A while back I walked to the local library. It's a few miles, mostly uphill coming and going. My mission was to return David Wallace-Wells' grim but fascinating book on climate change, The Uninhabitable Earth, and find The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. The latter was next up for the library's monthly sci-fi/fantasy book club. I don't usually attend because I 'm either busy, traveling, forget about it or didn't finish the book, but I keep lurking along with the selections. The Master and Margarita was a Russian slog featuring starving poets, the devil, Jesus Christ, Pontius Pilate and a snarky, talking cat -- I skimmed most of it -- and then I forgot to go to the book club, probably on purpose. I may have been busy or out of town, too. Anyway, up to the second floor of Somerville's main library I climbed to retrieve a copy of Bulgakov's bulging masterwork from behind the reference desk, and here comes the part that relates to climate change, kind of. Please be patient.
Two librarians, a man and woman, stood behind the desk. I asked for The Master and Margarita and the man swiveled to the shelf behind him. Two copies were left. He pulled out both. One copy was tattered, the cover ripped and taped back together. The other copy looked newer, cleaner, less abused. He considered, for a micro-second, and handed me the crappy copy. I didn't take it. I said, "I'd like the nice copy." I think I said it nicely, who knows. Without a change in expression he handed me the decent book and I nodded and started away. That's when the woman said to her colleague, in a flat tone: " It's too bad he has to ask for the nicer copy." I hesitated, glanced back, saw them doing their librarian things, and continued downstairs to check the book out at the main desk.
What'd she mean by that?
What'd she mean by that?
- Oh, what a world we live in where all book copies aren't equally nice.
- What a schmuck you are, handing him the torn copy.
- What a schmuck he is, not accepting what he's given.
- Two of the above three.
- All three
- Something else I haven't considered.
Next I walked to Bloc, a hipster coffee shop in an old bank building. It's very popular, with its bitter coffee and expensive baked goods. I ordered a small coffee and the cheapest cookie, a lemon-frosted thing, $2.95. (Remember those tubes of cookie dough you could just slice onto a tray and pop into the oven? Did they cost $2.95? Do they still sell them?) So the clerk, a young woman with a plastic smile, grabbed a pair of tongs and reached for a tray holding four glazed lemon cookies. Three were identical, of medium cookie size, and one was clearly smaller. A bit overcooked. The runt of the litter. She's gonna give me that one, I thought, it's that kind of day. So the tongs closed on its prey. And she picked the runt, of course. This time I didn't object, but I didn't tip either. The cookie was dry.
Why'd she do that?
Why we do things, it's hard to figure. But, regarding my little misadventures, I'm going with option three as the biggest factor. In this 21st century world of monopolistic corporate power, ultra-fractured politics and ad-driven hyper-consumerism, it's all about taking what you're given and pretending you're given what you really want. Sure, fine, maybe climate change is here, and maybe we're bequeathing our kids and grandkids the rawest deal in history -- but hey, get used to it. Get over it. Like Coach Belichick says, It Is What It Is. Besides, there's not much we can do, not without the iron hand of socialism choking all that's good and growing in this great land.
Now eat your shriveled cookie, read your tattered book and shut up.
Why'd she do that?
- She hates men. She hates tall men. She hates tall, white men. She hates tall, white, middle-aged men who remind her of her father who, oddly, she loves most of the time.
- The last two customers refused the small cookie. It's driving her crazy, sitting there all day.
- That's life: accept what you're given. She knows this and passes it along.
- Two of the above three.
- All three.
- Something else I haven't considered.
Why we do things, it's hard to figure. But, regarding my little misadventures, I'm going with option three as the biggest factor. In this 21st century world of monopolistic corporate power, ultra-fractured politics and ad-driven hyper-consumerism, it's all about taking what you're given and pretending you're given what you really want. Sure, fine, maybe climate change is here, and maybe we're bequeathing our kids and grandkids the rawest deal in history -- but hey, get used to it. Get over it. Like Coach Belichick says, It Is What It Is. Besides, there's not much we can do, not without the iron hand of socialism choking all that's good and growing in this great land.
Now eat your shriveled cookie, read your tattered book and shut up.
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