Black Holes

Hubby, plus many others, have a post about some politician taking umbrage with the term "black hole", calling it racist. This kinda crap just makes me sad, but reminds me of a story....

Back in the day, when I was about 13, my sister and I were talking, arguing, really. At some point I told her she was illiterate, I can't even remember why.

Now, you have to understand a few things about my family- my mother read all the time. She could spell or define any word I could think of. She had Skills. I was also an avid reader, but I liked biographies at that point and my mother was in her Harlequin Phase. Bodice-rippers, she called them. My sister was (and still is) gorgeous. She reminded me of Jacqueline Smith- ice blue eyes, dark, rich, lustrous hair. Skinny, with a quick laugh. I was dumpy, still having not "grown into myself" as my mother would say. But as a reader? Not my sister. She managed to pull B's and C's most of the time. If I got a B, there better be a Damn Good Reason.

So any way, I've called her illiterate, she gets mad, tells my mother I've called her a nasty name. I point out the obvious with, "See, she is!" Heh.
I still got in trouble. Fighting with the unarmed, and all that.

There is a push for Scientific Literacy for all Americans by something like 2010. I'm thinking we're going to miss that mark. I worry that so few people understand basic concepts. But then I think that maybe people are pulling my leg, we (adults) can't be that stupid. Can we?