BobMoran.com

Recently on Facebook, a Friend made a comment about China. One of the people who replied to the comment used a derogatory term for the Chinese. I heard this term growing up, (there’s even a game named after it) and don’t think it should be used at all – especially in a public forum.

Well, I wrote this person (privately, of course) to ask her not to use such terms. She answered in the predictable way.

“I am a rational, God Fearing, Adult; and if I want to have moments of bigotry, then it is my decision to do so.”

However, later she tries to defend her bigotry:

“We are humans and not perfect!”

In my mind, these statements contradict themselves. If you are “God Fearing,” why are you hateful? I assume she is a Christian. Is this something Jesus would do? And it is true that we are all human and make mistakes, but a remark of bigotry is not a mistake. She herself said this was a “decision.” This not being perfect is an excuse used by many who claim to be Christian to defend their bad behavior.

Bigotry has nothing to do with religion, yet she tries to attack me to put me on the defensive:

“I am sure being an Atheist that you’ve made your fair share of wordy blunders yourself.”

Being God Fearing or an Atheist really has nothing to do with any of this. It is more about your mindset. Are you a hateful person or not? I have never used racists remarks and I try not to think in a hateful way toward anyone based on their color, race, or country of origin. It’s like Buddha said, it all starts with your thoughts. Actually, Jesus had something to say about it, too.

Of course, she began her rant with “I’d like to know where you come off correcting me.” Typical. I of course replied with what should be common sense to everyone… that good people cannot allow this type of behavior, otherwise how can ignorance be defeated?

If we allow bigots to continue using their hateful words, if we allow hate crimes to continue, if we do not try to work from a mindset of tolerance instead of hate, what type of world are we allowing to exist? Stand up! Tell those who use hateful words they are wrong.

Not much is going on except that I am trying to put some plays together to put on the new Theatre for Children website. I am also going to launch the Amateur Theatre website this week. Hopefully, Google won’t get too upset about the similar topic and punish me with a low page rank.

I’m not sure about going up to Philadelphia in the near future. My mother wants me to come up, but I’m concerned that any distraction from my current course may disrupt my creative flow. It would be different if it were just a visit for a few days, but we are talking a few weeks, with possibly little if any Internet connection for a time. Not to mention, that I had hoped to participate in some theater this summer. Oh, well, I hope I can put it off for a bit until things pick up with the new websites.

I just found out today that Al Alberts, a person who had an influence on my love of show business, died back in November. I believe that my desire to work in the variety production business, at least in part, came from watching him host his weekly show, Al Alberts’ Showcase.

Mr. Alberts was a co-founder of the Four Aces, a group who would earn several awards including Academy Awards for Three Coins in a Fountain and Love is a Many Splendored Thing. He also made the song On the Way to Cape May popular.

Later in his Career he hosted his talent show on Channel 6 in Philadelphia. It lasted for over 30 years. I would faithfully watch the show every weekend, wanting to do the same job. I even had a couple of favorites among the talented kids on the show: Andrea McArdle, who would later become the first Annie on Broadway, and Liza Moran (no relation), who seems to have given up on show business and has fallen out of the public eye.

I met Al Alberts during one of his production company’s shows at a mall in the 1980’s. I even shook his hand and asked him if there was a way I could become involve with his company and help out. He told me to talk to his wife, Stella. Unfortunately, my shyness kept me from taking it any further. Who knows where I would be now.

Because he did the things that I would like to do and because I looked up to him, I suppose I would have to say that Al Alberts was one of my heros. I’m sorry to hear that he passed away. I hope someday to have a group of talented young people singing and dancing on stage, and I’ll know that it’s partly due to the influence of “Uncle Al”.

I’ve begun working on my new website: theatre-for-children.info.  I hope it will be a real resource for those who produce shows for children or shows involving kids.

This project is part of my overall efforts to focus more on those things that interest me most, rather than trying only to find ways to make an income.  Hopefully, this new site will do both.  They do say “Follow Your Bliss.”

I didn’t get a part in Murdered to Death.  They asked me to run sound, but it really isn’t worth it for me to travel that far just to push a few buttons and not have any real contact with the cast.  That theater has been my only social outlet in the past years, and unless I’m working directly with people, I tend to isolate myself.

I guess I need to think about going to other theaters.  Not an easy thing for me.  My cold reading of scripts is terrible.  I guess I’ll just have to work on it.

Well, for now, I just have to get over the rejection of not getting a part, and think about where to go from here.