The Thrift Shop
Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.50 total reviews
Comment from Kooky Clown
Thank you for sharing this story with me/us I can not imagine how scary the situation must have been for you at the time. Luckily here in England we do not have the same problems with shopkeepers having guns and I believe the majority of people are not racists either. Thank goodness.
reply by the author on 23-Aug-2016
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Thank you for sharing this story with me/us I can not imagine how scary the situation must have been for you at the time. Luckily here in England we do not have the same problems with shopkeepers having guns and I believe the majority of people are not racists either. Thank goodness.
Comment Written 23-Aug-2016
reply by the author on 23-Aug-2016
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Kooky Clown, I am so happy for you in England, but it can be scary situation here in America because of the guns and racism. Thank you for your review.
Comment from Phyllis Stewart
Well written script. You don't say how you came to perform this in so many cities, but I assume you were trying to break into "the biz" with it. I imagine it's very moving on stage with creepy lighting. :)
reply by the author on 23-Aug-2016
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Well written script. You don't say how you came to perform this in so many cities, but I assume you were trying to break into "the biz" with it. I imagine it's very moving on stage with creepy lighting. :)
Comment Written 23-Aug-2016
reply by the author on 23-Aug-2016
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Yes, Phyllis, I am breaking into "the biz." When I performed this story at an open mic in San Francisco, a producer of an event in Oakland saw and booked me. I performed my story at open mics throughout the region in 2012 and '13 before a Las Vegas poetry open mic booked me, but I performed my story in addition to poetry. Just yesterday I was booked to portray a record dealer in a play in Oakland. I go from being a kid who loves records to playing a man who sells them.
Thank you for your review.
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How cool is that! It's great to be doing what you love. Good luck. :)
Comment from barkingdog
Hello Sis Cat,
I read the story and listened to the video. Both are marvelous.
It's important to get your story/ your voice out there. Seeing the point of view of a young boy innocently looking for second-hand records and facing a shop owner holding a gun really paints a stark picture of fear and prejudice.
Excellent story telling.
Good luck in the contest.
:) e
reply by the author on 23-Aug-2016
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Hello Sis Cat,
I read the story and listened to the video. Both are marvelous.
It's important to get your story/ your voice out there. Seeing the point of view of a young boy innocently looking for second-hand records and facing a shop owner holding a gun really paints a stark picture of fear and prejudice.
Excellent story telling.
Good luck in the contest.
:) e
Comment Written 23-Aug-2016
reply by the author on 23-Aug-2016
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Thank you, barking dog, for your review. I performed this story again last Thursday in Oakland to a packed crowd who were stunned and moved by my "stark picture of fear and prejudice." Even though my encounter happened thirty-six years ago, my story resonates with people today as shootings continue. Once the gun goes off, many people do not survive to tell their stories.
Thank you for your review and wishing me success in the contest.
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You're very welcome.
:) e
Comment from Ulla
Wow, I'm still digesting this. I've of course always known about racism, but to read a personal account of its rearing up its ugly face is disturbing. You could so easily have been killed and for what? For nothing. Just because the colour of your skin is not white. It's disgusting. You handled the situation in a very dignified way. Good on you. The scary bit is that it is not getting any better. The ignorance of people never cease to amaze me. A wonderful write. Should be published as an example to everybody. All the best. Ulla:))
reply by the author on 23-Aug-2016
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Wow, I'm still digesting this. I've of course always known about racism, but to read a personal account of its rearing up its ugly face is disturbing. You could so easily have been killed and for what? For nothing. Just because the colour of your skin is not white. It's disgusting. You handled the situation in a very dignified way. Good on you. The scary bit is that it is not getting any better. The ignorance of people never cease to amaze me. A wonderful write. Should be published as an example to everybody. All the best. Ulla:))
Comment Written 23-Aug-2016
reply by the author on 23-Aug-2016
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Yes, Ulla, I recall my calmness when handling the situation, but I was really terrified of the man. I did not want to make any move or say any thing that would cause him to pull the trigger. I survived, but I know that many in similar situations did not. What really scares me is that my incident happened thirty-six years ago, but they are still occurring today.
Thank you for your generous, six star review.
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I know, it's happening all the time. It's too bad!! You must have been scared out of your wits.:))
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Yes, Ulla, at least I had the wits not to talk back or make sudden moves. I am glad I survived but I am mindful that many did not. Thanks again.
