Friends and quotations from said 'friends'

[Guest guest]

True friends don't give a dam about our size. Well, they SAY that, but then

they contradict themselves. As per the following:-

Quote from niece who has just purchased a lovely log cabin effect

house for her two boys (1 and 4) to play in, in the garden.

" Well, now, when you two (Lin and I), come over for a party, we have

somewhere for you to sleep over night! "

Quote from FRIEND, )who lives in London and who's 3 year old Achon girl I

promise to marry when she is of age).

When she asked a friend if we could go visit with her, the friend said, " If

we have many more people coming, we will all be falling over ourselves. "

FRIEND: " Oh, that's alright Fred and Lin are used to that happening to

them. "

Every week, regular as clockwork, I go for a drink with a very tall friend.

(the same one who told me the type of aeroplane flying overhead, because, as

he said, " Fred, I'm closer to it than you! " ). Every week, the barman, Gerry,

puts the beer at HIS side of the bar. Every week, he has a bit of a joke

about it. Every week, I curse and swear at him, call him a useless *******,

ask him how the hell he ever got the job. I pay for the beer, and it stays

where it is.

Yes, at times, if I'm not really feeling on top of the world, it gets

tiring. But what am I supposed to do? Report him to the chairman of the

club? Have him sacked? Pray tell me what THAT would do for my own

acceptance amongst the membership.

So, I say to him., " Excuse me! But have I paid for that beer? "

" Yep " says he.

" Then will you put the b******* beer where I can reach the B*****

beer??????????? "

We both have huge grins on our faces. Later on, he will probably tell me to

quit smokin that b***** big cigar, cos I might fall off the end of it! Yer,

I know, the oldest joke in the book, but then, who's ever come across a

barman with REAL brains? :-)

Am I offended? NAH! Not in the least! In fact, I'm dam proud! Proud that

friends CAN feel comfortable having a bit of a joke at my expense. Proud

that through my own easy going 'outward' (NOT inward) attitude towards

myself, I encourage it, and doubly proud that THEY do so, with the utmost

respect and affection.

Now I am aware that the 'younger' members of the list, would probably be up

in arms at such seemingly 'politically incorrect' behaviour. But I think

the reason is, we (oldies) were brought up, neigh, DRAGGED up, before all

this political awareness came about. People spoke their minds, voiced their

thoughts (ignorant ones as they may have been) and because we were not

raised in a world of enlightenment, we learned pretty dam fast to roll with

it to survive.

Where-as these days, the younger ones seem to be cushioned against even the

slightest of 'sleights'! As we have seen on here, pity help any 'average'

person, who even LOOKS at them. Let alone makes ANY comment about them.

As a result, they have no come back. They have no repertoire of replies,

they have not learned the street level skill of a disarming retort. They

end up hurt, demoralised, at even the slightest incident.

They know the law is on their side. They know there are now laws forbidding

certain actions and reactions from Jo public. What they DON'T realise, is

that they have absolutely NO control over Jo public's gut reaction to

situations, or visual encounters, for which poor Jo just doesn't understand,

and for whom his only reaction is action.

Does today's world induce more pride in the individual L.P? Give them more

rights? Allow them to be seen on a 'higher plane' than maybe us oldie L.P's

were? Perhaps they think because of all their 'rights' and the public's

assumed greater education and awareness, that they are more 'accepted' in

society. I'm not sure really. Personally, I wonder if they are confusing

'the public's fear of approach' with this assumed 'acceptance'.

i.e., I don't get bothered, therefore society is obviously accepting me. "

IS society accepting them/us? Or IS it a case of " If I approach him/her, I

might end up in court for 'politically inappropriate behaviour towards them,

so I had better just ignore him/her. "

If THAT is the case, then pity help both 'our futures' and that of our

off-spring.

All I know is, I'm famed for being approachable, to being able to take a

joke, and because of both of those, people know I can be asked any manner of

question, without either me, or they, feeling uncomfortable.

The weird thing is though. For all, said and done, I cannot, for the life

of me, reciprocate in a joking manner, towards friends who have

'dispositions' themselves.

Fred