Thinning the Herd

Young people are, by and large- beautiful, ugly, caring, selfish, dynamic, lazy, ungrateful, shortsighted and stupid, not necessarily in that order. I know because I can almost remember being one once so let’s all just agree to agree with this simple premise. Because of this unfortunate combination of raging hormones, identity crisis, peer pressure, abundant insecurity, rampant superiority and complete faith in their own invulnerability coupled with a complete lack of any useful experience whatsoever they are inordinately prone to, and often victim of, their own extremely poor judgment. These decision deficiencies abound and are quite universal crossing all racial, gender, ethnic, religious, economic and social boundaries.
Plenty of heartbreak and tragedy to go around.
I don’t think I know a single human being who doesn’t have at least one tale to tell, one family member to worry over or one friend to mourn.

Now contrary to some learned opinions I do not consider myself a cold-hearted man. Maybe hard-hearted and just a tad chilly but I like to think I’m capable of striking, more often than not, a decent balance of reason, sympathy, empathy and compassion on a very tight wire of common sense.
And then sometimes I dive into the void.

All Men may have been created equal but, I got some bad news, after we pop our heads into the real world…….we ain’t equal anymore!

I’ll keep it very simple- A very few are meant to lead (even fewer to rebel), most are meant to follow and some would be much better off just getting the Hell out of the way. It’s called Thinning the Herd and it’s for the benefit of all and the detriment to an infinitesimal few. It’s the very best chance for the vast majority to prosper and triumph. It’s democracy at its clearest. It's Nature. It works.

Case in Point.

Recently (2006) a 14 yr. old Missouri girl decided to take her own life. The reason given was that she had been conned online for 28 days then dumped/harassed/abused online for 1, then was apparently unable to take the pressure of this cyber onslaught for even one more minute and so decided to end it all. Doubtless I have failed to adequately capture the adolescent angst, dramatic vicissitudes and horrific circumstances of her short, tragic existence.
The moronic plot thickened, however, when it was discovered that a 47 yr. old neighbor was the emotional con artist behind the silly charade.

Quick Review- The kid offed herself because a cyber boy (who she of course had never met or even seen in the flesh) cyber flirted with her for 28 days then, for up to 24 hours, wrote mean things about her on a computer screen. This was the unbearable burden of her dismal time spent with us.

Now, the woman who spawned this fragile flower wants New Laws passed, Citizens Arrested, Keys Thrown Away and, I’m guessing, just a little bit of the media spotlight shone on her terrible, heartbreaking loss and maybe, just a tad, on her feelings.
Oprah awaits.

I’ve read more than a little about this egomaniacal idiocy and too much of the opinions that, inevitably, trailed this emotional circus but I’ve yet to hear the following school of thought expressed so I am compelled to launch it myself-

Kid…..the rest of us are better off without you.

Let the shitstorm commence.

To give everyone an idea of the ubiquity of this phenomena of Teens, once again, empty-headedly choosing the really wrong door let me just mention that here in Japan for some years there has been such a surge in teen and tween suicide due, ostensibly, to peer abuse (both the cyber and more corporeal kind) that the Japanese had to invent a new word for it, Ijime- (organized and constant harassment of the less popular by the more popular designed to socially destroy the weak).
Teenyboppers are jumping off roofs, in front of trains and hanging themselves in their rooms with such frequency that the J-School system(for what little it’s worth) has convulsed into confused paralysis, granted not a very tough trick for this bunch of automatons, bureaucrats, pencil pushers and head bobbing Yes men/women. But I digress.
I say your Society is better off, my J-friends!

Look.

If some little kid skipping around Baghdad desperately trying to keep himself in one piece while scrambling for 3 squares a day and dodging inscription into some militia or induction into a group of teeth gnashing fanatics decided to punch his own ticket as a way off his wonderful little merry-go-round, I think I’d understand just a touch.

If some teenage hottie in Darfur spent her every waking moment devising strategies that might allow her to avoid daily gang rape or mutilation by roving bands of machete wielding madmen bent on ethnic cleansing while maybe, sometimes, occasionally eating food and so at last she finally opted to throw away this grand ticket to paradise, I’d like to think I could appreciate her decision.

If some dirt poor teenage Marine stuck in some desert shithole 3,000 miles from his ghetto fabulous home while he stands around waiting for some random lunatic to blow him up or shoot him in the head as he stoically follows asinine, nonsensical orders and dreams of the day he can return to unemployment decided one hard day to just swallow a bullet, maybe I could grasp his reasoning.

But someone you have never met in your life and has no influence on anything other than your own little putrid hothouse imagination writes mean things about you on a computer screen and the best way you can think of to get a handle on this desperate situation is to Ace yourself?
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link so please pray to whatever God you wish that our links don’t get any weaker than this. You could build a better fence with wet toilet paper and let’s not start pulling each others cocks; we need some good strong fences in every neighborhood, everywhere now more than ever.

What we don't need are leeches, vampires, whiners, emotional cripples or energy thieves.

When it's good life's a party so...........bring something if only a smile.

When it's bad it's a war so..........lock and load and stay sharp.

If anyone wants to pipe in about how emotional abuse can sometimes be even worse than physical then you can sell that line of shit to the Air Force and they might buy it but on this page I’m peddling straight talk. I’ve taken ass-kickings and witnessed more than a few handed out only to watch the abused come back with a vengeance and a bite, determined to stand their ground no matter the cost of physical injury or humiliation.
It’s not….what’s the word…..nice… to be called names online. Why, only a few months ago a sweet girl whom I’ve never met responded to an online comment that I made (not intended to or for her) by replying- Fuck you. I think she even used an exclamation point.
Somehow, I survived.
But you know, once when I was 15 and on my way to the movies 3 thugs twice my size set upon me, beat me down and took my last red cent. I walked home sore, bloodied, bitter and just a little bit wiser. The 2 situations really bear no comparison in my mind but perhaps I’m just not sensitive enough to discern the finer points.

It’s a rough world sometimes, Kids, and I could be mistaken but it gives every appearance and promise of only getting rougher. I am truly sorry we couldn't leave you with a better deal...................But...........

If you want out then have at it while I ignore you and your whiny bullshit.

If you want in then grab an oar and start rowing.

I can personally guarantee you plenty of surprises.

Not all of them nice.