Talkin' Shit About A Pretty Sunset

I recently got an email complaint about my profile tagline from someone named Karen S.:

"...'Oh yea, and I love the smell of burning trash in the Third World. That just gets me going.'
Coming from an open minded person I can't believe the last sentence in your profile...I find it very offensive....Would you consider removing it? you are implying about the smell of third world countries... I was raised in one of the countries you are talking about...I just think you have to be a little more careful with your choosing of words."

I responded:

"Karen - I'm not implying it; I'm saying it. In all 3rd World countries I've visited, people often don't have regular trash pick-up services like we do in the rich world so therefore they often burn their trash outdoors in a pile. It's just a fact of life. I'm saying that I like that smell -- a smell I've experienced in every poorer country I've been to. The smell reminds me of some good times I've had in those places. - LB"

Smells do that, don't they -- sticking with you undetected for a long time, bringing back memories faster and more potent than the visual ever could.

The point of this post is really the above picture -- a photo I took yesterday on a regular street in Bhimavaram, India: a scene you can find in thousands upon thousands of places throughout the global south. It's neither something to be ashamed of or proud of -- and certainly not worth being squeamish and skittishly PC, like the above Karen S.