Neanderthals!

When I was in high school, I was very active in the drama club. Every once in a while I remember one particular incident that still brings about a strong response. I was playing Louisiana Capote in Southern Fried Murder (he's an effeminate southern writer that's a combination of Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote). In one line, I was to call another character, a stupid southern sheriff, a neanderthal. Now, obviously, Louisiana was an educated person, like me, and knew that Neanderthal is a word with French origins and is properly pronounced (in both languages) with a hard t, not an English th. The director laughed at me and insisted I was saying it wrong. Even once I proved that I was right, I was told to say it incorrectly. This pushed my buttons in about 37 different ways--I hate being corrected when I'm right, I hate pandering to the ignorant, I hate taking direction from someone who's not committed to doing things correctly, etc. Ultimately, I said it correctly anyway.

The important thing about this incident is it still gets me fired up when I think about it. We all have all sorts of experiences in high school that are varying degrees of humiliating, and those of us who are well adapted move on. Despite all of the indignities suffered in my childhood, I've grown into a pretty healthy person. I hold almost no grudges. But this, for whatever reason, cannot be forgotten. Funny the things that stick with us.