Fundie Sighting at Walmart

[readergirl]

I was waiting to check out this afternoon and saw a fundie family at the checkstand next to mine. Mom, Dad, son, and 3 daughters. Mom and daughters all in denim long skirts and modest tops. Dad and son in jeans & polos. Kids were all young, like 12 and under, so I'm sure there will be more in their future. Fundies in Nebraska...who knew?? :o

[Olivia]

I will never understand the appeal of the long denim skirt (paired with tennis shoes and socks, no less). If fundies are going to have a uniform, why that?

[AnnieC 305]

Because they're comfortable, study, go with anything, and hide a multitude of 'sins' as my Grandmother would say. At least that's why I wear them pretty much every day. And on the off days it's either a denim dress or a denim jumper.

The issue I see is that it falls down as a specific, set apart uniform because anyone could wear it. It's not unusual for me to go out in a long denim skirt (with tennis shoes and socks, sadly, getting shoes to fit the orthotics is a pain.), a shirt over my tank top, and a husband on my arm in a polo, jeans and a very Doug-ish white hat with black band (which actually looks quite good on the husband). So, you know, we kind of perfectly fit the visual mode of The People We Discuss Here.

The problem being that we're hard core Atheists.

[CanticleoftheTurning]

Yep. There's plenty of fundies in Nebraska--Omaha and Lincoln even. If you're involved at all with HEN, Home Educator's Network, then yes, you will run across some fundies. A lot of nice evangelicals, but there are fundies whose fathers are abusive and whose mothers reminds me of Michelle with the constant smiling and babytalk. The Beasleys are part of HEN. Josh Beasley was in my graduation class and took part in the graduation ceremony. CHAO, Catholic Homeschooling whatchamatcallit of Omaha, has fundie Catholics, too, but most of the Catholics are involved more with HEN because it's just a bigger group with more activities that doesn't all involve praying in front of an abortion clinic or going to Mass all the time.

It's just that some of the controlling fathers refuse to let their family go to Walmart even though their budget needs to be doing so, because Walmart is "too dangerous," with "lots of blacks." So, you might not see them all the time :P

Not saying they're all like that--some families do homeschooling right. But geez, the other families...

[MamaJunebug]

Congrats, readergirl! It must be the season for it! -- I had one, too, and even interacted w'em!!!

I was shopping in the big bad city at a big bad chain store and caught the unmistakable sight of a white mesh kapp, and sure enough, the very plain shirtwaist dress and black shoes and sox on a lady about my age.

That was when I realized it was a person about whom I have heard a lot, and I put on my most ingratiating smile and approached her and her husband (who was dressed and groomed to blend in perfectly with the crowd ... unlike his wife).

But I'd heard a great story about the couple: That at a wedding, he took the groom aside and gave him the whole Patriarchy spiel. Which the amazed groom promptly reported to the bride. Upon which the bride and groom approached her and said, "Your husband just told my husband to boss me around, basically! What's up with that?" to which she replied, "Aah, ignore that. I do!"

:D

So at the store, I approached her, introduced myself and we had a fine, if brief conversation. He got involved, too, and we must've talked for at least a couple minutes. I remember thinking, "She's fabulous! Looks me in the eye, speaks plainly, he lags in the background, responds when I address him ... they're like most couples I know, except she dresses to express her religion."

They even poked fun at themselves. They and I wished each other well, and I almost ran to my shopping companion to tell her about my huge score and tried my best to be calm and sotto voce in reporting it!

"Ignore that. I do." Love! It!