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Many, many moons ago when we lived in a bit less PC time, I wrote a column for a paper in Asheville, NC. It was an "alternative" paper, not the main fish wrapper there.
I had been experiencing some strange feelings while in "Mart" stores and stepped outside of myself to look around to see what was causing this.
What I found was that nearly every young woman I saw come out of the store(s) was pregnant, black or both.
I went on to quote teen pregnancy rates and talk about the sorry state of affairs of planned parenting, etc. The gist of the column was meant to bring attention to the situation of unwed mothers in my area. A local high school had just installed a pregnancy clinic in the school, etc.
I wrote this column stating the opinion that there must be something in the water in my town that caused this phenomena as unsafe sex surely wasn't the answer, was it?
My editor ran it as she recognized the humor yet appreciated the message I was trying to convey.
I'm sure you can see where this all lead.
We were praised by many for the message I was conveying, yet lambasted by legions for "saying all women who go to Walmart come out 'pregnant, black or both.'"
One of the last times I tried to use any humor to make a point with "Mart" store people.
Oh, if you want to really shake them up, try walking around in front of the store with a camera... they're really paranoid for some reason!?!
And I once had an uncle thrown out of WM for making notes in the electronics section. He was looking to buy a big screen tv and was jotting down specs, prices, etc. He was approached by "security" who told him that he couldn't "write stuff down" inside the store. He then said he'd just use his cell phone to call the info to my aunt who like most wives was part of the purchase, too. He was told that wasn't allowed either and that he'd have to leave. He told them where to jump and that K-Mart down the road would be where he'd buy the tv! He didn't. He found a better deal at a locally owned electronics joint.
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