DalyDose of…3rd Party JackAssery

I have been a proponent of people voting 3rd party for a long time.  I think the 2 party system really only serves the two parties and leads to people digging in to protect the turf of whichever gang they affiliate themselves with.  Heck, we even give the states blue and red colors; the same colors that differentiate the two major street gangs in America.

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I saw my friend’s post on Facebook the yesterday and she was writing words that were kindred to words that I had written before.  I excitedly jumped in and learned that Facebook + Politics can be a funny mix, especially when you add the insecure and feeble minded in.

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I copy/pasted the original Facebook thread and took out pictures and changed names to protect the innocent and the should-be-embarrassed.

Please read it and look for how I made Mr. Bitter feel “dumb”.  I am trying to handicap your reading to LOOK for how I might have been offensive.

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After the thread, I’ll show you the message that was sent to my Inbox:

Original Status Update: What is a voter to do when they don’t care for either Rep/Dem candidate? Vote 3rd party and hope they get enough funding to rid the state and the nation of he/she said politics. You can thank the loss of my vote to the TV commercials. All you proven to me, is that you can both make dirty ads. IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE. GET OUT AND VOTE NOV 2.

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Mr. Bitter: Forget 3rd parties. I want at least a half-dozen viable parties to cut through the black-vs-white partisanship. The current two-party system forces extreme opposing views on a slate of issues — take ’em all or leave ’em; they are ill-equipped to represent those of us who might hold some views from column A, a few from column B, and a sprinkling from column C.

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Me: Original Poster!! Who’d a thunk we’d be preaching the same sermon? I have been an advocate of 3rd parties forever. At this point, I don’t care if you choose the Green or Libertarian or The Moon is Made of Cheese party, it’s way overdue for an end to the duopoly we got going on.
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Mr. Bitter – the term 3rd party is a bit misleading. Most people refer to 3rd party as ANY party that isn’t Rep/Dem. Much like 3rd party accessories for your car.

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Original Poster: We do need more parties. America has settled on this 2 party idea and I don’t know about other people, but it just feels like nothing is getting done…to the point where every idea seems shot down. What happen to Mr. Smith going to Wash…ington to help the little guy? I don’t feel like these representatives actually represent the will of the people these days. So I am voting for the other parties this time around in hopes for a better political environment. Think what “the people” could do if we banded together and helped another party get power. We need to shake things up a bit and show these guys they need to listen to us or they won’t get voted into another term. I just really hope people of all voting ages get out there and do a bit a research and show up at the polls and cast an educated vote. This state and this country needs it. I want people to wake up and start caring about the world they live in.

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Innocent Bystander: I agree with all of the above. Bring ’em on!

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OK, so there’s the Facebook thread.  It’s all innocent enough to me, but imagine my surprise to get the following message in my Facebook inbox:

Mr. Bitter writes:

I had replied to your comment on Kelly’s thread about 3rd parties, but just deleted it, as I don’t want to hijack her status on a side topic.

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There’s no need for you to try to clarify for me what a third party is. I was trying to make a humorous extension of Kelly’s comment about voting 3rd party — by saying we should have 4th and 5th and 6th parties, too. But by singling out my comment, you make it look like you are the wise one “educating” the unlearned (i.e. me) about what was actually a turn of phrase.

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Ever wonder why I seem aloof and to brush you off at events Original Poster puts on? This jackassery is precisely why.

Before I editorialize and “educate” (ha ha), I’ll show you my response.  Those that know me will recognize restraint.

JD replies:

I actually never wondered that, but thanks for the heads up and the name calling. Nice.

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Anyway, I wasn’t trying to say that you were “dumb”…sorry if your self-esteem jumps to that conclusion. This is a discussion that I’ve had with many people and the nomenclature is OFTEN confusing and I just like to make sure that everyone is talking about the same thing.

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I hadn’t realized you were so sensitive and I’ll be sure to match your “aloof” and superior attitude.

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There you have all of the evidence.  I think I was rather restrained and I know I was more restrained than the passages that I delete before sending off the message.  I hadn’t really noticed that he was being specifically aloof towards me.  He is one of those guys that sits around is all quiet and appear to be judging people.  Apparently,  the appearance foretells the personality…or lack thereof.  Anyway, no loss in my life but rather gains.  I gain the freedom from having to interact with someone of this ilk.  I gain in being reacquainted with “jackassery” a middle school era insult.  I also gain a lesson as the “unlearned” edifies the “the wise one”.

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I understand that text without tone can be taken wrong, but we have been in this digital age long enough to realize that.  I like to think that if someone posted something that was potentially offensive to me, that I would ask them about it before going off on some tantrum.  Whether in the final analysis my comment was truly offensive to him, it wasn’t intentional and it certainly wasn’t blatant.  I honestly had no opinion of his intellect or sanity….until yesterday.

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The defense rests…