Porthole

...because I can... kinda... sorta...

... because I can... kinda... sorta...

When I speak up. When I say what I think needs to be said... As in when...

Anyhoo... it seems to allow others to speak up. Brian, Charlie, Gervac, Miranda, Stik, even Elle ...

I can feel visible and understood. As an Old Ghost, used to being invisible, that can be stressful.

Finished and posted:

"Pineapple upside down cake [147]" 
" Mute [145]" 
"PPC#2 When a moment lasts a lifetime [146]" 
"Peter and the Honda" 

A response to Elle (from NZ) who responded to some of my non-PC-non-American-prompts:

"Thank-you for having fun with these.

I knew you were a Q-ally but I didn't know to what extent through personal experience!

Still...

Some notes:

1. It's hard for people to imagine what they would do in a circumstance that they've never been faced with.

Or that they refuse to talk about. Talking about Q-issues is verboten by many. It's against their religion (in the US that's Conservative Christian) and absolutely XXX rated. At WdC there are writers who do not wish to speak about anything they cannot share in front of 10 year olds... even if their 13 year has already been there and done that.

2. I put in the fish&chips question because many of the WdC prompts are American... and fish and chips is NOT American! I mean... what th'elle are mushy peas?

Not a political issue but Americans really don't travel and are perplexed that the rest of the world doesn't necessarily want to live like us. They think that "what do you put on your hamburger" is a universal prompt and "do you prefer cod or herring, eel or duck noodles, yellowbells or camas, morels or shiitake, jasmine rice or sticky rice, burek me djathë ose burek me mish" are silly questions.

And "are you vegan or vegetarian" works in some places... like Missoula... but "how do you want your steak done" is better most places. I wouldn't ask "do you want pork sausage or bacon" in the Middle-East.

3. Guns and anti-vaxxers are news here in the good old US of A. Not in places where folks don't have guns. Not only do they carry them here, they brandish them here. Huge issue. Ditto with anti-vaxxers. We have states here where 14.5% have had covid. (NZ = 0.5%) Counties in Montana where 3% of those infected died. NZ has had fewer cases than my county in Western Montana. Vermont is 80% vaxxed. McCone County here is 22% vaxxed.

I guess what I'm saying is that reality 'on the ground' can be very different. These prompts would be considered too political or religious for many Americans. We actually shoot and kill people over them and I'm not sure that there's even a consensus that that's bad.

4. Same with noise laws. But... at least 'noise' is universal to greater or lesser extent. Loud mufflers are more than tolerated here. It's a sign of aggressive machismo. However... some urban areas are death on that juvenile nonsense. (See my attitude and bias sneaking in?) Many people here could answer the question but 1. they don't get drunk everywhere in the world and 2. some cultures are uber-respectful regarding others.

Some cultures don't have laws because they don't need them. A westerner might be appalled that children-labor laws aren't universal; but, other cultures would be appalled that they were even necessary!"

I guess what I'm getting at is that

1. many prompts are culturally biased.
2. many topics are taboo.
3. we do not speak the same language.
4. an attitude of cultural superiority excludes others.
5. minorities have no voice.

64 cooling breezy east-wind degrees at 9:27. The sun sets on the solstice at 9:34.

4,630