Crazytown

THIS COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED ON #ALTERNATIVEFACTS

Rewriting history has long been a part of Imperialism and Colonialism...

by David Davila (Gay Latino)

"History is decided by the Victors."

Winston Churchill is credited with saying that, but he didn't come up with it. There are dozens of other people credited with saying similar phrases throughout History and so it is the perfect example of it's own meaning. None of us can know the things that came before us except through written documents, shared stories & myths, and scientific evidence. So it has always been that we believe what we are taught. So it seemed like the perfect time to review some of the #AlternativeFacts that every American has been taught in school.

Alternative Fact: Christopher Columbus discovered America.
Long before Christopher Columbus landed in the Bahamas, North and South America were inhabited by thousands of nations made up of Native people. These nations had been producing agriculture and trading amongst each other for centuries. Out of those thousands of Nations, descendants of only 562 of them survive today. 

Alternative Fact: Native Americans died of diseases. There was no intentional genocide.
Yes, many Native Americans died from diseases that were brought over from Europe that they had no immunities to such as small pox. Still, there are documented instances where some of these diseases were spread purposefully as an act of biological warfare through the distribution of infected blankets. Even beyond that however we have no way to know the amount of villages that were completely wiped out by colonizers who were encouraged to end the Indian race by any means. Yet, perhaps the greatest documented act of genocide was committed by the sixth president, Andrew Jackson, a populist who is now regarded by many as the American Hitler. His many deals with the Indian Nations eventually led to the Trail of Tears, a genocidal required relocation of all Native people across the entire country to Indian reservations. Most Natives did not survive. Even as late as the 1970's Native children were being taken from their parents - an act that the UN defines as genocide.

Alternative Fact: The electoral college exists to protect us from tyranny.
Many politicians at the time saw the electoral college as the only way to protect the country from the uneducated masses with no knowledge of the candidates from across the country. The creation of a two party system should have done away with that fear, however politicians in the South argued that their votes deserved to count more because of the slaves they owned.  The electoral college gave slave owners credit for their slaves and allowed the genocidal practices of slavery to remain in use for another hundred years. 

Alternative Fact: Slavery was completely abolished with the 13th amendment.
The thirteenth amendment stated that slavery was no longer legal except as a form of punishment. When the amendment passed it wasn't long before hundreds of thousands of former slaves were arrested and forced into manual labor to "rebuild the South" after the Civil War. This has turned into a billion dollar prison industry which incarcerates mostly people of color.

Alternative Fact: In America everyone is free.
Approximately 1 percent of the US population are incarcerated under a system that profits off of their imprisonment. These men and women are forced into labor without pay or with very little pay while the billion dollar industry continues to thrive.

Alternative Fact: In America everyone is equal.
Where to begin? Women only make 80 cents to every man's dollar for the same work done. LGBTQ people can still be fired in 29 states, while trans people are being discriminated against in restrooms. Some states have laws that require people with brown skin to carry around their 'papers' at all times to prove that they are citizens. People of color are oppressed by systematic racism that is imbedded into many of the policies of our government. People of color are not allowed to militarize as promised in the second amendment. Americans of white descent are encouraged to buy guns, but people of color are often murdered by police officers or painted as criminals when they are found to have a gun. 

I'm not a historian. I'm not a legal expert. I'm not an expert on anything really except dramaturgy and music. These are my observances as a concerned citizen. Alternative Facts are dangerous, and that is not an alternative fact.

I was lucky enough, growing up in South Texas along the Mexico border, to have amazing teachers throughout my public school education who made it a point to ensure that all of their students understood that the United States was built on Alternative Facts. We were encouraged to dig deeper and not believe what we were told. I am forever grateful to those brave social studies and history teachers who were in fact committing acts of civil disobedience by teaching us that "facts" in books could be lies. Thank you for your service! 

