Art Bell

[The General]

Jesus, get a room you two.

[b_dubb]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNPAM5ABhvs&sns=em#

[Frys Girl]

What an astounding display of ball sucking.  Likely one of the greatest I've ever seen.

Why do you have to go and say something like that? Now we're going to get a dissertation on why your statement dismisses the generous net genius we've been afforded from these guys.


Here's the gist in advance: we, the non-OS and non-Z, are immature and unaware. They pity the fools.

Since we don't have much choice, let's get it in purple, bold, italic, and yellow shadow font. Size 4. Switch it up.

[Zircon]

I must say right now that I am laughing my ass off ... you two ... geez!

"McPhallus" and "ball sucking" ... let me see ... is there a connection there? Looks like you have "Dick" (and certainly not Jane) on the mind there Mc"Gerkin". Or perhaps more appropriately, "testicles". You're "handle" (such as it is) is quite appropriate there, "stud".

The "General" suggests we (Oversoul and myself) get a room. I think both of us are quite secure in our heterosexual lifestyles and in our intimate relationships with our wives (assuming you're married Oversoul?). Being a "General" (I know you're really not - like you say), you must have spent a lot of time in the showers with a lot of "manly men". Sharing soap and snapping each other on the ass (washcloth or with an open palm) while scrubbing each others back.

I am not asking for all of this praise and Oversoul isn't asking for mine. We seem to share a lot of the same philosophy even though he is far more evolved in his search than I. I think it would be best for all of us to temper it down. I am willing to discuss the nature of the universe (like just what exactly is the universe? Why does it even exist?) Our place in it assuming each sentient species has a purpose since each is unique, the likelihood of interstellar travel. When? How? Geez! I wish I could live a thousand years and see these things unfold but that is not to be.

Any of you guys have any thoughts on those questions? They apply to all of us regardless. Am interested in hearing your ideas. Oversoul will comment in short order on these I am certain as he is a traveler like myself.

[Zircon]

Why do you have to go and say something like that? Now we're going to get a dissertation on why your statement dismisses the generous net genius we've been afforded from these guys.


Since we don't have much choice, let's get it in purple, bold, italic, and yellow shadow font. Size 4. Switch it up.

Very good response (smiling). Since Oversoul is a much better writer than myself, I will leave it to him to honor your request. I think it will be an impressive visual display. Have at it ...

[Frys Girl]

Any of you guys have any thoughts on those questions?

I don't smoke weed.

[Oversoul]

x            x            x

I want you to know that your honesty and exposing your inner self invites arrows. Now, by so doing a level of arrogance can be perceived and this can rub people the wrong way. Before I think I knew you better my eyes rolled a time or two when reading one of your posts. There, I am being honest.

x            x            x

I am fully aware of that, Zircon.  Thank you for pointing it out.

Since I was young, I have always tried to be (and have been) an independent and free thinker.  I never felt comfortable being one of the sheeple or being lost in the ocean of human ignorance and mediocrity.  Over the years, I learned to become a wide reader, to be knowledgeable as resources would allow me, and, above all, to be as open-minded as I can be.  I have seen the damage to others that narrow-mindedness or worse close-mindedness can bring (no need to go farther than George Noory for an example).  I was taught and raised to pursue excellence in most everything I should do.  I may not have always succeeded in every case, but I always tried specially in those areas and instances which defined themselves as purposeful in life.

Such a background has made me appear unconventional in some people's eyes and has even made me the object of their envy at school or at work or at other marketplace setting, not at play however where I would usually be in the company of friends.  I have learned that the people who perceive me as arrogant are usually conformists who are repelled by the unconventional in me.  They expect me to conform socially, politically, religiously, or whatever, and to behave like themselves or the rest, and they feel restless and uneasy if I continue to stand out as an independent and free thinker or a nonconformist. 

I've had my share of critical people who trump up excuses just to jump at me for that.  However, I learned to ignore them pretty much because I soon learned that it wasn't about me -- it was about them.  More often than not, I represented something or someone they were not but wanted to be deep down inside them; so my presence filled them with an unconscious sense of self-loathing which they projected on me.  In other cases, I happened to represent a threat to their personal values or cherished beliefs, and they went on the attack out of fear.  I recall of an instance when a woman denounced me for being the devil himself because I would not go along with her orthodox or mainstream religious beliefs. She expected and demanded conformity from me.

