FOREWORD
          
Dr. Jampolsky explains how to deliver a lecture, present a scientific 
paper, write an article, or communicate verbally: "first you tell 'em 
what you're going to tell 'em, then you tell 'em, then you tell 'em what 
you told 'em."

I will tell you what you know but may not agree with: the world is much 
more us and them than us against them; conflict is a form of 
cooperation; we are all members of one another.

To avoid arguments I should avoid discussing politics, religion, sex, 
and music; I add economics, race, and gender to that list. Naturally I 
will expose my feelings about all these.

There are three kinds of truth: things that are true whether or not 
spoken of, such as sunup; things true only if spoken, "foul ball"; 
things only true if unspoken, "check's in the mail", which if spoken are 
called lies.

WHO

I have been a lot of different people and that led to this book. As I 
write this I am 70 years old but inside I still feel about 14. These 
lives, events, and choices have interested me and I think will amuse 
you. My "WHO" should be made clear by the autobiographical notes that 
start each section.

WHAT

The "WHAT's" are the conclusions I reached from being in so many 
different bags. Most of you have not had this many opportunities to take 
part in this many cultures. I got to hot-walk some outstanding race 
horses, fool with gamecocks who were determined to kill their fellows, 
be in ensembles with outstanding musicians and actors, do cutting edge 
scientific stuff, and stand behind a catcher who was receiving 90 mph 
fast balls which he hoped I would greet with "strike."

These lives have things in common that I hope to persuade you are 
universal truths about your own humanity and that of your fellow 
travelers on our "spaceship earth."

WHEN

It starts when there were daily knocks on the door by men who were 
willing to work for a meal and extends to when people stand by the road 
with "work for food" signs. The punctuations of war and pendulum swings 
of fashion mark points along the way.

WHERE

I have lived a geographically insular life, never having been to Europe. 
I was a sailor in the Philippines, a tourist in Mexico and Polynesia, 
and a musician and scientist in Canada.. Otherwise I haven't left the 
USA.

WHY

I have always headed straight for my heart's desire. I never took a job 
I didn't love. I never passed GO or collected $200. I write this as a 
laxative to relieve myself of a constipation of ideas. The purpose is to 
infect you with the disease of universal brotherhood.

HOW

I loosely arrange the essays into groups defined by physical 
characteristics (Sighted White Male Young Old Smart), career choices 
(Arbiter Oddsmaker Musician Director Horseman Cockfighter), or a 
combination of nature and nurture (Ethnic Rich Straight). I am a 
cultural anthropologist without portfolio and I will show you no 
stinking badges, references, or footnotes.

ARGUMENT...for whom is this written

My purpose in discussing others is to push through our preconceptions 
and bigotry to an appreciation of people with different labels. The 
divisions between men/women, whites/blacks, hip/square resist healing 
just like those between Protestant/Catholic Irish, Serb/Muslim 
Yugoslavs, or Arab/Jewish Semites. The symptoms range from rhetoric to 
murder.

Maybe if we examine enough misconceptions about "outsiders" we will find 
cures for our bad attitudes and prejudices. The theory is that knowledge 
of something reduces its mystery and terror. If you "get it" you will 
get over being a slave to an idea that tastes bitter. Psychoanalysis is 
based on this theory and it may not always work perfectly, but we are 
going to try it out.

Recently a man who was a member of a "white supremacist" group had his 
values changed when his son was born with a cleft palate and others in 
the group urged him to exterminate the boy. His transformation extended 
to the "Negro Issue" and even a sympathy for women's rights.

Because I changed through living with or paying attention to different 
cultures, I believe this may help you open your mind (and heart?). Some 
of these subcultures are majorities, some reviled, some pitied. They all 
experience exclusion from the mainstream. My trigger was experiences 
with blind friends. The title piece outlines the sorts of separation I 
hope to "heal." We may not understand how demeaning our pity can be.

Alan Myerson asked in relation to theatrical work "what's this about?": 
this is about the joys of privilege without the selfishness of 
exclusivity. Shared privileges are enhanced by the sharing.

As we change from hunters & gatherers or farmers & animal husbanders to 
become consumers & spectators - from being subjects of the king into 
being customers - we can see that beauty is not spoiled by the gaze of 
the mob. Except for Greek Letter Fraternities and Country Clubs, our 
cultures welcome new members, even if we don't actively recruit them.

Many groups suffer discrimination; I examine some I am in or close to 
whose problems arise from their exclusion. The problems blind people 
have because they cannot see are distinct from the difficulties sighted 
people impose. I don't know if this imposition is because of 
unfamiliarity and insensitivity or if we insist that we keep some people 
"in their place" to enhance our privilege.

We all bridle at our enslavement as children, but as we mature we lose 
our rage and renege on our vows to do something about it when we become 
the enslavers. As we age we endure society's "old folks" attitudes. In 
youth we create a new language and other secret places to avoid the 
stupidity of our elders; as "seniors" we put up with weirdness and bide 
our time until we exit.

Some of my cultures are by their nature exclusive - you can use just so 
many baseball umpires. I want my experiences in these things to give you 
the feeling of what it's like and how that relates to your own 
experiences. Maybe you will try some cultural expansion beyond your 
present horizons. Even if you only take part as a spectator, you become 
a participant.

I hope the reader shares my privilege. The writer gets to experience 
absolute exclusivity !