Sweater

It's hard to think of a more touching description for a century old teddy bear. Where is the bear your sister gave you by the way? I suppose you could have taken off its provocative sweater and taken him with you.

First I thought that the bear was a fraud, because the Teddy Bear was named after Roosevelt. I always thought that to be Franklin Delano Roosevelt who ran office from 1932, and that his lovely wife named him and a bear like that because of the same resemblance. How wrong was I, there was as everybody knows, a Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt who was president of the US too in 1902, so this bear is real.

When I was about 10 years old, I decided to sew patches onto all the areas of my mother's old teddy bear where the straw stuffing came out. My parents were not very happy with the result.

He is lovely. I have a soft spot for teddy bear tummies.

My grandmother gave me a Teddy bear when I was a toddler, but I had to hide him, because personal property was not allowed at home. In the end I had to destroy my lovely bear. Poor bear.
Now I honour all Teddy bears.

Philip

I am afraid Arnon is so degenerated as a Jew. He lost al 'gotspe', that's why he didn't take the bear.

Bernard

Meet the man in my life (and bed): Mister Teddy.
I would be lost without him.

Mieke

Degenerated? I just don’t count on other people’s sense of humor.

Mieke

I wouldn't dare using the word degenerated in the same sentance as Arnon, but of course I am a newbie here. I feel a little like a visitor at a tea party hosted by Arnon. I'm sure you have earned to take certain liberties. But since you introduced this subject, I feel I can ask you why you think Arnon is 'deganerated as a Jew'. It's quite an assertion to make. Have you seen other evidence of this, besides his refusal to take a teddy bear to Iraq wrapped in a star of David sweater?

PS Might there be a small part of you that wants him killed by Teddy bear? You seem like a very loving person, particulary towards Arnon, but sometimes it's only a small step from love to destruction.

Philip

Ofcourse I don't think Arnon is degenerated, nor do I think he doesn't have 'gotspe'. Sometimes it just you need a big statement to get a reaction by Arnon. Though did you realize not so long ago a large part of the population in Europe thought that every Jew was degenerated. In the part of the world he's travelling now a lot of people still see the jewish people as to blame for all evil. Maybe I was hinting at this notion.
But you are right, I do love Arnon, very much . This trip to Iraq doesn't change this and no , I don't wish to destroy him. In fact I'm relieved he didn't take that bear with him.

Mieke

When you said "I am afraid Arnon is so degenerated as a Jew. He lost al 'gotspe'", I thought you felt that he has lost his Jewishness, as far as it is possible to have or loose such a thing. Is that correct?

Which seems different to hinting at they idea held by non-Jews in Europe or the Middle East that jews are degenerated people, to blame for all evil, if you allow me to paraphrase what you said. So, I am a little confused about what you're saying, other than that you don't wish to destroy him.

@Mieke
In bed I am a teddy Bear too, nothing less and certainly nothing more.
(but I snort …)

Philip

I understand your confusion, but , for me, 'degenerated 'and 'Jew' in the same sentence is closely connected to antisemitism, wich makes me think of worldwar II.
But, now you come to mention it, I do think of Arnon as an atheïst. Describing him as a Jew isn't correct any longer.
'Gotspe' is a characteristic not related to any race. Some jewish people I've met had it, others not. I feel it would be a kind of reversed antisemitism to qualify someone as jewish or not because of it. So my comment was largely intended ironical.

Bernard

Honey, me too (snorting).

Mieke

I did notice the irony, all of it good humoured, but I also thought you were making a more serious point amongst the joking about Arnon allegedly losing his Gotpse. There is no need to get defensive about it, I certainly did not intend to put you on the defensive. If there was a point about him losing his gotspe though, then I think travelling to Iraq by car with a camera-shy, unemployed Turkish translator shows he still has plenty of it. What I don't know is whether he rides in an armoured car with an armed Xe Services escort from the Iraqi border, while enjoying regular back rubs.