Rudy, and everyone else for that matter, please don't think that I am closed minded and a bigot. Though my rant may have sounded that way, that is not the way I intended it and I probably should have put some qualifiers... some credentials, if you will. I assure you, I was not trying to speak in the white-washed, typical as-you-put-it "I went to school in Manhattan Beach, same ol' shit" sort of way.

Keep in mind, I teach at Torrance High School, one of the most culturally diverse schools in Southern California. It also has a very culturally diverse staff as well. One of the staff members, who happens to be African American, has explained to the entire staff during a staff meeting on more than one occasion that it is part of the black culture to be late, she actually calls it "black time", and to be extra talkative during movies and lectures, so we as teachers need to be more understanding.

Furthermore, my sister, who has a masters in sociology, worked at jail schools to rehabilitate young people who had been arrested and need to make up credits to try to graduate from high school. She didn't teach them. She had the hard part: trying to get them to talk about their feelings about watching family members get shot and such. I digress. Many of her clients were African American, and as a result many of her co-workers were African American. I was able to share with her some of my frustrations with behavior problems I was having with some of the black students in my classes at THS. She told me on more than one occasion through conversations with her co-workers that blacks from the inner city will by-and-large, tend to be more vocal at inappropriate times. This, according to Brandi and many of her co-workers, is due to a feeling of lack of control in their lives. It boils down to a power issue, or rather, a lack of power issue. Behaving that way gives them a feeling of control, which kind of makes sense, but is it okay?

So as my seat was being kicked and I couldn't hear the dialog of the film I paid to go see, these were the two things that were going through my mind; not "these are just assholes," but "these people are assholes because of their culture." I should be more tolerant especially as an educator, but at the same time, I was frustrated and annoyed. You're right. There are assholes of all shapes and sizes no matter where you go. I am sure in certain situations I am no picnic. Bottom line, I should check myself and take a deep breath before I unload controversial points of view, and I am sorry that I disappointed you and made you sick to your stomach.

And, no... the BR album says nothing about African Americans at the movies. It's just really good. And I'm still bummed Eric is moving.