"Tribes"

Stella writes: Have you taken leave of your blog senses?  Last two entries too pastoral, bucolic, calm.  GAG!  Yes, I know I asked about the trip report but I didn't know it was going to get you off on this whole wistful tangent.  Now get cracking on something good and controversial for the blog to get us all riled up!!!  Heh!!


I can't be all gloom and doom all the time!  Despite the fact I've probably helped many of America's enemies meet their maker ahead of schedule, I'm somewhat of a nice guy.  But never fear, Stella... for although I was going to post the OPEN TOPIC OF THE WEEK today, I also happened to get this note from Carly:


Hey guys!  I found another site you may or may not know about: http://www.ejectejecteject.com/ that on 9/5/05 posted an article called "Tribes" that's awesomely articulate and really moving--well, it is to me. It might be a bit too controversial for you, Pidge, but even if you don't use it in one of your blog entries, I think you'll enjoy reading it. And Mogsy, I know you'll feel its sentiments in your bones--bones that I hope are enjoying time in the civilized world.


Too controversial?  Oh no, no, no... the article you sent is platinum; in fact, I only disagreed with one single point in the whole article (which I mention below).

First, you really need to go read the article; it'll add context to my ranting (in fact, don't even bother reading the rest of my post if you don't read the article, since it won't make any [PIGEONED] sense otherwise):  http://www.ejectejecteject.com/archives/000129.html

What can I say?  I was so happy with this piece I was ready to hump the guy's leg at the end of the article--simply magnificent.  Hell, I wish I'd wrote it myself; lord knows I've touched on many or Mr. Whittle's arguments in my previous posts.

Here's the short of it:  I'm a sheepdog.  I'm not tooting my own horn, or aggrandizing myself.  As the puffed-up overpaid celebrity has trained to do no real work to make bazillions of dollars to entertain Joe America, I've spent the last 11 years of my life honing my skills to analyze my opponent, find their weakness and recommend a kill sequence.  I know definitively one of my recommendations turned terrorists into a fine red mist, and I have no feelings of doubt or remorse for my work.  Don't get me wrong:  diplomacy has its place, and its an honor to work with peacekeeping operations on occasion.  But despite my slight "pink" streak (did you read the article?),  jokes, enormous coffee consumption, love of incense and candles and good thick books, office Nerf gun fights, occasional bucolic posts, and lovey-doveyness with my hummingbird and minions, the simple fact is on any given day I drive my 1971 Dodge to work and am fully prepared turn completely "Grey" and kill another state's armies and break their toys (as well as "stateless" opponents).  Mr. Whittle and his sources are dead on the money when they say it's great our country is free and rich enough to allow for nihilistic, touchy-feely "I'd like to buy the world a Coke," types, but there are many, many other folks in the world who really don't give a rat's [PIGEONED] about touchy-feely types (indeed, they make for softer opponents).  go ahead, pinks--stick your head in the sand.  You'll only get your exposed butt kicked in the process.

As for the whole race/sex/self-esteem/religion argument, he's also on target:  when it comes to rising to the occasion there's no such thing as black, white, Asian, man, woman, rich poor, christian, Jew, Muslim... there are people who can step up, and there are people who can't.  I'll go further and say there are also incompetent people who honestly try, own up to their mistakes, and learn, and there are incompetents who point fingers to save their own feathered butt when it's time to fish or cut bait.  Me?  I'll give the incompetent with character a second chance.  Sadly, I've seen too many people point fingers over the Katrina debacle when they should've been rolling up their sleeves.

My one disagreement?  To quote: "Sheepdogs don’t cry, and they don’t complain about wet feet, and they don’t wail about conspiracies while waiting for the help that they themselves are sworn to provide."

Sheepdogs do cry on occasion, but they do it amongst themselves.  They support and listen to one another, let each other vent a little.  Usually the old grizzled dogs sit the new whelps down and let 'em talk, and mentor them with experiences from their own pasts.  But the sheep rarely see this, perhaps only at a funeral, memorial or gathering of older sheepdogs--by the time the sheep sees the sheepdog, his fur has a nice Grey sheen once again.

William Whittle, I salute you.

Comments

[Stella]

Yeah! Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout! Amen to that posting Pidge. Thanks to Carly for keeping us all on our toes.

[AndyG]

That is an AWESOME article and I strive to make the choice to be a sheepdog every day rather than a sheep. Even if it is only in my day to day activities, and though it is not for pay, I should, I will, I must strive to live the example of those who have gone before. It is not the well known and mighty who have won and keep winning our freedoms, it is not the highest or strongest who live in the trenches, it is ordinary men and women who choose to be more than sheep.

[Chairman Tao]

actually I rather like the parochial post. there are lessons to be learnt from the way we live out lives.

and so to the open topic.

i had a few thoughts and would have posted them on the ejectejecteject site but it appears that this is now closed for comment and so I will post here by proxy :-)

i wish i had more time to get everything down but i am off for a weekend break so i will make it snappy (as far as i can ever make any of my thoughts snappy)

broadly speaking i agree with a lot of the article - but it leaves me with nagging doubts and questions avoided.

first up, bill complains about the divisions in american society - nay, bemoans them - and then procedes to erect his own subdivisions.

pink vs grey

well, yes, but you know in a perfect world we'd all be a bit of both. he touches on this when he observes politicians who he thinks are one but turn out the other.

well, that's a step forward.
the tao teaches us to avoid extremes.
let's recognise that we are all a bit of both - we just need to know which is most appropriate at which times.

a world full of either extreme is scarey.

metaphores get further mixed with sheeps, sheepdog and wolves. i see what he's driving at but i find the analogy too forced and a little condescending to the sheep.

it lacks the insight to reflect that there really is more to this than meets the eye. am i "a violent person who loves people" ? no. would i defend my family, my friends, step up if necessary ? yes.
do i think there are no wolves at the door ? of course not.
do i consider that perhaps on many occassions the actions of the dogs are nurturing the proliferation of the wolves ? hell, yes.

i know there are bad people out there. i accept it. bad things will happen. but it saddens me that in seeking to understand why these things happen, the 'sheepdogs' feel that this is somehow capitualtion.

the sheepdogs and wolves, in this analogy, really are two sides of the same coin. "A wolf in sheepdog clothing" no wonder the sheep are scared.

respect for the piece on tribes, however.
but recognise that the racism angle will always be there. it is easy to brush under the carpet with "it's about how you behave".
but it avoids the question "why were there so many black people in the tribe that ended in the superdome?"

"what is it about our social structures that result in so many people being in self defeating tribes ?"

try answering that without getting into a real knot.

must dash. no time for spell check. love a good debate.

[carly]

No knot whatsover, Tao. In place of "social structures", insert "personal priorities" There are family values that are passed from one generation to the next....that goes for sheep, wolves and sheepdogs alike.

(Note: I'm talking about "family" values--as in what the family values and is willing to work for-- not racial ones.)

Rather than blab on and on here, I'd like to recommend a couple of books for you to read on the sociology/history of the underclass (in the US and elsewhere) and the history of ethnic groups in America. I think you might like these--and will certainly have something to say about them....something I'd love to hear after you've had a look at them.

Life at the Bottom by Theodore Dalrymple.

Ethnic America by Thomas Sowell

Both authors are qualified--by personal experience, as well as by education--to speak about these subjects. And they do, with great eloquence.

[Chairman Tao]

Carly - thanks for the recommendations. I will certainly follow up.