By Hal Ellner, M.D.
The first session of the new Rotary year had a twofold purpose: The matter of race relations and the direction of University Sunrise for 2020-2021.
I. Rotary and Race: There is no question that recent events have forced us to look within ourselves. Equality, covertly and overtly denied over generations, needs channels for its assertion.
Where can our Club make a difference? Some organizations that we might support are Scouting, Dads, Big Brothers, and Boys and Girls Clubs.
Phill Briscoe suggested parenting programs and mentorship. He went on to point out that our lines of thinking date back to our early history. Even our Constitution excluded black persons at a time when a third of our population had been slaves. Europeans were encouraged to come to offset the balance. Since then, discrimination had been ingrained within white people. He gave examples of demeaning thoughts and expressions.
Note: Phill has done a lot of work on this topic, which he has posted on his website: https://www.phillbriscoe.com/. (I had trouble accessing his site with the Chrome browser, but it worked fine from Microsoft Edge and on my phone (Safari).
Comment: Apropos of Phill’s point concerning how we have been made to think, an Afro-American colleague once remarked, “It may sound strange to you, but I feel more comfortable in the south. I know how they feel toward me. They are honest about it. In the north, they may say one thing but think quite another.”
It was apparent that this inspired a lot of thought. Some comments concerned the need for education, the imperative that we explore our own experiences, a need to make us more aware, and what we should do next in regard to community outreach. President Tom stated that we should make our club membership more diverse. He also spoke of a zoom meeting for dialogue on the subject.
II. The Prezz: Goals for 2020-21: Further discussion ensued about priorities for the Club during the upcoming year.
- We will be the best club possible.
- The website will be enhanced.
- Our already good program selection will be revved up.
- Social Media presence will be augmented.
- Annual dues will be decreased for now.
Trivialis et Jovialis
On vacation, a woman and her husband had to make an emergency visit to a dentist.
“I want a tooth pulled,” the woman demanded. “And don’t bother with the novocain either, because we are really in a hurry. Just take out the tooth and we’ll be on our way.”
The dentist was impressed. “You’re certainly a very brave woman! Which tooth is it?”
The woman pushed her husband forward. “Show him your tooth, dear.”
Tom and Clark are standing on the roof of their building drinking a few beers on their break when Clark says, “Hey Tom. did you know that if you jump off this building, after you get down so far, a draft will pull you back inside the building on the third floor?”
“Get outta here,” says Tom.
“I’m serious. Watch me,” Clark says. Clark hops off the building and sure enough, he is taken in by the draft through the third floor window. He takes the elevator back to the top and Tom is standing there in awe.
“I can’t believe it,” says Tom.
“I know. You should try it.
So Tom hops off and plunges to the ground.
A doorman working below sees Tom splat to the ground and screams back up, “Superman, you’re a real jerk when you’re drunk!”
