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4A ®jje Heralti <©a?£tt£ Tuesday, September 14,2021
Opinions
Ruffin's Renderings: Equal whites
BY MIKE RUFFIN
ruffinml@gmail.com
W e all know
summer
hasn’t actu
ally ended—that won’t
happen until September
22, better known among
those who need to know
as the day before the day
before my 63 (!) birthday.
But many of us ignore
that pesky calendrical
fact and think of Labor
Day as the last day of
summer.
Labor Day is also the
last day of the year that
many of us will wear
white clothing until the
unofficial beginning of
summer (which will fall
on June 21 in 2022) on
Memorial Day. 1 imagine
the main reason those
of us who follow the
“wear no white after
Labor Day” custom do
so is because—in the
words of the prophet
Carly Simon—that’s the
way we’ve always heard
it should be. Our moth
ers and grandmothers
handed the rule off to us,
and we’ve taken the “no
white clothes after Labor
Day” baton and run with
it.
But have you ever
wondered why the cus
tom that became a rule
exists?
There may be practi
cal reasons. Back in the
days before air condi
tioning, it made sense
to wear lighter (in both
color and weight) clothes
in warmer months and
darker, heavier garments
in colder ones. It also
made sense to wear dark
clothes in colder seasons
because of the presence
of more dirt and
greater damp
ness. It was
easier to keep
lighter clothes
looking nice
and clean in the
summertime
than it was in
the fall and win
ter months.
There may be
another rea
son for the No
White After Labor Day
rule. This reason isn’t
practical—unless you
are among those who
think they have the right
to make sure that poor
folks remember their
place, which is of course
the place you’ve decided
they should have.
According to the ar
ticle “The History Behind
the ‘No White After Labor
Day’ Rule” by Emily Van-
Schmus on the
Better Homes
and Gardens
website (July
19, 2021), the
custom began
in the late
1800s as a way
to differenti
ate between
people of up
per and lower
classes.
People with
money could leave the
cities when summer was
over to vacation in plac
es with warmer weather
where they would contin
ue to wear white. People
who weren’t wealthy
had to remain in the city.
People who could afford
leisure could wear white
on their vacations, but
folks who had neither
time nor resources to
travel should and would
switch to dark clothes.
According to VanSch-
mus (and others), that’s
the origin of the No
White After Labor Day
Rule. The custom began
as an effort to make clear
who were the haves and
who were the have nots.
It was rooted in class
consciousness. It was
grounded in an effort to
keep people aware of
their appropriate—in the
eyes of the rich and pow
erful—place in society.
Well, I say that we
common folk are under
no obligation to stay
where other people say
we belong.
I say we should rise
up, throw off the clothing
restraints that the rich
and powerful have long
used to keep us down,
and declare our fashion
independence. I say we
stand as one and shout,
“We’re real tired of your
rules and we aren’t going
to follow them anymore.”
I say we wear whatever
colors we want to wear
whenever we want to
wear them.
I know, I know—there
are much more serious
socio-economic issues
we need to deal with. But
a small start is a start
nonetheless. So I say,
wear your white clothes
and shoes in the dead
of winter—or any other
time.
To misquote the
prophet John Lennon,
“Power to the people!
White on!”
Mike Ruffin is a Barnesville native
who lives and works in Macon. His
new book, Praying with Matthew,
is available at helwys.com and at
Amazon.
Ruffin’s
Renderings
Give law officers
a greeting: 'Thank
you for your service'
KAY S. PEDR0TTI
kayspedrotti@gmail.com
In such a long career
as a reporter, I have
known probably hun
dreds of
men and
women
who
decided
to go
into law
enforce-
^ ment.
I can’t remember more
than a handful out of
those hundreds who did
not absolutely belong
where they were. It’s
astounding to me that
police and deputies can
be vilified for trying to
keep us safe.
What brought this
on was remembrances
of the various respond
ers on Sept. 11, 2001,
and the photo on the
front page of The Herald
Gazette featuring my
good friends Ernie and
Al, better known as Lt.
McWhorter and Capt.
Moltrum, and Sgt. Kath
ryn Knapp. I could not
see Knapp’s face, but I
would be willing to bet it
had the same expression
the guys had: not know
ing what would happen
- but going into harm’s
way anyhow.
Dedicated law officers
do not go blindly into
bad situations. They
are trained extensively
toward caution, reason,
and restoring the peace.
At the same time, they
are forever on super
alert, because they know
the dangers inherent in
the job.
Could you, or could I,
stay on alert 24/7? Their
radios stay on during
lunch or supper. They
could walk off from a
meal at the next emer
gency call - and not
know when they might
get to eat like “regular
people” again. They can
be rolled out of bed and
away from their families
at any time.
In this county, I do
not know one single law
enforcement person who
is not worthy of the job.
I tell Sheriff Brad White,
Chief Craig Cooper and
Chief Michael Bailey how
much I brag on them
all the time. I get the
same response, and it is
truly how they feel: “just
doing our job.” I have
seen times here when
there were rare cases
of dereliction of duty,
but whether fired or
suspended or whatever,
leadership like that of
Bailey, Cooper and White
will invariably do what
is best not only for the
community, but also for
that person. How many
ways can you say “they
care”?
