Ostensibly Informational

A woman called to ask a few basic questions about Haiti, since it was in the news. She wanted to know when it gained independence. After I found the exact date for her (using a print source in the Ready Reference section, I’ll have you know), she said that she thought France never should have let it go. I told her that they didn’t have much choice, since it was a successful revolution. She said that France should have taken it over again, since the people there were obviously incapable of ruling themselves. I let it go. I did not want to engage. I hate simple reasons for complicated situations. I think she took my silence as disagreement, because she kind of backed off, saying that what she meant was that the country was just too small and could not support industry. I was silent again, not wishing to engage on this one by telling her that they DID have a garment industry, and that was part of the problem. And also that if size was important, Singapore and Hong Kong should have folded long ago. Oh ick. I just hope she doesn’t vote. Or reproduce. Or ever call the library ever again.