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Who be a beggar and who be a queen?
Who be a coward and who a Marine?
Who be a poor man and who a millionaire?
Who be a man in despair?
Under blue skies, we all play the game
But in God’s eyes, we are all the same.
30 Thursday Sep 2021
Posted music, Uncategorized
inTags
Who be a beggar and who be a queen?
Who be a coward and who a Marine?
Who be a poor man and who a millionaire?
Who be a man in despair?
Under blue skies, we all play the game
But in God’s eyes, we are all the same.
28 Tuesday Sep 2021
Posted books, Bullying, Story Settings, Uncategorized
inTags
The title should be self explanatory and for the most part it is, but there is more to it. I know this from my own experiences and did cover it in my book, “He Was Weird.” It was especially the case during my three year bullying nightmare but there was an instance in later life too. Bullies will go after the easiest target, even when the target might have not had anything to do with whatever fired up the bully’s anger. If there is an easier alternative, the bully will go for that.
In “He Was Weird,” the target, Mark, had a so-called friend named Gene Lancaster. In the story, Gene would mouth off to people and then run away and leave Mark to catch the person’s wrath. Sometimes, Gene didn’t even have to run, those people would go after Mark anyway because he was the easier target. I actually had a friend like this and there were many instances where I would take the brunt of someone’s wrath who this so-called friend mouthed off to. There were even instances when I wasn’t present at the time, but the bully would eventually use me to take his wrath out on. Plus, they would ignore any reminders from me that I had nothing to do with whatever incurred his wrath. I was there so I became the target.
There were also cases where another person was involved and the same thing happened. One time, the person who influenced my creation of the Gene character took some kid’s hat and began throwing it around. He threw it to me once and I threw it back to Gene but it landed in a puddle. First, the kid told the teacher that I took his hat, I didn’t. Then the kid’s brother threatened me with violence over it, again impervious to the fact that I didn’t take the hat. Here’s where it gets interesting. The brother stated the he looked after his brother. I wish I was a quick thinker at the time because I could have pointed out that another boy was constantly picking on his brother and making his life a misery all through the school year. I could of asked, “How come you’re not going after him?” Today, I know the answer, it is because bullies will always go after the easiest target.
It didn’t happen in “He Was Weird,” but when I was in the service. It seemed that the African Americans in my unit targeted me but ignored the redneck mountain boy from West Virginia who openly stated he was in the Klu Klux Klan and it was said that at one clan meeting, did a rather horrible thing with a broom handle to a young black girl. Still, while they nicknamed this redneck, ‘The Grand Dragon,’ they never seemed to bother him. The reason why, it was because the redneck was able to stand up for himself and was quite good with his fists. This left my Asperger’s mind to conclude that as long as you can stand up for yourself and use your fists, you can belong to an organization that spouts race hate. As a result, I developed racist feelings on the grounds that African Americans go after the wrong white people.
Some people believe that the notion bullies are cowards is a myth but in this particular scenario, it is definite fact! Anyone who will take out their frustration at a perceived grievance on someone who may not have been involved in that grievance because it is easier to take it out on that person is a coward, plain and simple.
To buy He Was Weird, go to: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Was-Weird-Publisher-Generation-Publishing/dp/B00SLVHRFG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=36I8I1G32U0R4&dchild=1&keywords=he+was+weird&qid=1632845558&s=books&sprefix=he+was+%2Cstripbooks%2C148&sr=1-1
21 Tuesday Sep 2021
Posted music, School Shootings, Uncategorized
inTags
music, quotes, Russia, school shootings, schools, song lyrics, Will Hoge
Before I quote the lyrics, I would like to genuinely offer my thoughts and prayers to the students at a university in Perm, Russia. Yesterday, a gunman entered the university and opened fire on students. At the moment, the casualty count is 6 dead and 28 wounded, although only 19 of these were reported to have been treated for gunshot wounds. The causes of the other injuries haven’t been stated.
Now, I’m going to have another rant at the fact that I had to stumble upon this news on my Google Alerts. There was little to no reporting of this shooting in any UK newspaper on news channel. You can bet if this had happened in the USA, the people of Britain would have been bombarded with the same old hype of gun wielding Yanks and the like. It does p*** me off a little. Therefore, I am asking everyone to spare their thoughts and prayers for the people of Perm, Russia in the wake of this tragedy.
FFI: https://apnews.com/article/europe-russia-shootings-perm-994e6c562ced4d475d843069e96b0a2d
Thoughts and Prayers
Mama crying because the baby won’t come home
You tell the father that you’re sorry his son is gone
While you sit and do nothing in that big white dome
And just hope we forget to care
But you could have done something and we all wish that you would
To prove to the world that you have a tiny ounce of good
But you’ll blame somebody else for this despair
And not do a thing but offer up your thoughts and prayers.
