Is You is Or is You Ain't?

Against my better judgment, I recently attended two meetings and both were contentious. When people become aggravated, or can’t get their way, often logic (sound reasoning) flies out the window and stupidity takes over.

The first gathering was an informational meeting about a new development of homes being built in our residential area. Predictably, some people become belligerent when confronted with change. As the meeting was drawing to a close, a man stood up and shouted, “I know that some of you don’t like the idea that there will be more houses in our neighborhood, but I didn’t like it when my 17-year-old daughter got pregnant either”---and then he left. How logical was that?

The second get-together was a meeting of the Board of Directors of my homeowners association. The issue at hand involved the replacement of a broken irrigation line, which, for some mysterious reason, the Board Secretary opposed. A vote had been taken to replace the line the month before, but she claimed the vote wasn’t valid, because she had not recorded it in the meeting minutes. “Besides,” she added, “two members of the Board nodded in affirmation of the motion instead of raising their hands.” Aristotle would have flipped in his grave!

The next day, I read in the newspaper that the County Administrator wants to remove 11 speed cameras installed on county roads, because the number of citations dropped 38%, and the cameras had served their purpose, forcing drivers to slow down, reducing fatal crashes by 48%. Duh!

Then I went for a hike and said, “Good Morning” to a young man I often see on the path. “So where are the little people?” I asked him. “What little people?” he replied. “Your children,” I said. “I don’t have any children,” he laughed. “Oh,” I replied, “that explains it.” I had obviously pegged the wrong man, but at least there was a touch of logic in there somewhere.

I got home, turned on the TV, and heard some talking head say, “It’s not the President’s fault, but he’s to blame.” That’s what I call a pointless talking point. “Is You is Or is You Ain’t?”

So, where’s the logic? Lewis Carroll said it best: “If it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn’t, it ain’t. That’s logic.”

Esther Blumenfeld (“A conclusion is the place where you get tired of thinking”) Steven Wright