But I might, someday, influence how my readers perceive stereotypes–if I am consistent and persist.

Cruising along tonight, no baseball to distract me from the web, I stopped here, read with interest your post on the Delta fight attendant, followed that link to get the full story, came back to read your response to Halley’s post, the comments that followed, and moved on without commenting. How could I add to and move this discussion along appropriately? I went to http://www.feld.com/blog/ and read "I got bitch slapped by some folks early on in my blogging career ..." I realized I did have something to say.

What we imagine powers what we think.
What we think becomes our words.
Other than using the photos you take for example Shelley, and art that others (like my daughter) can do (draw, perform, etc.), humans all fall back on the words we say to tell someone else how and what we are thinking. In this case, I hold that sometimes they can reveal more than originally intended.

While I remember, I do need to give some credit to Steve Rizzo for helping to form this thought. This is behind his major theme of being a humor being. “The choices you make determine the actions you take. The actions you take will lead you to your destiny.”

We need to be aware of the words we use. We can avoid sexist language. We can avoid offensive language. We need to be creative in expressing ourselves, being true to ourselves, yet respectful of the words and the lives they have lived before us and can live after us. I find that I need to I respond slower. When I am quick witted and jump right in to the opportunity, it does not work out the way it should. So I have become more comfortable being patient. Thinking it through. Framing my thoughts carefully.

I recall the story teller from the Dodge Poetry Festival, Joe Bruchac. He mentioned during one of his stories that the natives did not have a word for clock. The French missionaries had brought a clock with them to New England. The natives had not seen the like before. They used the sun to tell time, season, etc. Because the French were insistent on translating the Bible into the native language, they did finally make up a word for it. It was some time later that they did reveal to at least one of the French that the word really meant “something that it not worthwhile but does makes the Frenchmen do things” (or something close to this). The point of this digression: that the French understood the power of words, and just as importantly, the natives did as well and were able to see through the French.

I applaud your efforts, Shelley. It is helpful to know that someone else is also striving to be consistent in shedding light on stereo types. We do not need those type casts where there is far more in common amongst us than different.