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Send a letter to the editor to P.O. Box 1600, Dawsonville, GA 30534; fax (706) 265-3276; or email to editor@dawsonnews.com.
DawsonOpinion
WEDNESDAY, October 24, 2018
This is a page of opinion — ours, yours and
others. Signed columns and cartoons are the
opinions of the writers and artists, and they
may not reflect our views.
"You act like you expect us to have candy left over!"
Judgement of small talk
when you’re an introvert
Being an introvert makes
social situations a little chal
lenging at times.
Even when it is with peo
ple I like or want to know
better, I find gatherings quite
hard to deal with.
It’s not that I hate people,
mind you. Even though I do
prefer the company of ani
mals to most humans, that is
not it.
No, it’s the small talk that
does me in.
I loathe small talk.
I can talk at length about
things that range from ran
dom trivia to deeper subjects
but the tedious ‘getting to
know you’ questions and
chatter drive me batty.
Mainly because the mun
dane conversation can be
used to judge and people
have sorely forgotten how to
be polite and inquiring with
out belly flopping right into
someone’s personal life.
“Are you married? Do you
have kids?”
If you answer no to either
question, you can bet the
next question is “Why not?”
People sometimes forget
one is not necessarily a pre
cursor to the other, which
can make for some uncom
fortable exchanges.
But perhaps the most
annoying one is, “What do
you do?”
Such a simple question
really.
Sudie Crouch
Columnist
But one that is very load
ed.
Depending on your
answer, people are going to
decide how to treat you.
If you say you are a doctor
or other professional, people
will treat you with respect.
If you say you have a blue
collar job, their reaction may
be a little different.
It’s wrong, but it is some
thing I have witnessed far
too often.
I was raised to treat every
one equally, and to not let
their job title dictate the
level of respect they
received.
Yet, that one simple ques
tion carries a tremendous
amount of weight to it.
Many times, people feel
like titles and what they do
for a living defines them,
and sometimes, it can.
We do tend to get caught
up in our jobs and worry
about the image we are pro
jecting into the world.
I have met a few people
who let you know with
every breath what they did
for a living and how impor
tant they were.
And, I have known folks
who were humble and down
to earth that did not need
any kind of recognition for
their positions.
In parts of Europe, it is
considered rude to ask
someone what kind of work
they did. It is a matter of
pre-judging someone.
Deciding if the person was
worth getting to know.
Evaluating if the person’s
net income would put them
on equal footing with us.
And trying to size up if
the person can be valuable to
us in any way.
I hate this question and it’s
kind of hard to avoid it when
you are in most social situa
tions.
“I don’t care what some
one does for a living,” I told
Mama one day. “I don’t care
what their level of education
is or if they have a big,
important job. And if their
opinion of me is only based
on how I earn a living, they
can stick it.”
Mama gently agreed.
“Well, Kitten, you can tell a
lot about a person by how
they treat their wait staff in a
restaurant. If they are rude to
them, they will be rude to
others, too. You weren’t
raised to be that way so it is
a bit hard for you to under
stand.”
It reminds me of how
someone I knew once
whined she was ashamed of
her fiance’s job and didn’t
know if she could marry
someone who “wore his
name on his shirt.”
“Lots of people have their
names on their uniforms,” I
tried telling her.
“Like who?” she sniffed.
“Doctors, for one. Cops
have name badges, too.
There is nothing wrong with
wearing your name on your
uniform.”
She never saw my point,
but I am sure she is the type
that uses the small talk ques
tion of “what do you do” to
decide if someone was wor
thy of her or not.
The good thing about
small talk is people usually
aren’t listening; they are
waiting to respond with
more stuff about themselves.
“What do you do for a liv
ing?” someone asked me
recently.
“Whatever it takes,” I
replied.
Thankfully, they didn’t
even notice.
Sudie Crouch is an award
winning humor columnist and
author of the recently e-pub-
lished novel, "The Dahlman
Files: A Tony Dahlman
Hurting for
the victims
ofHurricane
Michael
Am I my brother’s keeper? Absolutely. My
sister’s, too. Particularly, if they are my read
ers. When they hurt, I hurt.
I have been blessed to write a weekly col
umn that has been running in newspapers
throughout the state of Georgia for the past
two decades. There are readers I have never
met face-to-face but who I consider my
friends, thanks to their emails and letters and
to the editors
who give me the
opportunity to
correspond with
them.
This past
week, I have
been in touch
with a number of
people in south Georgia whose towns were
in the direct and devastating path of
Hurricane Michael. I can’t imagine what
they have been through and are still going
through. It is a cliche but one that fits the sit
uation — I guess you had to be there.
Homes have been destroyed, lives have
been lost and livelihoods wrecked. As I men
tioned last week, I had planned to brag on
Georgia’s olive industry, a gem unknown as
of yet to many Georgians, but highly regard
ed by some of America’s top chefs.
