Yesterday, while with the kids at my mom's house, she informed me that none of her neighbors, white or black, NOT EVEN THE GAY COUPLE, will talk to her anymore. Why? What has made her such a social pariah in the New Orleans suburban neighborhood where she's lived for the past 17 years?
Answer after the bump...
Her child is an Atheist.
Y'see, I had a Kerry sticker & a No W on my minivan. That was ok. But then I added a bunch more after the election loss & the anti-gay-marriage amendment passed. A minivan gives LOTS of space for bumperstickers. :)
Now there's a "Darwin Fish", "T-Rex eating a X-ian Fish", "The Christian Right is Neither", "Don't Pray in my Schools and I Won't Think in Your Church", "Americans United for Separation of Church and State", "This Is A Pro-Choice Family", "Pro-Child Pro-Choice", "Nothing Fails Like Prayer", "Hatred is Not a Family Value", "Straight but not Narrow", "Atheists are Beyond Belief," and "If Someone Uses The Bible To Condemn Gay Marriage Offer To Discuss It Over Shrimp Po-Boys The Bible Says Eating Shellfish Is An Abomination."
Now, no one will even nod or wave or say hi in passing. Two doors down still has their "W" and "Vote Pro-Life" on their lawn from the election. Three doors down the other way has a permanent display of some bible verse like a real estate sign. Directly across the street is a Virgin Mary statue in the front garden.
What excuse the gay couple who live two doors kitty-corner across the street have, I have no idea. But I think they're the "Log Cabin" types, one's a bank officer.
Now I don't know any of these people myself, I just park my van there when visiting for holidays, and twice a week to take the kids to visit the grandparents. The neighbors won't even talk to my kids when they're out front with their grandparents and I'm not there. In the past, we've taken the kids trick-or-treating in their neighborhood (ours isn't safe), and to see the holiday lights. But I guess that won't be happening anymore.
So I went over to Cafe Press and ordered a new sticker. It's going smack dab in the middle of the rear window where no one can miss it. In black on white 54 pt type it says, The Views Expressed On This Car Are Solely Those Of Its Owners Not Necessarily Those Of Anyone Where It Just Happens To Be Parked.
Jeez, as if that needed to be spelled out.
I guess America is home of the free as long as you're not a Freethinker.