Comment from William Ross
This is a wonderful and excellently written piece on the struggles Blacks go through, always assumed the thief or hood looking for trouble. A store owner pulling a gun on some black kid looking at records. Hopefully the next generations can end all this racial crap. have a great day.
reply by the author on 23-Aug-2016
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This is a wonderful and excellently written piece on the struggles Blacks go through, always assumed the thief or hood looking for trouble. A store owner pulling a gun on some black kid looking at records. Hopefully the next generations can end all this racial crap. have a great day.
Comment Written 23-Aug-2016
reply by the author on 23-Aug-2016
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Yes, William, given that my encounter with the armed shopkeeper occurred thirty-six years ago, I am still hoping that "the next generations can end all this racial crap. have a great day." Thank you for your generous, six star review
Comment from Walu Feral
G'day Andre. Take a bow, mate. Bravo! What a yarn you have to tell. Delia and I both watched the video and were laughing until it got very serious and scary. But we enjoyed your dramatic excellence.
The killings continue, in the States, Australia, Asia, Europe. The mongrels, including police, keep getting away with it and so it continues. It's bloody horrific.
Great job, buddy.
Cheers Fez
reply by the author on 23-Aug-2016
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G'day Andre. Take a bow, mate. Bravo! What a yarn you have to tell. Delia and I both watched the video and were laughing until it got very serious and scary. But we enjoyed your dramatic excellence.
The killings continue, in the States, Australia, Asia, Europe. The mongrels, including police, keep getting away with it and so it continues. It's bloody horrific.
Great job, buddy.
Cheers Fez
Comment Written 23-Aug-2016
reply by the author on 23-Aug-2016
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Yes, Fez, even though my incident occurred thirty-six years ago, but, as you said, "The killings continue, in the States, Australia, Asia, Europe." I am grateful I survived but I am mindful that many did not. Thank you for your generous, six star review.
Comment from TheWriteTeach
This is very well written. It is also very scary. You could have easily lost your life that day, through no fault of your own. Your descriptive narrative painted a very vivid picture in my mind's eye. I could see you flipping through the records with a gun pointed at you. You transitioned well from scene to scene (second dangerous move, third dangerous move). Your dialogue was excellent - very believable, not forced or fake. There was good action throughout to keep the reader interested.
I didn't pick up on any spags. Excellent job.
Suzanne
reply by the author on 23-Aug-2016
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This is very well written. It is also very scary. You could have easily lost your life that day, through no fault of your own. Your descriptive narrative painted a very vivid picture in my mind's eye. I could see you flipping through the records with a gun pointed at you. You transitioned well from scene to scene (second dangerous move, third dangerous move). Your dialogue was excellent - very believable, not forced or fake. There was good action throughout to keep the reader interested.
I didn't pick up on any spags. Excellent job.
Suzanne
Comment Written 23-Aug-2016
reply by the author on 23-Aug-2016
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Yes, Suzanne, I am grateful that I kept my 1980 diary which described the man's conversation with me and the records I purchased. From this entry, I recreated my thoughts and actions during the encounter. The list of dangerous moves was a recent addition because they emphasized how such mundane shopping tasks such as walking up to the cashier can get me killed if he is holding a gun at me. Thank you for your review.
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I'd like to think that times have changed for the better, but honestly, with all the recent events taking place, I think things are actually getting worse.
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It is very sad and disheartening, Suzanne. My stories about racist arsonists setting my house on fire and a shopkeeper holding me up at gunpoint are thirty to forty years old. We want to believe things are getting better, but then we see and hear about these recent events and are inclined to believe that "things are actually getting worse." I do not want today's children to experience what I endured as a child. It breaks my heart.
Comment from Delahay
I read a story in the paper recently about the parents of an African-American child. The parents had "the talk" with him. This talk was about what to do if confronted by the police. Comply then complain. If the cops are aggressive or falsely accused him he should comply at the time, then file a complaint later. It should not be necessary to do so, but it might keep him alive. It would be good advice for anyone, but I think teenagers or young adults might be more likely to get angry and confrontational if they are wronged and treated badly. It would be better, of course, if such advice was not necessary.
reply by the author on 23-Aug-2016
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I read a story in the paper recently about the parents of an African-American child. The parents had "the talk" with him. This talk was about what to do if confronted by the police. Comply then complain. If the cops are aggressive or falsely accused him he should comply at the time, then file a complaint later. It should not be necessary to do so, but it might keep him alive. It would be good advice for anyone, but I think teenagers or young adults might be more likely to get angry and confrontational if they are wronged and treated badly. It would be better, of course, if such advice was not necessary.
