Working around people has reminded me of something I had forgotten. It returned as I looked into the eyes of an enraged man and said, "I apologize." With those simple words he was defused. The anger and tension slipped from his face. The air around him calmed.
What had I forgotten? The simplicity of people.
The anger in the gentleman I encountered had been incited by me a few weeks early. It had begun with a simple comment directed at his daughter. For you see, she had been wearing a pair of hot pink spandex over her long 21 year old legs. In general public this may not have been an issue. However on a Marine base filled with energetic young men, I felt her wearing those pants was in poor judgment. Before I could contain myself the words, "What are you thinking wearing pants like that on a Marine base? Do you want to cause a riot?" slipped from my mouth.
Strangely the father did nothing that day. Rather he let it fester and then went out of his way to track me down. Though I began by attempting to defend my position, I realized it was pointless because he taken my remark as a sexual advance towards his hot daughter. Thus I apologized.
So who was right in this situation? In our modern cultural shouldn't a girl be able to wear revealing clothing in the middle of a bunch of sexually pent up men? I guess since reality is relative to your perception everyone's answer is right. With that said, when the time comes, my daughter will be leaving the pink spandex pants at home.
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