Today at work they were doing the free lunch thing, so everybody was gathered around the conference room table, eating. There was about 15 of us maybe, most. The subject of Virginia Tech obviously came up, since it's local, and people know people who go there. Then somebody questioned the two hour lag time between shootings with no action on behalf of the school - it was a guy in his 40s that to me feels real. He's got that life spark energy, really funny, high energy. So I take the opportunity to expand on that, throwing in my 4 cents about the fact that they closed the school within half an hour of a bomb threat....but did nothing after the first 7:15 a.m. shooting, where a student died?? Several people started nodding their heads around the conference table, murmuring about it. "Yeah...that IS weird......"
Then this one young guy about my age, who's normally a relatively low key, melancholy, monotone speaking guy and Dilbert lookalike (but younger and buffer, but with the glasses and same hair cut) immediately takes over the conversation, shutting down the questioning. Almost acting as a PR spokesperson for Virginia Tech you could say. "No, you have to understand..." he leaned forward towards me on the conference table, with a spark of life in his eyes and feeling in his voice that you don't normally see with him. And he shoots down the suspicions that I had, and which several others may have started to have after listening to me. He explains that they didn't know it was going to turn into a shooting. They just thought it was a domesticate dispute...an isolated incident. They didn't know, and you have to understand, these things take time. They take time, it's not like you just call the police and they show up right away with all their men.....they didn't know, and it takes time....
blah blah blah.
I'm sitting there listening to him, nodding slowly like "huh.....yeaaaaah....." and just dropped it. It was supposed to be one of those final farewell, the office is closing, let's get together and have free lunch sort of get togethers, not a debate that makes people uncomfortable and squirmy in their seats, picking at their food.
But it was just the instant way he piped up and wanted to shut down any sorts of questions or suspicions. There was emotional investment in it. A need to defend. Why though? He didn't go to VT. He went to collage in Massachusetts. But he got what he wanted. He won, I didn't argue and just let it go in light of the fact that this was supposed to be some happy fluffy luncheon thingy. By the time he was done, the other guy who is cool and feels real was nodding his head and agreeing, as were most others around the table. Suspicions were squelched. End of story. Nothing to see here, move it along.
Seems to me like the matrix in action, working through people. I'm getting tired of the fact that pretty much guaranteed, in any mainstream arena, you can't question jack shit about anything without facing the smack down. Somebody is guaranteed to take over the conversation and dominate, or sometimes even getting worked up and being a verbal steamroller. They don't, won't, even listen to another view, so quick to defend the status quo, the mainstream version of events getting passion and energy behind the eyes.
There was a coworker at the hotel I used to work at who got that way the second I questioned 9/11. In his case though he flat out got fiery and angry. Normally he acted like a heavy-lidded drunk - you know those people who normally are fiery and obstinate but try to mute it with drugs or alcohol, so their eyes have a muted fieriness to them under heavy lids? Something that's barely being contained? Well, that's how this guy normally was...until I dared to question 9/11. Then it emerged. I had to drop the subject. He got too fiery and hostile about the points I made, wouldn't even LISTEN. Wanted to stamp out the conversation.
This guy today wasn't that bad - he's too Dilbert-like for that sort of hostileness
- but there was still this something that rose up the second I pointed out weird discrepancies and started questioning things.
"Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "Holy shit ... what a ride!" - Anonymous
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"I get by with a little help from my (higher density) friends."
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