It was a typical Friday evening. I leave work, pick up the girls from E.T. and am on my way to get the SugarLips. That’s when I made the decision that would forever change my reputation in the Small Smug Town. “Let’s rent movies”, I said. The girls and I detour to our local movie rental establishment and begin to peruse the selection. Nanny McPhee is out. Damn. Doody and Mimi, following a heated debate and negotiation, settle on Yours, Mine and Ours. I decide I can choose something more adult themed to watch after they go to bed. Hmmmm. What to pick. Oh, look…there’s Derailed. I would like that movie I bet. On my way to the check-out counter I suddenly realize there is another flick I’ve been meaning to see and head back to the New Selections area so I can grab it; Brokeback Mountain. Scanning, scanning, scanning…that’s odd…I don’t see it. At the check out desk, this is the conversation that occurred:
TaterTot: Played by Jennie
Check-Out Girl: Played by a petite 16 year-old girl in a logo’d golf shirt and khaki pants
Check-Out Woman: Played by a middle aged woman with a bad haircut and baggy logo’d sweatshirt
TaterTot (handing her selections and debit card to Check-Out Girl): I didn’t see Brokeback Mountain.
Check-Out Girl: We don’t have that movie.
TaterTot: When will you be getting it in?
Check-Out Girl: We’re not.
TaterTot: Why not?
Check-Out Girl (looking pensive and slightly frightened, turns to Check-Out Woman): She’s asking why we don’t have Brokeback Mountain.
Check-Out Woman: Yeah, there are just so many movies released, we simply can’t get them all. I mean, thousands of movies come out every month, it’s impossible to keep up and offer all of them. So, yeah, we didn’t get that movie.
TaterTot: I don’t assume you would be able to get them all; but this was a significant, Oscar winning film last year. It seems odd to me that it wouldn’t be on your shelf.
Check-Out Woman: Yeah, we don’t have that movie.
TaterTot: Will you be getting it?
Check-Out Woman: We’re not getting THAT movie.
TaterTot (now speaking with a more pronounced voice so the crowd that has gathered can hear her): Is it because there are gay men in it?
Check-Out Woman (wide-eyed, not knowing what else to say): We’re not getting THAT movie.
TaterTot (fire in her belly now raging, but still managing a civil tone): I rented the movie Bound here. To my knowledge it wasn't a very popular, main stream film, it didn’t win any Academy Awards and has a steamy lesbian sex scene in it. So are you saying this establishment feels it's okay to offer movies with two girls having sex but not a movie with gay men?
At this point there is a strange silence that seemed like minutes but was more likely seconds long. Check-Out Girl has been just holding my debit card throughout the conversation and now goes to swipe it. I interrupt her.
TaterTot: Please give me my card, I don’t want the movies anymore. I won’t be coming back.
The girls and I had a talk in the car about what had occurred and why we didn’t get any movies. After I answered all of their questions, my soon-to-be-11-year-old told me, “Mom, I don’t think we should get movies there anymore either. People shouldn’t hate other people just because of who they want to love. That would be like not liking me because I have green eyes.”
The world can change one mind at a time. I’m joining NetFlix today.
“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitrolic words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.” -Martin Luther King Jr.
TaterTot: Played by Jennie
Check-Out Girl: Played by a petite 16 year-old girl in a logo’d golf shirt and khaki pants
Check-Out Woman: Played by a middle aged woman with a bad haircut and baggy logo’d sweatshirt
TaterTot (handing her selections and debit card to Check-Out Girl): I didn’t see Brokeback Mountain.
Check-Out Girl: We don’t have that movie.
TaterTot: When will you be getting it in?
Check-Out Girl: We’re not.
TaterTot: Why not?
Check-Out Girl (looking pensive and slightly frightened, turns to Check-Out Woman): She’s asking why we don’t have Brokeback Mountain.
Check-Out Woman: Yeah, there are just so many movies released, we simply can’t get them all. I mean, thousands of movies come out every month, it’s impossible to keep up and offer all of them. So, yeah, we didn’t get that movie.
TaterTot: I don’t assume you would be able to get them all; but this was a significant, Oscar winning film last year. It seems odd to me that it wouldn’t be on your shelf.
Check-Out Woman: Yeah, we don’t have that movie.
TaterTot: Will you be getting it?
Check-Out Woman: We’re not getting THAT movie.
TaterTot (now speaking with a more pronounced voice so the crowd that has gathered can hear her): Is it because there are gay men in it?
Check-Out Woman (wide-eyed, not knowing what else to say): We’re not getting THAT movie.
TaterTot (fire in her belly now raging, but still managing a civil tone): I rented the movie Bound here. To my knowledge it wasn't a very popular, main stream film, it didn’t win any Academy Awards and has a steamy lesbian sex scene in it. So are you saying this establishment feels it's okay to offer movies with two girls having sex but not a movie with gay men?
At this point there is a strange silence that seemed like minutes but was more likely seconds long. Check-Out Girl has been just holding my debit card throughout the conversation and now goes to swipe it. I interrupt her.
TaterTot: Please give me my card, I don’t want the movies anymore. I won’t be coming back.
The girls and I had a talk in the car about what had occurred and why we didn’t get any movies. After I answered all of their questions, my soon-to-be-11-year-old told me, “Mom, I don’t think we should get movies there anymore either. People shouldn’t hate other people just because of who they want to love. That would be like not liking me because I have green eyes.”
The world can change one mind at a time. I’m joining NetFlix today.
“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitrolic words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.” -Martin Luther King Jr.
8 comments:
Oh Tater Tot! You are my hero!
frickin' people piss me off. but good for you! was this a mom and pop store or the BIG BallBuster store we're all so used to? we used to get home delivery of movies and it was pretty cool. then i finally broke down and got my husband 5 million cable channels so we stopped the subscription. good for the girls on "getting it". this is a stupid world. at times.
Join Blockbuster I was a netflix member just cancelled, I got a few broken movies, or non playing and Blockbuster will give you a free in house rental for every so many movies you get by mail and there's a Blockbuster on main in town. I know there big brother but it's just has ran much smoother and they have a large selection of all "TYPES" of movies! I was on that box with you in spirit sister!!!
How about that Derailed? Have you seen Closer? It's really hot but in the same disturbing way, the language could have been a little less.
I'm on my free 2-week trial for NetFlix now so we'll see how it goes. I saw the free coupons that Blockbuster offered, but we don't have a Blockbuster anywhere near us so that seemed a little useless.
And yes, it is a local Mom & Pop establishment. They have a monopoly on the video rentals in my Small Smug Town; the only other choice is a small corner of choices in the grocery store.
No, I haven't seen Derailed yet, but it is in my NetFlix queue. Closer I saw sometime ago and I found it to be a very sad movie. I enjoyed it, but it was sad.
The thing that impressed me most about what Abigail (my daughter) said to me is that she understands that being gay or straight is no more a choice than your eye color. It was decided before you were born.
She's an awesome kid.
Yes Abigail is very in touch with her heart,mind & people around her I struggle with hoping Poohey understand diversity and embraces it unlike people in our snail town, But it's a slow process for people when they don't know any different & are afraid of different. But we had a Hispanic family here for awhile now and they haven't gotten ran out like the African American people have. Then again Bomba and my high school was very diverse in the 60's and when we went there, there was all of 5 african american's, and the only 1 full hispanic.
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