Dear 20 somethings in my knitting class,

Hi. It’s LA. You may not remember me but I took that knitting class with you a few months back. I was sitting in the first seat on the left side because you were totally spreading your stuff at the back of the table to make sure I didn’t sit there.

I had the pink yarn?

But anyway.

I really enjoyed your conversations about how capitalism is really bad and rich people should die. It boded well as you spoke of the highly prestigious and criminally expensive schools that you all attended. And of course as you all appeared to live in nice neighborhoods in apartments that apparently boasted fireplaces or rain forest showers or enough room to have an office. Good things none of those things cost money.

Woman with the purple yarn, I loved your story about how mean an ogre your boss was because he made you take a half day of work since the class was was 10am to 1pm on a friday, plus the commuting time and taking lunch. I understand how frustrating that was to not get paid for not working, or whatever your gripe was about being unfair. But I agree, the next time you want to take a class in the middle of the day you’re going to use one of those mouse jiggler things that the woman with the yellow yarn used, or tell your boss that the internet was down like the orange yarn. Silly bosses. They don’t have to know what you’re doing during the day as long as they pay you your capitalist wages…

I loved watching how six late 20s white girls who had never met before bonded over sneakers and sorority affiliation. You made yourself your own little club at the back half of the table. I was thrilled to see that indeed, women of this generation can reach beyond their phones and talk to people face to face. Your conversation about inclusion was especially gratifying, it warmed my heart about how your generation is going to save the world by making sure no one felt left out. I’m sure the other woman who was about my age, and the three women of color who were also at the table felt great about it as you ignored all of us, didn’t include us in the conversation, wouldn’t clear your things out of a chair for us, and basically ignored any attempt the five of us made to join the conversation at large. I have never felt so hopeful about the goals that the youth of America has for the fate of our country. Your actions most definitely spoke louder than your words.

But thanks again for allowing me to sit at the table really far away from you all. I learned so much that day and will remember how unified you were in your condemnation of the world at large. I feel great things coming your way…

Best,

The woman at the end of the table that you probably don’t remember because you were so completely self involved you had no idea what was around you.

86 thoughts on “Letter to my Knitting Class”

  1. LA, I’m so glad that I’m not the only one who sees and is appalled by the hypocrisy. Back when student loan forgiveness was on the table in Jan, I overheard two young women complaining. As they loaded their cart with wine and fancy cheese, they whined that they had already spent the anticipated funds. They “needed” that trip to Greece and the new Yves Saint Laurent handbag. So, now they have student loan debt and consumer debt. They sense of entitlement really got under my skin. I shared a studio apartment with a roommate for years and lived on rice and beans to pay off my student loans… I got by just fine without a fireplace or rain forest shower, but it sounds as if those are basic necessities now? Goodness!

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      1. Give them some time to mature and age. What were you like at that age?

        Your daughter and possibly mine may be aberrations in that they may have matured earlier than some of their peers. I may like to think this is due to my parenting, but my daughter will not allow me to take that credit!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. At that age I was working a 60 hour a week job so that I could save some money for a home and put away for retirement. I was not living off my parents in a too expensive apartment, and was not taking knitting classes at 10am in a Friday. I spent one evening a week tutoring kids in reading spent one Sunday a month volunteering at the ward in the hospital holding babies born with aids. I’m not saying my way was better…everyone is allowed their path…but I’m pretty sure I wasn’t quite as hypocritical as they were

        Like

  6. Hopefully, age will alert them to the truth of people know you by your actions more than your words. Talking about being inclusive while not including people in the conversation says a lot. Truly enjoyed the read, though, and secretly hoping that your words find them at some point! (But only if I can be a fly on the wall while they read!)

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  7. It is hard to find the words for the hypocrisy you witnessed and experienced. Glad to see their parents flushed good money down the toilet. I had a similar situation with my son (his partner was a card carrying communist) when he was at school. I took the story of the 20th Century Motor Corp and applied it to his class. It wasnt fair he studied and got good grades while others failed. I told him the students needing better grades whould get As and Bs while he would recieve a C because his GPA was much better….

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  8. Words vs. actions…what a perfectly on-point description of entitlement…a story told beautifully from the perspective of what one would HOPE could be, might be, should be, a fairly inclusive group. Benign, at least! You were all in create/maker mode in a knitting class…but the clustering in the corner? Sheesh. Shame on all of them.