DAVID DAVILA is a playwright/composer from South Texas who grew up along the Texas-Mexico border. He is the co-author of MANUEL VS THE STATUE OF LIBERTY an award winning musical comedy about immigration, and VOX POP a musical about the tragedy of democracy. He has long been working on a series of plays about life along the Texas/Mexico border which include ADAN Y JULIO, ABUELAS OR THE POVERTY CYCLE, MEN OF GOD, CREDO, REQUERDOS OF MY LIFE, and AZTEC PIRATES AND THE INSIGNIFICANCE OF LIFE ON MARS. He is a self proclaimed Voxist, a Diva enthusiast, and founder of Lone Star Theatre Co. Wanna talk about it? www.daviddavila.net
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EVERY ACTION HAS AN EQUAL OPPOSITE REACTION

aka. It's Hamilton lyrics from here on out, people.
By Alisha Giampola (writer/performer)

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and a lot of New Yorkers are making the pilgrimage (haha, see what I did there?) back to the small midwestern hometowns that they moved away from to be the artists, writers, and other assorted over-employed roles this city requires of them. The holidays can be tense for a lot of people, and this year, 2016, the most ridiculous year of all time, is probably going to be an especially tough one for some. Before we go a step farther, may I recommend something that you should absolutely read in preparation for spending time with people who may not agree with you? (All credit for finding that goes to my thoughtful husband, who has been calling the SHIT out of our elected representitives this week, regarding Trump's appointment of Steve Bannon- and you can too.)

There has been a lot said since the election. A lot of noise from both sides. A lot of reminders that it's so important to fact check one's news sources. A lot has also already been said about how all this infighting by the electorate is distracting people from what is actually happening in Washington right now- or rather, a lot of it's happening right here in NYC since the president-elect has that perfectly nice tower here that he'd like to stay in. I have feelings that change every day about how much this political upheaval is affecting my life and the lives of those I care about. Some days I feel like a navel-gazing millenial who is as entitled and stuck up as the right claims the liberal elite is, and a lot of the rest of the time I am so nervous that I'm going to become one of those people who stand by and watch as totalitarianism takes over. I am afraid that one day in the next four years, I'm going to look around and not be able to tell the pigs faces from the faces of the people. 

This past weekend, after the cast of Hamilton publicly spoke after their Friday evening performance that Mike Pence attended, Donald Trump wrote a series of tweets demanding that the cast apologize for addressing Pence, calling the Broadway production of Hamilton overrated, complaining that Pence was booed (by the audience, not the cast), and hilariously invoking the sentiment that theatre is a "safe space" and by respectfully addressing Pence the cast somehow broke that bond. He has since tweeted about his hate of SNL, and Alec Baldwin's impression of him, demanding "equal" time, for the "other side", whatever that means (he does know there isn't another "side" to make fun of now that he's won, right? Not to mention that some of the funniest skits this week on SNL skewered liberals). 

"Thank you so much for joining us tonight. You know, we had a guest in the audience this evening. And Vice President-elect Pence, I see you're walking out but I hope you will hear us just a few more moments. There's nothing to boo here ladies and gentlemen. There's nothing to boo here, we're all here sharing a story of love. 

We have a message for you, sir. We hope that you will hear us out. And I encourage everybody to pull out your phones and tweet and post because this message needs to be spread far and wide, OK?

Vice President-elect Pence, we welcome you and we truly thank you for joining us here at Hamilton: An American Musical, we really do. We, sir, we are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us — our planet, our children, our parents — or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights, sir. But we truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us. All of us.

Again, we truly thank you for sharing this show. This wonderful American story told by a diverse group of men [and] women of different colors, creeds, and orientations."

- statement read by Brandon Victor Dixon (who plays Aaron Burr) after curtain call on behalf of the cast and creative team.

Pence's attendance at the show, Trump's outrage at the cast exercising their free speech, and the subsequent attention paid by the artistic community and others alike have been called a distraction by many. And there's a lot to distract from. What has actually happened in the week and a half since the election? While we are being distracted by tweets? During the internet's infighting about what constitutes peaceful protesting? SO MUCH STUFF. The president-elect's recent Trump University fraud settlement and ongoing accusations of molestation, his daughter who runs his business sitting in on a meeting with the Japanese prime minister, hiring a white supremacist as his chief strategist, his hotel in DC being a conflict of interest as foreign dignitaries are beginning to use it to garner favor (and his statement that presidents don't have to worry about conflicts of interest), the hedge fund heiress who is one of his primary backers and a powerful voice in how he runs things, Melania and Barron's decision to stay in Trump Tower and his plans to return there as frequently as possible (costing the NY taxpayers millions), his meeting with the press in which he complained about unflattering pictures used of him. By the time this post publishes he will have probably tweeted about like 50 other things.

