Re: Values -- where are they?

[Guest guest]

Nice one, Detlef. Me too.

Kv

>

> http://youtu.be/q1CZ6INGCXs

>

> One of my favorite Van on songs. It reminds me of someone I knew

> many years ago.

>

> Back in the late 60s I worked at a gas station here in Melbourne,

doing

> the night shift, 7 pm to 7 am on the weekends. The gas station was

part

> of a complex that included a car wash, where I worked whenever traffic

> was busy enough for them to hire me for the day.

>

> There was a young Greek guy who worked in the car wash some of the

same

> days I worked. His name was Costas, and he was intellectually

disabled,

> although back then people called him " slow. "

>

> I don't remember how it came about, but Costas would come by the gas

> station on the nights I worked, to help me any way he could. Most

often

> it was simply to announce, in a loud voice, " Shop! " when a customer

> pulled up at a pump and I was busy elsewhere. In recollection I think

I

> was one of the few people who gave him the time of day, as though he

> were a regular human being.

>

> I do recall that I intensely disliked how some others treated him,

like

> sending him to fetch a " left-handed spanner, " which he would dutifully

> set about to do. It was mindless mean-spiritedness, and not worthy of

> the perpetrators for the most part.

>

> Costas might have been " slow, " but he didn't have a mean bone in his

> body, or a mean thought in his mind. Sometimes his pronouncement of

> " Shop! " annoyed me, but never enough for me to be mean to him.

>

> I'm trying to work out what my values are. Maybe empathizing with

> so-called underdogs is one of them.

>

>

> Regards,

>

> Detlef

>

[Guest guest]

I empathize and sympathize with the " underdog " .  It's not so hard for me.  I'm a bit of an oddball and so have taken a lot of ribbing in my life.  Also I was more or less diagnosed and labeled " slow " as a kid and so was thought to be slow by my classmates all the way through high school.   And I've always been slow developing verbally so I never appear to be very bright and I've never been particularly articulate and so not able to defend myself.

Today, I'm particularly sympathetic toward gays and lesbians.  I've gotten a little ribbing for be gayish.  I like to dance and to many that is sort of gay.   From wikipedia " Kesha wrote the song in hopes that it would become a pride anthem. The song is intended to inspire people to be themselves, and as a celebration of anyone deemed quirky or eccentric. " So this one of my favorites.  And I love the choreography.  I particularly like the military men marching around wearing panty hose.

So this is for of us " slow " quirky eccentric oddballs!  Enjoy!

 

http://youtu.be/q1CZ6INGCXsOne of my favorite Van on songs. It reminds me of someone I knew many years ago.

Back in the late 60s I worked at a gas station here in Melbourne, doing the night shift, 7 pm to 7 am on the weekends. The gas station was part of a complex that included a car wash, where I worked whenever traffic was busy enough for them to hire me for the day.

There was a young Greek guy who worked in the car wash some of the same days I worked. His name was Costas, and he was intellectually disabled, although back then people called him " slow. " I don't remember how it came about, but Costas would come by the gas station on the nights I worked, to help me any way he could. Most often it was simply to announce, in a loud voice, " Shop! " when a customer pulled up at a pump and I was busy elsewhere. In recollection I think I was one of the few people who gave him the time of day, as though he were a regular human being.

I do recall that I intensely disliked how some others treated him, like sending him to fetch a " left-handed spanner, " which he would dutifully set about to do. It was mindless mean-spiritedness, and not worthy of the perpetrators for the most part.

Costas might have been " slow, " but he didn't have a mean bone in his body, or a mean thought in his mind. Sometimes his pronouncement of " Shop! " annoyed me, but never enough for me to be mean to him.

