In September of 2019 i appeared at one of the board meetings and implored the board to consider some effort in minimizing the problems we would face in election year 2020. Several of the board members took me to task over "the right of free speech." The good news is i am vaguely familiar with that amendment. It all stemmed from a late night visitor i had who asked my help to try and stop some of the senseless banter that goes on where old guys (the women are far less petty) gather and are doing their workouts. Rather than trying to get between people i knew and liked (on both sides of the political aisle), i elected to take it to the board. I think it was in October when then president Jerry Delano wrote an article in Sun Views asking people to think before they spoke. Better summarized was his closing statement: "sometimes the best opinions you have are the ones you keep to yourself." Or something very close to that. At that session, i told people when i go to the gym, i don't go to engage in conversation. I am the first to admit, i am not all that social a person. If i go to the gym, it is to work out. I put on my earbuds and read a book. It helps to keep people from coming around to chat. I still say hi, but i don't want to hear about their grand kids, what they had for dinner, where the are going on vacation and especially how they feel about politics. I make no bones about being a bleeding heart liberal, but i neither wear it on my sleeve (or t-shirt), nor do to i want to debate the merits or lack there-of one political party or the other. Sorry, not interested. 2020 will in all likelihood be the worst year in our history regarding politics. The date is January 16, 2020 and i am writing this to help others think before they engage. There's more to the story and hopefully it will end here and everyone will benefit from it. For now, suffice to say, Sun City is a far better place if we leave the politics out of the socializing.
Agreed. However, obviously not all Sun Citizens agree and prefer to stir the pot, if not at the rec centers, then in their own neighborhoods with flying the Confederate flag, Gadsen flag, and Trump 2020 flag, sometimes all on the same pole just in case the message is not clear. People used to be content to fly the good ol' Stars and Stripes which unites us all....
Earbuds are the universal “do not disturb” sign in the rec centers and on airplanes. With the impeachment trial and election year it will only get worse.
Hey fix, hope all is well. Spot on, too bad some folks never get the message, don't bug me when the earbuds are in place. It may well become a point of contention after the incident the other day. We'll see. It is amazing aggie to watch as some seem compelled to flaunt their politics and insure antagonism. I didn't move to Sun City to incite my neighbors and those who do appear to have little understanding of how the community was built and why we succeeded. The sad fact is, some never learn and never will. Their right to piss people off and insult them every step of the way is all that seems to matter. Sadly, as fix noted, we have only begun the slide into incivility. I know, hard to believe, but the next 11 months will be sheer hell on earth.
Gradually getting back into the swing of things. It seems like some people just like to be contradictory and they are best ignored. My tact is to just not engage in their ignorance and hope that their political flaunts don't really follow them into the voting booth. Can't wait for this political cycle to be over! Ear buds while working out & on a flights are usually the perfect way to get a "Do Not Disturb" zone.
Funny! How is it you guys understand when i have my ear buds in, it means i don't want to hear your rantings about how much you hate Nancy Pelosi or Chuck Schumer? Hell, even when i don't, i have no interest in talking politics. None.
It does concern me when local politicians who claim to be impartial become so visible. Debbie Lesko's actions of late have undermined so much of the good will & support she has garnered over the years in Sun City. So much money to charter schools, supporting short term rentals and now cheerleader. What a shame. That's it.....earbuds in!!
Earbuds help, but tolerance is mandatory. Mark Twain had a point -- "The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog." I'm a non-conformist. Nothing kills my enthusiasm for participation within these walls faster than uninformed people telling me their truths with the intolerance that everyone who believes otherwise is wrong or a bad person. Like people tend to group together. The last time I looked at SC's demographics the community is 92% white, 22% college educated, and historically has voted Conservative by a margin greater than 10% much of the time. I'm not from the upper mid-west or Canada, I'm not a sports team fan, I'm far from partisan, etc. I'm social, I respect truthfulness and fact based majority rule (which the RCSC doesn't) and I find HOAs overly oppressive when they tell people they can't park on a public streets, or how to trim my landscaping, or trespass in neighbors back yards looking for violations. My tolerance wears thin sometimes -- my dog s happy, though!
You do make me smile IC; my dog is my best friend these days, no ear buds required. In my previous life, i took the Meyer's Brigg's Personality Profile 4 times. I was always a fan of trying to understand both myself and the people i worked with and against. Internalizing was something if found useful. Anyway, the first three times i took it, i was an ENTJ, no surprise there. I was forced to become an extrovert simply because of the nature of my work. Oddly enough, as i was nearing retirement, i took it one last time and i was stunned to see i had moved to an INTJ. I had become more introverted. Now some 16 years later, i really enjoy living within my own space. Yup, i can still get on the stage and still love the mic, but my first choice is a good book, earbuds with great music and rolling bowls on the lawn bowling green by myself. I don't need attention or to be leading the charge. I still want to help fix problems and solve challenges we face...but with each passing day i come to understand we appear to be moving away from good solutions to bad choices. Sadly, i think the dumbing down of America is behind much of it. We have access to so much information but we have neutered ourselves as we make decisions with little or no effort to understand what we are actually doing; mostly for the sake of saving time and just getting it done. For now, me and my best friend are going for our morning walk. That too brings a smile to my face.
Having decided that there is little or no hope for America I have started working on Balkinization plans for America. It seems to me to be the only solution.
Hey Carp, hope all is well. Explain please the Balkinization plan for America... i may well buy into anything at this stage of my life.
There is a very informative article on the subject in wikipedia. It begins like this: "Balkanisation (British English), or Balkanization (American English), is a geopolitical term for the process of fragmentation or division of a region or state into smaller regions or states that are often hostile or uncooperative with one another." There is also a self-changing map that shows what the Balkans have been through since it was all just "the Ottoman Empire" 200 years ago. That same area now is (carpmath) a dozen or so countries. I think/feel that it is time to do this to the USA. There are several different approaches to this process, but this is an introduction.
How did that work out in the 90’s after Tito’s death? Check out Impossible Peace if you have Amazon Prime. It covers the 20 years between World War I and World War II for all you people who slept through the lecture during Western Civ.
Regarding politics in the rec centers, as I work on my pseudo master’s in history concentrating on ancient Roman and European Medieval history, I found this quote to be relevant to our domestic state of affairs. Guess who said from the list. Scroll down to find the author. “It is this spirit which has commonly ruined great nations, when one party desires to triumph over another by any and every means and to avenge itself on the vanquished with excessive cruelty.” Was it: Winston Churchill in his Iron Curtain speech Harry Truman after Stalin imposed communism on Eastern Europe Niccolo Machiavelli in The Prince Sallust in The Jugurthine War Sallust The Jugurthine War. 112 - 104 BCE
Well given your area of studies, it has to be one of the last two and really only the last one. I was good at multiple choice.
That is my point. We are (opinion) about to break into the shooting phase of American politics so lets cut it off. I have not read "Impossible Peace" but I have read "The Peace to End All Peace" ( I think it was called) and am pretty well versed in history, though no Masters.
CT, You receive the baton of victory from Gaius Julius Caesar but it will have to wait as he is on his way to the senate. He will be back shortly though, please wait.
