Bruce Feirstein

This is research.

That said, although it’s not as near-neutral as Christian-esque psychology, it’s not as megalomaniacal as Mark Steyn. It’s set, don’t get me wrong, but it’s far less grandiose.

He’s set against the hippies and the teeny boppers, but he’s not murderous. Some people would really enjoy seeing a nuclear war happen if that’s what it took to toughen the world up again, but I don’t think we’re seeing that here. He just has a grudge against the youth, that’s all. The world is full of grudges. Can you hand out justice?

I no longer label people Nazis and worthless because they’re sometimes, or even often, wrong. “When Kennedy was president, people had honor and treated you with respect.” If you lived in the same neighborhood. “Today’s pop music makes people weak-willed, impulsive, and downright worthless!” Come now, no one's worthless. Where’s our near-neutral Christian-y psychology when we need it?

But there are people who are weak-willed. “My life should be easier. Winters should be warmer and summers should be cooler. I shouldn’t have to work so hard. Life is too hard. I’m entitled to a break. The world is unfair.”

Although if you get negative with life, even about negative people, life gets negative with you. You end up like one of those fathers who tries to intimidate middle school boys by implying that he owns his daughter like chattel. **

“‘Cause that’s just the way of the world.”

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Bill: *points* You’re full of shit!
Therapist: *nods* Uh huh, uh huh. What else can you tell me about that?

Because, you know, Bill has problems, but I understand where he’s coming from. Perfect love for everybody else, but not for you, or perfect love for people in general, but nobody in particular, and especially not for you.

So, people are full of shit.

That’s life.

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And, you know, sometimes he’s full of shit.

Bill: Saying that people need a “safe space” so they can escape the rape debate at school is like saying that Trump says offensive things just because he thinks that Mexicans are rapists!
Hermes: But maybe *boys* would like a safe space to escape the rape debate?
Bill: *points* *does fists* *walks away*
Hermes: *hands around mouth* Two lefts and it's on your right!

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** I once saw a guy wearing a shirt— here’s a message for you, random stranger!— that said— “Don’t touch my tools, or my daughter.” Nice. “I’m very careful with horses, even with slaves.” (^)

I hate to disclose this to a tender soul, but sometimes fuck-you-you’re-full-of-shit working-class guys are full of shit.

Not that that exempts them from suffering, obviously.

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And sometimes I’m merely perplexed. You like being robbed for your lunch money? I know you like playing baseball in the ninety degree heat, but, Jesus Christ, learn some self-respect. Nobody’s asking you to be Uriah Heep.

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(^) I know that so often with these working-class families they want to be like Victorian aristocrats, you know, and nobody is indifferent to who their kid marries.

It’s just that, the way things work out, they’re usually something else.

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And, you know, sometimes he’s right. Video games and dieting are both abused by many people in our culture. “I’m right? I’m right!!!!!” “This one time.” “I’m right!!!!!” “You don’t always have to be right.” “But I am. I’m right.” “That’s right. You were right.”

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Sometimes it’s fair.

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And, you know, sometimes in life people tell you that you’re full of shit, and they’re right.

.... So by the end of the book, I thought he was maybe half right.… (meer)