Apparently I am a Moron

Today I had more fun with a law professor than I have ever had.

It started innocently enough. We were having a conversation about the separation of church and state. I can't exactly say how it happened but the conversation devolved into an argument about how any reasonable person could possibly believe in Christ's resurrection, walking on water, raising people from the dead, or the emaculate conception.

According to my professor I am a brainwashed moron, incapable of rational thought. No reasonable person can possibly believe that Jesus was resurrected. No sane person could possibly believe in the emaculate conception.

This conversation occured in the lobby of the school. There were several observers who seemed a bit shocked at my professor's tone, volume, and vocabulary. There was a slight giggle when he said, "We should stop talking before I start to get insulting."

I don't really care about the argument. I was kind of having fun. I've spent years defending my belief in God against accusations of diminished mental capacity, dishonesty, and brainwashing. I was a pro at it for 2 years.

What really made me laugh is the degree to which the professor became animated in public. I like the guy. I really do. I just wonder how he could lack the common sense to hold off on that kind of talk until we were in the privacy of his office.

The faces of my classmates were priceless. I can't wait to see who sends an email of complaint to the Dean. I'll be the first to defend the professor but I will laugh out loud with him about being dumb enough to try to have a spirited conversation in a school where every little non PC comment is the subject of an inquisition.

For the record... I do believe in God... I don't know if I'm a moron or not but if I am... I'm ok with that.

You can be offended when I'm talking to you...

A funny little story...

A few years ago I was traveling with a friend of mine for work. We had a layover between flights so we went to grab a bite to eat at one of the restaurants in the concourse. We were waiting in line when my friend asked me "How are we on time?" I responded that it was 5:30 and that we were on schedule.

A large balding man standing nearby became very nervous and asked the man next to him, "Is that really the time?" The man responded "no... It's 4:30." The man then turned to me and with a scolding tone informed me that I had frightened him because he thought he had missed his flight. He was very angry and stood waiting for me to say something. I had no idea how to respond so I just shrugged my shoulders and turned around.

Now that I think about it... My friend and I were traveling to a city in another time zone. We had a meeting in that time zone and our only concern was the time in our destination city. The fact that we happened to have stopped at an airport in another time zone didn't really matter to us. For our purposes the time was 5:30. I knew what my friend meant when he asked for the time and he knew what I meant when I answered. The fact that some fat guy with a comb over was listening in on my conversation and didn't have all the facts was not my problem. If he wanted to know the time he should ask me or buy a watch.

I see that the same thing seems to happen pretty frequently around me. Two people are carrying on a conversation when another interrupts them to inform them that something they have said is incorrect, offensive, or untrue. Who do these people think they are? Nobody is talking to you... Mind your own friggin' business!

There are people in the world who will interpret anything they hear in the most offensive manner possible and will always assume that the message has something to do with them... Guess what? If you overhear something and you chose to give that something a meaning that you dislike... That's your problem. I don't want to hear about it. Nobody is talking to you and if you want to run around looking for opportunities to be offended you can be miserable and bitter all by yourself.

Honestly... How narcissistic can you be? What made the fat man think we were limited to a discussion of time based on his frame of reference?

So here's my new theory... If I'm not talking to you, you don't get to automatically assume you know which time zone I'm in. If you don't like the message you received, you don't get to tell me that you don't like the message I sent. If you have failed to properly decode my message... That's your problem.

You can be offended when I'm talking to you...

Let's NOT Promote Diversity...

As I walked down the hall today I passed a pair of classmates engaged in a spirited conversation. I didn't stop to listen in but I did hear the phrase "promote diversity" several times. I didn't think much of it since this is a common topic of conversation here in the law building. As I continued on to my class I passed another group of students who seemed to be having the exact same conversation. For a minute I thought all four students may have come from the same room and were all just finishing up a discussion that had begun in the last class.

But they weren't... They are from different classes (1L,2L,3L) and the only class or meetings just to let out were not likely to have dealt with promoting diversity.

I thought about it for a minute or two... I don't recall the last time I went a day without hearing the phrase "promote diversity." I have decided that I am sick of it.

I know that most people who "promote diversity" would say they aren't trying to promote differences. They always seem to say they are promoting community and cooperation. But are they really?

How does it make people feel to have someone constantly telling them that they need to be more diverse? It's like saying my school, community, or social group sucks because we're a few members short of a standard platoon. Are they saying that we need to import some superior group of individuals? Am I supposed to hang my head in shame because I have failed to recruit the right players for my team?

I think all these people who want to promote diversity are operating under the false idea that everybody wants to go into places where they are different and unique. Perhaps they think we hate comfort?

I'm sure there are plenty of schools across the country where Mormons are rare. I assume the promoters of diversity would love to pat themselves on the back for having a rich assortment of religious beliefs in their community. But what if I don't want to go there? Does that mean they're somehow flawed?

No... I like it here. I don't have anything against them or their schools. I don't feel they lack anything because they're short on married guys from Utah and I don't think they should cry themselves to sleep at night about it.

Did anyone ever stop to think that the apparent lack of diversity may have something to do with the fact that some "diverse" groups don't want to hang out with me? Do they think it makes me feel good to know that not everyone in the world wants to be my friend and neighbor?

How does this promote community? Now I feel like there is some other group out there that has something I don't. They're better than me. They're different from me. Those friggin' snobs! What makes them think they're so special? What have they got that I don't have?

How about we just let people go where they want to go? Quit trying to herd me off to some place I don't want to go. Leave me alone.