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Thursday, 24 January 2008 |
I don’t dislike anybody very much…
By Clint Hyde
In their prime days in the Bay Area, the Kingston Trio sang a folk song. It covered the sad state of the world and how people don’t get along. The consequences reminded the listener that someone might set off the atomic bomb and we would all be blown away. It was the biggest fear of the Cold War era, that some rogue nation would use the bomb on us. With lots of whistling between lines the lyrics still ring in my head: “There’s rioting in Africa, there’s strife in Iran. What nature doesn’t do to us, will be done by our fellow man.” The real zinger was always the end of each stanza with “And I don’t like anybody very much.” It implied the singer was as culpable as all of us.
Someone recently asked me why I hated someone so much. Strange as it may seem to you, I don’t hate anyone. I may dislike behavior and say so, but that doesn’t mean I hate that person. It is probably the reason I write about our community business and elected leaders’ behavior more without actually naming them. They know who they are. Plus, it is more important to focus on how their actions harm others than to single someone out. Anyone who protests too much probably feels a pinch in their shoe, right
I have been very critical of one of the presidential administrations, proclaiming it the worst, if not in the history of the country, at least in my lifetime. And it surprises people that I am not talking about the current Bush or the previous Bush. When my political discussion group hears who I am talking about they respond in a very traditional way and ask how I could hate Reagan. I don’t. He was probably a very nice man. I just think the entire regime of people around him spawned a generation of “public servants” who have not served us very well. Some of them actually think we owe them something and not the other way around. I would like to think even Reagan wouldn’t appreciate their behavior today. We are reaping the kind of crops they sowed back in the 1980s. The world is not better off because of them and their political positions today.
Entire companies sometimes have a culture of behaving badly. It doesn’t mean I hate that company. Some have more difficulty than others at living up to their “Values and Mission Statements.” Google’s mantra is “Do no Evil.” Not exactly a positive value statement, but I can relate to it, and they are doing a lot of good with the money generated by this powerful search engine. Google has a foundation to do good around the world, just like the $70 billion Gates Foundation, but I don’t like Google every time need to download a newer Java script version. Have you noticed that if you don’t deselect the Google toolbar it automatically loads up and takes over your browser? I like to browse the Internet, not Google it. Seems deceptive to me. Maybe it’s not evil; but it is deceptive.
If I see that the emperor has no clothes, should I look the other way and pretend, like the rest of our fellow citizens, that I didn’t notice? Does it mean I hate the emperor? I certainly don’t think so. Some of our local royalty have suggested that I bring disagreements up with them personally and not spread it all over the pages of the Mammoth Times. I like the idea, if it works. It is good to explore differences and, hopefully, misunderstandings. But if it doesn’t work and everyone continues thinking the naked guy is wearing the crown and everything is okay, what is the point?
My daughter was once harassed by a boy in her class at elementary school. We tried everything through the “administrative channels,” such as the teacher and principal. But they were reluctant to sit down with us and the boy’s parents. So I gave her the public solution. It seems other girls in her class had the same feelings about his behavior. At age nine my little girl pulled off what a lot of adults are afraid to do. She rallied a group of five or six classmates to stand around the boy in a circle. One by one each girl said to him, “I do not like your behavior. It is not because I don’t like you. I just don’t like the way you talk to me.” It worked for a while.
Our local radio station has a very popular segment after the world and local news. On Bureaucrat Beat the news editor talks about the bureaucrats who sometimes rule our lives and often make mistakes. There are the usual targets like the post office and Town and County officials. But often there is mention of phone companies and other “bureaucratic businesses.” The phone company was once a monopoly and may still seem like government in their response to customer service. But in reality they are similar to any large company that doesn’t necessarily deal well with the exception rather than the masses.
Recently there were ill feelings toward emergency planners who warned that the storm of a century was headed our way. In the end it was a non event. My favorite weather forecaster in the Seattle area often said, “I can tell you the weather is going to change, I just can’t tell you when or by how much.” It may have been too alarming to some of us who got the call, but the officials were just doing their job to warn us. I always have a sleeping bag and mattress in my car so wherever I go I can camp out. I can’t be angry or hate the emergency team for doing their job. I was actually surprised at the number of people who decided to stay in the Village, rather than leave Mammoth early. I am sure some businesses were not so lucky, especially the restaurants that depend on visitors who drive around for a dinner on the town.
But, like I said, I don’t hate anybody that much.
Clint Hyde left home at an early age and lived in Europe before traveling the rest of the world, working in international marketing. He moved to Mammoth in 2002 to pursue mountain biking, snowboarding, backcountry and cross-country skiing, hiking and backpacking. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent policies and opinions of the staff or owners of the Mammoth Times. Reader response is encouraged.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 31 January 2008 )
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