Differences

Been reading a lot about increasing bigotry against Muslims and Arabs.
Been reading a lot of bigoted comments, too.
I should stop, really.
Take a short break.
But in a twisted sort of way, it's addictive.

I feel like  I need a break  from all that  negativity,
and I'm so thankful to be  able to actually do that.
To switch off  the computer,
or go to other sites that  focus on more uplifting things.

Refugees  don't get that option.

The  thing  I've noticed with bigots  over  and  over again,
is that they always try to  draw a line that separates them and those horrible 'others'.
And where that line is placed is  entirely up to them.

In their narrow, twisted minds,
they've managed to place  themselves in a higher  position,
as opposed to  those 'others'.

In their minds, they've managed to give themselves the  authority
to  judge how others  should act,
what they should be  allowed to say  and  do.

One of these 'others' is immigrants.
Point out to any nationalistic bigot how his  parents or their parents were  immigrants  too,
and you'll get a slew of  excuses why  that  doesn't count.
Nope!
That's different, you see... because of reasons.

Another one of the 'others' is refugees.
Point  out how in the past,
people just like him and his family had also moved away from war-torn areas,
seeking a safer, better life.
Again, you'll get a long list of excuses why it's just  not  the same.

They'll grasp at  anything they can think of...
usually something to do with culture.
They're different! They are  more prone to criminality, you see.
More violent!

And if you bring up statistics that  refute  any of their  claims,
they'll either dismiss them, or attempt to deflect.

If you decide to persevere and continue to engage them,
you'll reach a point where all their arguments fall apart.
Will that be end of  it? Will they change  their minds?
Nope!
The argument starts  all over again.
Round and round it goes.
Most of them can't accept the  truth.
They can't accept that  brown or  black people are just like them.
They can't accept that the groups they've been backing  have been the real fanatics all along.

All this talk about religious extremism,
and  I rarely see any talk about a  religious-like  extremism: The pursuit of wealth  and power at  all costs.

From monarchies to elected governments to massive corporations.
The players change, but the  goals remain the  same. Dominion over  others, and the  accumulation of wealth. Never  enough, never  enough.

It's extremely  depressing.
And  so, I need to take a break.

Thankfully, I am able  to. And  I will.

Well enough of  that.

Still tired

Have I used a similar title before?
Can't remember.
My elbows are  resting on the table,
and I can barely keep myself upright on this wooden chair.

And yes, I'm still sleepy as hell,
but I'm at  that  weird  point where I've woken up for the day.
Might be able to  take a nap later in a few hours.

Right now, I'm just hoping a bit of  caffeine is going to be enough
for me to start  doing my daily push-ups.

So why the hell am I back?
I need to post something, that's why.

A lot of  shit  has  gone down,
and I probably only have a few months  left on the job.
The director and his boss have  made  their move.
And his boss sounds so very reasonable too,
that sly, cheeky bastard.

But that's not the main reason I'm here.

I posted a comment on  Facebook recently,
and... I chose the  wrong  word.
I meant  'persecuted', and  instead went  with 'prosecuted'.

That kind of thing bothers  the hell out of me.
Sure, I was  exhausted when I wrote it, but it still bugs me.

It's a reminder that  I hadn't written  in a very long  time.
To put  together  words that  form a compelling story is  not going to be  as easy as it used to be,
back when I was posting regularly (how long ago was that??).

But  I'm a sales  guy, and  this sort of thing is fucking important.

I  guess that little mistake kicked off  a chain  reaction of thoughts.
My English is  going down the  crapper again,
and I can't create engaging stories around not just my products,
but  my experiences. Not the way I used to do.

There's just  so much to do.
Also, it'll probably  help if,
after reading  the  headlines,
I  start going  through The  Oatmeal, Cracked, Penny Arcade, sites like that.

Big  fan of The  Oatmeal, especially the way he writes articles.
Dude's got a unique style.

Anyway, I better down the  rest  of my coffee and  hope I can get  something  useful done
in the  next few  hours.

Well enough of that.