Sub Italian for Czech, and paint me as on oppressed group. Chalk up the disability for modern oppression, and give me a ticket to the head of the line.

He says that, since he's Irish/German/Italian/Catholic, he would have been in "some of the most oppressed groups" at various points in US history.

Yeah, and centuries ago I could have been executed for apostasy. Whatever.

I always wanted to be an oppressed minority as a kid because they got extra toys at Christmas. No, I was not very highly evolved as a child. But man, I was jealous when the church choir I was in sang at the Salvation Army at Christmas, because of the pile of cool toys. I sometimes wonder how I managed to live so long so totally unaware of things.

that's at least two squares on the racism bingo card

That it doesn't seem like he lived through.

Curious. It seems if you have your earbuds in, waiting for a call on the iPhone, people think your listening to music and assume you can't hear them. Interesting.

Also overheard today: some undergrads talking about how Doogie Howser, MD, would never be aired now, because it's so full of sexual references that people back in 1989 just didn't notice or understand.

I've never watched Doogie, but doesn't every generation think that previous generations were more naive sexually?

When we lived next door to the frat boys, we once heard them shushing each other while talking loudly, saying if they said "fuck" so loud it would shock the neighbors. I was like, oh, those naive boys.

Doogie had a best friend, Vinny, who, in the tradition of sitcom best friends, would always enter Doogie's room by climbing a tree and coming in through the window. It seems that there were several episodes where Vinny came in when Doogie wasn't home, and while waiting for him, fell asleep on Doogie's bed. The guys discussing this all thought that this meant that Doogie and Vinny were gay.

and as we learn now, Doogie is gay, and there is nothing wrong with that.