Tightrope Monkey!

Every day is an opportunity to learn. Today I learned how tasty a Pumpkin Spice Latte can be, even though it is from Starbucks and Starbucks is Evil

Versus

Good. I have always equated unions with good. Watching them over the years with their signs and sticks and chanting and cups of coffee and lawn chairs I have always supported them in my head because they are Good and For the People. Even when I was in elementary school and our teachers did “work to rule” and there was no choir that year and no field trips, part of me knew it was important and that I should at least enjoy the days off.

This week I have learned that unions are made up of people, regular ones, not shiny ones. Some nice, some mean, some talkative, some silent. Ergo, much like the hodgepodge of people not in unions, some union people are not Good. It surprised me. No, it really did. Ah, my simple mind with its non-algebraic equations. How I treasure its creamy centre.

Behold: some union people are not For the People (FtP) at all but only For the Union People (FtUP). And, far from wanting the Non-Union People Who Help Pay Our Wages (NUPWHPOW) to understand and respect the Union People (UP), these Bad Union People (BUP) do things that make the Non-Union People want to set the Union People on Fire.

And I do not blame them. I felt like a bad UP for agreeing with the NUPWHPOWs but on further reflection, I have realized that it is not about Good or Bad, but about how you behave in order to achieve your goals. While the goal may be common, the method is unique to the individual and no amount of calling me Sister will change that. I use respectful communication to get the things I want. Other people use other methods.

There is much complexity involved in getting a monkey to walk a tightrope.

Also, this story cracks me up.