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What is this?
No such thing as wrong side of the tracks
Published Tuesday, December 29, 2009
I’ve heard about these people all my life, but I’ve never actually seen the rails that separate our worlds and make me better than them.
Regardless, I’ve known from childhood that they aren’t important people. How could anybody from such a bad sounding place be good?
Since I’m unsure of the whereabouts of this particular geographical location, maybe somebody can help me out.
Where is the wrong side of the tracks?
And if there is a wrong side, does that mean I’ve always been on the right side?
One more question: where are these tracks?
The people I’ve always heard described as being from “over there” usually don’t have a lot of possessions. Generally, most of them do not have a high education or a well-paying job.
So, obviously, those of us on the right side have an obligation to make fun of them and keep them in their place.
Looking back on my younger years, I remember many classmates who were rumored to have lived there. They wore the same clothes to school several days in a row, ate free lunches and were picked on by us “right siders.”
They were different from us because…….I’ll get back to you on that one.
But the fact is that they were different and we all knew it.
We on the “right side” led perfect lives, free of the unmentionable behaviors that we instinctively knew occurred on the “wrong side.”
None of us were ever arrested. None of us ever lied, cheated, or stole. We upheld the morals that “right-siders” were naturally selected to follow.
Well, some of us were arrested, and some of us lied, cheated and stole. Some of us even drank beer, smoked pot, egged houses and threw our teachers’ grade books in the river. But that was just kids doing what kids do.
Most of the time, when we did bad things it was because we had fallen in with the wrong crowd…with some of “those” people.
We didn’t habitually commit heinous acts like those on the “wrong side” committed. Our parents didn’t sell drugs, get drunk and work on cars all day, push brooms, or collect garbage. Our parents were fine, upstanding community cornerstones who went to church every Sunday and warned us about the people “over there.”
Those people were derelicts we should avoid at all costs. They chose to live the way they lived and weren’t to be given any leniency.
That was many years ago, but the same class divides still live today. Those on the “wrong side” are the prisoners, the lazy and the welfare bums who drag on our tax base. They are the outsiders we all want to keep outside.
Some argue that they live as they do by choice, and in some cases I agree. But if their lifestyles are a product of learned behavior, what are they learning from the rest of us?
Christmas just passed with more than a few of those “wrong side” kids going gift-less yet again. If not for the Ironton City Mission and groups like the Lawrence County Young Professionals, many more would have only known it was Christmas by the decorations on other people’s houses.
I noticed this year that many people are adamant about keeping Christ in the holiday season, saying “Merry Christmas” instead of the politically correct “Happy Holidays.”
But I wonder, if we ignore those in need and look down our noses at somebody based on their financial well-being, can we truly say we are Christians?
There weren’t any tracks 2,000 years ago, but if there were, Jesus would have lived on the “wrong side.”
What would we have thought about it then?
Billy Bruce is a freelance writer who lives in Pedro. He can be contacted at hollandkat3@aol.com.
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Comments
Posted by Noesis (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 11:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"There weren’t any tracks 2,000 years ago, but if there were, Jesus would have lived on the “wrong side.”
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Says who? Just because there was no room at the Inn when Jesus was born? Joseph was a carpenter. That is a middle class job... even back then. Also, in those days, literacy was reserved for the very top of the population. No poor peasant's son would know how to read and write, speak Greek.
I guess that Jesus wasn't born on the liberal side of the tracks ;)
Posted by jonferguson (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 12:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Sure, Jesus would have said "You can't heal him because I'm sure not paying for his health care!"
You can't have clean air to breathe! We need jobs and more money!
ever heard the phrase "If you have two coats, give one away?"
and conservatives are supposed to be the morality police? scary.....
Posted by Noesis (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 2:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Jonferguson... wasn't the article about what side of the tracks would Jesus have been born on? I don't remember the article being on WWJD.
And FYI... it conservatives who give more to charity than liberals do. Conservatives want to save the lives of innocent babies. It's conservatives who want people to have jobs.
It'a liberals who are on the wrong side of the tracks.
Posted by keta (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 2:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This is hilarious - who owns Jesus, liberals or conservatives? He advised the rich to give what they had to the poor - to be their brothers' keepers - sounds like one for our side. He was smart as a whip, debating Hebrew scholars at the age of twelve - that's two. And hypocrisy made him furious, that's three. On the other hand, red state baptists donate millions to support their megachurches, so, technically, they're quite charitable. Their preachers, many of whom promise their congregations that God will enrich them financially, work hard to line up Populist Jesus with their prosperity doctrines, a difficult and twisty job that's always entertaining to watch.
