An ethnic lesson from a neighbor

While sitting quietly on the stairs of my apartment building -in

    the twilight of a fine summer day, gulping down what remained of my Del's

    lemonade, I encountered a neighbor, a seemingly friendly, garrulous type.

    A retired Navy man and Korean War veteran, he likes to travel and now

    was just returning from a pleasant vacation in Canada.

        What he found most delightful about the north region was -to be blunt-

    the absence of Third World types - blacks, hispanics, Asians. " No

    crime there ", he pointed. " In the town I visited there had not been

    a murder in 50 years -and that was an accident", he said.

          " You know why  THEY come here? " he asked me. Then he gave the

    answer : " FOOD - we have a lot of FOOD here. They go right down to the

    welfare office to get their food stamps. In Florida there are signs

    telling them to come to Rhode Island . Because we have the most generous

    welfare program in the country. "

         I listened to him talk in this way, neither agreeing nor strongly

    disagreeing . I certainly think that there is an immigration " problem "

    here but hope there is some humane way to deal with it.

         " I could never live in Providence ", he continued. Those Italians,

    he said, keep Mayor Cianci in office. " The mafia business and all ".

       He told me - oblivious of my last name - that the Italians ( " they

    use to call them guineas, you know "  )   completely control the town

    of Johnston. " I remember going to the city hall. They tell me: ' Can't

    help you today. Roco is not in '.

          " The problem with a lot of people today", he said , " is that

    they don't read. They don't know anything. They just don't know what's

    going on ".

          Finally I was able to agree completely with him. I'm sure we will

    make great friends. If I can just change my last name !