In those situations I had become their punching bag out of their self-frustration or fear.  Realizing that it was not about me after all, I learned to "let it slide off my back" as you said.  Mind you now, there are still wrong buttons on me which people can press as an issue, but they are normally deactivated when individually pressed.

It is a different situation where a combination of wrong buttons are pressed all at the same time.  It is like entering the complete security code to activate open a silo and launch a nuclear warhead.  When that happens, button pusher beware.  It is regretful that such a combination of wrong buttons was pressed recently here.  There are limits to what may be endured.

Meanings are in people.  No matter how well-meaning a message or piece of communication from the sender is, it will always be interpreted through the mindset of the receiving reader or listener.  There will never be a perfect congruence of mindset then.  Some form or measure of disagreement will always exist.

Because meanings are in people, no amount of communication will succeed with a reader/listener whose mind is already closed or predetermined against its sender.  Understanding is next to impossible particularly when aggravated through a personally distant, detached and cold medium like cyberspace.  A polarity of differences develops as a barrier to understanding, and a continuing open dialogue becomes impossible between the message sender and the receiver.  This polarity of differences is what Mark Twain most famously described as: "East is east, and west is west; and never the two shall meet."

Aside from his radio hosting skills, I believe I admired Art Bell also for his ability to make east and west meet, both with respect to his C2C hosting and his personal life.  That is his hallmark of brilliance and excellence.

(Let's all just get together and have a good laugh.)

[Zircon]

Again Oversoul, your writing is praiseworthy. It is concise and your thoughts completed.

[Zircon]

I don't smoke weed.

I have though its been many years since my last joint. I found it a rather enjoyable and enlightening experience.

[Zircon]

Oversoul, THAT PICTURE IS PRICELESS !!!

[Oversoul]

Oversoul, THAT PICTURE IS PRICELESS !!!

[b_dubb]

wow. Oversoul has turned this thread into a place to talk about how highly evolved he/she is. Well fuck me sideways with a chainsaw

Zircon to a lesser extent

Maybe we could return to the original subject of this thread?

[Zircon]

Oversoul ...

You are a fortunate person to have recognized who you were early in your life and acted upon it. From the sound of it, your upbringing was an overall positive experience as I hope you have (and continue to have) a good, loving, constructive family. I would hope that all (or most of us) had this type of experience in our early, defining years.

If one is encouraged to pursue their interests and develop their own view of what they can do and how they can contribute then this is an ideal situation. We all know that conformity and societal expectations will enter into our behaviors. Try as we might we're not always as independent as we'd like to be. The more your "buck the system" and you're recognized as not a "grazer", you will be unconvential. People will notice and some will like it while others will feel uncomfortable. In this I believe we are in almost total agreement (?)

Those who excell through their own talents and don't go along are taken note of. People love "hierarchies" and this is very prevailent in your teenage years. It persists throughout life and can be a difficult experience when one comes up against an established hierarchy and you're the challenger so to speak. That very thing has cost me a job or two in my former career.

Clearly you've noticed with increasing accuracy how people do not like non-conformists. I woudl say this forum is full of non-conformists. After all, it is an Art Bell/George Noory C2C web site - hardly main stream news content.

If they like you they'll cut you slack but accept you. Both of us have seen arrogance in our life - even from ourselves if we reflect. Some of it can be backed up and some of it can't. The acceptance or rejection of arrogance depends on where you are in the food chain most often. Arrogance by an underling (especially a new one) will be recognized and if it manisfests itself in something positive for the group's effort then management will tolerate it within limits. Your peers will feel otherwise almost always.

