Embarassing Relatives

[abka]

My dad told me this happened when the men were meeting with the realtor. (interesting the gender division of labor. My aunts also could have sat and listened to the realtor, but they started cleaning out the attic and the men delt with the realtor (I think this is in part because they didn't want to clean out the attic, everyone got the recap later on at dinner). I have one uncle with a very dry sense of humor, so dry that you don't really know if he's joking or not. (This is the uncle who when Denis and I first started living together asked me in the middle of a crowded restaurant, in front of my parents, if Denis was circumsized.) So he says "do you think we should sell the house to negros" (note that I'm quoting) and the realtor doesn't realize that he's joking (what an inappropriate comment, there are people in rural Ohio who are racist) and starts saying how they have to offer the house to everyone, so my grandfather says "do you think we should sell the house to protestants" at which point the realator realises that that my uncle was joking. This uncle also asked if he could have the "Little Black Sambo" storybook that he had read as a child, or if I wanted to keep it for my future children. I don't think any kids I have will be reading that book.

This was the weirdest moment of the entire weekend. Funny how family members never cease to embarass each other, even after everyone is all grown up.

Comments

[mrsjadephoenix.livejournal.com]

I never know what's going on when my extended family gets together because they always revert to Cantonese, but from what I hear from my mom it's quite interesting how many of the old sibling rivalries are still there, and how new ones have developed over the years. Some of the brothers and sisters (there are 8 total) really know how to push each other's buttons. It's quite bizarre to me. I guess I'll never have that kind of experience because I only have one brother and he's autistic so he'll never really compete with me in any sense.