Velleity

[Velleity]

So I have been posting on the Facebook page of a local radio host, on a regular basis. This particular host is into zen and Buddhism and this is part of his persona. I like this particular person although he has taken on some of the anti-Obama memes. He also has this idea that he has to reach out to teabaggers and find some common ground with them because, I think, he senses some kind of kinship with the teabag idea.

I do like it that he eschews the name calling, although I can't help myself. I have to use "teabagger". I just have to.

So he and I have had something of a running dialogue with me telling him his quest to make this connection with teabaggers is futile but that I hope he would prove me wrong. He in turn keeps telling me that I am angry.

I would say that I am angry, in a way but that way is not the way he suggests.

Do I come off as angry? I am not so much interested in the answer insofar as my ego is concerned (at least not consciously) as much as I am interested in taking the right approach both in terms of teabaggers themselves (whom I have simply written off as moran reprobates) but more in terms of people, like this radio host, whom I might actually maintain a constructive dialogue. I am careful to not push him too hard but the thing does seem to teeter. Considering his religious beliefs and zen philosophy I have noticed a strong need in him to be the "expert". Granted, I possess this need as well but I am making no claims to being centered and all of that.

So what is it? All snark is welcomed.

[Julie]

My dear Velleity, angry is not a word that has every come to mind in regard to you. You are a pretty even-tempered soul. I think I see the problem here....this guy is projecting. He's in the wrong regarding the teabaggers and may well be beginning to see it. I've got ten bucks says he's not the type to ever admit having been wrong on such a thing tho. Beyond not being wrong, he must find fault with those who are right and, like most with such traits, generally projects their own issues on to those with whom they disagree.

In other words you're dealing with a narcissistic asshole who will never be anything but a waste of your time.

Julie--who will never be mistakenly identified as "too nice"

[Velleity]

(11-07-2011 12:35 PM)Julie Wrote:  My dear Velleity, angry is not a word that has every come to mind in regard to you. You are a pretty even-tempered soul. I think I see the problem here....this guy is projecting. He's in the wrong regarding the teabaggers and may well be beginning to see it. I've got ten bucks says he's not the type to ever admit having been wrong on such a thing tho. Beyond not being wrong, he must find fault with those who are right and, like most with such traits, generally projects their own issues on to those with whom they disagree.

In other words you're dealing with a narcissistic asshole who will never be anything but a waste of your time.

Julie--who will never be mistakenly identified as "too nice"

First I thank you and Peacetrain both for your kind words for me. I appreciate that but I intended this thread to be both an exploration of my own attitudes, for lack of a better word, and our collective approach insofar as anyone else can get something out of this.

I own my anger Jule, and I am indeed as angry as I can be at the "conservative" ideology and at Republicans. I am not as angry at blue dogs and firebaggers, but I am angry at them too. I have not arrived at my anger on any whim. I am 51 years old and have studied this formally, informally, and even on a professional level. At the moment I am feeling not a twinge of remorse about my anger. I feel it is wholly warranted, appropriate, and properly directed for all of the right reasons. But that doesn't mean I feel I can take it for granted.

Here I got an opinion from someone with whom I share many beliefs and whom, frankly, I admire. So what can I learn from it? What can we learn from it?

The guy may indeed be projecting something because I think he has failed to distinguish between my anger on the level at which it is directed at ideology and pure stupidity, and my overall anger level. I tried in the opening post to note certain quirks that I have identified in this guy, as well as at least one of my own quirks. No one is perfect.

He is wrong regarding the teabaggers but I have found it useful to watch him in his efforts. He contacted some agency a few weeks ago and got a teabagger radio host whom the agency said was their most even tempered, reasonable teabagger host. The effort ended up being a catastrophe.

If anyone is interested I can point you to the podcast. It's quite amusing and this guy's producer is telling him all but "I told you so". a

Don't be too hard on this guy. He means well. These people are still of us, so it behooves us to cut them some slack IMHO.

[Julie]

(11-07-2011 01:49 PM)Velleity Wrote:  

(11-07-2011 12:35 PM)Julie Wrote:  My dear Velleity, angry is not a word that has every come to mind in regard to you. You are a pretty even-tempered soul. I think I see the problem here....this guy is projecting. He's in the wrong regarding the teabaggers and may well be beginning to see it. I've got ten bucks says he's not the type to ever admit having been wrong on such a thing tho. Beyond not being wrong, he must find fault with those who are right and, like most with such traits, generally projects their own issues on to those with whom they disagree.

In other words you're dealing with a narcissistic asshole who will never be anything but a waste of your time.

Julie--who will never be mistakenly identified as "too nice"

First I thank you and Peacetrain both for your kind words for me. I appreciate that but I intended this thread to be both an exploration of my own attitudes, for lack of a better word, and our collective approach insofar as anyone else can get something out of this.

I own my anger Jule, and I am indeed as angry as I can be at the "conservative" ideology and at Republicans. I am not as angry at blue dogs and firebaggers, but I am angry at them too. I have not arrived at my anger on any whim. I am 51 years old and have studied this formally, informally, and even on a professional level. At the moment I am feeling not a twinge of remorse about my anger. I feel it is wholly warranted, appropriate, and properly directed for all of the right reasons. But that doesn't mean I feel I can take it for granted.

Here I got an opinion from someone with whom I share many beliefs and whom, frankly, I admire. So what can I learn from it? What can we learn from it?