I’d be an enormously
rich woman if I had a
dollar for every time I’ve
told a military person
“Thank you for your
service.” I’ve extended
that salutation to law
officers, EMTs, paramed
ics, firefighters and other
“first responders” no
matter where I might by
chance encounter them. I
get some surprised looks
now and then, but most
ly smiles and “thank you”
back to me. Little silent
prayers for their safety
go with the greeting.
So please, my faithful
readers, don’t believe
everything you hear
about bad cops. If they
are there, they won’t
be for long. Do let law
officers etc. know you
appreciate what they
do because you know
an overwhelming major
ity is composed of very,
very good and unique
people. But they need to
be recognized now as the
heroes they are, while
others are remembered
for their sacrifices in the
line of duty.
Kay S. Pedrotti has spent some
50 years writing for newspapers. She
is active in the Lamar County com
munity and currently serves as the
president of Lamar Arts. She lives in
Milner with her husband Bob Pedrotti.
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editor from readers and members of the community.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Lamar Gives 365 helps lift up others
Marie Child, an Ameri
can abolitionist and
writer, said, “An effort
made for the happiness
of others lifts us above
ourselves.” Joining
LamarGives365 gives you
the opportunity to do
just that in many differ
ent ways.
Recently, as I read
The Herald Gazette, I
was reminded of some
of the LamarGives365
grants received by Lamar
County organizations
over the past few years.
I thought about what
Lamar County would
be missing if we didn’t
have the assistance
that LamarGives365 has
given throughout the
years. Think about it for
a minute - you may have
benefited from Lamar-
Gives365 without know
ing it.
Without Lamar-
Gives365 there would
have been - firemen
without needed training
and equipment; children
without art and drama
camps or virtual learning
programs; NO updated
equipment at the Health
Department; NO Reach
Scholarships for middle
school eighth graders;
NO inclusive play equip
ment for the Parks and
Recreation department;
NO help for the local
food banks; NO new
furniture or computers
for the Senior Citizens
Center; NO help for Rock
Springs’ Free Clinic; and
countless more. I believe
you get the idea.
For the past seven
years, I have joined with
other citizens of Lamar
County to invest in our
community in an effort
to make it a wonderful,
welcoming place to work,
raise children and retire.
My annual membership
fee of $365 (just $1 a day)
could not support even
one of the worthwhile
organizations mentioned
above. However, my
$365, when pooled with
other like-minded indi
viduals’ funds, has been
able to accomplish so
much that benefits our
local community.
Therefore, I’m asking
you to join with me and
other Lamar Countians
as we pool our funds to
help make our communi
ty, in my humble opinion,
“the best place to live in
Georgia.”
The deadline to join
LamarGives365 this year
is October 15. Then on
Feb. 3, members will join
together and vote on the
many worthwhile grants
submitted for consider
ation this year as ways to
benefit and improve life
in our community.
FRAN BOGGS,
LamarGives365 Founding Member
We are grateful for Sherry Farr
We would like to thank
Sherry Farr for all she
continues to do for the
people in our community
during this difficult and
anxious time.
Sherry has worked
tirelessly bringing health
awareness to our com
munity since the very be
ginning of this pandemic.
She is smart, hardwork
ing and truly has a heart
for everyone’s well be
ing. Her quick response
to vaccines and making
them accessible has kept
so many free of Covid
and ultimately saved
lives.
We are so blessed that
Sherry has chosen to
live and work in Lamar
County. We are a better
and healthier community
because of her. Thank
you Sherry, for the many
ways you have touched
so many lives in so many
positive ways.
WITH GRATEFUL HEARTS,
LYNBA ANB MIKE BRUTZ
Sept. 12-18
10 years ago
Coach Jason Strick
land’s Trojans had re
corded back-to-back vic
tories in which they had
out-scored opponents
110-7. LC rolled over
Northeast Macon 48-0
in Macon then pounded
Spencer 62-7 in the home
opener at Trojan Field.
A trip to Morgan County
loomed on the football
horizon.
25 years ago
Reigning Citizen of the
Year Professor E. P. Rob
erts and his wife Johnnye
were preparing for their
first buggy ride in 60
years. Prof. Roberts was
to serve as grand mar
shal of the Buggy Days
parade. Huge crowds
were expected for the
festival.
50 years ago
Friends in Barnesville
were saddened to learn
of the death of Tallu Fish,
a former resident. Mrs.
Fish was instrumental in
the development of Jekyll
Island after the state
bought it. Her late hus
band, E. A. Fish, had been
an engineer with the DOT
here. Mrs. Fish died at
the home of her daughter
in Pittsburgh.
100 years ago
Mr. T. F. Faulkner
received a telegram this
week from Hoboken
Station that the body
of his son, Private Elmo
Faulkner, who was killed
in action in France in the
early days of the war, had
arrived there and would
be sent to Barnesville
at once. Services were
planned for this young
hero who gave his life for
his country.
Zi)t Heraltr #a^tte
barnesville.com
770.358.NEWS
P.0. Box 220
Publishers
Staff
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