More I Wasn't Told

Billie Holiday, jazz legend, died exactly six days before I was born. She was younger than I am now. I cannot remember exactly when I first heard her but I do have directory of mp3's that bear her name. Thankfully, I caught an hour program on the Biography Channel. I learned a great deal more.

What an amazing life story! A main theme expressed in the hour program was not to make her into a victim; as she made her own choices which involved drugs, booze, and destructive relationships. I would NOT have learned much from the official website bio.

Let's sanitize the truth, shall we? When I taught in Saudi Arabia, the young cadets always admitted, "America is too free." They were attempting to tell me that they'd have trouble exercising self-control in America. In the 'Kingdom', a Wahabi regime keeps vices restricted in order to prevent individuals from having to learn and exercise personal restraint.

If those boys only knew how truly similar some aspects of life in modern America are. They don't know about the Disney-ification of media in the United States. In many ways, US society's avoidance of adult themes in the name of moral virtues, is a more insidious form of restriction. The self-imposed censorship is promoted from the same incorrect belief; namely, that average citizens are not able to deal with the truths of the human condition.

We could face occasionally unpleasant facts and grow up a bit. We could handle reality and maybe learn a little something in the process.