Comment Written 22-Aug-2016
reply by the author on 23-Aug-2016
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Yes, Delahay, at that time in 1980 in that neighborhood I did not have the option of filing complaints. Police once stopped and asked me what I was doing there. When I told them I was walking home from school, they said, "Make sure you get there," as in, do not linger around this neighborhood. I endured suspicions from police and shopkeepers. Now I am telling a story about my most traumatic encounter. Thank you for your review.
Comment from robyn corum
Andre.
I am so upset. I'm a Southerner. A proud one. And we get a lot of crap for being a racist population, and it's not true in the general sense. But I know racism exists. I'm not stupid. I grew up with it. I have to fight against things I hear from people I come in contact with. But those are WORDS. No one I have ever been associated with would EVER take up a weapon against ANYONE because of RACE. And it breaks my soul to even consider it. And then to think that you were only sixteen when it happened to you. On behalf of all white people, I apologize.
That man's actions came from a place of fear and stupidity. Don't let that remain in your heart. There's more goodness in the world than evil. We have to believe that to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Thank you for sharing this story. It's powerful and needs to be told.
Then, the writing itself was EXCELLENT. Which added HEAPS to the story. This should be submitted somewhere, immediately! (Writer's Digest Short Short Story Contest, comes to mind, but I'm not sure of the dates on that. CHECK IT OUT!)
reply by the author on 23-Aug-2016
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Andre.
I am so upset. I'm a Southerner. A proud one. And we get a lot of crap for being a racist population, and it's not true in the general sense. But I know racism exists. I'm not stupid. I grew up with it. I have to fight against things I hear from people I come in contact with. But those are WORDS. No one I have ever been associated with would EVER take up a weapon against ANYONE because of RACE. And it breaks my soul to even consider it. And then to think that you were only sixteen when it happened to you. On behalf of all white people, I apologize.
That man's actions came from a place of fear and stupidity. Don't let that remain in your heart. There's more goodness in the world than evil. We have to believe that to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Thank you for sharing this story. It's powerful and needs to be told.
Then, the writing itself was EXCELLENT. Which added HEAPS to the story. This should be submitted somewhere, immediately! (Writer's Digest Short Short Story Contest, comes to mind, but I'm not sure of the dates on that. CHECK IT OUT!)
Comment Written 22-Aug-2016
reply by the author on 23-Aug-2016
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Thank you, Robyn, immensely for your generous, six star review and for your contribution to this story. Its original title for three years was "Southern California" but after you said you felt my "Stranger Danger" painted Southerners as racists, I decided to change the title of my new story to the mundane "The Thrift Shop." What I want to focus on is not black or white, North or South, but on man's inhumanity to man. I went to Italy and still faced fear and intimidation there. There were no Southerners around. What I, and all humanity, must grapple with is how we treat people deemed outsiders, foreign, or different. Until we have done that, we cannot tackle fear and hatred which pops its ugly head here and there like a game of Whack a Mole. Thank you for your review.
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Oh, I'm sorry, Andre! I didn't mean to imply anything by the Southerners remark except that it's something I've dealt with all my life - I hear blacks on TV or in movies saying they'd never move down South because we're all so racist, still hold overs from the 50's and 60's - such horrible days. THAT part of my review was just ranting. I apologize for the confusion.
BUT to tell the truth, I do like 'The Thrift Shop' better. Then the stranger danger is sprung upon you without warning. That is even scarier. As if.
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Yes, "The Thrift Shop" is much better because "the stranger danger is sprung upon you without warning. That is even scarier." You helped solve a three year problem with the old title. Thanks again.
Comment from TAB_that's me
It's cool you were still buying vinyl records in the 80's instead of cassettes or 8-tracks.
You did make some stupid moves I suppose but you lived - thankfully.
There are too many Trayvon Martin's. It needs to end.
I am starting a peace movement. I'm holding my first rally on September 8th. We'll be praying for peace throughout the lands. Wherever you are on that evening, please pray for peace - and pass it on.
Teresa
reply by the author on 22-Aug-2016
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It's cool you were still buying vinyl records in the 80's instead of cassettes or 8-tracks.
You did make some stupid moves I suppose but you lived - thankfully.
There are too many Trayvon Martin's. It needs to end.
I am starting a peace movement. I'm holding my first rally on September 8th. We'll be praying for peace throughout the lands. Wherever you are on that evening, please pray for peace - and pass it on.
Teresa
Comment Written 22-Aug-2016
reply by the author on 22-Aug-2016
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Yes, Teresa, in retrospect, it was not wise for me to shop in an area where white shopkeepers and police felt uncomfortable about my presence. While I survived, I am mindful that many people did not survive such encounters I had. This makes your peace movement all the more important. Pray, please, pray.
Thank you for your review and prayers.