One of my teachers
from high school is being accused of something. I received a letter from a lawyer asking oif i had any information.
I knew this sort of thing went on at my school, I certainly saw a few things I’d like to unsee, but this specific teacher? Never any thought of him. So I’ll call, and tell the truth.
Imagine you’re a shy, bookish kid in a school where pretty much all the other kids are popular. Imagine getting rejected for athletics, clubs, outings, etc by all of your fellow students. Now imagine that other kids are being preyed upon by some of the teachers, and you find that you don’t even merit that sort of attention.
Yep.
12 comments Og | Uncategorized
That’s why I blog. The lack of popularity feels familiar. At least you get trolls.
:o)
Another example where being invisible is a plus.
“Imagine getting rejected for athletics, clubs, outings, etc by all of your fellow students. ”
Hmmm… you were an Omega-Wolf.
So was I.
Not sure how one is picked to be that but do have an inkling how it is done.
________________
As you well know, as of last summer, I had 15 years of that status at my job. Turned the other cheek, tried to appease, etc…
There was a tight group who … well… harrassed me and to each I tried to be nice. There were good days and there were bad days.
Last summer, there was an eruption of abuse that I had to deal with where I finally made a breakthrough: When I decided to talk to management (new supervisor of only several months at the time), I explained to him what was going on. He thanked me and said he appreciated my perspective because he was starting to wonder about me due to the constant barrage that he was getting about me.
Two Words: Constant Barrage.
That said it all. Being that I was on the night shift, I was away frome the day to day gossip. I had no idea from either my ‘enemies’ nor my friends that this was going on.
But it made sense why I was treated like a leper by the many many aquaintances in the office (my friends treated me fine, but there are many many more aquaintances).
I recall how one person or another would constantly foam at the mouth, makes jokes, and/or snide comments about one person or another in high school. I remember wanting to shy away from talking to them because my view was badly skewed about them. I always assumed that they knew how badly they were being harrassed.
It never occurred to me that these character assasinations were occurring behind their backs. Not until I figured it out with me last summer.
It also filled in the blanks for me also as to why I too was never invited to any parties, etc… when I was in high school, Og.
The difficult thing is figuring out WHO is slaying your reputation behind you back – and to what extreme. The followers don’t count – go after the leader (if you can find him). When I confronted one follower at the xmas party 6 months ago, he didn’t know why he treated me like he did. He just did it.
Hindsight tells me I should have dealt with this differently, but that is hindsight. If I ever figure out that I am an Omega again, I will do things different, I suppose. But figuring it out (and who is at the bottom of it) is the hard part.
Sorry to hear you were an Omega, also, Og.
Side note: Things have been better now than they ever have been. The upside is my blood pressure is lower than it has been since high school.
Imagine that.
Two words: Head On.
If I even get the inkling that employees are talking about me behind my back I’ll barge right into their little clique while they are carrying on their whispering campaign and say something like: “Alright, alright. I know you’re throwing me under the bus. The least you can do is invite me to the party so I can throw myself under the bus with you. Hell, I’m management. You KNOW how fucking stupid we pricks are.” You can feel the tension dissipate.
And if a guy gets to big for his britches and starts throwing “management” under the bus and pontificating on how HE would do it if only he had the Power, the very next Friday I make him Manager-For-The-Day and then I vamoose. That’ll adjust his attitude like nothing else. There’s nothing easier that being a fucking back seat driver. Just ask Obammer!!!
Besides, friends are overrated. For instance: When I was in school in the seventies, ALL my “friends” were doing drugs. You couldn’t go to a party without them bringing out that shit. Try as they may they could NEVER get me to take the stuff. I’d simply tell them I don’t need drugs to get high because “I get high off of life”. Nope, don’t need dope. Practically every one of them has come to me as an adult and told me that they secretly respected and envied me for being impervious to peer pressure.
Dick’s website says “Fear? Fuck a bunch of fear.”
I say “Peer pressure? Fuck a bunch of peer pressure.” I go MY way…. you go yourn. If we happen to be going the same way, great. If not, here’s wishing you a safe trip.
Nice comment, Libs. Especially you wishing them a safe trip.
There’s nothing like clean living.
I was never “high on life”. I just burned out on Ritalin at about, oh, twelve.
What gets me is the folks who were the tormentors in grade and high school and then try to friend you on Facebook or drop by your folks’ house trying to re-connect. Selective memory is a crazy thing.
Heads-on works now libs, but not when you’re a fifteen year old with braces and a bad complexion.
“What gets me is the folks who were the tormentors in grade and high school and then try to friend you on Facebook or drop by your folks’ house trying to re-connect. Selective memory is a crazy thing.”
To be fair, so is perception…and teenagers have a tendency to perceive people are being a lot more cruel than they actually are (standard response is to agree, then claim one’s situation was different). Those melodramatic perceptions that are tainted by hormones then become the truth in the minds of the “victims” over the years.
In some cases, yes; in some cases, no. I’m not going to recap my situation but it was clear-cut.
And it’s the wrong-doer who always wants to start fresh, let bygones be bygones, it’s all in the past so forget it, with no desire at all to fix things via mending the friendship damage their trash talking caused, or paying back the money they cost you in a double cross.
I’ll “start over” with a new person, who has a 50% chance of being an asshat, instead of one with a proven record of 100% for being one.
Good point mts1.
That does seem to be the way it works, doesn’t it?