But I disagree with some that this is merely a distraction that liberals are "falling for" and coming off as pretentious artists who are sore losers. I think it's also an indication that Trump is exactly as thin skinned as he has always seemed, so LET'S GET UNDER THAT SKIN. Sometimes things can be more than one thing at a time. We can note that he intends to distract and obfuscate real issues, that he has no intention of attempting to appear more "presidential" on twitter, while still remembering all the very real and scary things that he continues to say, do, and not stand up against. Having people continue to infight is good for the business of Trump. It's good for those he's put in power. Artists must remember their power as well. Satire, skewering, bringing things from shade to light is what artists do best, and despite what Trump may think, it's literally what theatre was created for. Props to Mike Pence for one thing (and one thing only, mind you): when he heard the booing from the audience as he walked into that theatre, he says he told his daughter "this is what freedom sounds like". Damn right, Mike Pence. Damn right.

Now is the time to focus more on him and the government that has been elected and those he appoints to surround him. We must not get wrapped up in our own internet battles about what constitutes racism and if political correctness has gone too far. Those are valuable conversations, but only if they're actual conversations. Everyone in America, left and right, is tired of the corruption in government and leadership that only serves itself and the 1%. It's time to take him seriously- he wanted us to, and a lot of us didn't. On both sides. He's an incredibly easy man to not take seriously and it is the primary mistake almost all of his opposition (average voters and the DNC like) made during the election. Let's remember --as his opposition now has over 1.5 million more votes than him (as far as the popular vote goes)-- that this is the most unpopular president-elect of all time. No one has entered the office with a lower approval rating. Like a lot of unliked bullies, Trump is jealous of those who are well-liked. He is protective of those who show any loyalty to him, regardless of their beliefs or qualifications. This is important. We must be paying attention, we must be listening. It sucks that this election has finally ended and yet we can't get on with our day, month, year, without thinking about politics again for a nice long while. But that clearly hasn't worked well for us in the past, has it? I'm talking to us, my bubble of  liberal elites here in NYC. I'm talking to our families in the midwest and other assorted small towns, some of whom were vocal during the election and now have become eerily silent, or who had remained silent the whole time and are now frustrated that things aren't going "back to normal". I'm talking to the most vocal of Trump's supporters, who are thrilled and victorious and wondering how many days into his inaguration he will wait before completing that wall- a month? Two? (Spoiler alert: nope).

Despite America's long history of political satire and using comedy to make clear that our politicians are members of a democracy, rather than a dictatorship, Trump finds this element of his new leadership position distasteful. Very much like when Gob in Arrested Development temporarily becomes president of the Bluth Company, demands that his employees roast him and then fires them all when they actually take him up on it, Donald Trump would love nothing more than to only surround himself with yes-men. Let's make that hard for him. Let's inundate him with sketches, satire, political criticism, peaceful statements of protest, until he can't possibly respond to each one with a snippy short-sentenced tweet. ("Very sad." "Overrated." "WRONG.") We have a long history of placing our leaders under scrutiny through the arts. In recent years, Obama, George W, Reagan, and Bush were all recipients of memorable satire and creative critique that I remember well, and they accepted as part of their jobs. The time for quietly ignoring, passing blame, or hoping someone else will take care of things for us is over. As for us theatre kids, let's remember those freshman Theatre History classes and get excited to be the political activists that the Greek originators of the modern art form of performance intended. 

ALISHA GIAMPOLA is an NYC based actor/teacher/writer who would like to use this space to wish her Dad a very very happy Turkey Day Birthday!!!
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ATONEMENT

Another Yom Kippur
By Sam Perwin

Tonight at sundown begins the more somber of the two Jewish High Holy Days, Yom Kippur. As I've written about before, my yearly gig singing in the Soho Synagogue choir has me thinking again about my Judaism. One of my tutoring clients asked me recently if I was Jewish (she is), and she shared a story about a clueless colleague of hers wishing her a "Happy Yom Kippur." To any non-Jews reading this, Yom Kippur is not typically a happy holiday - it's the day of atonement. Observant Jews fast from sundown to sundown, and spend most of the day in temple atoning for their sins. From a religious standpoint, we do this so we will be "written in the book of life," one of a few vague allusions to afterlife in Jewish tradition. From a more reformed, "spiritual" standpoint, it's a time for reflection. We take a day to think about the ways in which we've done wrong to others and to ourselves; we apologize, and we resolve to do better next year. 