19 Sunday Sep 2021
Posted Politics, Uncategorized
inMany years ago, I asked this question on a website: “Is anti- Americanism the equivalent of racism?” What prompted me to ask the question was that I had been living as an American in the UK for 25 years at the time and have seen and heard lots of remarks directed at Americans by those who would call you ‘racist’ if you made a less harmful remark about any other nationality. As a result, I got a lot of responses to that question, most answering that making an anti-American statement is not racist. I will now go through a few of those responses and dissect them.
It’s a prejudice well deserved. No prejudice is deserved. Yes, there are many Americans who fit the stereotype of the loud, outspoken, sloppy redneck. However, these people do not represent all Americans. It is also true that there are many Americans who have some sense of superiority over the rest of the world. Again, these people are in the minority. I don’t tar anyone with the same brush.
You’re attacking a nationality, not a race. Talk about a play on semantics! Not long after, a UK politician made a comment about Rumanians being all gangster criminals and street beggars. As far as I know, Rumania is a country so being Rumanian would be a nationality but guess what? That politician was called a racist. Therefore, if making derogatory comments about Rumanians is racist, so is making similar comments about Americans. On the subject, I would agree that this politician is racist and I particularly can vouch that it’s not only racist but pig ignorant. My daughter in law Ela, the mother of two of my grandchildren, is from Rumania and is neither a gangster or a street beggar. She is the assistant manager of a Gregg’s pastry shop.
Americans and Britons have been making jokes about each other for years, so I was being ignorant. This is true, Americans and British people do make jokes about each other, usually in good spirit. However, sometimes it is not as there are British people who hate Americans just because they are American and have made rather derogatory comments about them. Furthermore, there have been no harm intended jokes made about other ethnic groups and some of these very same people are the first to jump up and shout ‘racist’ at the person who made the joke. You can’t have it both ways. So maybe I’m not being ignorant.
You know what? I can’t remember the responses from the pro-American group, In general, most Americans don’t care what the world thinks of them. Some take comfort in the mis-belief that every non- American wants to come to the US. Not true. My final point is that if you are saying an unsavoury comment about Americans, you are being racist because you are attacking a group based on their ethnicity, end of.
For the record, I am no redneck or even a flag flying Yank, which makes it more frustrating when I am grouped as such. However, I will point out when America gets it right and when they get it wrong. The former doesn’t make me a flag waver and the latter doesn’t make me a flag burner.
To buy He Was Weird, go to: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Was-Weird-Publisher-Generation-Publishing/dp/B00SLVHRFG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=36I8I1G32U0R4&dchild=1&keywords=he+was+weird&qid=1632069155&s=books&sprefix=he+was+%2Cstripbooks%2C148&sr=1-1
17 Friday Sep 2021
Posted Uncategorized
inIt’s time for you to make a stand
You got to do things your own way
Forget the style, forget the brand
Because every dog has its own day.
It doesn’t matter what others think
What counts is do you like you?
You may be drowning but you’ll never sink
Just do what you want to do.
13 Monday Sep 2021
Posted Autism, Sports, Uncategorized
inA few weeks ago, in my post, “There Is Still Too Much Sexism in Sports,” I pointed out how respondents on the Quora site, all men, attacked me for asking if women tennis players, beach volley ball players and gymnasts should be allowed to compete in more modest clothes. If you want to read that post, click the link below:
The point of today’s post is that people think that because you ask a question on a certain topic, that you must be sharing a definite opinion on that topic. The men who attacked me think that I want female athletes to play in 1907 clothing or Muslim attire. I don’t. While I think there is too much objectification of women in sports, that wasn’t the point of my question, all I did was to ask a question as to whether or not women should be allowed to compete in less revealing attire. I was not stating an opinion one way or the other but it seems there are quite a lot of ignorant people out there who don’t understand this.
Not long after, I asked another question and encountered the same blow back, although not on the scale of the women’s sports question. With my strange curiosity getting the better and inspired by the Olympics where Great Britain competes as an entire nation, I asked why doesn’t it do the same thing at World Cups? In both the rugby and soccer World Cups, the the four nations which make up Great Britain, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland play in these tournaments as separate nations. I pondered that wouldn’t it increase their chances of winning if all four nations came together and played as Great Britain?
To be fair, on this occasion, the vast majority of the responses were very informative with many giving good explanations as to why the four nations don’t play as Great Britain. However, there were two, who while they also gave good explanations, spoiled it with ignorant comments at the end. The one guy was okay, he simply stated that he couldn’t go along with my suggestion. I informed him that I wasn’t suggesting anything but merely asking a question to which he had given a good answer to. He responded with a “Like” to my response. However, the other respondent stated at the end that he rejected my ill thought out idea. I responded that I wasn’t ill thinking out anything but only asking a question. However, he didn’t reply to my response in any way.