Posted by Noesis (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 4:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
So Keta, why don't liberals give money or gifts to the poor?
Posted by mickakers (John Michael Akers) on December 29, 2009 at 4:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Billy Bruce; There is nothing substantial I can add to your article. Jesus lived and associated with people on the wrong side of the track. The majority of His closest associates and followers were from the wrong side of the track. I think there is a possibility that the vast majority of us, are on the wrong side of the track. Thank you for a perceptive, thoughtful and uplifting article.
Posted by keta (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 4:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Noesis, that may be the single dumbest comment you ever made.
Posted by Noesis (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 4:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Keta, red state baptists might donate millions but charitable donations are around $300 billion a year. You like to ridicule republicans but then you have all those Shriner members, VFW members and other groups that help the needy.
Posted by falinrok (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 4:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
noesis & whoever wrote this story has obviously never been on 1rst street .
Posted by mickakers (John Michael Akers) on December 29, 2009 at 4:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Noesis; I think keta may be one up on youl
Posted by mickakers (John Michael Akers) on December 29, 2009 at 5 p.m. (Suggest removal)
falinrok; I grew up on seventh street. One of my best friends lived on first street, the only problem with that was, we had to cross the TRACKS in order to swim in the River, but, it was free. Fond memories!
Posted by falinrok (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 6:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
swim in the river (hepititus creek) ... do you know the city of ironton & all these septic tank pump trucks dumps its UNTREADED RAW SEWAGE right in there close where you were swimming? we boaters used to call it turd surfin when we would see swimmers lol.. is 1rst street where you went to get your dope mickakers ?
Posted by mikehaney (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 7:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Billy
"What would we have thought about it then."
This last statement is what it's all about. It's all in our perception of others and Jesus already gave the answer.
"Thou shall not covet"
"Thou shall not bear false witness"
It is amazing to me how many words are used by us humans to make or prove a point or belief. God uses few words via the ten commandments given to Moses, and not much else is needed; these words tell us how to live and how we should perceive our fellow man.
Posted by keta (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 7:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"Untreaded raw sewage" would have to mean sewage nobody has walked on - I think you mean "untreated". Anyway, it's a waste of everybody's time for you to log on to discuss poop and suggest that someone who disagrees with you is a drug user. It's just dumb. Go watch cartoons.
Posted by mikehaney (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 7:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Billy; nice commentary.
Mike
Posted by BillyBruce (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 7:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thanks Mike and Mick.
The story just asks why we don't care about each other....rich or poor.....republican or democrat.
Jesus doesn't take sides. Why do we?
Posted by falinrok (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 8:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
well KETA , im so sorry my typo upset you so bad , ill try not to let that happen again. plus i happen to know EVERY house on 1rst is full of pill heads & drunks.. WAKE UP ! plus go over the flood wall on 1rst st & take a good look..lol would you swim there..
Posted by falinrok (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 9:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
One more thing KETA , didn't you mean to say disagree's instead of disagrees ? Your alful critical of one's language skill's for someone that lack's so much of them yourself.
Posted by keta (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 10:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
No, falinrock. You can't make a possessive noun out of "disagree" by adding an apostrophe and an s, because "disagree" is a verb. The only other reason to add an apostrophe and s would be if "disagree's" was somehow a contraction, which it isn't. Adding an apostrophe and an s to verbs is a common mistake among people who don't read much. I'm wasting time here, but your last sentence needs a lot of work. "Your alful critical" should be "You're awful (awfully) critical", and "skill's" shouldn't have an apostrophe in it, and neither should "lack's". I don't mean to insult you, you probably have many excellent qualities, but you've accidentally got a comedy routine going here.
Posted by falinrok (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 10:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It's spelled falinrok
Posted by keta (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 10:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Of course it is. Good night, falinrok.
Posted by falinrok (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 11:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thank you for the grammer lesson tho , I was impressed. seriously.
Posted by Noesis (anonymous) on December 30, 2009 at 3:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Well falinrok, grammar and spelling was her specialty since she was a teacher. To bad nobody ever taught her common sense.
And Keta, why was that a dumb statement? If liberals are so concerned about their fellow man, why don't they give larger amounts of their own money to charity?
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