I grew up in Oklahoma which is in the Bible Belt. My family was not a church going family. Without giving my last name, our neighbors, since we didn't all hop in the car on Sunday for church, thought we were a bunch of "Godless Jews" (their words). Excuse me ... both sides of my family come from a long line of Roman Catholics (Germany, Poland, Denmark and Austria). So conforming to religion and a way of thought was expected. Narrow mindedness to be sure. Stupid "Okies" is what they were. Fortunately this place has evolved. They even make fun of "Okies" now and few people have that twang. Much more mainstream even though we remain "fly over" country.

Typecasting others as "self loathing" may be a bit over the top. If a person beats their drum over and over again, they'll find people will grow tired. What they're responding to is the delivery and not so much the content. Look at McPhallus and The General. Afer our exchange they basically told us to get together and hop in the sack. Are they serious? Of course not. So I had some fun back at them. Chances are if we ever met them we'd get a beer and laugh our asses off abut a whole slew of topics.

If a person is combative with people and assume a superior stance while so doing then people are not going to give that person much room. Many people, like myself, have been guilty of this at certain times. You can be your own worst enemy.

Being a person who will praise another is really nice but not all people are comfortable with it. If they perceive you as condescending it might not net much gain for either of you.

If you perceive yourself as a "punching bag" then you may wear it on your sleeve. Some people will notice and then punch you. Thing is to never allow this idea to settle in. One can qualify their position on a subject being discussed ("in my opinion" as opposed to this is simple the way it is). Of course it depends upon the topic and what is being discussed. Those who abuse you are frightened. There is no question about that. Low self-esteem, misery enjoys company, I'm going to bring you down ... etc.

If you can't avoid them then ask them to explain themselves. Give them room and a level of respect. If they won't do that then avoid them. Chances are you won't be alone.

You are a very intelligent thinker and writer. I can see that talent, a necessary one, was probably developed even more as a lawyer (in your former life here in this incarnation). Hard for me to carry on a conversation with you as the best I could do would to basically say what you already said. I'd be stealing as I probably wouldn't have thought of it much less write it.

Have a great weekend Oversoul. Hopefully this post wasn't a bore or perceived as being critical. The reasons I know so much about this (I think so anyway) is that I've been on both sides of most of the stuff I wrote about.

[Zircon]

wow. Oversoul has turned this thread into a place to talk about how highly evolved he/she is. Well fuck me sideways with a chainsaw

Zircon to a lesser extent

Maybe we could return to the original subject of this thread?

Hey, I haven't finished my joint and margarita. Need to see if the Mockingbird needs another. Sunflower seeds are pretty good. "Tweet" and I agree on this.

[Oversoul]

Maybe we could return to the original subject of this thread?

I did already.  I said:

x                  x                  x
Aside from his radio hosting skills, I believe I admired Art Bell also for his ability to make east and west meet, both with respect to his C2C hosting and his personal life.  That is his hallmark of brilliance and excellence.

(Let's all just get together and have a good laugh.)

I hope you did not miss that remark I made about Art.
 

[b_dubb]

my bad. I don't know what i was thinking

[analog kid]

Could you guys move this narcissistic exchange to its own thread?

[Zircon]

Could you guys move this narcissistic exchange to its own thread?

Not a problem. I realize it is getting really old for the rest of you. Is there a way that we can transfer the entire back and forth to a new thread or are these stuck here?

[The General]

Could you guys move this narcissistic exchange to its own thread?

Or a private message for Christ's sake?

[Oversoul]

Just open a brand new thread if you are so inclined, Zircon. Just remember: I'm not Ian Punnett -- I don't preach to the choir. 

Have a good weekend, yourself.   And thanks for the advice.  Other sympathetic good fellas here gave me similar advice earlier.  Thanks to them, too. 

Cheers!

[McPhallus]

I must say right now that I am laughing my ass off ... you two ... geez!

"McPhallus" and "ball sucking" ... let me see ... is there a connection there? Looks like you have "Dick" (and certainly not Jane) on the mind there Mc"Gerkin". Or perhaps more appropriately, "testicles". You're "handle" (such as it is) is quite appropriate there, "stud".

In your time here, you've always struck me as a fairly intelligent poster, so it puzzles me why you think you need to enable Oversoul to clutter up this forum with his long, self-absorbed, and pretentious ramblings.

