This has been mulling in my head for quite a few days now. I was a Burger King having, well, a burger, obviously. There was an older gentleman there and he wished me a good dinner, which I thought was nice of him–I said the same to him. Generally I feel odd when random people say things to me, perhaps because I don’t know them and Santa Cruz is, unfortunately, somewhat shady in comparison to other small towns I’ve been in. Still, it was nice of him.
So, I got my food, I ate, and then I packed up and headed for the door. At the door, the man looked up at me from his table and said, “Have a nice night.”
And then, it got weird.
“You look like a Christian,” he said.
I sat there baffled and said, “Oh, well, umm…”
“Are you?”
“Not really, no. I’m sort of spiritual.”
He proceeded to tell me that it wasn’t a bad thing to be Christian–which I knew, kind of–and mentioned how a lot of kids sort of rebelled at my age–which is true.
I said, “I think it has a lot to do with parents who are religious really pushing their religion on their kids rather than letting them grow into their own beliefs. It’s hard for some kids, who live in such a diverse world, to accept their parents’ faith if it’s crammed down their throats.” Basically, my “kids aren’t really as stupid as parents think they are” speech.
He agreed and suggested some other reasons, wished me a good night, and then we parted ways.
What struck me about this, though, was the fact that I looked like a Christian. What exactly does a Christian look like? Is it white? Clean shaven with a little stubble? Unbrushed hair that lies messy (my hair isn’t long)? Cargo pants? I don’t get it. What about me looks Christian? How could someone of a particular religion look like someone from that religion (setting aside priest outfits and the like)?
So, what do you think? Do you think I look like a Christian?
