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PERSPECTIVE

On Rock, Smith, and trump

By Victor MendezPublished 2 years ago 2 min read
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PERSPECTIVE
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

PERSPECTIVE: Which side of the mirror are you on? Are you the reflection or what is real?

I watched a man on national tv espouse all the virtues of hate, of racism and ignorance. Heard him downplay accomplishments and work of people that came before him. Watched and listened to him calling people names, assigning epithets to people he didn't like or agree with to undermine their credibility and hide his own lack thereof. Listened to him brag on a recorded video of how he can grab women by their most intimate parts and suffer no consequence due to his celebrity status. Watched and listened to him call for the conviction of an opponent based on hearsay more than proof. Watched and listened to this person denigrate every law and yet refuses to accord the same right to any critic of his. And he was elected PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!!!

PERSPECTIVE: How far can a person go in reaching into peoples lives to make a joke at the expense of their dignity?

I watched a man take something incredibly personal to someone to elicit laughter from the surrounding watchers wanting to be entertained. It worked. Garnered laughter from the crowd as the person at whose expense it was sat in silence and dealt with it, because that's what you do when dignity is the best answer to an off-color dig at your expense. Don't laugh but don't react, either!

PERSPECTIVE: What to do? Laugh at my wife's expense or defend her honor, also possibly at her expense?

I watched a man debate these thoughts and when pushed, the mind does strange things in milliseconds that may/will affect you for the rest of your life. Should I jump off the cliff or wait for the guy with the gun pointed at me to pull the trigger? Which is the lesser of two evils. Die like a man or forever be known as a coward for taking the lesser of two evils? But which is which? Well, we know how one way ends.

PERSECTIVE: One man becomes a hero for telling a joke about a man's wife and being "professional" in his response to the spouse's reaction; another man's decade's of work, his career, his standing in the community is shattered and criticism piled on for defending his wife's honor(perhaps his own honor, as critics are quick to point out).

BY UNANIMOUS DECISION: The hero goes quietly about his business, having earned accolades for his professionalism while the villain is thoroughly destroyed, vanquished, humiliated before the world..and the saga is not done as he is vilified, drawn and quartered in the arena of public opinion. Every last vestige of success he had earned will be stripped because of one little joke. And the bandwagon is strong and so it gets piled on and piled on until even ATLAS himself must give way under the immense weight of the world! Will that then suffice?

FUTURE: Will someday, someone ask the hero of this twisted saga, "How does it feel to destroy a man with but a simple joke at his wife's expense" Granted, the response is what made this an epic more than the little joke itself, but when you text/email, do you wonder at the response and if you should hit send? The villain is now a "villain" and he is now "the butt of the joke". There is a lot of power now in your hands, Mr.Rock...use it wisely.

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About the Creator

Victor Mendez

Born in 1958.There's a lot of road beneath these feet.Worn out pairs upon pairs of shoes.Been a ranch kid,a city kid,a Marine,a dad, a grandfather now,an avid reader and just recently began writing poetry in 2015 just to vent.

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  • Test4 months ago

    Well Written My Dear......

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