My entry below, “Peter Appeals to a Higher Court” was a humorous piece which included some bragging about my older sister, who is a thoroughly, Steel Magnolia type of sweet Southern lady.
Mark took it seriously and vowed to abandon me forever. He says:
‘This entry has made me quite ill and I’m not kidding in the least.
Bob, but I thought you wanted a real exchange of ideas, not the slobberings of a yes man who licks your boots and tells you you are god. This is my last entry in your blog which I’m sure will not bother you in the least but it will make my day. I’ll seek out those with balls enough to actuallly do something more than pontificate for the white race instead of sit out honey for class pet lap dogs. ”
Comment by Mark —
I STILL can’t understand what he is talking about, and I hope he, like Bob, can just admit he did something silly and go on.
Man is the only animal who laughs. He is also the only animal that knows he will die.
This is not a coincidence. Humor is survival. So real humor always hits at touchy areas, like the King’s Fool.
Humor hits very close to the bone, and I am not sure what nerve I touched in Mark. It was certainly not one htat was in my mind.
If Makr is the man I think he is, he will simply say he flew off the handle.
But if Mark has abandoned me forever, it is better thus.
I have warned you, from costly experience, that you should NEVER deal with anybody who uses the words “Lie” and “Liar” freely.
Let me warn you also never to deal with anyone who goes instantly from friend to foe because of one misstep.
That is why I get wary when someone quotes the Bible too much. he is likely one day to find some phrase in that million-word-long scripture which you have violated and declare you a False Prophet. It is only a matter of time.
I deal with loudly proclaiming Old Testament Christians in exactly the same way that I deal with Jews or other minority groups. At arm’s length.
I can work with Jews or blacks, but I always keep in mind that they can turn on me in an instant. They can be allies, but never comrades. The same is true of people who think they own The Book.
Any Book. The Bible is just one of them.
Hence Wordism.
Once I said somethig wrong and a female friend, not a girlfriend, said, “I used to like you but now I realize how bad you are.”
My reply was, “If your friendship is so easily lost, I would rather not be burdened with it.”
You should treat a person who can turn on you in one statement in exactly the same way you should deal with a grenade with the pin pulled. You have to dispose of it while keeping your thumb firmly down on the fuse.
Like a live grenade, the best place for a so-called “Friend” who will turn on you in one statement is in the camp of your enemies. He will blow up there and take some of THEM with him.
#1 by joe rorke on 01/19/2006 - 9:03 pm
I think you are a person who requires patience and understanding and tolerance from the people you are dealing with. I could be wrong but I suspect that you have had many personal battles in your lifetime. One of the reasons for this would be that you take a stand on various issues. You stand up. You poke your head over the top of the trenchline. Of course, people are going to take a shot at it. People who stand up, especially on issues that the overwhelming majority of people in our country would not even whisper about, can expect a fist in the face now and then. I imagine yours has been pretty well battered. Of course, I could be wrong. It’s just a feeling I have. Look what they did to Christ! He told people the truth and they nailed him to a cross! Humanity. Don’t ya just love ’em?
With regard to your most recent horsewhipping, perhaps there was a misunderstanding on the part of your cane-wielder. On the other hand, the person may have felt thoroughly justified in tapdancing on your chest. By now I would think you would be used to it. I suspect that you have seen the backs of many heads moving away from you. They don’t understand you, Bob. Furthermore, they don’t want to understand you. It’s too much like work.
I don’t think you’re thick-skinned, Bob. I think you’re very sensitive to criticism. You don’t like reproach.
What’s not good is people moving in the same direction and fighting with each other at the same time. I’ve seen a lot of this over the years. People claiming to want a certain goal and fistfighting with each other at the same time. Bodies lying all over like pieces of shrapnel and people wondering why the goal hasn’t been achieved.
That people can and will turn on you is something you can expect. I have a story for you about that but I won’t include it here. I can just tell you that when that happened to me I dealt with it immediately. I terminated the relationship. But he threw the first punch. I threw the last one.