Sometimes People Surprise You in a Good Way

So I am sitting at the airport, this fine Easter morning, waiting for yet another international departure to a client site, when I witnessed something that actually reminded me that there are good people out there.

Of course, it started by reminding me that children are ignorant little shits.

I was sitting at the gate and three (pre) teens were sitting just behind me:

Boy 1: …so that bah, um barz, um

Girl: Bar Mitzvah: for boys it is a Bar Mitzvah, for girls it is a Bats Mitzvah

Boy 2: what are you guys talking about?

Girl: At our hotel, this Bar Mitzvah was going on this weekend, and the Jew was telling us about it

Boy 2: The Jew?

Girl: Yeah he told us his name but we decided that we were just going to call him “The Jew” – it really pissed him off when we did it. So we just kept calling him “The Jew” and he would go “My name is…” and we would go “you’re ‘The Jew’”

So right about now I’m about to turn around and give these twits an object lesson in being treated like objects [because seriously "The Jew?" I mean, is Ben Stiller working on a superhero skit I should know about? Is Adam Sandler writing another version of the Hanukkah song? "The Jew" - is this the Jewish version of "The Highlander" (there can be only one)?] when I see a young man walking towards them – he might be around 25 – 30 years old – and since these kids are sans chaperone, I figure he might be theirs.

Man: So hey, are you guys Jewish?

Girl: Noooooooo… we’re Christ-ian

Boy 1: yeah, Christian

Man: Oh cause I heard you talking about Bar Mitzvahs and being Jewish

Girl: No see there was this Jew…

Man: So did you guys go to the Holocaust Museum while you were in DC?

All kids: yeah

Man: what did you think of it?

Boy 1: well, this kid in my class went on and on about all the people in his family who died and he cried and stuff

Boy 2: yeah people were crying

Girl: yeah

Man: Yeah, but what did you think? How did you feel when you went through it?

Girl: It was sad. It made me sad.

Man: What did you think of [name of exhibit – didn’t hear it]

Girl: I was really upset about that. You know, a lot of them were my age.

Man: yeah, they were all ages.

Boy 1: You know, they asked us what nationality we are – our guide did – and when I said I was German they all started calling me a Nazi! And I was like “I am not a Nazi! I wouldn’t do that! It is so unfair that you guys label me just because I am German!”

Girl: Oh my god, me too! I was like “Not my fault I am German, okay, and being German doesn’t mean I am horrible.”

Man: So how did you feel, when they treated you that way, just because you are German…

All kids: it sucked

Girl: It was so unfair. It hurt my feelings. I mean I didn’t *do* anything.

And then they called for my rows to board, and I got up and watched the exchange continue, and I thought to myself, there are people out there who are pretty cool. Sure, anyone could have ripped those kids a new asshole (*cough* me) but that wouldn’t have gotten to them – this guy actually got them to think about what they were saying.

Kudos to you, good sir.
Happy Easter everyone.