Page 27 - Contrast1978Marchv21n2
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never "made it "because of all the people who
 were jeaJ.ous of you and were out to get you,
 like those Irish se~etaries at Twentieth-
 Century Fox. When you worked there I used to
 think you were something big at the studio .be-
 cause you got me all those movie posters and
 the things from that Arabian movie, but! was a
 kid then and not very aware of things. Now I
 know you were only the night watchman. I don't
 th.ink those two Irish secretaries could've hurt
 you w.ith the big boss if they tried. They
 probablydidn 't even notice you. Donf t you see
 how paranoid you a~e? Like with blacks--you
 tlunk every black. ma.n 110U pass on the street
 has it on his mind to rape Aunt Birdie. Shets
 seventy-three years old, for God's sake! And
 you tell me that blacks don't have to pay fares
 on busses anymore; the other day you said,
 "Now they .havethe upper hand, that's for sure. It
That"s not just plain bigotry, it's paranoia.
 And all your big schemes went nowhere; you
 cOI'Jillain that you're everYbody's poor relation,
hut my qrarldparents don't hav-e any more money
 than you, arid they don t t complain all 'the time.
 I know, I k.no~-it was always the other guy who
got rich, the guywbo stol.e your ideas. Those
Jol~y Jtmpers, that nut store* the Bellechase
lIti.ning stock the whole family lost lOOneyon-

everyth.ingyou do ended badly, .!!:?! because the

othe.rguy cheated you.. "the big wheels of the
'WOrldwho are only out for themselves." No, it
vas because of you, Uncle Irving.

       s. Other miscellaneous things: Y.ou're

afraid to sa,,!> out on Grandma t S terrace, even
though she's only on the tenth floor. we laugh
at you when you're not around. You tell the
same stories over and over again, like hOWt'hose
Genti~e kids used to beat you up in Brownsville.
You tel.l me that I breakout because at my age
Pm "hot-bloOded" and that when I marry, my acne
will cl.ear up: yet you're seventy-five and yoy

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