"He was a quiet man, friendly of course, but not one who had mastered the art of conversation. To look at him, one would think that he was just another middle-aged white guy with questionable fashion sense. His mannerisms and body language was always downtrodden. He avoided eye contact, he spoke in low, soft tones that were both soothing and unsettling. He lived alone, though his attempts at marriage resulted in complete failure, and he had gotten comfortable with his routine. He really only had one source of irritation and it was from a coworker.
There are bullies in the workplace and he hated them. He had spent his childhood at the hands of these brute beasts - coming home from school with his clothes ripped or stolen, his face scratched or bruised, and sometimes missing homework. When he would return home, he had to face his father who would in turn beat him severely for being picked on. All of these events would lead to one tragic day.
The workers were on a break where they often went to enjoy some sunshine, the rooftop of the 5-story brick building in the industrial district of the city. The bully was there and he was again in his top form. Laughing, poking, and being commanding, controlling. He was standing close to the edge of the barrier on the rooftop when the bully said something about bedding his mother. He grabbed the bully and held him in his arms in a bear hug and walked backwards.
When the two of them hit the ground, the sound of bones crushing and breaking echoed off of the other buildings. Their demise had drawn the attention of neighboring workers who came out to see what had happened. He had reached a boiling point, the emotional point of no return where self-harm and destruction were merely a means to an end.
It's how many of us live our lives today." ~ 'Killing Me Softly,' Ron "Gorilla" Black
Most recently, this saying was put into practice when the Oklahoma GOP decided to elect a ultra-conservative to chair the party. People within the party had heard for many years how the grassroots efforts, the development of candidates, and affiliation with the various Chambers of Commerce were going swimmingly - and they were. The problem is that the core of the GOP is not a fan of the Chamber's agenda at some points. Apparently, these points are so sharp that it's worth breaking fellowship.
That is what happened when former State Senator Randy Brogdon was elected as chair. In many ways, the "group think" was most likely punishment for the many years of centrist ideologies and the disdain of the party apparatus who treated the conservatives in the party as dirt on their $695 Salvatore Ferragamo dress shoes. The Chamber crowd got bit and now, the party has suffered as a result. There's no need to go over the multitude of mishaps with Brogdon at the helm, but in a way, the party sacrificed itself to get a point across.
How this all pans out is anyone's guess.
This is just an opinion and I could be wrong. But I'm not.
Ron "Gorilla" Black
