Who are your favorite people to be around?
As a life-long introvert who only recently has said, “Screw it, life’s too short, and who cares what people think?” (as I venture into the local social scene to raise awareness of my non-profit theatre company), I would say that the list of favorite people to be around has grown. And yet, those I feel truly comfortable with are about the same as always.
I’ve long been most comfortable around academics and theatre people because they are the ones with whom I have the most in common. Of course there are those among both those groups who are insufferable, pompous, and or narcissistic. But I can quickly identify and avoid those, and enjoy the company of the rest.
At the Chamber of Commerce events I’ve lately been attending, I tend to gravitate to those who are outgoing, friendly, and willing to work with me. I also do my best to avoid those with whom I clearly have nothing in common; when they had “questions” (aka, editorial comments) at a recent meeting with government representatives and expressed views that I would call reactionary,* I placed a tick mark (√) next to my mental picture of them and noted that I must avoid them in the future.
* One of these was a doctor who railed against recreational marijuana, complaining of it being “a gateway drug.” I won’t dip my toe into this debate, but his assertion about how this affected young teens failed to mention why they began smoking/using; perhaps better parenting, education, and work experience might help with prevention rather than having to deal with the consequences later on. Likewise, arguing against immigration to provide local employers with workers because, “They don’t become part of the community” seems misguided; give them jobs, along with housing and education for their kids, and you will see them quickly and happily become part of the community. Don’t let your xenophobia deprive businesses of their workers.
Incidentally, at some point someone asked, “Where did this immigration problem start, and I almost said, with an Irish accent, “Those damn Irish!” But then I realized the problem really started with Columbus—but I kept my liberal/progressive/socialist mouth closed in a very introverted way.
MUSOFYR 