KOTH: Westie Side Story #6

All Jesus did that day was tell stories--a long storytelling afternoon.

Westie Side Story #6 (rank #27) 3/2/1997



Laotians Kahn and Minh Souphanousinphone and their daughter Connie move into the house next door to Hank. Hank and Kahn take a dislike to each other, but Peggy makes Hank go to Kahn's barbecue, for fear that people will think Hank is a racist for not liking Kahn. Meanwhile, Bobby and Connie lose Hank and Kahn's dogs, and when Hank finds that the dogs are missing, he believes that Kahn and Minh used them to make their hamburgers at the barbecue.

Quotes:

"You honor me by giving me gas." --

Khan Souphanousinphone, reluctantly accepting a gift of propane from Hank.

Hank: "So are you Chinese, or Japanese?"
Khan: "I am Laotian."
Hank: ".....so are you Chinese, or Japanese?"
Hank: "Are you Chinese or Japanese?"
Khan: "I lived in California for last 20 years, but I am Laotian."
Bill: "You come from the ocean?"
Khan: "No, stupid. I come from Laos. A small country in Asia. Population 4.8 million."
Hank: "So are you Chinese or Japanese?"

Minh (trying on Peggy's shoes): "Hey, I'm like little girl in Mamma's shoes!"

Hank: "Look at this recipe. It says a quarter pound chopped meat, not chopped dog."
Dale: "Dog is meat."

Hank: "Oh, I get it, just because I'm from Texas I must be a redneck... Chinese and their damn stereotypes."

Minh: "Hello, dog pound?" (Hank looks over) "I'm looking for dog. Sweet, sweet dog. We had big barbecue and dog run out. About 20 to 25 pounds."
Minh: "Hello, dog pound?" (Hank looks over) "I'm looking for dog. Sweet, sweet dog. We had big barbecue and dog run out. About 20 to 25 pounds."

(furious about the jokes Minh made about how big her feet are)
HANK: Oh, she was just kidding, honey.
PEGGY (enraged): It... it doesn't matter. You-you don't go over to a woman's house and insult her feet. You-you just don't.
PEGGY: Do... do you think my feet are too big, Hank?
HANK: Oh no, sweetie. There's... there's just more of you to love.
(Hank takes a step closer and he and Peggy are a good 12 inches apart)
PEGGY: Ow.
(HANK looks down and realizes he stepping on her huge feet)
HANK: Oh, sorry.

Bobby:So,your name is Kahn Jr.?
Connie:Yeah. My dad wanted a boy.
Bobby:Yeah, my dad did too.

Analysis:

Stereotypes run a muck in this episode. Instead of being able to overcome them & form a friendship with Kahn, Hank succumbs to them & allows them to form hatred out of ignorance. Relationships aren't to be taken lightly & the Bible has much to say about those between neighbors.

"Don't secretly hate your neighbor. If you have something against him, get it out into the open; otherwise you are an accomplice in his guilt.

"Don't seek revenge or carry a grudge against any of your people. "Love your neighbor as yourself. I am GOD.

Anyone who injures his neighbor will get back the same as he gave: 20fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. What he did to hurt that person will be done to him.

Stereotypes lead to labels which become powerful in the grand scope of things. Labels allow us to not only dismiss individuals, but whole people groups. Labels are multi-purposeful as they can cause division between races, cultures, genres & unfortunately believers.

Rather than being the body of Christ that we are called to be, we often lay scattered in pieces, non-functional & unable to serve as we should. The greater good is lost when we aren't able to think transformationally about the seamless garment that we should be. This is not new however.

You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts--limbs, organs, cells--but no matter how many parts you can name, you're still one body. It's exactly the same with Christ. 13By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized.) Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain--his Spirit--where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves--labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free--are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive.
14I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn't just a single part blown up into something huge. It's all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together.

We should be able to draw hope from how the episode ends. Hank & Kahn finally find commonality in the disciplining of their children, albeit serendipitously. Almost at blows the moment before, both men are able to see a little of themselves in the other and part cordially.

We too should be willing to strive with 1 another to find the commonality from which we are able to see ourselves in another. What better commonality than the Lordship of Christ? I know of none.