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    1. Exactly! I watched this unfold, because frankly I’m a crappy knitter, and they don’t even vaguely realize what they’re saying vs doing. I wish I could have taped the class

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      1. 😉I think you captured the scene without recording it…rich descriptions…I felt like I was there with you. Such a good reminder for all of us that it’s the doing that matters…not good intentions or, as my dad used to say doing nothing better than “mouthing off”. 😉

        Liked by 4 people

  9. I have noticed this change of guard between younger and older teachers in the district. No, it is not possible to be friends with your students. This is a really well written description of entitlement and hypocrisy while sitting in meetings ignoring the older teachers because just because they don’t get it. Hmmm…..I have noticed this behavior also in a different context. Thank you.

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  10. OMG I love snarky blogger LA! I want this perspective more often please 🙂 I love being invisible and brazenly listening in on people like this. I’ve actually looked directly at people in these settings with that “do you hear yourself” look on my face after the most god awful remarks. They remain oblivious and clueless.

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  14. I love this and hope you will publish it somewhere. Maybe in a local knitting publication or local paper? Magazine? I wish our kids were taught that our country is great, but my kids also learned that Capitalism, corporations and rich people are evil. When they left for college they had a different point of view. When they graduated they were saying the same things as these girls.

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  15. I guess this happens in NYC, too…
    😦
    On another note:
    Where was the teacher in all of this? Teaching? Engaging students in the art of knitting? Mingling with students and offering pointers on how to knit ‘better’? Or what? I wonder if she was dissed because she required a fee for her teaching services…you know, us creatives should offer up our instruction for free since we do it for the love of it.
    AARG.
    And – I do like the perspective this essay/slice of life was written in, pink yarn lady!

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    1. She was a decent teacher, she did go around the room…but she clearly wanted to be one of the cool kids. As for New York…I’d say we are the worst hypocrites…

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  17. Sorry. Fat fingers. To continue…..
    Nothing more important than the ME. Not what I want to be, just me, now and forever. It is shame that you had to listen to their nonsense but a blessing that you were far enough away that you didn’t explode on one of them.
    So, they want to save the world and not leave anyone out. They have the wealth, the time to take a knitting class. At their age my wife, and probably you too, were saddled with the miserable life of a wife and mother. Diapers and pre-school took the place of knitting. Food shopping and maybe trying to juggle a career or having a part-time job to help ends meet took the place of incessant whining. These are people who will never grow up and the world will one day be theirs.
    But then, look on the bright side, and this side is very bright…your daughter isn’t one of them.

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  19. Entitlement on steroids! Again, I fear for our future, our country’s and the world’s, as our governments move lockstep towards socialism. There is a puppet master, but I’m not sure who it is. Your satire is brilliant. I’m laughing over the humor and crying over the situation. As a retired educator, I initially resisted blaming teachers. Certainly they are only a part of the problem, but they hold power and sway over young minds that are not fully developed and they are molding them with a distortion of truth and reality.😳

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      1. Certainly “parental pampering” is a big part of it. If you look at your daughter, though, she has had many advantages, but the difference is that she has been taught to appreciate them. Also you have taught her the value of work. Your knitting class was full of princesses.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I’m going to write about something that I said to my daughter once…it’s too long to write here…expect it in June. I do think that my portion of tough love and being parent not friend helped a lot

        Liked by 1 person

  21. You have highlighted the last acceptable form of discrimination—ageism. “We’ll be accepting of everyone…except old people because they’re irrelevant”. LOL

    That said, I hate to generalize about young people because I hate when they do it to me. Many are entitled, for sure. However, many are hard working but, with average home prices in Canada approaching a million dollars, have no hope of owning their own home.

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  24. Someone else alluded to it too..I think this is one of your best posts EVER! and like Deb said, I too love snarky blogger LA! Wisdom wrapped in a punch.

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  26. LA,
    1) There must be something in the air. Great fodder, though, which makes for a great story. I love irony. Pretension is great fodder as well. This is one of my favorite stories of yours. Made me giggle.
    2) Time and the hardships of life (regardless of economic status) will help them to grow the hell up. 🤞
    3) What did you knit with pink yarn?
    Hugs, Mona

    Liked by 1 person

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  29. So true…Most young people I know truly believe that socialism means unlimited free stuff for everyone, especially themselves. They want to get rid of capitalism as long as it means they don’t have to do without anything, but are happy to think of the “rich” being fleeced because they honestly don’t see themselves as rich. I’m not quite sure how we got here, but it’s not a good situation at all. And don’t even get me started on being inclusive by only including those who are exactly like us……

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  30. Oh how disappointing. But then I suspect there are pockets (sadly probably quite large pockets) of this type of thinking and behaviour all over the place. Usually in the richer and socially elevated sectors of society. I figured out how to identify and then to avoid them years ago.

    I hope you enjoyed your conversation with the other women of your age and the three women of colour.

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