I'm trying to work out what my values are. Maybe empathizing with so-called underdogs is one of them.Regards,Detlef

[Guest guest]

Nice tune, Detlef. Regarding values: Maybe empathizing with so-called underdogs is one of them. You may be onto something there. I know it strikes a chord with me (empathizing with underdogs).HelenaTo: "ACT for the Public" <ACT_for_the_Public >Sent: Monday, July 23, 2012 1:12:26 PMSubject: Values -- where are they?

http://youtu.be/q1CZ6INGCXsOne of my favorite Van on songs. It reminds me of someone I knew many years ago.Back in the late 60s I worked at a gas station here in Melbourne, doing the night shift, 7 pm to 7 am on the weekends. The gas station was part of a complex that included a car wash, where I worked whenever traffic was busy enough for them to hire me for the day.There was a young Greek guy who worked in the car wash some of the same days I worked. His name was Costas, and he was intellectually disabled, although back then people called him "slow."I don't remember how it came about, but Costas would come by the gas station on the nights I worked, to help me any way he could. Most often it was simply to announce, in a loud voice, "Shop!" when a customer pulled up at a pump and I was busy elsewhere. In recollection I think I was one of the few people who gave him the time of day, as though he were a regular human being.I do recall that I intensely disliked how some others treated him, like sending him to fetch a "left-handed spanner," which he would dutifully set about to do. It was mindless mean-spiritedness, and not worthy of the perpetrators for the most part.Costas might have been "slow," but he didn't have a mean bone in his body, or a mean thought in his mind. Sometimes his pronouncement of "Shop!" annoyed me, but never enough for me to be mean to him.I'm trying to work out what my values are. Maybe empathizing with so-called underdogs is one of them.Regards,Detlef

[Guest guest]

More important than just empathizing with the " underdog " is empathizing and maybe sympathizing with just more general misfits, oddballs, eccentrics, etc.Empathizing with the Underdog I think means more of a judgement.  You are choosing the one that is not favored to win, the less talented or less skilled, etc.  That is fine and really a big part of our culture - in US, UK or Australia and perhaps most of the world.  It's all fine.  And underdogs often are lovable.  So you see often in sports the lovable underdog having the fans behind her against the heavily favorite long time champ.

But how about the unlovable?  How about the oddball weirdo?  The " slow " guy?  The ugly?  The artsy gay? I pretty easily can sympathize with these guys because I have often been the unlovable oddball.  To empathize with the unpopular weirdo takes dropping or suspending the judging we all sometimes automatically do. 

This same skill is important in listening and hearing and understanding a viewpoint you disagree with.  Or more than that someone who is articulating a view that goes against the conventional wisdom.  It's easy to jump on the bandwagon and ridicule this person.

 

Nice tune, Detlef.  Regarding values:   Maybe empathizing with so-called underdogs is one of them. 

You may be onto something there.  I know it strikes a chord with me (empathizing with underdogs).Helena

To: " ACT for the Public " <ACT_for_the_Public >Sent: Monday, July 23, 2012 1:12:26 PMSubject: Values -- where are they?

 

http://youtu.be/q1CZ6INGCXsOne of my favorite Van on songs. It reminds me of someone I knew many years ago.

Back in the late 60s I worked at a gas station here in Melbourne, doing the night shift, 7 pm to 7 am on the weekends. The gas station was part of a complex that included a car wash, where I worked whenever traffic was busy enough for them to hire me for the day.

There was a young Greek guy who worked in the car wash some of the same days I worked. His name was Costas, and he was intellectually disabled, although back then people called him " slow. " I don't remember how it came about, but Costas would come by the gas station on the nights I worked, to help me any way he could. Most often it was simply to announce, in a loud voice, " Shop! " when a customer pulled up at a pump and I was busy elsewhere. In recollection I think I was one of the few people who gave him the time of day, as though he were a regular human being.

I do recall that I intensely disliked how some others treated him, like sending him to fetch a " left-handed spanner, " which he would dutifully set about to do. It was mindless mean-spiritedness, and not worthy of the perpetrators for the most part.

Costas might have been " slow, " but he didn't have a mean bone in his body, or a mean thought in his mind. Sometimes his pronouncement of " Shop! " annoyed me, but never enough for me to be mean to him.

I'm trying to work out what my values are. Maybe empathizing with so-called underdogs is one of them.Regards,Detlef