Stray Thoughts

posted at 12:00 am on October 2, 2006 by Bryan
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Cowboys 45
Titans 14

Niiiiiice.

I didn’t blog the TO situation the other day because I didn’t want to get out ahead of a story that didn’t add up. Terrell Owens is simply too in love with himself to try suicide, but here was apparently the Dallas PD saying he’d done just that. It made no sense.

I could see TO trying to kill someone else in a fit of narcissism or, well, any of several reasons having to do with excessive self-esteem. But kill himself? Nah. He has 25 million and one reasons to live, the “one” being TO’s undying love for TO.

He’s a talented WR, one of the best ever. But when his career is over, he won’t be missed. His stats make a case for putting him in Canton, but his antics make a case for keeping him out. As things stand now, the antics make the stronger case.

—

I thought I had a flash of brilliance on a mid-sized foreign policy issue late last night, so I spent hours chasing leads, poring over maps and tables and trying to make sense of what I thought might be a big story that would break in a few months to a year. If I had been right, you’d have been impressed.

But the leads didn’t add up. My preconception didn’t fit the facts as best as I could figure them out. So I didn’t post. I’m still looking into it, but I’m not convinced I was right anymore. I did waste a lot of time and lose a lot of sleep though, and I paid for that this morning.

—

When someone accuses you of something and you know the accusation is false, the best thing you can do is tell them to prove it. If they make a good faith effort to prove their case, you at least know that their criticism is coming from an honest origin–a misunderstanding, a misreading, even a mistake or mistakes on your part. There’s something to discuss if they make a reasonable case, and you may be able to win them over or at least get to some resolution of the issue even if you can’t convince them that you’re innocent. And it may turn out that you’re not as innocent as you thought.

But. When they not only fail to even try to prove their case, but instead make excuses and call you silly names and demand apologies from you for defending yourself, it’s time to write that person off. They’re not arguing in good faith and there’s nothing you can do to get them to. Any further engagement is just stepping into a quagmire. Maybe they’ll cool off one day, and maybe not. But whatever they do, it’s pretty much up to them. You can pray for them if you’re inclined and hope for the best, or you can forget about it and move on, but engaging them further is a mistake.

—

In a saner world, my friend Michelle would be seen as an inspiration regardless what one’s politics happen to be. She’s a wife and a mom and an entrepreneur, author of three books and one of the most popular columnists and bloggers around. I’ve seen her write a Vent script in about 15 minutes stem to stern, and I’ve seen her work through about three blog posts, a column and questions from Fox producers simultaneously. I’ve seen her put in close to a 24 hour workday and keep smiling throughout. I’ve also seen her help her kids catch a fish and I’ve seen her cook dinner for her family and take stage direction from me like I’m Spielberg. Not all at the same time, of course. If the world were sane more of her critics would recognize that, whatever they think of her politics, she doesn’t deserve a tenth of the nonsense hurled her way.

But we all know how sane the world is these days. Constant snark and sarcasm and the need to score political points and always get the upper hand by any means necessary, all combined with a lack of consequences for dishonesty or disreputable behavior, have turned the world, or at least the blog world, into something pretty close to insane. And very tiresome. And sometimes, embarassing to be a part of.

I know Michelle as my friend, a good person who is quick to laugh (or snort if it’s really funny–so when she writes “snort” after a one-liner on her blog, you know she’s getting a good laugh) and not a prude or stick in the mud at all. She’s pretty much the opposite of her critics’ cartoon view of her, except the part about being a conservative. She’s guilty of that and proud of it too. If she were a shamless self-promoter as some of her critics insist, her picture would be on the front of her books, not inside the jacket or on the back. I realize that this will come as a shock to many who read this, but she’s surprisingly normal, for someone from Jersey who likes the detestable Philadelphia Eagles and the disgusting Pittsburgh Steelers. When she cares about football at all, which isn’t often enough if you ask me.

What can you do about that, though? Nobody’s perfect.

—

But that’s enough serious talk. Did I mention that the Cowboys trounced the Titans today? Next up: The Eagles. In Philly. It’s gonna be ugly.

If any of you comment that the Eagles are going to win, it’s a good way to get yourself banned. On this there can be no debate.

Blowback

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