Bizarre, contentious political climate earns local writer a one-fingered salute

robeiae said:

McGovern, right?

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Perks said:

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I think I've gotten that look from my girlfriend (who happens to be a librarian. LOL)

I get that look from my wife all the time. It's a combination of "I'm paying attention," and "WTF are you talking about?" (Or at least that's how I've defined it).

I guess it my background, but my first thought was to tell you to work on your situational awareness, so you hopefully would not be in that situation again. The bumper sticker is way down the list compared to your safety.

I'm wondering if he even realized that you were responding to his bumper sticker? You didn't see him, but he doesn't know that: he may have thought you were responding to him, personally, and thought 'the look' was a judgment of his appearance.

frimble3 said:

I'm wondering if he even realized that you were responding to his bumper sticker? You didn't see him, but he doesn't know that: he may have thought you were responding to him, personally, and thought 'the look' was a judgment of his appearance.

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Fair point.

I have been gi-...umm...I know people who have been given disparaging looks because of their appearance.

Your sarcasm is duly noted.

robeiae said:

Your sarcasm is duly noted.

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Perks said:

You're cute, and you know it. Stop fishing for compliments.

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If it's any comfort, robo, you have a terrible personality. And you smell funny.

Perks said:

It was weird. He smelled like Play-Doh.

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That's his Drakkar Noir.

You can't blame me, either. It's robo's fault.

The older I've become, the less control I have over my facial expressions.

Happily, also, the less I care. No more sweet, demure, nonconfrontational nice girl. RAWR.













Not really, but sometimes I wish it were so. (The not caring part. The facial expression part is true.)

You're human, Perks, don't sweat it.

Also, I would murder you for your pores.

Perks, I probably should have taken this as a cautionary tale, not inspiration, but I passed some city workers on the sidewalk just as one said loudly, "The Democrats aren't for the working man anymore, so I'm supporting Trump." I did some kind of head shake/eyeroll/tsk combination. Maybe because they were city workers on the job, or because there were high school kids with their phones out all around, or because I'm a 93-pound twisted up little woman pushing a walker, but I got no reaction.

If someone does the same to me, I take it in stride, possibly because I've done so much campaign volunteering. Rudeness is nothing. I've gotten stuff thrown at me (in Florida, my car got keyed). One morning, as I was sign-holding for Elizabeth Warren, a man slowed his car, made a throat slitting motion at me, and when I just smiled, pointed at me and made the gesture again. At which point, I realized he lives on my street. I didn't take it as threat, and he's been civil to me since, so no harm. (I did remember it when Scott Brown was defeated and wondered if he'd act out, but he didn't). It was just weird.

I think it's good that you understand the context of what happened and own your own behaviour. I just think in this case you don't need to be quite so generous. You did a stupid spontaneous thing. His reaction was aggressive, he got in your face, he flipped you the bird as opposed to doing something more violent but the fact is he got that up in your face to intimidate and threaten you on purpose. You did not do likewise. He escalated the situation and likely also because you were smaller than him and he knew he was safe to do so.

So absolutely own your error, appreciate why he got upset, be empathetic for sure. But don't excuse the actual choices he made in how he expressed his being upset. THAT wasn't acceptable. At all.

Perks said:

I hope she isn't as awful as me!

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I usually see that glazed over look when I start talking about my bill-paying job.

People put bumper stickers on their car to state their opinions. I don't usually, but during the election after 911, I had a sticker that said "Defend America - Defeat Bush". On a short trip through the Blue Ridge mountains, I was "stalked" by a car full of young rednecks - tailgating, passing, slowing up so I'd have to pass, rinse and repeat. The gestures shown during this incident make the finger look tame, and I honestly don't know if I was more scared or more angered by their demonstration. But y'know, I knew I'd get a variety of reactions, and I got plenty of thumbs ups, too. So if your guy thought he was going to get constant accolades, that's his problem.

So you didn't see the douchebag - so what? The sticker was there, you reacted honestly, he didn't like it, tough shit. I have no problem reacting in whatever direction whether the person is there or not. If they don't want disagreeing opinions, they shouldn't put on the sticker. Fuck 'em.