Squeaky Fromme was one of Charles Manson's misguided followers. She was , as I've read, immature and easily misled. She sought a god and found one in Manson. I met a girl the other day who reminded me of young Americans who are easily misled and end up more radical than the average flock member.
I received a CV by fax and it was from an American girl living in the Middle East. She hailed from South Dakota so I shall not name her. I called her to arrange an interview as I felt she may be suitable as a teacher's assistant. She sounded pleasant enough on the phone so we made a time and date.
She arrived swaddled in a thick veil (there are loose veils and heavy veils,and heavy veils, even to Egyptians, signify an eccentric Moslem.) She refused to shake my hand and told me she would not do so, thank you very much. I meet Moslem women every day. They do not kiss other men but they will shake hands--most do. The girl from South Dakota came into my office and conducted the interview in Arabic and English. It became clear to me that she had been so swayed by Islam that she had lost it--all of it.
I cut the interview short because of her eccentricity--she would have caused uproar amongst my Egyptian staff--and her lack of qualifications. She said to me before I shouted "cut" in my mind: "I have more important things to do, can I leave now?" Remember this is an interview in a prestigious school with a Director who is always amiable.
How was this little girl influenced so much and why was she so much more eccentric (radical?). This is what puzzled me. Egyptian Muslims are not as eccentric, indeed they are sunny, bright and polite. I felt that she was quite a scary person and that's why I began to think of "the blind leading the blind" as in Manson's case. What do Joeusers think about the girl from South Dakota?