By guest blogger Sadako Red [see disclaimer]
[November 14, 2017] When I was a young man, back in the day of tube radios and black rotary telephones, my friends and I spent a lot of time appreciating the fine ladies we dated. We never obsessed over their race, religion, or even their sexual orientation (it never came up) but up ‘til now we all remember how we behaved, the women we dated (age & character mattered), and where we went and with whom. If you don’t remember, you’re either lying, brain-dead or dated so many you lost track. We’re no Ted Kennedy, Anthony Weiner, Harvey Weinstein, or some other swamp critter and we’re nowhere as smart or as successful as they are.
The most recent fuss in Hollywood over the shenanigans of a few movie moguls and actors that got themselves into the exposure of their true moral character reminds me of Harry Root. You see, Harry was only an acquaintance of mine back in school but his behavior around the “ladies” was not up to our standards; one day we had a talk. All of us had sisters who were of dating age or soon to be, so the conversation with Harry that went something like this; “If you so much as touch one of these girls [yes, we used that word] there’s going to be a knuckle party in your backyard and you’re the main guest.” Everyone knew what that meant; something even a Millennial today can understand and he would have gotten a good old-fashioned ass wuppin.
Harry’s dad was a big-time lawyer, his mom a school board member, and his uncle the local Sheriff and, if truth be told, to us that was a big deal but that wouldn’t prevent us from coming to the aid of a young lady. Unlike unmanly wimps in our society today, power doesn’t mean you can get away with things like beating up a woman or smearing her good name. We told people to their face when they were out of line; yes, an antiquated idea but one that works well when tried yet fails when the lack of moral courage grips the inner soul and you do nothing – like the moral cowardice around Kennedy, Weiner, and Weinstein.
We grew up watching Western movies with great actors like John Wayne, Randolph Scott, and Richard Boone who would protect women even at the risk of their own lives. Was it this that taught us about character? Heck no! It was those young men who had returned from the Korean War and later from Vietnam that told us what good looked like and what you had to do to uphold it. The best simple piece of advice I ever got was from a World War II veteran who had been in the first wave onto Omaha Beach at D-Day with Baker Company of the 116th Infantry; he said, “If some asshole is willing to stomp on some girl, be prepared to stomp on his ass.” Now that was a real warrior.
… and that’s what it takes, someone with the balls to step up and be counted and not be some nut job that likes to mistreat women (or anyone for that matter). A friend of mine is from Texas and he says that folks down there carry guns (for those from Manhattan, NY please stop reading at this point) and that is why people are so polite. If you say something stupid to someone – the wrong person – you might get shot. Yeah, there’s a law against killin’ but you’d be dead anyway. Guns, fists, or crowbars … to me it makes no difference; a good fight to save a woman is worth it. I never had to fight to defend my girlfriend’s honor but I knew I was obligated if it ever came up. I’ve been married for a while now but I’m always ready to speak up and, if needed, stand up to protect her. That’s why I remember my girlfriends from long ago … one of them is my wife today.
Sadako Red’s Previous Posts:
- Race, Leadership, and Moral Failure
- City of Baltimore: When Leaders Fail
- City of Baltimore: Stuck on Stupid II
- Weak Leaders, Politicians, and Racism …
- City of Baltimore and Race: Stuck on Stupid
- Lead by Example and Show Some Dignity!
- Fear: Racist, Sexist, Homophobe Accusations
- The U.S. Army, Race Relations, and Manhood
- Race: Leadership and the Lack of Leadership
- A Failed Management Culture in the VA
- Race Trumps and Leadership Fails
- Race, Character, and the Government
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