Atonement, old school style.

Most major religions are big on repentance and forgiveness. Even our judicial system will offer a criminal a reduced sentence if he or she appears to show remorse. I've always thought of Yom Kippur as an opportunity to show remorse and forgiveness to yourself. I've been talking a lot about this concept with my therapist, who has identified a pattern in my life of taking on too much guilt and responsibility for things that aren't necessarily in my control. Even when something is rightfully my fault, I tend to be not very forgiving to myself about it, no matter how minor it may be. On the other hand, Yom Kippur is also forgiving others who've wronged you. We're encouraged to let go of grudges and begin the new year with a clean slate. It's a nice thought. 

I'll be spending tonight and tomorrow in temple, but as a singer instead of a congregant. I'm grateful to be able to make money doing one of my favorite things: making music. As I wrote last week, there's been far too little music-making in my life lately, and I'm thrilled to start 5777 and my 36th year of life by doing so professionally. I suppose then, this Yom Kippur I'm forgiving myself for taking the time to focus on other things, and making space for more creation, collaboration, learning, and just general joy in making art. To those observing, may you have an easy fast. And to all others, take a moment tonight to reflect and forgive. It'll feel good.

SAM PERWIN Actor. Singer. Writer. Tall. www.samperwin.com
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TEA

I take photographs from the internet and then write short stories about them!

By Paul Pakler (Actor, Writer)

(Photograph by Harry Whittier Frees)

 

Dramatis Personae:

(from left to right)

Dorothy

Emily

Bernice

Henrietta

Mildred

Scene:

A Dining Room.  DOROTHY, EMILY, BERNICE, HENRIETTA, and MILDRED drink tea.

DOROTHY

        It is so nice to have tea again.

MILDRED

        Yes.

EMILY

        It really is. Thank you, Bernice.

BERNICE

        Yes, well, I have always kept stores. Maman taught us to be prepared for all contingencies.

 

Silence.

 

MILDRED

        Thank goodness for that, Bernice.

EMILY

        I used to love having white tea in the evening. Alex and I-

 

Emily bursts into tears.

 

BERNICE

        Emily, stop that now.

EMILY

(through tears)

        He hasn’t written in weeks!

DOROTHY

        Emily, I am sure that Alex is fine-

BERNICE

        Emily, compose yourself. I shall not have this.

EMILY

        I am so sorry, Bernice.

BERNICE

        If it would be of help to you, you may stay here, with me, until Alex returns home.

EMILY

        Thank you, Bernice, you are a true friend.

 

Silence.

 

DOROTHY

        Let us talk of something else, shall we?

HENRIETTA

        Have you heard of the developments in Kerbinsk?

MILDRED

        Would you hush up, Henrietta!

HENRIETTA

        No, I will not!

DOROTHY

(through tears)

        Please, Henrietta-

HENRIETTA

        The government in Kerbinsk has fallen, and people are predicting-

 

Mildred slaps Henrietta, hard, across the face.

                 

BERNICE

        MILDRED! HENRIETTA! PLEASE! We are ladies, and I will not have fighting in this house!

EMILY

        These damned rebels… They are just filled with lies! Alex and I have spent our lives helping the unfortunate.

BERNICE

        You have, Emily. We all have.

EMILY

        What, do they want all of our money?! Don’t they know that there will always be people who are more fortunate?!

HENRIETTA

        Have you seen their posters?

EMILY

        “Everyone is the same.” Hogwash!

BERNICE

        No one is the same as anyone else.

MILDRED

        Just look at us!

DOROTHY

        God made each and every one of us special in his eyes.

EMILY

        Yes! Alex once told me that the rebels don’t even believe in God!

HENRIETTA

        Really?!

MILDRED

        I hope they round up and shoot every one of them. Right in the Square for all to see.

EMILY

        Yes!  Or burn them all up so they can all be the same as each other!

BERNICE

        That would certainly teach the country a thing or two. “You can either die, or you can continue to live in this land of true freedom.”

HENRIETTA

        Haha! That would teach them!

 

Silence.

 

DOROTHY

        Oh, I seem to have finished my tea. Bernice, could we perhaps prepare some more?

