Talk about Something Else. Knickers for Instance

Today’s lunch break was, unusually, an enormous irritation.

 

I made my way to a small boutique style café in Soho which serves particularly interesting vegetarian food - yet another diet direction of late. I looked forward to sitting in this pretty, peaceful little establishment, minding my own business. I arrived early to secure a spot and sat at one of only two high empty tables in the place (it's that cute) and ordered my lovely salad.  I watched various people come in and out of the café and order take-away or gaze lovingly at the beautiful arrangement of home-made cakes in the little window. Outside in the background people darted in and out of doors for cover from the ceaseless rain which seems to always decide to wait til lunchtime or home time to put in an appearance. Our Summery weather of late has crashed and died in a spectacularly grim fashion.

 

Eventually a group of extremely well spoken young women came in. Polished looking. Chatting away. They rather apologetically asked me if I would mind if they shared my table. The seating means you all become best buddies in a heart beat whether you want to or not.  Of course I didn’t mind since that was the nature of this little place and assumed the chatter would be low key and banal given our collective circumstances. I hadn’t bargained at all on them discussing in suddenly super obnoxious tones who they had voted for in the ongoing Labour leader elections. As Party members. And why. One of them was American. She listened and questioned her friends about the leadership contest. This went on for some time and for most of it I managed to escape into my food or click on my iphone and text or email friends. Anything to avoid being by default pulled right into the heart of their politics with no way of escape. Eventually  however the conversation turned into one where Boris our mayor was a posh cretin and Conservatives are all “disconnected Etonites”. Then to top it all off the American girl chimed in to open up a conversation about how racist Republicans connived to make a big deal of that bloody mosque. For no other reason than they were racist.

You have to appreciate that this was not a conversation at the next table or behind me. This was a conversation into which I was plunged whether I wanted to be or not as though I were one of their group.

 

I’m sick to death of the assumption in political conversation that everyone these days is a leftist and that right of centre must simply shut up and speak in hushed embarrassed tones or accept Left is the only polite political conversation to be had out loud these days. So that was my opening shot. “Ok I’ve had enough” I addressed them quietly, smiling.

 

“Just how unfeeling and immature is it to decide for some of the tragic families and co workers of 9/11 victims or anyone else opposed to this mosque’s location what they think? Or how stupid is it to assume that great swathes of people in America, some 60% who are opposed to the location of this mosque are irrelevant racists? Or that their feelings should be automatically chalked up as racist because you say so? What gives you the right to decide that the argument is about banning Islam in NYC? It’s not - even if your dimwitted President decided it should be. It’s quite possibly about tolerance of other people’s feelings outside of your selective leftist groups”. Stumbling over her words to find a retort I decided not to give her the chance and addressed her friends. “Unrelatably Eton eh? I’ve never heard anything quite so moronic as a bunch of upper class newbie graduates from the Home Counties who were undoubtedly funded all the way through University by mummy and daddy indulging the tired old class debate wherein you, ladies, you in particular sporting that whopping great Tiffany’s engagement ring and the Manolos, feel you can better relate to an out of work manual labourer up in Newcastle. Tyne and Wear ladies. That would be the area the Labour Party ruthlessly shafted, whilst pretending to be for the working classes. Before they were outright dumped out of government having left the country up to it's eyeballs in debt. Noone gives a crap who Labour elects as it’s leader. Least of all me”. “Next time you decide to sit this close to someone who can’t leave because she just ordered her lunch and is now wedged in with you lot don’t assume being in Soho means everyone shares the same dim witted liberal point of view. Speak in the hushed embarrassed tones you ought to given the mess your Party made”.  

 

Absolute silence descended on a table full of flushed red faces which I decided not to up and leave as I’d just ordered a cup of tea. After a minutes silence and some mortified looks the conversation moved on to knickers. Thankfully.

Comments

[Laura]

Did you ever know that you're my hero?

[lady red]

Alison, I'd love to buy you a beer. Great job, sister!

[Nicole]

Excellent.

I had to overhear something similar earlier in the week, though not, thank goodness, at the same table with me. I agree completely about the assumption being made that everyone around you either agrees or will shut up. Good for you for doing otherwise.

Lunch is lunch and if you are relaxing and actually taking a break from work then you shouldn't have to be part of a conversation you have no interest in or that irritates you. Strangers sharing a table should keep conversation banal. To do otherwise is pretty rude.

