Am i?
by Chris on Feb.13, 2003, under General Thoughts
So, i’m sitting on the couches in the bridge between buildings 5 and 6 yesterday, and listening to some guy go on - loudly and at length - about how he thinks stupid people are a waste, and how funny he’s found it when someone he thinks is stupid gets fired, or humiliated, or mistreated…
And so, i wonder.
In what way am i a better person than this loud, abrasive, offensive man?
This isn’t a trivial question to me… I know in my mind that i’m different from him. Nonetheless, my opinions are similar on the surface, and probably seem as unpleasant to the casual listener. I am loud, i am abrasive, and i am offensive - at least my opinions frequently are.
I guess the only thing that comes to mind is that i don’t seek pleasure in the misfortunes of others. I’ve got a better understanding than most of the painful aftereffects of verbal and emotional abuse, so i’m a bit more sympathetic to the plight of the underdog. So, i’m less inclined to mock and ridicule those for whom i have no respect. Note, i say less, not un-.
But i’m not sure that’s enough to differentiate me. And that scares me a bit, because i don’t want to be the sort of person that i felt that man was.
I’m going to watch myself carefully, i think, and see if i can figure out what, if any, differences there are between us.
February 13th, 2003 on 11:04 pm
not a bad idea my dear, sometimes your commentary can be taken as less than nice. I hear most of what you say, and sometimes, you can be a bit harsh. It’s nice that you are aware, though
February 15th, 2003 on 1:08 am
Yes Chris you can be a little inconciderate or abrasive at times, but hey that’s what makes you the person that you are. Its great that you are aware of this but some people realy just need a swift kick in the a$$ to smarten them up. For most stupid people the subtle approach will not work. At least in my experiance. But then again I have been known to offend my fair share of people with my opinions.
February 15th, 2003 on 8:43 am
Aye – you and i discussing this amounts to a pot and a kettle debating shades of black