In an effort to bring a little hilarity into everyone's life this morning, I'm going into the mailbag for an e-mail about my reaction to the Dwight Smith incident last night.
I won't put the name of the person that penned this burning missive out there, but the title of this e-mail is "Why I will no longer read your blog." Well, if he's no longer going to read it, then I guess he won't mind me sharing it with the people. I'll break it down into pieces, even.
You are a blithering idiot.
See, in this instance, the author is attempting to establish a rapport. I think. You would think that calling someone an idiot wouldn't be the best way to go about this, but to each their own. Anyway. . .
Now, see, here's a good, solid leap of logic. After all, if I don't like members of my favorite team getting busted for illegal drug use, CERTAINLY I would be alright with illicit sex, drunk driving, or beating the crap out of a woman.
Wait, I thought that I supposed to be the one making extreme statements here. Ah, no biggie. . .let's just accept that I'm the crazy one here and move on, shall we?
Yes, I suppose he's probably right. After all, as a person that's approaching 10 years of active duty military service (a milestone I'll reach this May), engaging in numerous illicit and illegal activities has become quite a regular part of my daily routine. Shoot, I can't remember the last day that went by without me rolling up a big, fat, Cheech and Chong-sized joint and relaxing on my couch. Unless, of course, you count every single day of my life. Oh, and the fact that I've never so much as seen marijuana up close. Outside of that, I'm quite the pot head.
"Immature bigotry," huh? Let me see here. . .according to the American Heritage Dictionary, a "bigot" is defined as one who is strongly partial to one's own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ.
So, let's run down the list. . .
I'm a white guy. Am I intolerant of other races? Nope. In the line of work I'm in, I really can't afford to be. Not that I would be if I COULD afford to be, mind you. . .just pointing out the obvious.
I'm a Lutheran. Am I intolerant of other religions? Nope, sure not. Except for scientology. . .and scientology isn't so much a "religion" as it is a "complete and utter scam," but that's another discussion for another time.
I consider myself to be a conservative. Am I intolerant of other political points of view? Hardly. I'm more than willing to listen to either side of a political discourse.
The one that's kind of tricky in that definition is "group." Is there a "group" that Dwight Smith is a part of that I'm not that I have an uncontrollable hate for? Let me see here. . .
Football players? No, no hatred there. Ummmmmm. . .graduates of the University of Akron? Nah. The number 24? Hell, 24 might be my favorite television show, so that can't be it. Stupid people?
Uh-oh.
I don't consider myself to be a stupid person. But the more I think about it. . .I don't like stupid people. . .I try not to associate with stupid people. . .my tolerance for stupid people is relatively low. . .
Well, folks, it appears as though our loyal reader has struck a chord. By the very definition of the word, I am. . .indeed. . .bigoted against stupid people. And since Dwight Smith's actions place him firmly into the "stupid person" category, I guess I am, in fact, "bigoted" against him.
Sorry. . .I had to get that out there. The first step to fixing a problem, after all, is admitting that the problem is there.
But seriously, what this e-mail is an example of the sort of mentality that has so many people in trouble today. I, personally, don't get the whole "it's just marijuana" attitude that so many people have. It's still illegal, it still makes you do stupid things, it's illegal, it doesn't do your body any good (unless you have glaucoma. . .something I don't think Dwight Smith has a problem with), and I'm relatively sure that it's illegal. I do so love it when people come out with the "at least he's not drinking" or the "at least he's not doing crack" lines, as though pot is so much better.
The thing is that Dwight Smith makes a whole lot of money. He's an integral part of a team that's making a push towards the post-season. And the guy can't wait a whole month (or six weeks. . .or hell, maybe even two months) to do something this unbelievably stupid if he really feels the burning desire to do so? Seriously? THIS is the guy that our fellow players are supposed to depend on on the football field? Really?
Come on, folks. . .I couldn't get away with this crap in my line of work, and I'm relatively sure that most of you couldn't, either. The fact that some people out there are willing to give Dwight Smith a pass because he's a football player. . .and, more over, a member of the Vikings. . .is a bit disturbing to me. If this was a member of the Chicago Bears doing this sort of crap on a regular basis, how many of those same people would want him burned at the stake?
I watched Onterrio Smith pull this same crap a couple of years ago. . .and had The Daily Norseman been in existence then, you would have seen the same attitude from me about him as I have towards Dwight Smith now. I wanted him gone, and expressed as much on numerous message boards I was on at the time. The Minnesota Vikings have preached a "culture of accountability" ever since Zygi Wilf took over ownership of this team. If they're going to practice what they preach, then Dwight Smith needs to be held accountable. Period. And by "accountable," I don't mean "benched for a series" or "benched for a quarter." I mean "collecting unemployment."
Update [2007-12-15 16:32:40 by Gonzo]:
Apparently our friend here is a liar, too, as he DID read this. He even took time out of what I'm sure is a very, very busy schedule to e-mail me a second time to call me a moron. Well played, sir.