Memphis the Good (minus the Vomit)

We went to the Mid-South Fair on the last day of this year's run. We had a great time. A really great time. It was hot, it was more crowded than I've ever seen it, but it was great. The lines were long, and you would think, given the heat, you would have seen some tempers flaring, but nothing*. Just lots of families enjoying themselves, waiting patiently to have fun.

But this post is not about the Fair, but this:

Memphis is a good place full of good people.

We have our problems -- primarily assholes with weapons. But the assholes with weapons roam the fringes of our lives and our imaginations. They do not define us. They have to lurk in the shadows because they are not who we are. They separated from us, the other 99.9%, when they picked up their weapons with an intent to do harm. They are the exception, not the rule. A very small exception. Of course, as 9/11 taught us, it just takes 17 assholes with weapons to strike terror in the minds of 250 million+. So Memphis, with a population of less than a million, is understandably scared with the recent upswing in crime.

We have to solve the problem, but let's not forget this -- crime is not who we are.

This is who we are:



* I know there was a shooting later that night. But it doesn't change my mind, about Memphis or the Fair. We'll be back next year if it's back next year.