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Author Topic: Member Interesting, Hair Raising, Humorous or Otherwise Unusual Experiences  (Read 6748 times)

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AGelbert

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  • Posts: 36274
  • Location: Colchester, Vermont
    • Renwable Revolution
The Racist Nextdoor

Money quote:

Quote
Neither Nextdoor nor Neighbors have responded to The Root’s request for comment. Ultimately, Nextdoor is just a piece of technology and a tool for communication that can be used for good or evil. These apps aren’t creating more discrimination. When someone burns a cross or sends a racist letter, it is not the fault of the tree that produced the paper or lumber.

“I mean, there’s racist people on Facebook, on Twitter, everywhere,” said Stinton. “It is like being a fly on the wall in a roomful of racists who all think they are invisible. I can’t imagine what it’s like for a person of color to have to see that.”

“I can,” said the invisible black man.

“It’s like living in America.”

Full article:
https://www.theroot.com/the-racist-nextdoor-1835939264

Thank you for posting the above story, Surly. 👍

I read the article with interest, since I have been on both ends of racism evil. Also, the question about choosing between being able to fly or being invisible resonated with me. I have often wished to be able to become invisible at will, but not so I can spy on people; my motivation is based on avoiding being on the receiving end of casual racism. This is why, here in Vermont, I have adopted a reclusive life style.

I have discussed the way it "works" here with you before, so I won't go into that, except to say that I read (several years ago now) about how popular with Vermonters some selectively local internet software (like "Neighbor") was. When I read that happy talk about how great it was to share important local info, I immediately knew that a significant percentage of that "important info" most Vermonters were sharing was casual racism, though the article did, of course, not imply that.


It was a source of sadness for me because I agree that said apps do knit a community closer together and do facilitate kindness and help in time of need. The problem is that too many Vermonters regard quick access to a timely warning, a kind word or a helping hand as a privilege not to be shared with "outsiders". Moreover, they are quite skilled at microaggressions (i.e. legal harrassment) for the purpose of letting "outsiders" know, in no uncertain terms, that they are not welcome to participate. :(

I am sure Vermont society is not unique in this regard. I actually admire how Vermonters stick together and care for their own. Their lack of trust and acceptance of "outsiders" is based on hard experience, so it is not an illogical or implicitly immoral modus vivendi.

Of course, the Devil always manages to get into the details. Overly provincial Vermonters are shooting themselves in the foot by arbitrarily accepting fellow Vermonters (some who will rob you blind with a smile on their face), while arbitrarily rejecting "outsiders" like me and my wife. It is, of course, our loss. But, I have no doubt that it is, even more so, their loss.

Some may read this and ask, "WHY don't you move?". "Because I like it here", is the first thing that comes into my head when I ask myself that question.

However, it is only partially accurate. I do like cold weather and marked seasonal changes, so that covers why the climate here is agreeable with me (and my wife too!).

My support of socialist politics has nothing to do with living in Vermont. If you think the majority of Vermonters are "Socialists", or that the State Government is "Socialist", you have never lived here AND have listened to a lot of hype from the media about "Liberal Socialist" Vermont.

Capitalism is prevalent here, unfortunately. There are some (rather paltry) heating assistance programs for the poor but, really, there is nothing Socialist about the Vermont State Government and the overwhelming majority of Vermonters.   

The best answer I can honestly provide is that I experienced complete and utter rejection at the hands of my friends and family due to my challenging my father and siblings in 2004, when they took me to court so I would accept a pittance for my inheritance due from my mother, who died in 1990. Said "agreement" would have stripped me of any right to an inheritance from my father when he died. Perhaps I should have agreed, since Christ did say that you should just let them take what they wanted when someone asked for something, even to the point of offering more than they wanted ( Luke 6:30 "Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back."  Matthew 5:40 "And if any man will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also."

But, unlike my father and all my siblings, I am poor. I perceived their unprincipled behavior, not as that of one who begs, or one who takes out of simple aggressive avarice, but one who deliberately abuses a poor brother (But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 1 John 3:17).

I stated they were unjust and, of course, lost even the roughly $46,000 (MINUS $7,500 in "legal" fees for the lawyer who happened to be Larry's new wife's son) they had offered in the process. Perhaps I was wrong to fight over money. Perhaps I am rationalizing my futile efforts to make two judges (one in 2004-2006 and another one in 2014-2016) provide inheritance justice, but that effort was key in exposing the ugly truth about who these "friends" and relatives were in their heart. If I had accepted their offer, they would have continued to prop up the illusion I had lived under my entire life, that they cared for me as much as I cared for them.

