Jerk-ism

[bhsup]

FWIW, I laughed good and loud (seriously, it was a real life LOL) at the whole snowflake thing. That was nicely done.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Thank you, it was from the bottom of my heart. Because that's where all the sediment gathers up and clogs the whole system.

I edited some more by the way, I tried to use media which I know would resonate with you

 

[Terxpahseyton]

These days it's sometimes hard to distinguish between a racist, a jerk, and a misguided and vocal nice guy with strong opinions.

There is the story of a small Austrian (not Australian, just to be on the safe side) town which is overrun with Arab tourists (Saudi-arabia, Qatar). While it does provide the town with wealth, citizens are also angry because they are not happy with it.

Is it racist do be against all those Arabs making vacation in their town? Some would say so.

I like this example, because it illustrates that racism isn't really a concrete thing you can objectively identify anymore. Instead, it comes down to ether an assumption about why someone dislikes it or the assumption that if it went unopposed it would manifest itself like people had racist motivations. So it is about assumptions of motivation and projections of potential dangers.
Combine that with a word as loaded as racism and the rich multitude of ways it can be seen and welcome to a world of fun fun fun.

 

[Borachio]

Let's face it: some people just enjoy being angry* about something; they may not actually be racist, even while voicing apparently racist opinions.

*And THIS, more than anything, makes me really, really cross.

 

[Thorgalaeg]

I've become MUCH more jerkish over the last few years. Really, I used to be a really nice guy in almost every respect. I'm still quite pleasant most of the time, but for some reason I've just become far less tolerant of views that I see as stupid and I don't hesitate in telling people their views, as much as I may respect their right to have them, are frakking stupid. Frequently in more intolerant language than "frakking stupid."

Why has this change occured? Honestly, I don't know. Maybe just getting older and more get off my lawn-ish, I really don't know. Maybe I've just heard the same blathering lines about some topics so many times now that my patience in hearing it again is nil. *shrugs*

I have envolved just the other way around... but only in appearance. It is not that i have grown more educated or anything but because i care so little for others that i dont feel the necessity to expend any effort to communicate my opinions to them anymore, much less to get entangled in any heated disussion.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

That sounds extremely sad.

 

[Thorgalaeg]

Some time ago i had discussed that.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

I don't think there is much to discuss regarding what it is. Sad Regardless of how justifiable or comfortable it is.

 

[Global Skeptic]

Hi I am Global Skeptic.
I am a troll by default, because I always go for reductive ad absurdum, contradictions, cognitive dissonance and the illogical. If you catch me on a bad day

Someone: The illogical doesn't exist!
Me: Yes, it does

 

[Borachio]

Who'd say the illogical doesn't exist?

That doesn't seem logical at all.

An ipso facto proof by contradiction if ever there was one.

 

[peter grimes]

Hi! First time poster, Long time lurker. I think I've been a jerk pretty much all my life. To pick the most recent example :

I live in an urban area. I was walking the dog, was carrying a bag of her solid waste. Walking along the side of a local elementary school and I see a douchebag in a hopped up Honda Civic standing on his horn. Why? Because the first car in line isn't blowing through the mass of parents picking up their kids from school.

I ask through the passenger window what's his problem, he tells me to get off (profanity) so I did a total jerk thing:

I tossed the bag of dog waste right into his lap

He turned off his car (pissing off all the traffic behind him) and tried to chase me down. Well, a lot of the mothers picking up their kids saw this entire thing and thanked me. He did manage to throw the bag near me, and I put it in the garbage like the responsible dog owner I am

I'll freely admit that was a pretty jerk thing to do, and I don't think I would have had the balls to do that ten or twenty years ago.

 

[bhsup]

Performing a public service isn't jerkish, PG.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Hi! First time poster, Long time lurker.

With 12,978 posts, I congratulate you on your typing speed. That many posts in one day is impressive!

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Hi! First time poster, Long time lurker. I think I've been a jerk pretty much all my life. To pick the most recent example :

I live in an urban area. I was walking the dog, was carrying a bag of her solid waste. Walking along the side of a local elementary school and I see a douchebag in a hopped up Honda Civic standing on his horn. Why? Because the first car in line isn't blowing through the mass of parents picking up their kids from school.