BERNICE

        This…was the last of the tea.

    DOROTHY   

        I shouldn’t have been so presumptuous.

BERNICE

        There is no need to apologise, Dorothy.

 

Outside the locked door, there is the sound of shouting and then gunshots.

Silence.

REBELS begin kicking in the door.

The cats watch and wait.

End.

 

PAUL PAKLER is an actor and writer living in New York City.
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HOPEFULLY GOD HAS A SENSE OF HUMOR

The funniest bits of blasphemy this side of the faith.
By Brandon Rizzuto

If we are made in God’s image, I have to assume that God is just like any other regular guy (or girl). It’s the reason why I don’t go to Church. I mean, how would you like it if every day people came into your house really early in the morning, singing and chanting, eating your food, drinking your wine, asking you for things, saying they’ll change if you give it to them (which you know they won’t), and to top it all off, once they leave another group comes right in! He doesn’t even get Sunday off—that’s supposed to be his day of rest! Do you want people over your house on your one day off? I didn’t think so. When does God unwind? I hope He unwinds watching comedies, like I do. And if He does watch comedies, I hope He is able to laugh at the deliciously blasphemous ones below—one that takes all that He holds seriously, and turns them on it’s head. And, quick disclaimer, if you think God can’t laugh at blasphemy, just think about it for a second. If you’re one of those people that can’t laugh at themselves, people call you stuck-up, right? Are you saying God’s stuck up? That’s messed up, man. He made you. Show some respect.

IF YOU’RE REALLY GOING TO HATE VALENTINE’S DAY, DO IT RIGHT

All you haters need to step your game up for next year, and I’m going to help.
By Tom Rizzuto

Do you know why I wear green to work every Valentine’s Day? It’s the same reason I was so careful not to wear any red or blue that time I drove through South Central, Los Angeles.

You can’t win, on V-Day. If you don’t wear red, you get accused of not being in the spirit. But, if you do wear red, you make enemies.

This pretty much sums up the first ten years of my romantic history.

“You know it’s a Hallmark holiday, right?” they say, as they smugly heat up their single-serving soup bowls in the break room microwave. “Don’t rub your happiness in our faces!” they yell, as they grit their teeth at every heart shaped box they scroll past on Facebook.

I implore you Valentine’s Day haters, if you haven’t yet succumbed to the urge to slam you laptop shut and curse my fowl name, stay with me. Unclench those fists. Open those sad eyes. Wipe the 75% discounted chocolate from that forlorn mouth. I do not come to you with ill will. I am here to help.

You see, my lone wolves…my strong, independent ladies…my steadfast, sovereign gentlemen, I would never tell you not to criticize this or any holiday! But we all know that the Hallmark line, while a valid point, is played out. It falls on deaf ears. It wilts, withers and tumbles to the ground like so many overpriced roses on the bedroom floors of the neglectful girlfriends of America.

There are plenty of good reasons to criticize, mock, and malign Valentines Day. Though, as I too scroll through Facebook and Twitter I see that none of you seem to be aware of them.

I hope that you all find love, my friends. But, if this year is not your year, and come next February the 14^th, you once again find yourself back on the offensive, I want you to be prepared to hit them with everything you got!

Never bring an arrow to a gunfight.

So if you’re ready to step your hate game up to the next level…read on.

TIM MINCHIN IS A RHYME MACHINE

By Alex Syiek

Tim Minchin is the composer/lyricist of the smash Broadway hit, Matilda. But for years before writing that wonderful piece, he was enjoying a great career as a comedic musician. I just want to take this Thursday to share my favorite number of his with you.

Now, there's a bit of a speech before he starts singing, but trust me, it's all gunpowder for the explosion to come. I don't know whether it's the fact that he has the entire Heritage Orchestra backing him up, the ridiculous light show filling up the Royal Albert Hall, or his amazing talent for hilarious rhymes (especially 8:58 to 9:32), but this song makes me go,

"Well, I just won't try to write comedy anymore. 'Cause Tim Minchin did it all."

 
I also love that 'liars' and 'bias' rhyme in his dialect. Lucky bastard.

Lastly, I will leave this here, because I am very excited: LINKY LINK LINK to Minchin's new project.

