Bleeding Red – Thoughts from December 7, 2022

On this day back in 1941, Pearl Harbor became a place of infamy. I know regular readers of these Thoughts papers thought they suddenly were reading a historical calendar, but it’s me, Brian. Patti and I have actually been to Pearl Harbor, so it is slightly relevant to me. I mainly mention it because I was proud of myself for remembering what this day is infamous for. Admittedly, I had to look up the 1941 part and check my facts on the rest. I have mixed feelings about remembering this day. It seems to have been an excuse for the U.S. to enact hugely racist attacks on all Asian-American citizens (because racism doesn’t bother to distinguish between what Asian citizens they are racisming) that some would argue never ended. If you want to pick on me for the last run-on sentence, just know I actually shortened it from its previous length.

Because I used “racisming” in the last paragraph, there is a squiggly red line under the word. There it is again. The spell checker is just telling me it’s not okay to make up your own words. It is yet another example of how I don’t like seeing the color red on most things. I guess it started with my dislike of Republicans. With no decision on their part, people labeled them as the red party and Democrats as the blue party. Flashing red emergency lights also contribute to my red dislike. If you’re not panicking in an emergency, the red flashing lights will make sure that you panic properly. Christianity has also ruined red for me. Red text in Bibles can represent Jesus, power, and wealth. These things are horrible things I despise. In electronics, the red wire represents a positive current. This is not a good thing if you find yourself in the path of that current.

The one thing most people associate negatively with the color red is blood. This color is natural and is one of the few red things I have no problem with. It is the main thing keeping people from appearing green. Those of you who studied the color wheel will get that one. If you think I’m just being contrary, know that many years ago I wrote a paper about how bleeding is a good thing. I think the main idea was it proves you are still alive and indicates your health. Patti and I currently have five cats, so bleeding is a regular activity for us. Patti likes heart shapes like you see around Valentine’s Day. In a way, we both have positive associations with the red in blood. By “in a way” I mean I think so and Patti would probably completely disagree.

I am proud of my scars. I have scars on my palms I got years ago from being stupid around sharp objects. Both the scars which are on my left and right palms were from stationary objects. One was from a sign I was trying to climb and the other was from a broken car antenna. You might see them and think I would be ashamed of them, but the opposite is true. I show them off regularly. Anytime the cats inadvertently scratch the crap out of me, I show off the scars for as long as they are visible. I especially like showing them to fellow cat parents who always look knowingly at them and smile. Non-cat parents usually look at them and want to tell me what diseases I’m going to get if I don’t put the medication of their choice on it. Those scars tell the world that you love your cats so much that you will let them use you as a scratching post. You are the best cat parent ever.