So I'm at the Beach.....

When in Jersey at the beach your "Down the Shore".   But according to the lady sitting one umbrella over from me at the beach she says that she has  to tell her  boss from Long Island that she is "going the beach". Because he doesn't understand what "down the shore" means.

With the  family on our yearly summer vacation at the shore. I'm uasally at my quiet spot on the beach relaxing while my wife is in the ocean looking for sea shells and my kids are jumping waves in the ocean. But then a family of 40's - 60's year olds sit one umbrella over from me  and start complaining  to each other about every other family member very loud for the next 6 hours. The one lady with the boss from Long Island repeated every thing twice. No big deal I'm at the beach and life could be worse.

Around 2 o'clock I wake up from a sun induced nap to the family next to me still complaining. But now 3 collage age kids were standing there  talking to them.  I hear about how college is great and then one of them talks about a fraternity and that he should't of lived at the frat house but the fraternity did a clothing drive and socially it was fun but it was expensive and his family was against him living in the frat house. Blah Blah Blah.

Then they all start talking about all the places in the world they have been and did you eat in this restaurant in London and you have to try the chicken in Nepal its the best. I'm not a worldly guy and said to my self I have to google some of this stuff because I had no idea where some of theses places are. All I was talking to my wife about was we had to decide if we wanted to got out for Philly Cheese Steak or have a Hamburger and Fries on the beach for dinner.

Then I heard something that peaked my interest.

They are all talking about different trips to Europe.

The college kid says " I would never wear dress shoes without socks"

I couldn't believe it. I had no intention of working on the blog or anything else while on family vacation. No work cell phone or computer with me. Just had my flip phone and flip flops.  But this is great. I have a story.

They go on how in Europe no socks is the new look and how it looks great on some guys and blah blah blah. The collage kids leave.

One of the older lady's in her 60's starts talking about fraternity's after the college kids leave and then she says something that at first didn't click in my brain. She says "I don't know how the blacks are always in a fraternity if it cost so much".

I kinda blanked out.

I didn't hear much after that. I think I was kinda shocked. Not that I'm a monk. ( I do like the buddhist life style (accept I like the whiskey, cigars and my wife) I been around. Grew up in New York in the 70's - 80's. Used some bad words in my life. Was a tough NYPD Bronx Cop. (a long time ago) and a detective. But I couldn't believe what I heard. I really didn't expect it. I'm so naive on some things. Don't get me wrong I used the "N" word and a lot of other bad words in my life. Mostly from the generation I grew up in and mostly out of anger. But I have never considered myself a racist. I have many friends who I consider Brothers who are all different then me in many ways. I have always been a detective not a judge.

I know that people are racist. I know it still exist.

Anyway I thought about what I heard for awhile. All the talk of worldly travel. All the fancy restaurants. All the B.S. they talked. I'm not gonna call them racist. I'm not gonna say they are closed minded. I'm not gonna say that they act phony in front of people who are not w.a.s.p. like them and I'm not even sure if I'm using there or their right in a sentence.  But I do know one thing. I sleep good at night and when I end up at the pearly gates or 40 virgins or nirvana I know one thing that I'm not like them and they suck.