What A Lady Sposed to Ack Like?

You know, I had a moment recently when it took all my self-control not to grab this young girl in a class I was in and either choke the shit out of her, or hug her. You tell me if I was wrong or right.

I was sitting in on a university level Political Science course last week, and the Professor brought the discussion around to how young people should act in a given situation. He was explaining how an older neighbor of his came at him in a way he didn't appreciate, but that because of the way he was raised (respect your elders, don't speak when grown folks is talkin'... you know how Black/African parents do), he simply told the man that unless one of his kids had his (the Professor's) name, he needed to fall back. All of us had a good laugh at that one, but inevitably, there were three young'uns in the class who just had to take it there.

Professor: "You know when you talk to your Mother, you don't disrepect her, do you?

Hood Rat: "*psh* If she wrong, she get delt just like anybody else!"

*Clutches pearls!*

But wait, it gets better!

Professor: "When you are out in public, you act like you have some home training. A Lady acts like a lady!"

Hood Rat: "Well, Ion't know what a lady ack like. How a lady sposed to ack?"

I looked around at some of the older (read my age) ladies and gentlemen in the class, and they were wearing duplicate looks of consternation. How could this college aged girl not know something so elementary? But then I thought about it. Her mother is probably only about twice her age (if that), so how would she know to teach her daughter to act like a lady when she probably doesn't know how to do it herself?

I walked out of that class feeling a sense of rage at the hopelessness of the youth who will one day be our leaders. Is this what we have to look forward to? If it is, somebody please start praying for all of us now.