20200703 WRITING - DAY 3

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So, today I'll write my random thoughts about the tee shirt.

It was given to me by my former significant other, Ed Ross.  He had visited Atlanta and had gone to see the Stone Mountain monument.  It has carvings of 3 confederate generals (Lee, Jackson, Davis) on horseback.

I had never even known that it was a monument to these 3 who were enemies of the Union, slavery supporters, and fought against freedom and equality for black Americans.

Today we're considering in the USA whether we should have monuments to confederate soldiers and leaders ANYwhere in our country.  Mississippi decided THIS WEEK to remove the confederate part of their State flag.  Wow - more than 150 years after the South lost the Civil War!  And some Southerners STILL want to keep the flag, and the monuments.

Well, my tee shirt was a gift that I've been wearing - UNKNOWINGLY supporting the confederacy - for more than 20 years.  I'm sure that some have seen it and wondered why I would wear it.

I wore it because it was a gift, and nothing more.  When I wore out a bit, I began wearing it as a workout tee shirt, and likely people at the gym saw me wear it.  Maybe they wondered why I would wear it.

I cycle everything:  socks, belts, shoes, towels.... EVERYthing.  I'd like the things I own to wear out evenly.  So, I wash, dry and fold my gym workout clothes, and I put them at the bottom of the stack.  That way, I'll pick & wear my clothes evenly.

So 2 days ago, I noticed that the "GEORGIA'S STONE MOUNTAIN" tee shirt was next.  I grabbed it and a pair of scissors, and I cut the image of Lee, Davis and Stonewall right through their faces.

Then I rolled them up into a ball and tossed them into my trash can.  Where they belong.

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My Black Tee Shirt

It was given to me by my former significant other, Ed Ross.  It's black, with a white image on it.  I'm wondering now if the colors have significance.  Ed had visited Atlanta on business, and had gone to see the Stone Mountain monument which has carvings of 3 confederate generals (Lee, Jackson, Davis) on horseback. He brought me back the tee shirt as a "trip gift."

Until the other day, I had never bothered to ask myself or anyone about the monument.  I had not known that it was a monument to these three Confederates, who were enemies of the Union, were slavery supporters, and fought against freedom and equality for black Americans.

Today we're considering in the USA whether we should have monuments to confederate soldiers and leaders ANYwhere in our country.  Mississippi decided THIS WEEK to remove the confederate part of their State flag.  Wow - more than 150 years after the South lost the Civil War!  And some Southerners STILL want to keep the flag, and the monuments.

Well, my tee shirt was a gift that I've been wearing - UNKNOWINGLY supporting the confederacy - for more than 20 years.  I'm sure that some have seen it and wondered why I would wear it.

I wore it because it was a gift, and nothing more.  When it wore out a bit, I began wearing it as a workout tee shirt, and likely people at the gym saw me wear it.  Maybe they wondered why I would wear it.

I cycle everything:  socks, belts, shoes, towels.... EVERYthing.  I'd like the things I own to wear out evenly.  So, I wash, dry and fold my gym workout clothes, and I put them at the bottom of the stack.  That way, I'll pick & wear my clothes evenly.

So 2 days ago, I noticed that the "GEORGIA'S STONE MOUNTAIN" tee shirt was next.  I grabbed it and a pair of scissors, and I cut the image of Lee, Davis and Stonewall right through their faces.

Then I rolled them up into a ball and tossed them into my trash can.  Where they belong.  That felt both right and good.