What do you do?

When someone in your group of friends speaks out about blacks, gays, Muslims, Jews, Democrats, divorcees, nudists,  or whatever, in a derogatory manner, what do you do? Does it matter if you are at work in a friend's home, in your own home, in the speaker's home? What if they are a friend or relative, or both?

Well, the first thing you need to know is that you are not going to change them, or the world, by what you say or do. You may want to change your circle of friends or relatives, but, at 75, it gets harder. You can roll your eyes and shrug, looking around to see who else is rolling and shrugging.

You can stand up and shout "You Nincompoop!" or "You ignorant slut!" but what does that do? It makes you feel better, until you get home, and then you wonder why you did that. We need a signal, a universal signal, that shows less animosity. It needs, however, to allow you to vent, and to let others in your group know that you do not support the nincompoop.

I suggest something like a pocket kazoo, which will become a fad, and will come out of every pocket or purse at the right moment. The nincompoops will not understand the awful noise, but everyone else will. Toot, people, toot!