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Joanna Campbell Slan

Thanks for visiting the official website for New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author and Winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence, Joanna Campbell Slan.

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My Son, the Endangered Species

September 18, 2014 by Joanna Slan

Last month, my son Michael and I went to dinner together at
a very nice restaurant in Hobe Sound, Florida. We were sitting at a high-top
table, waiting for our food to arrive, when a man came over and said to Michael,
“May I ask you a question?”
Michael is 25, wears a beard, and on this particular
evening, he was dressed in sandals, jeans, and a gray hoody.
The man wore a black leather jacket, an earring in one ear,
jeans, and tennis shoes. The portion of his skin that showed was covered in
tattoos. He looked to be in his mid-sixties. At one time, he was probably a
really great looking guy, judging from his bone structure. However, like a lot
of Floridians, he’d baked himself in the sun too long, so his skin was wrinkled
and textured like a Coach purse.
“Sure,” said Michael, with a shrug.
“What’s with the hoody?” asked the man.
Michael gave me one of those looks that translates into “huh?”
I smiled at him encouragingly. He’s my baby boy, no matter how big he gets, and
I love him.
“I like them,” said Michael. “I just like them.”
“Oh,” said the man. “Just so you know, if I see you at my
house in that hoody, I will shoot you.”
Really? I nearly fell off my chair. I could not believe what
I was hearing. Fortunately, I know the restaurant owners, and I knew they would
intervene if I asked for help. But I didn’t want to make a scene. Once he had
said his piece, the man wandered off.
I sat there thinking of all the things I should have said.
So here’s my point

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: culture, hoodies, shootings, social commentary, young men

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amy Gill says

    September 18, 2014 at 2:00 pm

    Joanna, that I is really frightening. I think I may caution my grandchildren.

  2. Gram says

    September 18, 2014 at 2:02 pm

    True.
    I wonder if he would shoot me – a great-grandmother who wears hoodies – it's cold in New England!
    As my Dad used to say "If you get kicked by a jackass, you take it from whence it comes". I think you and your son got kicked.

  3. Dru says

    September 18, 2014 at 2:18 pm

    oh my gosh, there is something wrong with society and especially that man who just came out and made that statement. If that is the norm, I afraid for everyone.

  4. Joanna Campbell Slan says

    September 18, 2014 at 3:21 pm

    Amy, it is horrifying. Do warn your grandchildren.

  5. Joanna Campbell Slan says

    September 18, 2014 at 3:22 pm

    Gram, I think your father was a wise man. We didn't get kicked, in that we didn't make a big scene and give him reason to think he was right.

  6. Joanna Campbell Slan says

    September 18, 2014 at 3:23 pm

    Dru Ann, I thought about pointing out to him that some people find tattoos offensive and frightening. But I choked. This man is NOT the norm, but the fact that he spoke with such impunity says a lot, doesn't it?

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