“Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.” ~ Eric Hoffer

If this is true -- and I have no doubt that it is -- then I saw the weakest man I've ever seen today.



Henry and I went to Martin's for lunch after church today. For those who don't know Martin's, it's a Montgomery institution, a meat and three place. During the week the clientele runs to movers and shakers sittin' elbow to elbow with good ol' folks, but on Sundays it's full up to here with families -- little kids, elderly grandparents and great grandparents -- mostly all flush with having just spent the past hours in a house of worship with the people they love the most.



Well, such was the case today -- until a fellow walked in with a woman and sat at the table next to us. He removed his coat to reveal what was, hands down, the most offensive t-shirt I have ever seen on a person. It should be some indication how mortified and upset I was that I, no prude to be sure, cannot even bring myself to so much as hint what it said.



I positively fumed, and if Henry had not pretty much physically restrained me, he would have gotten an earful from me.



On the way home, still fuming and growing even more disgusted at the man and at the sentiment he espoused, I honed in on why I was so angry:



1) This was not a "shock value is cool" teenager or young adult. He was a grown man.



2) The point of his t-shirt was a slam against the current sitting President, which in my estimation is fair game. What is NOT fair game is the disrespectful reference to woman, nor the art that accompanied it.



I was offended as a woman, not as a conservative. Free speech -- and the freedom to express one's displeasure with any sitting politician is something I would defend to the bitter end.



This t-shirt may have been fine in a smoky bar somewhere with his friends, but you don't go to Martin's -- or any other public place on a beautiful Sunday afternoon -- and not know you're going to run into people whom, I have to suppose, you mean to offend.

The only person for whom I felt sorrier than my fellow diners was the woman who was with him. That t-shirt should tell her everything it needed to about how he feels about women, and I just have to wonder how low her opinion of herself is that she would be seen with him in public.

The irony of all of this is that about 15 minutes after he took his jacket off, a gang-banger and his wife came in, and nobody batted an eye.