BACK TO SCHOOL

“Are you ready to start your vocabulary homework, sweetie?” I asked, posing the familiar question I hadn’t asked in almost a year. The answer was equally familiar.

“Sure, Dad. After I finish Fortnite.” Some things never change.

“Before we start, Daddy I have a question. We were learning about Bruce’s Beach today and the teacher told us there are only 240 African Americans in Manhattan Beach and there are more than 30,000 people who live here.”

I quickly looked down at her vocabulary list and responded with a smile, having just read the paid Bruce’s Beach fantasy ad running in the Beach Reporter. “Yes, dear. It’s true. It’s called diversity.”

“Daddy, that’s one of our vocabulary words! Is that how we’re going to study today?” she asked excitedly.

I figured I was on to something and happily replied, “Yes it will be fun doing vocabulary, won’t it?”

Here’s your next word. “Manhattan Beach ranks near the top in terms of property value which means only rich people can afford to live here. That is called being…”

“Inclusive!!” She suddenly burst out. “I really like this game, Daddy.”

“Ready? Recently a large, rowdy, maskless group of parents gathered to protest the continued health measures designed to prevent the spread of Covid. That is called free…

“Speech!” She shouted. “Please don’t make these so easy, Daddy.”

“Try this. During the last couple of years many athletes protested police brutality and the killing of countless unarmed Black Americans. They peacefully and quietly knelt during the playing of the national anthem. This is called….

“Disrespectful?” She offered.

“You’re right, sweetie. That was a hard one.”

“But it doesn’t make sense, Daddy. Another thing doesn’t make sense, Daddy. Today in school Mrs. Roberts made the three Black kids from Table Five stand in the back of the room ‘cause she needed the space for our science project.”

“She singled out the Black kids?” I asked incredulously.

“No. She also made the three White kids from Table Five go to the back, too.

“Oh, I sighed. Well in that case it is called eminent…”

“Domain!” she roared. “ I love studying vocabulary words, Daddy.”

“Two more words and you get 100%!” I said.

“Residents of Manhattan Beach in the 1920s made the Bruce family leave their home solely because they were Black. This is called…”

“Racism, Daddy. Everybody knows that.”

“Okay. Smarty pants. When people use phrases like ‘outsider,’ ‘uppity,’ ‘Thank You MBPD,’ as code words, but pretend they don’t really understand their obvious implication it is called being…”

“Disingenuous!! Yay. I got them all right.”

“You have one bonus word.”

“Gimme, gimme, gimme,” she cried eagerly.

“When a group of disingenuous people get together they are called…”

“Republicans!!! “

“Good job, sweetie. You get an extra half hour of Fortnite.”