came back with another story about how her father was telling him that Jesus wasn’t killed on a Friday and didn’t rise on a Sunday morning and how it’s all there in the Bible.
As for circling for two hours, WTF? The luggage isn’t there, he flags you down and you agree to try again in half an hour. You go get a cup of coffee and circle again around the pre-determined time. Or you both get coffee and let the airline sort it out.
I grew up in a “park at the airport” family (airport usually didn’t charge if you were there 1/2 hr or less) and married into a “circle for six hours and empty your tank” family - thank the gods for cell phones and the internet; we can plan for contingencies more easily.
And yet another reason why religion should be junked. Telephones are useful inventions and there’s no sensible reason to let the tortuous reasoning of scholars sorting out the implications of arbitrary rules made by Bronze Age shepherds keep a person from using one.
And any religion that doesn’t family call you on your birthday is worthless.
He didn’t know it was lost until about 10 minutes before he came outside. They kept jerking him around the whole time. I couldn’t leave because I honestly thought he was going to be outside any minute.
Seriously, delayed or not, his luggage wasn’t going to disappear in the five minutes it would have taken for him to wander out, flag you down, say “the airline hasn’t hit the luggage yet, let’s give it 20 min before we park and get some coffee to wait”.
Sabbath is one day. Newspaper, TV, radio - the “luggage crisis” was broadcast all weekend from what I saw - and I spent most of my time watching movies or checking in on the Tsunami stuff. Enough to pick up a clue that things might be screwed up and an alternate plan might be ideal.
One is not allowed to ask a non-Jew to perform any task that he himself is forbidden to do. So, for example, I cannot ask Bob, my non-Jewish neighbor who is in my house, to turn on the stove.
However, I am not necessarily required to stop him if he is doing so for his own benefit. If he wants to make himself something to eat, I am not required to stop him from doing so.
Is one not permited to ask this of Bob on the day of the Sabbath or in preparation of the Sabbath?
Furthermore, should one have a maid or even an entire staff of servants who are not Jewish, would/could they be instructed by the employer to prepare meals, operate various household appliances, etc… on the Sabbath while the employer remains in observance?
While you are not required to stop him from doing so, would you consider it rude for him to do so?
This is probably way too nitty-gritty, but suppose he’s making himself a sandwich on the Sabbath and he asks you if you want one, too. Are you allowed to accept his offer to make you a sandwich?
