(Readers: The blog centers around the author’s prediction that the US will experience a 5^th revolution by 2020-2025.  Some early vignettes precede the revolution; later vignettes follow the revolution.  Many characters appear regularly.  More about the blog and the author.)

Scene: Jordan having coffee with his administrative assistant, Gelly.

Gelly:  “Jordan, don’t we need to get back to the office?  What if someone calls – I mean someone really important.”

Jordan:  “Relax, Gelly.  The real important contacts…if we really have any…”

Gelly:  “Well, POTUS is important, really important.”

Jordan:  “All those contacts have the number for my secure cell phone.  Besides, what could be so important?  I’m not involved in any black-hole stuff.”

Gelly:  “You’re not?  I thought you were some big-shot guy.  I’m disappointed.”

Jordan:  “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

Gelly:  “Jordan, you know how much I like you.  Why are we here?  We have coffee in the office?”

Jordan:  “We’re here because I need your advice.  And you are good at listening and giving sound advice.”

Gelly:  “Thanks for the compliment and your vote of confidence.  OK, what’s the issue?”

Jordan:  “I can’t decide if I’m getting to be a grumpy old codger and out of touch or…”

Gelly:  “Hold the ‘or.’  You’re not a grumpy old codger to me.  But, to those teenagers over there, you’re probably a grumpy old codger…at least they think you’re old.”

Jordan:  “They think their parents are grumpy old codgers…and their parents are probably younger than we are.”

Gelly:  “For sure.  Now what’s the real issue you want to talk about?”

Jordan:  “I don’t understand the tone of the conversation about discrimination.”

Gelly:  “I’m not sure what you mean.”

Jordan:  “A lot of the conversation about blacks seems to conclude that blacks are discriminated against because of race.”

Gelly:  “I don’t see what the issue is – there is discrimination against blacks.”

Jordan:  “I didn’t say discrimination was not an issue.  Every civilization has discrimination.  My frustration is the proposed solution.  Every body wants to blame the other guy for discriminating.”

Gelly:  “People have to stop discriminating.”

Jordan:  “Gelly, that’s never going to happen.”

Gelly:  “Why not?”

Jordan:  “You cannot legislate or mandate attitudes or morality.  You know that.”

Gelly:  “I know…but what else can be done?”

Jordan:  “Only one thing I know of.”

Gelly:  “OK, great and wonderful Oz, what’s that?

Jordan:  “People who are being discriminated against need to quit demanding others stop discriminating.”

Gelly:  “Huh?  You saying those being discriminated against need to stop demanding others change their behavior?”

Jordan:  “You got the picture.  They’ve got to get off the same old street and take a different road.”

Gelly:  “And what are those on the short end of the stick supposed to do?”

Jordan:  “Change their behavior.”

Gelly:  “So if I’m being discriminated against, I need to quit demanding you stop discriminating…but change my own behavior?”

Jordan:  “Yep.”

Gelly:  “That’s a pretty radical idea.  You think it will work?”

Jordan:  “Yep.  What’s the downside?  It’s 50+ years after the civil rights marches, passage of the Voting Rights Act and some other laws…and what’s really changed?”

Gelly:  “Other than some cosmetics, probably not much.”

Jordan:  “Now, think about this.  Changing behavior has worked for every other ethnic group that entered the US.  Look at the list.”

Gelly:  “Italians, Irish, Japanese, Chinese, Jews…and Hispanics today.  All of them suffered discrimination, and some pretty severely.”

Jordan:  “That’s my point.”

Gelly:  “But those groups were different from blacks?”

Jordan:  “How?”

Gelly:  “Blacks were brought over as slaves…and the others weren’t.”

Jordan:  “What about Chinese laborers who were forced to work building railroads in the west?  What about the Japanese being interned in WWII?”

Gelly:  “Alright.  Point well taken.  But I need to think about your idea some more.  Let me get a refill.”

(To be continued.)