Fun with Fractions

A buddy of mine, who is a bartender, bought a hat at a thrift store with WWJD on the front of it. He wore it while working a shift thinking it would be funny. A woman he was serving commented on his hat and asked him how he felt about women's rights.

I have another buddy who's daughter just started getting the hang of basic arithmetic. In an attempt to prepare her to learn fractions, my friend informed his daughter that between 0 and 1 there are actually many more numbers. She was not happy.

I think many of us have the tendency to look at people as zeros or ones. It makes life simpler. Just like my buddy's daughter, maybe we get overwhelmed with the thought that there are an infinite number of people between 0 and 1.

I'm pretty sure I've met some churchgoers that would be just as offended by a guy ironically wearing a WWJD hat as the woman who's worried about rightwingers wanting control over her body. In reality, my bartender buddy is one of the nicest guys I've ever met and meant no harm to anyone. He's not a Christian. He's not a women's rights activist. He's just a nice guy with a sense of humor.

There are people who are going to weigh the pros and cons of voting for a certain candidate and make a decision different from ours. I hope we can get over it. I hope we can consider the thought that each of us come from a different family, background, and set of circumstances. I hope we can accept the idea that most people don't give a shit what we think.

I must admit, I find lots of humor in offensive situations. Because it usually says more about the offended than the offender. The offended sees a 0 or a 1. There is no room for nuance. And yet that's where all of the intrigue lies.

Embrace the fractions you're surrounded by. Because nobody is a 0 or a 1. Not even you.