So my question is: why do people think that if you are questioning something, you have a definite opinion on that topic? I thought the whole reason of asking a question is so you can gain further knowledge and understanding about said topic. What’s more, is that this only seems to be a recent phenomenon. A few years ago, I asked if the US deserved the guilt trip for its late entry into World War One, I got a lot of measured responses. No one attacked me for the question on either side of the argument. I think people should lighten up and we need to go back to those days. Remember, I ask a question because I want to learn and understand and maybe hear what you have to say on the topic of that question. I am not putting forth an opinion on it. Please, everyone just lighten up!
10 Friday Sep 2021
Posted Uncategorized
inI’m takin’ my time, I’m just movin’ on
You’ll forget about me after I’ve been gone
And I take what I find, I don’ want no more
It’s just outside of your front door.
07 Tuesday Sep 2021
Posted Uncategorized
inI don’t care about the clothes you wear
It’s the size of your heart, not the length of your hair
It makes no difference to me what colour that you be
Black, white or brown, it’s all the same to me.
05 Sunday Sep 2021
Posted Uncategorized
inThe above photos form the basis for this week’s post. Last week’s post was dedicated to how America is going to treat its active duty service persons now that the war is over. This post is about how will America treat its veterans now that the war is over. First of all, I hope the US has learned from its mistakes of the past when it told the Vietnam veterans to just come home and forget about it. That wasn’t the right advice to give someone who is suffering from PTSD due to being in combat. Already, I have heard accounts that veterans aren’t getting the necessary help they deserve and many are winding up unemployed and homeless. Come on America, while you might have improved a great deal from Vietnam, there is still quite a ways to go.
I would like to concentrate on how America might treat veterans who now serve in the peacetime. Like I said in the last post and I’ll keep saying it, no country in the world honours its wartime military like the US but it views peacetime servers with indifference or even disdain. I hope no one tells someone who enlists a few years from now, that they are only enlisting because they are too lazy to find a real job. I had that said to me when I served. However, I want to focus this post on the future peacetime veterans by relating what I went through after I left the service. Because I encountered even more grief after I got out of the service.
Let me start with the message behind the two photos. Yes, one of the things I was looking forward to when I left the service was being able to grow my hair how I wanted it. The fact that I no longer faced a $75 fine for not having a proper military haircut took a great deal of anxiety away from me. Furthermore, I felt that after four years of being at one extreme, it was my right to go to the other. Unfortunately, intolerant 80s Reagan America didn’t agree with me and I got a lot of crap over it as a result. The fact that I had served my country didn’t enter into it. I wasn’t conforming like the good little Nazi so I was treated like the bad little Jew. Now some of you may be thinking that a hair issue wasn’t such a bad thing and that I’m simply overreacting. No, I am only reacting to those who over reacted on me over my hair length.
My hair issue leads to a true account of a job interview I had during this period. A new company was poised to take over the parking lot I was working at and these people were interviewing us for our jobs. During the interview, the interviewer asked, “Do you know why we shouldn’t hire you?” I played along and asked ,”Why?” He responded, “Your appearance, your hair is down to your shoulders.” When I asked, “How does that stop me from doing the job?” He started going on about image to the public. He then tried to empathize with me by saying that he had longer hair than me when he was in college. I told him my hair was nothing to do with being in college and was a result of having to wear a crew cut for four years in the service of my country. He said that I didn’t need to justify it to him. What really sticks in my craw about this was that this yuppie twat never done military service so who the hell was he to judge me? Fortunately, the deal didn’t go through and my employers stayed in charge of the lot. All they cared about is that I did the job well.
Again, while I think I had it bad, there were others who had it worse. I heard an account of a veteran who went for a job interview and was told that he hadn’t worked for four years. When the veteran explained that he had spent four years in the service of his country, the interviewer responded, “That doesn’t count as a real job.” I hope that future veterans who served in peacetime aren’t told the same thing when they go for a job interview.
Of course, the hair wasn’t the only barrier I encountered when I left the service. There was also my college refusing to give veterans college credit for things they had done in the service. Okay, I had to take Physical Education in college but my point is that if the Veteran’s Administration says veterans should be given college credit, then the college should honour it. I could go on here but I won’t.
Here’s another thing, at the time, my complaints were met with the response, “You didn’t have it as bad as the Vietnam veterans.” Of course not, I am the first to admit that’s very true! That’s my point, I hope that America will continue to honour its serving members now they are no longer getting shot at. That it will give support to those who serve and just as important, those who have served. Peacetime personnel should not be treated with indifference or disdain and the last thing I hope to hear in a few years down the line is someone saying to a post Afghanistan peacetime service person is, “You didn’t have it as bad as the Afghanistan veterans.”
To buy He Was Weird, go to: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Was-Weird-Publisher-Generation-Publishing/dp/B00SLVHRFG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=36I8I1G32U0R4&dchild=1&keywords=he+was+weird&qid=1630843550&s=books&sprefix=he+was+%2Cstripbooks%2C148&sr=1-1
03 Friday Sep 2021
Posted Uncategorized
inIt seems that both rednecks and Taliban soldiers like driving around in pickup trucks with their guns out. Maybe we should have sent all the rednecks to Afghanistan.