[quote=burnsr77]
this was the original intent of my comment- to spark discussion. i was shocked by the response not because i’m any kind of a social misfit or an awkward person, but because there was such incredible hatred and nobody agreed with or disputed anything i said with regard to actual content.[/quote]
Considering the vitriol in your original post, using the word “hatred” in reference to our replies is laughable. As I said previously, we didn’t bother disputing anything you typed because the majority of your points were either wildly inaccurate or insulting. If you really need examples, here are just a few:
1) Going as far back as I can accurately estimate, in four different SD county cities in the last five years, I can count the number of power losses I’ve experienced on one hand.
2) I don’t personally know anyone with a monster truck, but even if I did, I wouldn’t hold it against them.
3) There are “type-a alpha males” in every city, and having that personality type doesn’t automatically make them stupid. The smartest person I know is a jock, a BIG dude and type-a all the way. He’s also a very nice guy and doesn’t judge others based on their personality type, unlike you. If you’re socially adept and make a small effort, you’ll get along with them just fine.
4) I despise the far left AND the far right (lemmings, all). I know very few people that are Christian/conservative, and they will probably never be close friends, but I treat them with respect until they give me a reason to do otherwise. I married a liberal and the vast majority of my friends and acquaintances lean that way.
5) I read and write for a living. I know several working artists as well as two people who have written and published novels. I also know what it’s like to be too busy (and frankly, too tired) to pick up a work of fiction for years on end. For many working adults, reading is a luxury, and their family comes first.
6) Sometimes self-improvement isn’t entirely visible. Your co-workers may not discuss every little corner of their lives with you, but that doesn’t mean they don’t spend some of their free time learning about subjects that interest them, or trying to eat healthier, or trying to recycle more.
You’ve met a few dozen people, or maybe even a few hundred, and that gives you the right to declare the entire population stupid, unfriendly, weird, superficial, and complacent? On what planet does that spark constructive dialog? You can’t paint everybody in the county with such broad, negative strokes and expect us to respond with anything but “good riddance.”
