Wrongly accused

Amazingly (about 20:00 2008-09-07), I'm contacted by email, by a colleague I had not seen or heard from for 28 years. In the first two emails. I'm told that I've abused some child in some forum, by cussing the child. Naturally when you get this kind of thing you think to yourself "What the heck!"

Eventually I track down the link to a forum. I read it carefully looking for where I've abused anyone by cussing them. No I can't see it - or else I'm blind.

The forum is about me confronting some idiot on a nonsensical attempt to pin blame on me for something. I put the idiot right in stern but factual language, backed up by evidence and reasoning. I'll remind any reader now that in my profile I've stated that I enjoy punishing idiots. I really do. It's just my thing - and I really don't care (me being ignorant perhaps) of who thinks anything bad about that. Look, I'm not talking about people who don't know something. I'm talking about utter idiots. People who are on the brink of wilful stupidity. No I'm not taking about the dyslexic or the mentally retarded. And I'm not talking about people who are children!

When you punish idiots, especially in a pubic space, you run the risk of at least two things:

1. Someone else coming along, doing a quick read and forming a conclusion that you've been harsh or abusive.
   1. The result could be that you muddy your own name.
   2. you do not attract many friends/ acquaintances.
2. That people will be scared shitless about what they say to you, for fear of being considered an idiot and being so punished.
   1. People avoid you - is the effect.

You know I'm cool with all of this. I'm in no popularity or unpopularity contest. I just want to be me. Being me gives me great satisfaction. Punishing fools is not an illegal act. The most I might 'suffer' is a greater degree of social isolation - which is hardly any suffering. I'm at peace with myself which is of far greater importance than the avoidance of social isolation.

Idiocy

There are times of course when I cannot punish idiots. On occasion an idiot may punish himself - and not even know it. It's not as good as actually dishing out the punishment, but sometimes you settle for second best.

Case in question? Sure. Person calls a mobile phone from overseas weekly for about 5 min and runs up their bill, disregarding the alternative of calling a landline number at the same timeslot. The cost to call the mobile is about 5 times that of calling the landline.

Now someone must be thinking, why not give them the landline number. Oh yes - they have both numbers but opt for the mobile for no obvious reason. Now you might be thinking there is some advantage for them to calling the mobile that I'm not seeing. No. No such advantage.

Now you might be thinking that the person doesn't know that calling a mobile in that country is far more expensive than to a landline. No. That one has been ruled out as well.

Conclusion supported: Human stupidity is based on - just that - the absence of a logic, or the absence of an intelligence acting on a logic.

Answering off the point..

It is an amazing phenomenon that makes me wonder how the human race has survived this long - yeah 'answering off the point'. WTF does that mean?

It means like when you ask somebody a simple question you get an answer that does not address your enquiry. Or you ask a question of someone and you get all manner of information that was not relevant to the question - as if the other is trying to second guess where you might be heading, and head you off.

So here is an example:

Me: So, when was it you came to realise that that was the case?

Other: My mother died. Then we had to go up north. It was complicated because she was suffering with cancer. The whole family was distraught.

Me thinking: What the bloody hell did I ask you? It's a flipping easy question 'when' like in bloody when. Why the heck do I want to know about your mother? Do I know when she died FFS!?

Me [being stiltedly polite]: I'm sorry if I interrupt you, I didn't quite get when it was you came to realise that that was the case?

Other: Oh it was after the explosion in Ealing Station.

Me thinking: FFS - How am I know to when there was an explosion in Ealing station? Am I supposed to ask, 'Give me the date and time when you came to realise that that was the case!"

Look, I'm sorry if anyone disagree's with me but the simple and rather clear answer to the question could have been something like, "It's difficult to recall exactly...it was summer of 1997...probably around June...yes it was most likely to be because the days were very long..that's when I came to realise it was the case."

Now that is a more on target answer, because it gives me a reasonable timeframe in response to the question. For God's sakes, this is English..we are human beings...we're supposed to be sentient..this is the 21st Century - else I'm an entity from another timeline!