Last week, I went to play bingo, since I hadn’t been in quite a while. As I was updating my Facebook status throughout the evening, more than one of my friends alluded to “blue-haired ladies”. I’m quite certain that this is the perception most people have of the Bingo hall (and we’ll save age-ism for someone else to tackle!), but in reality, a Friday night bingo game is remarkably diverse. There are people of all ages, ethnicities, etc. Though Bingo (hmm. to capitalize, or not to capitalize?!) is considered a “woman’s game”, there are certainly a fair number of men that play, also. There are Latinos, Asians, African-Americans, and they all co-exist very nicely in the smoky haze. (well, except for that one time.) They are united by a common desire to hear their number called, and to go home with a few more dollars in their pocket than they came in with. (this last part only happens for a lucky handful of folks . . . )
It’s just a beautiful picture of what our world could be . . .
or maybe I’m just cheesy.
PS–I didn’t win. Now I want to go back next weekend, and so on, until I actually DO win. who SAYS I’m not a hopeless optimist?!
I wanna love You better whatever it takes . . . 
While definitely a blue haired lady, my grandmother thought bingo was of the devil. Then again, she felt EVERY game was of the devil. When my cousin and I went over to her house when I was little, we could only read books, and even those books had any slightly offensive word ‘blacked out’. My poor father didn’t have much fun growing up…
It’s funny you should mention it, Kris . . . I always am not quite sure how bingo is perceived by people, and sometimes hesitate to mention that I’m participating in such debauchery . . . I tell myself it’s not quite “gambling” because it gives me an evening of entertainment . . . but I’m just not sure.