[McPhallus]

Not a problem. I realize it is getting really old for the rest of you. Is there a way that we can transfer the entire back and forth to a new thread or are these stuck here?

Do we really need a seperate thread for you guys to blow each other?

[Oversoul]

[MV/Liberace!]

this thread blows me.

[analog kid]

In your time here, you've always struck me as a fairly intelligent poster

He thinks Islam has infiltrated and controls all of the media, including Fox News (as well as the entire government). His only champion who is willing to speak out against this covert invasion and dominion by foreign radical Muslims, is Michelle Bachmann, and if you disagree with this you get a shit sandwich full of insults.

But to each his own.

[ChewMouse]

My most enduring memory of Art Bell and Coast To Coast A.M. was the night of September 11, 2001/morning of the 12th. I'm a psychiatric nurse and I was working overnights in a residential care facility (I loved that job) and I finally got ten minutes to myself at about 2 a.m. I took my little radio outside and sat in one of the chairs and watched the trains; the facility was right beside train tracks and while there was no air traffic for awhile back then, those trains ran all night long, folks. And for days following. Long flat cars with things covered with canvas sheets. In my frame of mind, everything looked like a covered missile.

They had at least a dozen railroad security guys with powerful flashlights just standing there, which is common when the cargo is sensitive in populated areas. One of the security guys walked over and said, "You need to get back inside, Lady."

"I work here, pal," I told him, "and I need some fresh air."

And then I started to cry, my first time that long long day, and I was furious at myself but I just couldn't help it.

The railroad guy sat down, pulled out a cigarette and said, "You listening to Coast To Coast?" I sniffled and said yes. He lit his cigarette and took a long pull; then we didn't talk.

We sat there for maybe eight minutes, just listening to Art Bell trying to make sense of the senseless. I got control of myself and kept watching the trains. We were two night owls sitting there with another one on the radio.

Pretty soon the security guy got up, patted me on the shoulder, and walked back to his post. I went back inside to deal with people that, I was now convinced, were not the truly insane on this crazy planet, and I left the radio outside, turned on, with Art's voice riding the airwaves.

I felt better, for a little while.

I'll never forget that.

[Sardondi]

Alright, who dropped X in the CoastGab coffeepot, dammit?!

*edit* ahem. This would have been a tad more appropriate if I had been able to post about 30 seconds sooner...

[coaster]

It smells like sex in this thread.

[MV/Liberace!]

My most enduring memory of Art Bell and Coast To Coast A.M. was the night of September 11, 2001/morning of the 12th. I'm a psychiatric nurse and I was working overnights in a residential care facility (I loved that job) and I finally got ten minutes to myself at about 2 a.m. I took my little radio outside and sat in one of the chairs and watched the trains; the facility was right beside train tracks and while there was no air traffic for awhile back then, those trains ran all night long, folks. And for days following. Long flat cars with things covered with canvas sheets. In my frame of mind, everything looked like a covered missile.

They had at least a dozen railroad security guys with powerful flashlights just standing there, which is common when the cargo is sensitive in populated areas. One of the security guys walked over and said, "You need to get back inside, Lady."

"I work here, pal," I told him, "and I need some fresh air."

And then I started to cry, my first time that long long day, and I was furious at myself but I just couldn't help it.

The railroad guy sat down, pulled out a cigarette and said, "You listening to Coast To Coast?" I sniffled and said yes. He lit his cigarette and took a long pull; then we didn't talk.

We sat there for maybe eight minutes, just listening to Art Bell trying to make sense of the senseless. I got control of myself and kept watching the trains. We were two night owls sitting there with another one on the radio.

Pretty soon the security guy got up, patted me on the shoulder, and walked back to his post. I went back inside to deal with people that, I was now convinced, were not the truly insane on this crazy planet, and I left the radio outside, turned on, with Art's voice riding the airwaves.

I felt better, for a little while.

I'll never forget that.

thank you for this post.  it's a nice departure from the festering stench that has been permeating this thread.

[McPhallus]

I felt better, for a little while.

I'll never forget that.

An on-topic post! Thanks for that; it shines like a beacon in the fog.