ON HANUKKAH

And other Jewish holidays we don't really care about
By Sam Perwin

Hanukkah is early this year. Sunday night began the eight-night "festival of lights" that most of the world just dubs "Jewish Christmas." Well, it's not. As everyone knows, Hanukkah got wrapped up with Christmas (pun intended) by virtue of usually falling around the same time. As a result, it became the de facto Jewish giving holiday (Sorry, Purim - no one wants presents in April, apparently). I understand that from a religious perspective, Christmas is a big deal. From a secular, commercial perspective, Christmas is also a big deal. Hanukkah is really neither of those. Yet, in the world of all-inclusive "Happy Holidays" niceties, gentiles especially feel the need to make a big deal out it.

Okay, maybe this menorah...

I don't intend this post to be a defense of what is, at best, a minor Jewish Holiday but rather a further investigation into what I've come to call "Jewish Fetishism." Mostly this has been inspired by my extremely WASPy fiance, about whose obsession with all things Jewish I've written about before. As we plan our wedding, he keeps pushing me to include Jewish traditions: breaking the glass, a chuppah, doing the hora at the reception, etc. The past few months he's been bugging me about that fact that we don't have a menorah, and that we should register for one. It's very cute that he wants to be inclusive, but I always call him on the fact that this is entirely about his desire to participate in Jewish traditions rather than to honor my religion. I couldn't care less - for at least the past decade, I've considered my self exclusively culturally Jewish. As I've written before: the only way to get me to temple is to pay me.

WHY WHAT BEN CARSON THINKS ABOUT THE PYRAMIDS IS IMPORTANT

It’s Not Just An Idiotic Quote
By Gregory Jacobs-Roseman (composer-lyricist)

I haven’t written a politics-related post since the 2014 midterm election results came in, which is odd for me as I’m a political junkie and we are currently in the middle of a presidential election cycle. Frankly, this is due to the fact that I hadn’t seen any news that I could lend a voice to that would be unique or appropriate for Crazytown. Until this week.

Dr. Ben Carson

This week we were treated to a 1998 video of Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson in which he made the following remarks:

"My own personal theory is that Joseph built the pyramids in order to store grain, and all the archaeologists think that they were made for the pharaohs' graves. But you know, it would have to be something awfully big, if you stop and think about it. And I don't think it would just disappear over the course of time to store that much grain."

Now this is utter bullshit and it flies in the face of what is known to be undisputed archeological fact. Still, when asked this past week if he still thought that he said: “it’s still my belief, yes.”

And everyone in the media had a field day with this, because it’s absurd on its face. Pundits laughed it off. Some asked why are we even talking about the pyramids? And sure, it continues the narrative of weird shit that Ben Carson has said during this campaign. After all, this story came on the same day he released this laughingly bad rap radio ad that is frankly just bizarre (I can’t listen to the whole thing all the way through because I find it too cringe-worthy. If you can make it to the end, you are made of stronger stuff than I):

But seriously. That flute line. Is this 1993?

Silly, right? But I’m not laughing. I think this is serious, and I think you should take it seriously too. Because it speaks to a disturbing trend going on in the American right wing right now – one that seeks to blur the lines and even entirely dismantle the separation of church and state.

ABOUT BECOMING

While Driving to New Mexico
By Alan Winner (Performer, Writer, Director)

Ever since moving to Tulsa, Drew and I have driven up to Denver, down to Corpus Christi, back and forth to Lubbock and a few trips to and from New York. New York is the only journey that takes us multiple days, and after making that drive, any distance under 1,500 miles is a breeze.

 I’ve been travelling back and forth to Lubbock by myself each week for the past month, so I’m getting used to driving solo. This morning I packed my car and left my mom’s house at 7:30 to hit the road for Ruidoso, New Mexico.

 A few months back, I shared a story about my Aunt Joel who left her physical body behind to begin the next leg of her journey. Here's the link. My Aunt Kate, her wife chose not to have a service for Joel immediately, waiting instead to celebrate Joel’s life on her birthday. Tonight is the party and a good gang of folks will be here in Ruidoso and a whole slew of others will be Skyping in from all over the country.

This is the longest I have known for someone to wait to have some kind of service following the passing of a loved one. It is much to do with the fact that my aunts shared a spirituality dissimilar to the Christian upbringing our family comes from. It is not important to share the specifics of their beliefs, as it is not important for me to know the specifics of yours as long as our shared views are not restricted to the