Golfin' in America

This country has its problems. We haven't figured out how to deal with the fact that there are serious economic inequities among ethnic groups. We've been divided as hell for the last few years. We can't take liquids on airplanes because terrorists are trying to blow up Americans.

All of that being said, I don't think that something I saw and heard today could happen anywhere else. Here's what it was.

I had pulled into the parking lot of my local golf course and was unloading my clubs. There were two men who looked like they were Pakistani to my admittedly under-educated eye. They seemed to be sharing a joke. Here's what I heard:

Man No. 1: [Something in a language that I didn't understand, in a humorous tone of voice.]

Man No. 2: [Ditto.]

Man No. 1: [Laughing] Okey dokey.

Man No. 2: [Something in a language that I didn't understand, in a humorous tone of voice, said jovially.]

Man No. 1: [Laughing] Shit.

This just seemed like a uniquely American thing to me. The joke shared in a language that is not the dominant language (in France, no more than 10 years ago, I believe that they were requiring Web sites accessible in France to contain a certain amount of French). The addition of "okey dokey" in the middle. The fact that the guys were getting ready to play golf. Hell, in America, not that long ago, ethnic minorities weren't let on golf courses. That has changed here, thank God. This situation just struck me as uniquely American.

I ended up playing nine holes with the guys that I heard. They were both pretty good and really nice guys. Kit and Sudash. Okey dokey.