I still care for them and have, though it has been difficult to do, forgiven them for their sin. But I resolved, as far back as 2006, that until they repent of their sin, I will not feed their sick need by associating with them. All they have to do to make amends is write a letter admitting their wrong, apologizing for it, and making restitution. A sister called to say my father died in 2008. The same sister called to say her husband died in 2014. My oldest brother called a few times in 2014, just asking me to call him. Another brother called in 2016 with a message about a "motion" he was going to file (which he never filed - all those calls were about the last bit of highway robbery going on at the court on their behalf). The same sister that called in 2008 and 2014, the one who had been the "Christian" mouthpiece thoughout my siblings' attempt at manipulating me since the year 2000, called in 2017. I think that was to tell me about the death of my oldest brother at 77 (he had Parkinsons for nearly 20 years and colon cancer for over a decade).

I had picked up (I'm a bit slow) on this particular sister's (the other two are far more into abrasive mocking and cheap shots) practice, since 2006, of engaging in manipulative false compassion punctuated, when she figured my guard was down, with guilt trip psychology. Her last suggestion was that the best thing I could do is make out a an affidavit rejecting any and all claims to inheritance from my parents. I said I would do that right after she did and said goodbye. I stopped answering her calls after 2006.

I didn't learn of my oldest brother's death in 2017 until this month. I hope he made it, but his total loyalty to my brother Larry, the ringleader of the inheritance scam (who committed routine adultery with my first wife, and who I believe is the father of one or both of my "children", both who sided 100% with "Uncle" Larry on the inheritance "issue") with my father and all my other siblings, does not give me confidence.

When I confronted Larry about his 1971-1988 routine adultery many years later (over the phone in 2004 during the Larry's first inheritance lawsuit scam against me), he said, "She's not my type.". Now where have you heard that recently? Birds of a feather, and all that.

My present wife Carmen had always claimed I didn't have enough evidence that Larry was the possible father of one or both of my children, since I had never done any DNA testing to find out for sure. I agreed my suspicions were circumstantial but insisted, for many reasons of observed behavior I could not list completely even if I talked for several hours, that he had to be the father.

Over the phone (earlier in 2004), even before the "She's not my type" remark Larry made to me, Carmen had a conversation with Larry about how estranged my "children" were (and still are) from me (Ever so clever Larry was posing this as a ploy to convince Carmen to persuade me to grant an inheritance power of attorney to my "daughter"), Carmen stated that I could not trust said daughter and mentioned my paternity doubts to Larry without accusing Larry. Larry instantly said that was "ridiculous because of the blood tests".  Carmen had said nothing about "blood tests". Larry had that quicky answer too ready at hand. He didn't say I should check the DNA. Larry's prepared answer was exactly the thing you would expect if he and my ex-wife had conspired to respond this way in the event that the issue of dubious paternity came up. Someone who had never questioned said paternity would ask about blood tests or DNA, not claim the paternity issue had already been "settled by blood tests".

I don't recall ever discussing blood tests with Larry. I never bothered with blood test math when I learned the blood types of my "children" when they were born because it did not occur to me at the time that anyone but me could be the father! So, who, exactly, discussed those blood tests with Larry, if not my ex-wife? And, more importantly, WHY would my ex-wife discuss blood tests with my brother Larry who lived next door when both of my "children" were born?

When Carmen heard that, she began to take my doubts seriously, but was still not totally convinced.

As Trump did recently, the, "She's not my type" unstated (but BLATANT) message is that the ONLY reason to immorally do or not do whatever is whether said woman is a certain "type" or not. For Larry, the flippant remark directed at me was obviously a sneering bit of cruel mockery and disdain for any concept of morality whatsoever. IOW, the fact that he is my brother is, to him, irrelevant in deciding whether to commit adultery with my wife. This is the way sociopaths think.

After Larry's "She's not my type" remark to me, considering that his wife, since 2001 or so, is an olive skinned Puerto Rican lady that is very much (as opposed to his blonde and blue eyed ex-wife from Maine) the same "type" as my ex-wife, Carmen became convinced that my fingering Larry as the possible father of one or both of my "children" is reality based.

At any rate, even DNA lab work to establish paternity is a challenge when two brothers are the candidates. Blood tests, in these cases, are less than useless.

My subsequent disconnection from all these manipulators and hypocrites (some of them claim to be "Christians") has given me a great deal of peace. All of them share "greed is good" personality traits.

Which brings us back to why I do not move. You see, all of them mostly do not like Vermont or want to live here.

My wife and I will live out our days, whether they be the Last Days prophesied in the Bible or not, in Vermont.

The Czar's Blessing for my family and former "friends":
 
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

 

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