Ok one thing I agree with him on is that was a great pun.
He really is someone without anything to believe in. It's like 'nazi' for gen z is 'nihilist' from the big Lebowski. Angry posturing for shock factor that comes from a lonely directionless place. This kind of response where you say, if I'm not given something to believe in, I'll find the worst thing.
Thanks Tom. He keeps on going back and forth with some things. The problem is that there are all sorts of loons online who write long, fantastical prose and claim all sorts of things that happened or did not happen, and a lot of them are very convincing. So if you are a smart guy who likes to digest complex ideas and you are exposed to that early on, and there is nothing else to anchor you, you will gobble it up.
Absolutely. It's that anchoring that so many of us need but we don't get, the kind of thing that gives us both perspective and purpose early on. Did you ever read the book about anders brevik, 'One of Us'? It's a pretty fascinating portrayal of the guys slide into Nazism through online communities and radicalisation. With the repeated theme being that he wants people to respect him and keeps trying different things to find it. He's clearly a horrible person throughout, but not without yearning for community and recognition
Sorry Stella, I couldn't resist the urge to do some psychoanalysis:)
For some reason, I perceive K as one of the 'lowliest' of all the men you've written about in terms of their power to intimidate you. Yet it's obvious that there's something about him (or perhaps about his hapless attraction to you) that you find deeply amusing and titillating. Or perhaps it is less about how he makes you feel and more about how 'how you make him feel' make you feel. Sorry, that was awkwardly phrased but couldn't find a better way.
One question I asked myself while reading this was: if I were him reading your series about me, how would I feel? Clearly you wanted him to know you're making him a subject on your blog, which suggests something about the psychological balance of power between the two of you: you're not embarrassed to have him know, indeed to let him know, that you find your interactions with him worthy of such elevation. That says a lot. And it also tells me that he is not the price, you are. Though a price you don't feel inclined to let him claim. Yet you value him in some measure that is far from being trivial. You rate him enough to be flattered by his doomed interest.
Your decision to immortalize him in this tiny corner is a stroke of genius as I suspect very much that it evokes in K the kind of sentiment you hoped to kindle.
PS: I've held back very much because I realized K may come across this comment.
Welcome back to the human carbs section, Charlatan. We've missed your insights.
Of course, and he is aware. When I met him I did not expect to talk to him this long. It was at an election watch party full of pro-trump or trump-curious people and while I got in and out of conversations with him I probably bonded more with other people with whom I had more common interests or cultural references, who were there in a slightly ironic way perhaps, as was I. But from afar and online, it felt very much like when you are a teenager and you meet a stranger on a chat room and you strike an online friendship.
I don't know what psychological impact this will have on him and am a bit worried sometimes. He is sad when he thinks that one day, at the end of my posts there will be no TBC. He admitted today that he thinks he needs to keep up saying controversial things to me so that I have something to write about, or else I'd stop talking to him. Not true.
he is not spiteful tbh, I am alert for signs of him doing that but I don't get the sense he is being mean spirited, more like he doesn't know how to carry a conversation sometimes or instigate a connection so reverts to what he, wrongly, thinks will drag me back in. If he was trying to drag me down I would have stopped talking to him long ago, as I have little patience for that.
Ok one thing I agree with him on is that was a great pun.
He really is someone without anything to believe in. It's like 'nazi' for gen z is 'nihilist' from the big Lebowski. Angry posturing for shock factor that comes from a lonely directionless place. This kind of response where you say, if I'm not given something to believe in, I'll find the worst thing.
Enjoying the series!
Thanks Tom. He keeps on going back and forth with some things. The problem is that there are all sorts of loons online who write long, fantastical prose and claim all sorts of things that happened or did not happen, and a lot of them are very convincing. So if you are a smart guy who likes to digest complex ideas and you are exposed to that early on, and there is nothing else to anchor you, you will gobble it up.
Absolutely. It's that anchoring that so many of us need but we don't get, the kind of thing that gives us both perspective and purpose early on. Did you ever read the book about anders brevik, 'One of Us'? It's a pretty fascinating portrayal of the guys slide into Nazism through online communities and radicalisation. With the repeated theme being that he wants people to respect him and keeps trying different things to find it. He's clearly a horrible person throughout, but not without yearning for community and recognition
Your objectifing men like you gotta catch em all for your Pokedex.
guilty
Sorry Stella, I couldn't resist the urge to do some psychoanalysis:)
For some reason, I perceive K as one of the 'lowliest' of all the men you've written about in terms of their power to intimidate you. Yet it's obvious that there's something about him (or perhaps about his hapless attraction to you) that you find deeply amusing and titillating. Or perhaps it is less about how he makes you feel and more about how 'how you make him feel' make you feel. Sorry, that was awkwardly phrased but couldn't find a better way.
One question I asked myself while reading this was: if I were him reading your series about me, how would I feel? Clearly you wanted him to know you're making him a subject on your blog, which suggests something about the psychological balance of power between the two of you: you're not embarrassed to have him know, indeed to let him know, that you find your interactions with him worthy of such elevation. That says a lot. And it also tells me that he is not the price, you are. Though a price you don't feel inclined to let him claim. Yet you value him in some measure that is far from being trivial. You rate him enough to be flattered by his doomed interest.
Your decision to immortalize him in this tiny corner is a stroke of genius as I suspect very much that it evokes in K the kind of sentiment you hoped to kindle.
PS: I've held back very much because I realized K may come across this comment.
Welcome back to the human carbs section, Charlatan. We've missed your insights.
Of course, and he is aware. When I met him I did not expect to talk to him this long. It was at an election watch party full of pro-trump or trump-curious people and while I got in and out of conversations with him I probably bonded more with other people with whom I had more common interests or cultural references, who were there in a slightly ironic way perhaps, as was I. But from afar and online, it felt very much like when you are a teenager and you meet a stranger on a chat room and you strike an online friendship.
I don't know what psychological impact this will have on him and am a bit worried sometimes. He is sad when he thinks that one day, at the end of my posts there will be no TBC. He admitted today that he thinks he needs to keep up saying controversial things to me so that I have something to write about, or else I'd stop talking to him. Not true.
This has been fun and interesting, but I think this series could be called Red Flags.
Hahahaha sadly yes
I am getting strong “lives in one of his parents’ properties” vibes from this kid.
no he lives with his brother in a small town, they both moved there to work at the Wallmart freezer
This is still raw, but I think he's leaving you mentally.
I'm no longer seeing the point of your relationship, do you?
Oh you just wait, this is from weeks ago, the posts are lagging behind reality because I don’t want spam people’s emails
ok
As I suspected, he just says whatever he thinks will put you down.
It's sad really, he wants to drag everyone down so he can feel better than them.
Anyone who listens to this person and takes their words seriously would probably become depressed.
he is not spiteful tbh, I am alert for signs of him doing that but I don't get the sense he is being mean spirited, more like he doesn't know how to carry a conversation sometimes or instigate a connection so reverts to what he, wrongly, thinks will drag me back in. If he was trying to drag me down I would have stopped talking to him long ago, as I have little patience for that.