January 12, 2021
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FRIENDS … Romans & Countrymen
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This has absolutely nothing to do with Romans or Countrymen. It is all about the much-maligned and totally bastardized concept of “Friends”.
I really really disapprove of kidnapping words for ulterior meanings. The word “gay” for instance. A perfectly delighful word that for centuries meant “care-freeing … happy … merry”. It appears with that meaning in the Alma Mater of Univ of Virginia.
Then one day it suddenly referred to a male-to-male sexual preference and whatever Kama Sutra images that conjures up.
Why couldn’t the male homosexual community have created a new word to give themselves a group identity? Their female counterparts went to Homer’s Odyssey and the Island of Lesbos for their team’s name.
I wonder if “Gays” might consider changing their team name to … … maybe “Redskins”. I hear that is available. Probably not.
NOTE: My dear departed friend Prince Albert would have LOVED that last line. I sure do miss that guy.
Oh well … this commentary is NOT about the umpteen sexual preferences that are proliferating in our ever proliferatin’ society. It is about “Friends”.
If you google “Friends” for an image to use for a column like this, 99% of those images relate to the popular TV show about six goofy millennials in NYC?
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I currently have over 4,500 “Friends” on Facebook. Of those 4,500, I might actually “know” 25 … 40 max. The rest of those “friends” are simply names on a monitor screen with little avatars that may or may not be “them”.
I decline Friend requests from Croatian hookers and Nicaraguan lingerie models … and any/all from Sub-Saharan Africa. Am I the only one that gets A LOT of those requests?
FYI: “Lexi” is a popular name among Croatian hookers. “Mia” with Nicaraguan lingerie models. Vowels are rare in Sub-Saharan Africa.
My “incredibly insightful postings” actually reach multi 1,00os more than just those 4,500 via a handful of “groups” I am in. All of whose member lists are probably in an FBI / CIA data base in John “Blofeld” Brennan’s subterranean lair.
One such group had in excess of 100,000 members or “did” before Zuckerberg’s toadies started deleting them. I use the call-sign “Willie Brown” thinking Kamala The Razor-totin’ Woman might give me a pass. Ya never know.
95%+ of those 4,500 Friends share or pretend to share my aberrant socio-cultural leanings. Mark Zuckerberg – Earth’s Self-Acclaimed Co-Censor along with Jack “Rasputin” Dorsey – created the Unfriend and the BLOCK buttons for zapping “trolls”.
A sure sign you’ve hooked a “troll” is if he/she/it refers to you as “you stupid Trumpy mutha-f*****” when replying to your post. My “Personal Best” for Unfriending/Blocking a troll is 7 seconds. I’m walking up to Life’s 18th Tee … I DO NOT have time to waste with potty-mouthed Facebook trolls.
I enjoy interacting with my virtual Facebook Friends – AS I DO WITH YOU … YOU … & YOU – but even among that 25-40 I actually “know”, 99.7% of’em do not rise to the level of “if you need a kidney, call me” nor would I call them if I needed one. I wish Czar Zuckerberg would call “them” something else. Maybe “Redskins” if the “gays”don’t take that one. I have 4,500+ Redskins on Facebook sounds kind of cool… no?
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There were 252 give/take in my high school graduating class of which about 60% are still fogging mirrors somewhere. I count about 30+ of those as Friends on various levels. Another 35 or so I remember as quasi-acquaintances. All the rest are probably very nice people but I really don’t know”.
To my knowledge I made no “enemies” in high school or in my hometown. At least not from my standpoint. Perhaps my current fame as an Internet Legend has sparked some jealousy. I doubt it.
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In college 50+ years ago… I knew maybe a 100 folks mostly jocks and dorm guys. I was not in a fraternity so no Brothers For Life bonding. Again, no enemies but not everyone I “knew” reached the level of “friend” by my criteria. Nor would I expect to qualify by their criteria. MAYBE 15 or so “friends” I sort of keep up with. Not any “need a kidney” types among them.
I should remind you that I am NOT “a people person”. I did pretend I was in a job interview when I was 26. My life experiences have convinced me that at least 88% of self-described “people persons” aren’t really.
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I was a corporate nomad for 20 years. Chasing rainbows and making $$$ for executive headhunters. Met a lot of people. Still keep up with a precious few like “Princess Fairmont” and “Handsome Bobby”. I remember the characters more than the normal folks. Why is that?
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We stopped sending Christmas cards 8-10 years ago so that way to count “how many friends do I have” is out-of-date. A year ago I had 9 friends that were certified Trump-hatin’ Liberal Democrats. That list was whittled down to 5 around June and is down to 3 now. Only One of those three has a Lifetime Guarantee.
One of my main criteria is We both look forward to every time we see or talk to one another … and always enjoy each time we do. I have other criteria but that is a key one.
I called Lifetime Guarantee Guy last week updating him on a HS classmate’s medical situation. We chatted for over an hour with only a passing reference to How long before America joins Carthage in History’s Landfill ?
Blondie came in towards the end … sensing my enthusiasm she mouthed “Coby or Leo?” “Coby” I said. She smiled very proud of herself for being so clever. “Tell him I said Hi.” … “Blondie says HI” … “Hi Blondie”… . Leo had called and left a voice mail while I was taking with Coby. It was a Two Friend Day!
Maybe you claim 100s of Friends. Maybe you are envious I have so many ? I doubt that. We probably have different definitions of Friends. That’s OK.
GUESS WHAT? ... if you are a masochist and/or have a well-developed sense of humor, you might enjoy those awesomely popular Facebook posts I mentioned. Three months worth -Nov / Dec / Jan – are in folders on the Home Page. You can’t miss’em.
Q: BobLee, are they politically partisan? … A: Hell Yes.
As Always … Lots More BobLeeSays – HERE
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