I had interviewed Jason Shaw, who is
involved in the olive business in Lakeland,
near Valdosta. Shaw, also a state representa
tive, talked to me on his tractor (that was a
new experience!) while trying to harvest the
family com crop before Hurricane Michael’s
arrival. That particular com is used to make
grits. I hurried through that interview because
the last thing I wanted on my conscience was
boogering up anything having to do with
making grits. Southerners are a forgiving
bunch, but I think not having grits to go with
their sausage and eggs is pretty unforgivable.
Not only did Rep. Shaw and I talk about
olive oil, we talked about life in rural Georgia.
It can be a good life, but not an easy one.
There are truly two Georgias. There is the
Metro Atlanta Georgia, where the biggest
issue going on these days is whether or not
fat cat developers and politicians can talk
Atlanta taxpayers into contributing $1.7 bil
lion over 30 years to develop a rundown area
of the city called The Gulch. In addition,
there is the usual tiresome Chamber of
Commerce blah-blah about upcoming Super
Bowl Roman Numeral Whatever, as if the
fate of the free world hangs in the balance.
Beyond that self-absorbed world, there is
the Other Georgia. No billion-dollar tax
giveaways, no millionaire knee-jerkers play
ing irrelevant games —just hard-working
folks trying to eke out a living in an area
where quality health care is not a given,
high-tech communications almost nonexis
tent and where population decreases are the
norm. That’s the other Georgia.
And now comes Hurricane Michael, as if
they needed more challenges. Losses in the
agriculture industry could reach $3 billion,
according to state Agriculture Commissioner
Gary Black. Black says timber losses alone
are estimated at $1 billion, with a million
acres destroyed. Cotton crops, pecan
orchards and peanut fields wiped out. An
estimated 2 million chickens killed. We are
talking a recovery that could take years.
If this incomprehensible disaster missed
you because you were safely north or east of
the Gnat Line, just remember that there is
always a tornado or flood or wildfire lurking
somewhere, ready to strike. The next time, it
could be any of the rest of us. We are much
better at predicting natural disasters, but we
haven’t learned how to prevent them from
happening.
Please take a moment and see what you
can do to help. Call your local Red Cross or
other relief agencies and find out what they
say are the most basic needs. I suspect drink
ing water is a priority. Many churches and
businesses and civic organizations are col
lecting money for relief aid. Volunteers are
needed, as well. There is something you can
do, even at a long distance.
Rep. Jason Shaw, whose family and prop
erty were spared much of the damage, has
been in touch with his colleagues in the hur
ricane-ravaged area and says it is heartening
to see how total strangers are reaching out to
the victims. Somehow, it seems to take a
tragedy to bring out the best in us.
As for me, I am feeling a special hurt
today because I have a lot of readers in
southwest Georgia who are hurting as well. I
wish I could think of something that would
bring a smile to their face. And I promise I
will. I owe them that. They deserve it. Bless
them, one and all.
Reach Dick Yarbrough atdick@dickyarbrough.
com; at P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta, GA 31139;
online at dickyarbrough.com or on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/dickyarb.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dawsonville airport
won't benefit citizens
In an article titled “Big items dis
cussed at joint meeting” in the Oct. 10
edition of the Dawson County News,
mention of the city of Dawsonville
acquiring an airport caught my atten
tion. I was not aware of the need of
the citizens of Dawsonville to have a
place to store their private airplanes.
Mayor Eason said it would not cost
the citizens any money as the LAA
would cover all the costs. The LAA is
a federal agency which means there
will be strings attached. Will the LAA
also pay for changing the light bulb
after operations commence? The
mayor also said that we would not like
a commercial airport.
What’s wrong with a commercial
airport? Our country was established
on the right to liberty and the pursuit
of happiness. The ability to achieve
our goals through risk-taking is a fab
ric embedded in our country’s history.
The commercial airport would pay all
the operating costs to include staffing,
maintenance and associated overhead
costs beyond the initial infrastructure
expenditures. If this venture was not
commercially viable before now, why
is it now viable for a government enti
ty?
The city of Dawsonville would
assume all those costs and therefore
tax the property owners to cover the
costs of staffing and other associated
costs. This looks like bureaucratic
creep to me. After the period 2008
through 2016, I am skeptical of any
public official who says something is
great. This proposal follows the dou
bling of my county taxes and the
revaluation of my property.
I am not convinced this proposed
action benefits the citizens of
Dawsonville.
W.K. Thacker
Dawsonville
Letter policy
The Dawson County News welcomes your opinions on issues of public concern. Letters must be signed and
include full address and a daytime and evening phone number for verification. Names and hometowns of letter
writers will be included for publication without exception.Telephone numbers will not be published.
Letters should be limited to 350 words and may be edited or condensed.The same writer or group may only
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We do not publish poetry or blanket letters and generally do not publish letters concerning consumer com
plaints. Unsigned or incorrectly identified letters will be withheld.
Mail letters to the Dawson County News, RO. Box 1600, Dawsonville, GA 30534, hand deliver to 30 Shoal Creek
Road, fax to (706) 265-3276 or e-mail to editor@dawsonnews.com.
DICKYARBROUGH
Columnist
