There was once a traveling reporter who went out and did stories on America, and in this particular instance she was doing a story on the midwest's small towns. She was particularly interested in the social structures, how men and women got along, and what happened at these large big dances that would take place in small towns. So she got into town a few days earlier, knowing that people would be coming in from all the surrounding towns and farms, and there would be a fantastic dance.
So the night of the dance comes, and she's doing the best that she can to be unnoticed, because a good reported doesn't want peopl to know she's doing a story. She's watching, moving around to different tables and places, and she notices as ths evening goes on a certain phonemone taking place. And here's what she notices.
She notices that the ladies get together at the end of a dance that htey're often talking about the "idiot" that asked them to dance. Compalining about htis that and the other, others talking about how nobody knows anything. Just making cruel remarks and gossiping about the men and the event.
But she notices the whole night there's one woman taht, even hough she's sitting smongst these woman, she's not doing anything liek that. She has a pleasant demeanor, she has abright smile on her face, she's not saying anything negative about anyone for any reason at all.
As the night goes on, the reporter watches this woman with more and more interest. The reporter is thinking to herself, "Maybe this is the story I'm looking for. How could one person be so different from all fo the others there?"
Finally, as the evening is getting near to its wrapup, she decides she needs to talk to this lady so she walks up and introduces herself and who she is and that she's doing a story. "I just want to ask you a couple questions if I can. I've noticed this evening that unlke everyone else at this dance, you just seem to be having a good time. Not just that, I haven't seen you frown, I haven't seen you say anything denigrating about anybody here, I haven't heard you complain about the ball. I was just wondering why is it that you're able to sit here and do what you do?"
The young woman looks at her and says, "Well it's really not that complicated."
"Please tell me what it is."
"First of all, I only dance with the partners I want to dance with."
"The reporter looks at her and says, "Well what do you mean?"
She says, "If somebody comes up and I don't want to dance with them, I don't say yes."
"Well that's fine. But what if the person pushes the point. What if that man that's asked you to dance, what if he's insistent?"
The lady says, "I just say. I think I'm going to sit this one out."
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