Once upon a time there were two guys living next door to each other. The first one thought that the sun shone out of his butt. He did whatever he wanted without considering the feelings of the other person. He had loud parties all night long even though he knew the noise would bother his neighbour.
When the neighbour dared to complain, he threatened to punch his lights out. He was very offended because the other person didn't think that he should be allowed to do what he wanted. Instead of trying to work out a way in which they can live beside each other in harmony, he thinks it has to be his way or no way.
When someone else tried to find a solution but didn't find in the jerk's favour he dismissed them as being biased against him. He doesn't see how another person's way of living can have any validity. He is so arrogant he believes anyone who doesn't agree with him has to have something wrong with them.
He's never in the wrong, because if it's something he wants to do it has to be right. When the other guy insists on continuing to make trouble for him by complaining all the time he eventually decides that something has to be done. He can't believe how ungrateful that asshole is. He lets him live next door to him, doesn't he realize what a privilege that is?
What he decides to do is go around to all the other neighbours and tell them his neighbour is a threat to all their freedom to have friends over. If they let him, he'll soon make it impossible for anybody to do anything without them having to make sure they're not going to get into trouble for doing it. Why they may not be able to mow their lawns without his permission.
Soon the other neighbour finds that nobody is talking to him anymore and that people who used to be friendly to him are giving him dirty looks. One day somebody throws a rock through his window. He sees who did it and calls the police and has the person charged with vandalism.
"There, you see", says the asshole, " I told you he'd get you all in trouble". Everybody stands around and listens; nodding their heads in agreement. When one of them happens to point out that the person who had gotten in trouble had thrown a rock and caused property damage, everyone else asks him whose side is he on anyway?
Article comments
1 - PeterJ
Great commentary Richard,
So true it's sad. It's truly frightening how one controlling bully can turn otherwise normal people into myopic sheep for the sake of power. Once this type of person has accomplished such a feat he will realize that with the power comes opportunity, hence, the birth of a tyrant.
We've all witnessed, to some degree, a similar display whether to attain power, money or both.
Unfortunately, in these times it's become the norm in politics. Rather than to rest on ones laurels it's become more popular to launch volleys of attacks on the integrity, lies on the past or rumors of scandal on an opponent.
It takes more than just the attack to be successful, you must have in combination people not informed enough to understand the allegations, not bright enough to see past the lies or not brave enough to stick with the minority even though the minority is more informed and more qualified.
I have no idea how to turn this occurrence around other than to not let it begin. Question and then question some more and don't be so quick to settle for the most simple explanation. This doesn't always pertain to people, it is applicable to events as well.
Sometimes the correct answers are more frightening or difficult to swallow but still, people should not let themselves be led like sheep or bullied because their questions or beliefs may not be the most popular. If we look at history it's easy to see events which in retrospect seem unimaginable but at the time were un-questionable due to fear, popularity or because the truth just seemed so un-believable.
Ask any Jew over 75 years old.