[Buckskins Rule]

The sheer cheek of it. Today, at least, you are my hero.

Not surprising that, when faced with reason and sense, they have no reply other than to talk about their skivvies.

I'm so very glad that you are back with us Alison.

[Luther]

Beautiful, Alison. If only we had many millions more of you. The world would be straightened out in a twinkle.

[alison]

I'm no longer silent around my uber liberal office either when politics arise. I think getting some quietly polite practise in there sharpened my wits a little when dealing with the kind of people sat so close around me assuming me one of them yesterday. I figured just say it, quietly and calmly. It's about time. Thanks everyone.

[Erik]

Allison, That's an awesome story. At first I thought, "she's imagining saying this to them", and then it dawned on me. It's not your writing, it's me before enough caffeine.

Now on the subject of knickers, I could speak about an experience I had yesterday, but I hesitate due to decorum. Suffice to say, that I had to resort to my "reserve supply" and that the elastic band had difficulty perfoming its rightly duty.

[Kris, in New England]

Absolutely perfect. In every way. Not a word out of place, not a fact stated incorrectly.

Which is what befuddles the left so often; they find that they aren't actually the smartest or most well-informed people in the conversation because they have nothing to back up their narrow view of things.

And thank you Alison, for supporting those of us who oppose the GZM. That means alot.

As others have said - so glad you are back and clearly, kicking some butt!

[Buck]

Hot-DAYUM! So *very* well done, Alison. This is the best thing I've read in a long, long time.

[Edward]

I would loved to have been a fly on the wall during that incident. Very well said.

[alison]

I was amazed it all flowed so effortlessly. I was tired. Generally - and of that nonsense. I feel like I have aged a lot this year. Not so much physically as mentally. It's been such a tough year this year that I feel like I have a much lower tolerance level of fools or of this kind of thing - when it's in my face.

[Morgan K Freeberg]

You're alright.

[Kath]

Oh,Alison, thank YOU for speaking out. You were right to have your say and not just be washed away by the tidal wave of their noise.

I think you did very well!

[Mitchell]

That was AWESOME! I usually don't think of the good stuff to say until hours later.

[alison]

Thanks guys.

Mitchell - On the spot like that neither do I usually!

[Kris, in New England]

"It's been such a tough year this year that I feel like I have a much lower tolerance level of fools or of this kind of thing - when it's in my face."

Alison, as you know for different reasons I agree with you on this past year. And my B.S. meter is on full alert with very little leeway for tolerance. For now I'm just walking away... And I'm so jealous that you took your opportunity the way you did.

Well done!!!

[Fay]

Alison, so glad you are back. Hooray for you. Great job putting those "ladies" in their place.

I missed you.

[Tom Tyler]

Tremendous stuff, Alison. I admire you for having the courage to speak your mind quite eloquently in that situation. I'm not sure I would have been able to do so. Well done.

[Instinct]

Oh, Holy Christ if you EVER get to Texas I am damn well buying you a beer and taking you shooting.

You are a woman after my own heart and if I didn't already have a wife who I love with every fiber of my being I think I would ask you out.

[RadioMattM]

Alison, this is good stuff. Thank you very much.

"I'm mad as hell and I can't take it anymore."

[alison]

Kris - I'm amazed at how much this year has changed me to be honest

Fay - I missed you guys too

Tom - Usually I'd have let this wash over me but it was too much in my face and they too self satisfied for some bizarre reason

Instinct - what a lovely thing to say! I'm flattered

RadioMattM - Maybe that's it. And thanks

I appreciate the visits from some new blogs. Cheers for the links and thanks to those stopping by.

It's a busy 3 day holiday weekend here so apologies for being so late saying hello and thanks.

[Trooper Thompson]

A shame I missed it (working in Soho, as I do).

My only objection is the use of the word 'liberal', which I am in the process of trying to wrest from the left-wingers, but that's my problem.

[Gordon]

Well, you go away for a while, and I do as well. Then you come back with a post like this.

Missed you.

[alison]

I hear you. I'm not that big of a fan of liberals in the old traditional sense either though. I had no idea you still work in Soho. Do you know Mrs Marengos? That's the place I was in. We should meet for lunch. Seems crazy not to.

[Trooper Thompson]

I know the place, a mere javelin throw from my work (well, for Daley Thompson maybe).

Have you still got my email? If so, suggest a day.