observing my surroundings

"Theatre is a waste of time." This is what a painter told me today.

I would understand it if the words came out of a mouth of anyone else who is not appreciative of the arts in general. But it came out of the mouth of an artist. I was so shocked that I did not ask him what he meant.  

Did he understand the heaviness of this statement? Is he thinking about it like I do right now? Most probably no, he is not.

In the past few days all I do is observe people. Observe what they say, how they critisize, what they have to say about others. Sometimes it comes to me as a surprise, as a shock.

Generalizations, taboos, stereotypes, are all here in my every day life. Being gay is bad, being a man actor is being gay, people who like avant garde are people who smell bad and never shave... to name but a few.

I try to stand up for gays and the avant garde and being different. I am not always succesful because the shock is to strong and my tongue and mind are not as quick.

The only thing I can really do is watch - think - process the data.

This small town and it's people have yet a lot to learn.