Kyle, Thanks for taking the time to explain your situation more clearly. It helps me understand where you are coming from.
It is not my place to explain Jed's actions. That's Jed's responsibility, should he feel compelled to do so – perhaps when his sentence is up. I'll simply say that I think many of your perceptions are not without merit. I was particularly struck by one of your comments: > [those who have sufficient income to afford ECO-friendly cars, > BMWs, Porches and other imported overpriced garbage] have disdain > for people who perform labor, actual work. They think we > [meaning you] aren't doing enough. A personal thought: I suspect that a lot of the "disdain" you might feel is not because they truly feel you are not doing enough. Of course, that is what they would LIKE to believe themselves is the truth, and what they would most certainly like you to believe is true as well. I suspect many of them unconsciously fear that their good fortune is just that: their good fortune. Survivor's guilt can occasionally kick in, in weird destructive ways. Survivor's guilt can make some feel uncomfortable, particularly when they must interact with those who for whatever reason do not appear to be as blessed with as much good fortune as themselves. In order to reconcile this disquieting realization many might feel compelled to conjure up rationales, like vilifying those they perceive as unfortunate. Once vilified, it is easy to take the next step and rationalize why others are not as fortunate as themselves, because: " It's their own damned fault. They deserve what they get because they aren't working hard enough." I'm sure you already know this. But of course, knowing this does not necessarily make your circumstances any better for you in the physical sense. However, knowing this on an emotional level, that you are not going to buy into their own fears essentially forces them to eventually face their own fears, and no doubt, most will resist doing so for as long as they can possibly get away with it. BTW, I unsubscribed from [VoB] because I was tired of dodging the "grok" persona's posts. Filtering out "grok's" messages ultimately turned out to be impractical for me because invariably other [VoB] participants will feel compelled to respond – and, well, dang it, there I go suddenly feeling all riled up as well, feeling compelled to respond. I know that's what I would likely do. I also know that such interactions are fruitless. I do not wish to become another one of Don Quixote's endless windmills to slay. As Dirty Harry once said: "A man's gotta know his limitations." Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