I ask through the passenger window what's his problem, he tells me to get off (profanity) so I did a total jerk thing:

I tossed the bag of dog waste right into his lap

He turned off his car (pissing off all the traffic behind him) and tried to chase me down. Well, a lot of the mothers picking up their kids saw this entire thing and thanked me. He did manage to throw the bag near me, and I put it in the garbage like the responsible dog owner I am

I'll freely admit that was a pretty jerk thing to do, and I don't think I would have had the balls to do that ten or twenty years ago.

I don't consider meeting in kind as being a jerk. I'd likely have dumped the bag instead of throwing it in intact, myself.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

I'll freely admit that was a pretty jerk thing to do, and I don't think I would have had the balls to do that ten or twenty years ago.

This was a wonderful story.

 

[peter grimes]

It felt good, I have to admit! I've done similar things when I see someone toss an empty cup out their window - I'll try to throw it right back in. One time the lid came off the styrofoam cup and spilled orange soda all over the guy's passneger seat. That was great.

But, being in New York City, you do kind of have to watch it and make sure you don't piss off the wrong guy.

One time we drove to a different neighborhood for a nice dinner. This was the day after a big blizzard, so parking was tough. I always carry a shovel, and my 4wd Subaru Loyale wagon was very good at pulling itself over snowbanks. But luckily I found a spot. It was right infront of someone's driveway gate, but there was a snowman in the driveway - clearly they weren't parking a car there. So I parked mine in front of his gate.

We come back after dinner and there's a cop writing a ticket to me. I'm shocked, the cop explains that when a homeowner calls about someone blocking the driveway they are required to respond. Hmm, even if the driveway isn't being used? Cop tells me under his breath to just protest that I was in the car. Nice of him to tell me how to get out of the ticket.

But getting out of the spot was going to be tough - there was one of those giant pickup trucks that's never seen a lick of work in its life double parked alongside me. Chrome wheels, tinted windows, etc. Stupid car to have in the city for sure. I ask the cop if he'll ticket the double parked car and sure enough he does as soon as he finishes mine. Great!

Even better was when the owner of the truck came running up the street yelling profanities at the cop for ticketing him in front of my own [profanities] house!. So this was the guy that called the cops. Cop tries to calm the guy down, guy says he's not going to move his car at all (as if that's punishing me or something). Cop explains that he can have a towtruck there in 3 minutes if the car is still there. I continue shoveling a path through the giant snowbank behind my car.

Wise guy wises up and realizes he may as well just move his stupid pickup.

My ticket was $55, his was $115

 

[Farm Boy]

Sounds like an absolutely charming environment filled with worthy and great people.

 

[peter grimes]

It's just a matter of density. If the jerk rate is 1/10,000 people, and my neighborhood has a population of 124k, you're going to run into 12 people throwing dog waste if you are honking your horn trying to urge cars ahead of you to drive through crosswalk by the local elementary school.

I'd stay away, frankly

There are far more nice, friendly, and generous people here than jerks like me. The city gets a bad rap in that respect. We may not stop and make small talk with every stranger we see, but for the most part we're just as nice (and just as jerkish) as anyone else.

Except the Mormons. As a group those people are the nicest folks I've ever met.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Except the Mormons. As a group those people are the nicest folks I've ever met.

Unless you make it absolutely clear that you are not interested in their religion...then they will drop you. I lived in Idaho and went through the 'welcome to the neighborhood' phase (wow, this is nice!), followed by the oblique references phase (I think that was a reference to their church, but if I act like it was just normal conversation they will steer back into whatever we were talking about), followed by the direct invitation phase (why not come to church with you? Let me count the reasons), ending with the now you are shunned phase, which lasted until I left.

Having passed through that cycle I am now very cynical about the sincerity of religious people when they are surprisingly friendly.

 

[Farm Boy]

Unless you make it absolutely clear that you are not interested in their religion...then they will drop you. I lived in Idaho and went through the 'welcome to the neighborhood' phase (wow, this is nice!), followed by the oblique references phase (I think that was a reference to their church, but if I act like it was just normal conversation they will steer back into whatever we were talking about), followed by the direct invitation phase (why not come to church with you? Let me count the reasons), ending with the now you are shunned phase, which lasted until I left.

Having passed through that cycle I am now very cynical about the sincerity of religious people when they are surprisingly friendly.

Sooo, pretty much how a lot of men interact with women?