Us and Them

This story made me sick to my stomach. I had to force myself to keep reading it. Maybe it was the way I was raised, but I don’t think it is right to treat anyone different because of how they are raised. Just because the Tomkey’s were raised without a T.V does, in no way, mean they are any less informed than any other family. The author’s family, had just moved into the neighborhood, and didn’t know how people in that neighborhood acted or did things. The author’s mom raised her children to think that it is not important to make friends because they would be moving soon. However, making friends is an important part of growing up. By having more friends, or even befriending the Tomkey kids, the author might have known what they did instead of watch T.V. He also would have known why they decided to go trick-or-treating the day after Halloween, and he wouldn’t have had to spy on them like they were some kind of television show.
By reading this story, I could tell the author was selfish. He based everything, and everyone, around himself and his knowledge of life. He did not take the time to learn about other people and their way of life. Actually, he didn’t even think for himself. He used his mom’s decisions, and way of life as his own. His mom told him there was no point in making friends, therefore he didn’t.
The author, as a grown up, looking back on his childhood, seems to realize that he was wrong in his decision to try to deny the candy to the Tomkey children. Although he realizes he did wrong, he still tried to undermine what he did by saying that that image was not the only image taking place at that moment, therefore all the attention should not be put on it. However, I believe ever moment is important to someone, and that particular moment should not be taken out of the spotlight just because it was not the only thing happening. What he did was wrong and I don’t believe he sees it that way even as an adult. He was trying to justify what he did by taking it out of the spotlight.