The guy may indeed be projecting something because I think he has failed to distinguish between my anger on the level at which it is directed at ideology and pure stupidity, and my overall anger level. I tried in the opening post to note certain quirks that I have identified in this guy, as well as at least one of my own quirks. No one is perfect.

He is wrong regarding the teabaggers but I have found it useful to watch him in his efforts. He contacted some agency a few weeks ago and got a teabagger radio host whom the agency said was their most even tempered, reasonable teabagger host. The effort ended up being a catastrophe.

If anyone is interested I can point you to the podcast. It's quite amusing and this guy's producer is telling him all but "I told you so". a

Don't be too hard on this guy. He means well. These people are still of us, so it behooves us to cut them some slack IMHO.

You don't come off as angry Vel, in spite of how you may feel. Your posts are not angry, your tone is even. I can't imagine you're so even tempered here but an angry person in real life.

Sure, I'll cut the guy some slack. I simply tune his sort out and, if they ever see the light of reason, welcome them happily to the fold here in the Big Tent. It's a wonderful, stress-free, non-time-wasting approach that works for me, but we all take our own path to suit our individual needs.

All of that aside, I hope you will be more objective in looking back on these exchanges in this relationship you describe. I'd wager a nice bottle of wine you are being too harsh a judge on yourself and too lenient on this guy. Kind people usually do make such errors in the favor of others.

You're nice. Get over it.

Julie

[Velleity]

(11-07-2011 02:25 PM)Julie Wrote:  

(11-07-2011 01:49 PM)Velleity Wrote:  First I thank you and Peacetrain both for your kind words for me. I appreciate that but I intended this thread to be both an exploration of my own attitudes, for lack of a better word, and our collective approach insofar as anyone else can get something out of this.

I own my anger Jule, and I am indeed as angry as I can be at the "conservative" ideology and at Republicans. I am not as angry at blue dogs and firebaggers, but I am angry at them too. I have not arrived at my anger on any whim. I am 51 years old and have studied this formally, informally, and even on a professional level. At the moment I am feeling not a twinge of remorse about my anger. I feel it is wholly warranted, appropriate, and properly directed for all of the right reasons. But that doesn't mean I feel I can take it for granted.

Here I got an opinion from someone with whom I share many beliefs and whom, frankly, I admire. So what can I learn from it? What can we learn from it?

The guy may indeed be projecting something because I think he has failed to distinguish between my anger on the level at which it is directed at ideology and pure stupidity, and my overall anger level. I tried in the opening post to note certain quirks that I have identified in this guy, as well as at least one of my own quirks. No one is perfect.

He is wrong regarding the teabaggers but I have found it useful to watch him in his efforts. He contacted some agency a few weeks ago and got a teabagger radio host whom the agency said was their most even tempered, reasonable teabagger host. The effort ended up being a catastrophe.

If anyone is interested I can point you to the podcast. It's quite amusing and this guy's producer is telling him all but "I told you so". a

Don't be too hard on this guy. He means well. These people are still of us, so it behooves us to cut them some slack IMHO.

You don't come off as angry Vel, in spite of how you may feel. Your posts are not angry, your tone is even. I can't imagine you're so even tempered here but an angry person in real life.

Sure, I'll cut the guy some slack. I simply tune his sort out and, if they ever see the light of reason, welcome them happily to the fold here in the Big Tent. It's a wonderful, stress-free, non-time-wasting approach that works for me, but we all take our own path to suit our individual needs.

All of that aside, I hope you will be more objective in looking back on these exchanges in this relationship you describe. I'd wager a nice bottle of wine you are being too harsh a judge on yourself and too lenient on this guy. Kind people usually do make such errors in the favor of others.

You're nice. Get over it.

Julie

Julie, I want to win in November. I want that with all of my might. I'm more than willing to be too harsh on myself and too lenient on this guy if that leads to any insights that any of us can use to win next year.

But I do appreciate having friends like you.

[Peacetrain]

What julie said..

[There Is No Spoon]

You're a raging lunatic!

You look like this all the time ->











Just kidding - you're not even easy to get pissed off in an argument, though I think I was close once.

[Velleity]

(11-07-2011 03:18 PM)There Is No Spoon Wrote:  You're a raging lunatic!

You look like this all the time ->











Just kidding - you're not even easy to get pissed off in an argument, though I think I was close once.

Why you @#$% @***)$@



Really though. What do I say to this guy? I can't really tell him I'm not angry. I can't really attack him.

By the way a friend of mine just told me he heard him mention my name on the air, telling him that all "conservatives" are insane. It's true, that's pretty much what I told him. My friend just turned on the radio and heard him say that, and he asked me if that was me. Yes, that's me.

Now I'm going to go back to the podcasts.

[KonaKane]

Velleity, living in a part of the country in which the whole Zen/Omm thing is ravenously popular (Hawaii) I can be honest and tell you I'm getting a little tired of the extremes to which some of these people take their ideas. Too easily and too often, all this "lets all just sit cross legged and chant for universal peace" attitude turns into facile tolerance for some of the most atrocious ideas we've encountered in decades. One famous New Spirituality author, Neil Donald Walsch, refers to it as "New Age Bypass" and it refers to this bizarre tendency of some on the paths of alternative spirituality to simply tune out to the realities of our "plane" and think that plastering a perma-grin on your face and never proferring a criticism of anyone or anything is the key to establishing harmony.

Well, my view is that it's sheer nonsense to do so. While it's great to be positive minded and open to new ideas, only the biggest fool among us opens his mind so far that, as the popular saying goes, his brains fall out. It sounds like your radio friend may be one of those individuals so afflicted.