Used in a sentence: "While I was away last week in Vegas, a certain someone decided to go all LBJ and give the fallen mangoes in the front yard to the old lady across the street, inadvertently creating a mango welfare state."
I should start with a few disclaimers ... first, this story is still unfolding so we'll see how it plays out. Second, the old lady across the street is the one who lives in the house (behind the main house) that we can't see -- possibly because they don't have electric and maybe not even water (the assorted children are always walking down the street with jugs, returning from somewhere with H20), and so I'm in no way implying that she's not worthy. Third, the reality is that most fallen mangoes end up in the recyclable waste, because after having mango salsa and just plain mango here and after having sent mangoes to loved ones, we've had our mango fill for quite some time.
That being said, here's where I started thinking about this allegory. After having done so once, she smiles now every time she passes, and puts her hand out for more. This is done without words ... which is more because I think that she doesn't speak English and only speaks her island language (which none of us speak), but it still casts a pallor over the exchange. What pushed me over the edge ... when we weren't forthcoming with mangoes since I've returned, she now puts a bag in the fence, expecting it to be filled. I suddenly understand entitlement. The final straw ... she's now been seen with a giant pole that she uses to poke and prod the tree from the sidewalk side of the fence to claim her prized fruit ... I mean, OUR prized fruit.
I imagine this ends once all the mangoes are gone (again, draw your own allegorical conclusions) but, until then, there's a bit of class warfare about to erupt in the front yard ...
LEARNING ME SOMETHING ABOUT SOME MANGOES:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/06/3487693/the-history-of-mangos-in-south.html
IS IT FOR THE TAKING JUST BECAUSE IT IS ACCESSIBLE:
http://realestate.msn.com/blogs/listedblogpost.aspx?post=c86c4477-cc55-4ccc-99b5-c7888d8fc55b
LBJ WAS IN MY FRONT YARD:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2014/01/10/50-years-later-lbjs-war-on-poverty-has-proven-a-total-failure/
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