I'm the Horned One. The Devil. Let me give you my card.

[ebonlock]

I got to be a troublemaker yesterday, it was fun.

See I have a low tolerance for mean people. I can handle ignorance a helluva lot easier than I can viciousness, the latter makes me want to strike back. And when I saw an ungrateful little snot verbally humilliating and attacking a very nice co-worker online I intervened. Partially it was my responsibility to do so as it fell under my jurisdiction, however I could've taken the easy route and simply deleted the little brat's registration and banned him from the site. Instead I tracked him down and put him in his place publically in front of all his little buddies (which also happens to be where he was attempting to insult my co-worker).

The funny thing is that while on my "Vengeance is mine!" kick I managed to open up a dialogue with some actually cool and intelligent folks who I might not otherwise have ever interacted with. I'm talking to our site's users and actually figuring out what they do and don't want. They're happy, I'm feeling productive and we're doing something positive for a change.

Then this morning the original little snot called me a "slut".

That word bugs me, profoundly. Trust some little shit to come up with the one really effective button to push. See when I was a teenager I have a vivid memory of walking through a parking lot to the mall. I was dressed normally, some shorts and a t-shirt and was going in to pick up some stuff. Before I reached the door this car drove by and a guy leaned out the window growling, "Slut!" at me. I remember pausing a second or two, looking at myself and wondering, "-the fuck?"

I wasn't dressed provocatively, wasn't acting in any way sexually. I just wanted to go buy a book at the bookstore.

Long after I'd stopped thinking about the incident the word stuck with me, a little voice in the back of my head. I don't like assumptions being made about my sexuality (or lack thereof as the case may be), particularly by complete strangers. It bothers me sometimes, do I come off in a provocative way? I mean I've always been pretty comfortable with my body and I don't have huge issues with showing off parts or all of it. Maybe I'm too comfortable with it, or maybe it has nothing to do with that at all.

I dunno', it just makes me feel kind of weird this morning, unsettled. I know there's nothing to it, it's just a brat mouthing off. Still...

Comments

Words as weapons

[(Anonymous)]

It's funny how you can say or be called almost anything but one word or saying can cut to the quick of a person, I find as someone who lives on his wit (read smart-ass) sometimes it only takes one word to totally shake me even if I know the person is only kidding, now in this case its merely a case of a young boy (read man) in a battle of wits with a woman and where as most men are at a significant disadvantage in a battle of words, this one bailed out quickly and used a walk away word (after you walk away or yell out the window while driving away quickly) in hopes of scoring a hit in a last ditch effort sort of "I'm gonna take my ball and go home" and remember 'slut' is a word invented by men to describe themselves so I guess what he really said was your a 'man' which would be an insult as your so much more.
Just some thoughts from where the snow flies, John

Re: Words as weapons

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

It's just such an ugly word, so...demeaning, it's never comfortable to have it aimed at you. Still, I guess it could've been worse, I mean he may have actually had a brain and used it to come up with some inventive put down.

Anyway, is it really snowing out there yet?