A scathing narrator lowers her anthropology in this compelling passage from White Teeth by Zadie Smith:
What was it about this unlovable century that convinced us we were, despite everything, eminently lovable as a people, as a species? What made us think that anyone who fails to love us is damaged, lacking, malfunctioning in some way? And particularly if they replace us with a god, or a weeping madonna, or the face of Christ in a ciabatta roll—then we call them crazy. Deluded. Regressive. We are so convinced of the goodness of ourselves, and the goodness of our love, we cannot bear to believe that there might be something more worthy of love than us, more worthy of worship. Greetings cards routinely tell us everybody deserves love. No. Everybody deserves clean water. Not everybody deserves love all the time.
Millat didn’t love Irie, and Irie was sure there must be somebody she could blame for that.
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That is one phenomenal passage, CJ (from a phenomenal book!). Thank you for sharing.