My impression of Haiti, from a mission trip Mrs. Gagg and I took there a few years ago, is one of disaster at the best of times. I cannot conceive of what kind of a Dantesque scene it must be now after the earthquake. But learning more about the history of this beleaguered island has given me a better understanding of who’s to blame - and it’s not the devil!
Mr. Harrigan is a bit uptight and a little sensitive - and at a recent office visit to follow up on his paroxysmal atrial fibrillation he made me aware of a new etiology - “Tele-tension” .
Reluctant to take the beta-blocker, Labetalol, his cardiologist had prescribed him, he was asking about ways to prevent further episodes. He had stopped alcohol and caffeine already. I was asking him the standard stuff about any other sources of stimulation, like over the counter decongestants, thyroid disease, or “too much adrenalin in the system” from anxiety. This prompted him to a profound thought.
The context
To fully appreciate the influences on Mr. Harrigan, you have to follow the American media. True to form, they are raucous and inflammatory - currently filled with gloom and doom about Haiti, suicide bombers and insurgents.
Or if you happen to be a supporter of health care reform and Obama you are also liable to be distressed by:
The loss of a filibuster proof majority with the election of Scott Brown in Massachusetts (also famous for another win, as “Americas sexiest Man” when he posed naked in Cosmo’s centerfold).
The Supreme Courts reversal of a restriction on corporate contribution - in place since 1907 - which is liable to bode badly for the Democrats.
And, most vexatious of all, interviews with the ‘Teabagger’s (a term that has two meanings. One, according to The Urban Dictionary, is as in this case, a group of ” conservative activists. . . . so ignorant that they protest against tax cuts that benefit them”. The other, that the ‘baggers’ are not so happy with, is related to its rather obscene sexual connotation).
At a recent rally in Washington they accused Obama of “aborting babies all over the world”, taking away freedom of speech. That he is the antichrist mentioned in the bible. That we “need a Christian in White House, not a Muslim”, that we should “bury Obama care with Kennedy “. That we shouldn’t go on paying for slavery by providing welfare to the poor who are predominantly black. And should have conservative talk show host “Glenn Beck for President”.
I did not enquire into Mr. Harrigans politics. But whatever his beliefs, obviously all this stuff has the same sort of effect on his cardiovascular system as it does on my blood pressure.
I am hopeful however that he will be free of further attacks of his atrial fibrillation and what we have dubbed “Tele-tension” - as, when coming out of his reverie, he announced, “maybe I should stop watching the evening news”.
Churchill’s quote about “the common language that divides us” and the inability of Americans and English to understand each other, still holds true according to a local pain doctor. Various specialists bring us lunch to the office from time to time, as they come and peddle their wares. This day was the turn of local algologist Bhavin Suthar – who came wearing an Imperial College sweatshirt. This of course was an inevitable source of enquiry to a Londoner. So, casting aside any pretence at academia, we got talking about London and his experiences there as a student. He was intrigued by the language barrier. Doing an exam with pencil and paper, a fellow examinee leans over and asks “do you have a rubber?”. “What now??!!” thinks Suthar – not understanding that the guy wants an eraser not a condom. Preparing for a wild night out he went shopping for polka dot “suspenders” and is perplexed by the haughty response of “you’ll have to go to Soho for that sir” - not understanding he is not looking for some racy garter belt to match his lady friends panties, merely a pair of braces (of course reversing the scene, any Englishman asking for braces in the US would probably be equally perplexed by being directed to the orthodontist) Or again, Suthar, preparing for a night out one summer evening and not sure what degree of formality is appropriate, asked “are you wearing pants?” He was taken aback by the hostility, he remembers, when he got a “what business is of yours!” response - until someone gently explained that he just might be seen as a bit of a pervert wanting to know if someone is wearing underwear, rather than should he wear trousers.
